Inn Cahoots Marketing Revamp
Emily Abernathy
Case Study
Project Description
Inn Cahoots, a boutique hotel and wedding venue, approached me to revamp its marketing project. The main problems they faced were pivoting to pandemic-aware content, and their marketing assets were not organized, which made it difficult to manage and track progress. My role as a marketing manager and designer was to upgrade their project management processes and social media content to increase brand awareness and engagement.
The problem-solving approaches used to fulfill requirements:
Their requirements for this project was to tie together all their marketing assets into an accessible project management tool, here we utilized Google Drive and Trello. I first conducted a thorough analysis of their existing marketing strategies and identified areas that needed improvement. I then developed a comprehensive project management plan that included clear timelines, goals, and deliverables.
Challenges faced and how they were overcome:
One of the biggest challenges I faced during this project was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and protests occurring nearby in downtown Austin. To overcome these challenges, I worked closely with the Inn Cahoots team to adapt their marketing strategies to the changing circumstances. This included creating new social media content that highlighted their ability to host micro weddings as a venue, as well as developing new messaging that emphasized their commitment to health and safety.
What revisions were made:
Throughout the project, I made several revisions to the marketing plan based on feedback from Inn Cahoots and the changing external environment. These revisions included changes to the social media content strategy and adjustments to the project timeline.
What impacts were made:
As a result of the project, Inn Cahoots saw a significant increase in their social media engagement and website traffic. Specifically, they saw an average of 15% increase in Instagram followers and a 5% increase in website traffic. These impacts demonstrate the effectiveness of the project management processes and social media content upgrades that I implemented.
Overall, my problem-solving approaches, adaptability to external challenges, and revisions to the marketing plan were crucial to the success of the Inn Cahoots marketing project.
Work Samples
Project Management Setup
Trello
Trello was the primary tool utilized to pull the project together. I constructed two boards, one for their admin side of the project and then another for creating, reviewing and approving content created.
Social Media
I came onto the project summer of 2020 mid the pandemic. Being a boutique hotel that catered to larger groups pre-pandemic, they wanted to make sure their voice on social media didn't disappear and prioritized the health and safety of the public while maintaining a fun and trendy environment for responsible events.
Content Creation
Instagram was the primary platform Inn Cahoots was posting on. I created a content calendar template they could reuse as well as did hashtag research where I established a hashtag bank they could refer to in their marketing guide document.
Content Strategy
Relevancy and awareness of current trends was important to Inn Cahoots so we made sure to take a stand on values such as equality and diversity.
I helped Inn Cahoots determine what cultural moments we should watch out for, one of which was Pride Month.
In the caption for the last post just above, Inn Cahoots stood with BLM by offering a safe haven for nearby protestors. While others were contributing to blackouts with only an image, Inn Cahoots wanted to make sure they were not adding noise but were adding real support.
