Elevating Recreation Destination's Presence
Brand Strategy Overhaul
THE OBJECTIVE
Yet to establish an online presence and identity and continuously missing a crucial segment of their target market, I was tasked with reinvigorating Recreation Destination's brand strategy and positioning this brand for sustainable growth.
Recreation Destination's Brick and Mortar Location
WHO
Recreation Destination is a small retailer of goods for the RV camping, recreational boating, recreational fishing, backpacking, and tent-camping industries.
This small business was conceptualized by two RV industry veterans. Its goal is to provide consumers with an alternative to the low service standards and shopping experiences commonly associated with these industries.
As a mom-and-pop alternative, this brand's competitive advantage leaned into the idea that consumers would be more willing to forgo the product's best price with quality service and a personified brand image.
THE CHALLENGE(S)
Lack of brand awareness amongst in-person and online consumers within local and national target markets.
Recreation Destination entered a convoluted market as an underdog. They aimed to pull customers away from brands such as Camping World, Bass Pro Shops, and other established and renowned companies.
The Brand didn't reach consumers within social media channels and had no online promotional strategies.
The small business model meant that price-oriented consumers didn't glance twice at Recreation Destination. Larger competitors with larger supply chains were able to offer products for less.
Brand Awareness
Threats
Online Presence
Pricing Strategy
Social media ads created for Recreation Destination's Instagram page
Robert Jones
DEMOGRAPHICS: Age: 55 | Occupation: Floor Manager | Lives: North of James River/South of Fredericksburg, VA | Has Family and Children | Income: $50,000-80,000 | Owns RV
​
GOALS/MOTIVATIONS: Looking to Retire at 60 and Travel with Wife | Self Starter with DIY Intentions
​
PAIN POINTS: Poor Service | Product Quality | Online Shopping | Being Pushed
​
COMMON OBJECTION: "You Don't Have Exactly What I'm Looking For"
​
INTERESTS: Fishing | Travel | Football | American Politics
BUYER PERSONAS
THE STRATEGY
Provide Recreation Destination with an online E-commerce platform to broaden the target market and reach
01
02
Organize, rewrite, and rework previous branding and advertising strategies to broaden appeal and improve visibility
03
Increase brand awareness via cross-marketing campaigns with local businesses, entry to additional social media platforms, and various promotional campaigns featuring products and information
04
Close the competitive gap with larger chain retailers through improved content and pricing strategies.
THE TACTICS
Implemented an SEO strategy that resulted in organic traffic at under 100 clicks/month to over 35,000 clicks/month in just one quarter. ​
Built and optimized a professional website focusing on user experience, pursuing increased conversion rates.
​Ensured the brand was visible on key platforms such as Google My Business and relevant social media channels.
1. Online Presence Development
2. Brand Style Guide
Crafted a comprehensive Brand Style Guide to ensure consistency across all touch points.
Defined logo usage, typography, and color palettes to reflect the brand’s personality.
Established clear guidelines for visual and messaging coherence.
3. Brand Voice Creation
Developed a distinct and relatable brand voice to resonate with the target audience.
Authored sample copy, taglines, blog posts and tone specifications tailored to suburban, middle to upper-middle-class families and recreation enthusiasts.
4. Brand Awareness Campaigns
Designed multi-channel campaigns to boost visibility, including:​
Social Media
Strategy
Engaged audiences on platforms Instagram and Facebook
A 15% increase in followers and monthly total impressions surpassing 225,000.
Content
Strategy
Dramatically increased audience retention and brand authority
Published regular blog posts, infographics, advertisements, assistance guides etc.
Social media ad created for Recreation Destination's Instagram page
5. SEO Optimization
Conducted an in-depth keyword analysis and competitor research.
Implemented on-page and off-page SEO principles for all created content and the company website, achieving increases in authority and top-5 ranking for the website for primary keywords.
THE BIG IDEA
Small businesses often struggle to structure their marketing initiatives and branding development, leading to identity crises and loss of opportunity/profitability.
​
While Recreation Destination's unique marketing offering and approach to customer retention brought incremental growth, its lack of digital strategy kept its ceiling lower than that of its competitors.
​
This business needed structure and strategy, and once provided, it yielded the following results:
THE
IMPACT
6. Content Creation & Calendar
Developed a Content Calendar to maintain consistent audience communication and grow a loyal customer base through unique market offerings and incentives.
​
Content calendar development coincided with content strategy to further development of competitive advantage and brand recognition.
​
Created blog posts, newsletters, and visual content tailored to audience needs.
Optimized content for search engines to maximize visibility.
Blog Posts written for Recreation Destination's website
CONVERSIONS
Achieved 30% growth in repeat customer base and 40% growth of new customer base through targeted campaigns
RECOGNITION
Positioned brand as a reliable, competent, and home grown alternative to local competitors
TRAFFIC & AWARENESS
Increase of web traffic by 340% and new mediums established for brand awareness
ENGAGEMENT
Social media page and content engagement rates boosted by 500%+ MoM
KEY INSIGHTS
01
More than 50% of this business' target market is technology-averse. Finding creative ways to appeal to these consumers without relying on online content showed me that a business's online segment isn't the "end-all-be-all" regarding engagement and customer retention.
Small retailers across the US struggle to compete with price-oriented consumers due to the convenience and prices that companies such as Amazon offer. Connecting with these consumers by providing helpful resources and other informational content can be extremely beneficial for retaining them.
02
Roles
-
Creative Direction
-
Lead Strategy
-
Project Managment
-
UX/UI
-
Web Design
-
Copywriter
-
Content Strategy
-
Visual Design/Content Creation
-
Social Media Management
-
User Journey Mapping
-
Market Research
-
Financial Analysis
-
SEO/SEM