Brand is a topic that keeps surfacing in so many conversations I’ve had.
Seems like everyone in the unique stays space is beginning to appreciate the value of a truly great brand—not just in growing an audience of loyal guests, but also in creating lifetime value through repeat visits.
And institutional capital (and hotel chains alike) are willing to pay top-dollar for properties with strong brands.
But what is a brand, really?
As I’ve said before, brand is not just a graphic asset (logo, typeface, color scheme), nor is it just a large, engaged audience. It’s the sum total of every interaction someone has with your business.
The brand is the business. Not something attached to it. Brand is the totality of all customer experiences with the business.
Everything a customer sees and touches shapes the brand. If you’re a brick and mortar business (like hospitality), this includes everything from cleanliness of bathrooms to store (or property) layout. From team members (and even their apparel) to print marketing material.
If you’re a landscape or boutique hotel, this includes first impressions of the property, messaging, housekeeping and maintenance staff, welcome gift, and on and on…
Every customer touchpoint shapes the brand, and it either adds value or takes it away.
Audience growth and content…
Now let’s talk about the most critical part of building a strong brand: growing your audience (assuming you’ve got the hospitality and the experience down pat).
An audience is what amplifies your brand,
Should you, as the founder/creator, personally show up in the brand social media?
Should you “build in public”?
Yes, I think so. People love people (not faceless companies or entities).
Make your story part of the brand, but don’t let the brand depend solely on you. The goal is to build two overlapping audiences:
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Your personal brand—valuable for launching future properties, raising capital, or consulting (and would include X, LinkedIn, and a newsletter).
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The property brand—valuable on its own in attracting guests, and capable of scaling or being sold without you, while benefiting from the jumpstart of crossover from those interested in the behind-the-scenes parts.
If I were starting Live Oak Lake audience growth over, here’s what I would do:
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Start a personal brand account on Instagram @isaacfrench, and document the entire journey—from having the idea and searching for land, all the way through launch and operations—via short form videos in a style similar to Harrison Hide, Jack Buczkowski or Devon with The Pacific Bin.
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Start a property brand account on Instagram @liveoaklake, and collab-post some of the best quality highlight pieces with my personal account. I would also post project renderings, brand inspirational content, and local (nearby towns, historical, etc) and landscape content on this account.
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As construction neared completion and the property neared launch, I would schedule the very best local/regional travel influencers to come stay and post giveaways with booking coupon codes to hype the launch. Ben Wolff just put on a masterclass in this approach with the launch of Onera Wimberley, growing over 25k followers and crashing the bookings site with demand in the pre-launch lead-up.
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Post-launch, I would create and post curated, story-driven short form videos every other day (there are some great agencies and creative folks that can help you with this—just let me know if you want recs). And a couple times a week, I myself, or someone on the team, would personally show up in the 24-hr stories feature, if possible, and connect directly with the audience.
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I would also insert my story as the founder (and host) in the printed guest book, the welcome notes, and on the website of course. All very important to establishing connection with the guests and making them feel special and cared for, especially in a low-touch hospitality setting like this one.
Finding your voice…
A tension lies between polished, curated “brand” footage and algorithm-driven, trending audio-laced, fast-paced and sometimes raw viral-style videos.
Finding the balance between these two ditches seems important.
And you don’t have to choose one without the other.
I am hyper-detail-oriented, and care very much about visuals and design. But I also love rapid audience growth and the sound of $$$ pouring in through Stripe pings on my phone as the result of a viral reel.
Ultimately, you must explore this spectrum and find your “voice” as a brand, both personally, and for your property/business. It’s good to experiment and try different styles. But once you find it, commit, and be disciplined! Being consistent truly is one of the most important things—just like with the other, more tangible components of creating your brand.
So how do you build a world-class brand?
Brick by brick. Guest by guest. By creating a property like no other, and then delighting each and every guest with small but thoughtful surprises.
And how do you build a world-class audience?
Also brick by brick. One piece of content at a time, created and posted purposefully. The result? RAVING FANS.
Final Thought
Your brand is your business. It’s how people feel when they think of you, talk about you, and recommend you. So take the time to build something unforgettable—something worth talking about. Because the stronger your brand, the easier everything else becomes.
