The Lodge at Smoky Cove
The Client
A brand and website formed from the majestic, Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.
Services
Branding, Photography,
Web Development, Video
The Ask
Lisa Connett and her husband had recently purchased a beautiful lodge nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Their vision for the lodge was to completely renovate it and turn it into a prime AirBnB vacation destination! The only drawback to this plan is that they had no existing brand, no digital presence, and, ultimately, no way for clients to actually find and book their beautiful lodge. That’s where we came into the action!
The Approach
From the start, Lisa explained to us that this was a new venture and that the original feel of the lodge from previous ownership was going to be completely rebranded and revitalized. During our kickoff meeting with Lisa, we explained the need for a complete brand package. This would not only be the foundation of the website, but would also establish a familiar, recognizable brand with clients that could be used for a variety of marketing purposes.
Once we captured a cozy, cabin-feel logo design, we needed to create a website that embraced this concept. The primary goal of the website would be to captivate users with the beauty of the lodge, convincing them to book a room or two, whether for a vacation, a wedding party, retreat, etc.
A major factor in accomplishing this goal was the need to capture the beauty of the lodge for the website; we needed excellent imagery. This is where our photography/videography would step in. We planned a trip to the lodge to capture not only the lodge itself, but also the surrounding area including the breathtaking mountain views, the quaint local town, the vast forest trails, and more. Utilizing drone footage for this trip would be vital, as we needed to navigate sharp elevation drops, aerial views, wide panoramics, and scenarios where a traditional camera and tripod would not suffice. The final step would be to curate all the incredible footage we captured in our trip and flow it into the website to make it truly come alive. Once we presented this solution to Lisa, she was fully on board, and the pieces started coming together.
The Results
By following the solution strategy proposed by the client’s needs, we were able to create an aesthetic website that truly captures the breathtaking beauty of the lodge and the surrounding area. The brand and imagery work together to create a visually pleasing website, while the simple structure allows users to view and book a room within a few minutes. Lisa and her husband have already received an influx of booking appointments over the course of this year thanks to the new website!
