Table of Contents

• 🎨 Branding Strategy: Every Details Matters

• 📣 Marketing Strategy: Focus On Engagement

• 1️⃣ Instagram: Engineered to Engage 💬

• 2️⃣ Reply To Everything

• 3️⃣ Book Through DMs

• 4️⃣ Retargeting Ads

• 5️⃣ E-mail Marketing That Performs

• 6️⃣ Facebook Group as a Loyalty Engine

• 💡 Creative Extras

• 🔑 Key Takeaways from Bolt Farm Treehouse

• ✅ Three Things You Can Do Right Now

• 🎥 Watch Me On YouTube!

• 💭 Final Thoughts

Branding Strategy: Every Detail Matters

The Brand Story: From Honeymoon Treehouse to Mountaintop Magic

It all started with a dream. Literally. Founder Seth Bolt and his dad Larry built a treehouse for Seth’s honeymoon with wife Tori back in 2015. That one treehouse? It turned into a 55-acre, 18-unit luxury retreat outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, with treehouses, mirror cabins, glamping domes, and now a full-on treehouse spa.

Their mission? To help couples rest, reconnect with each other, and reignite their purpose—all while soaking in panoramic views.

And it’s not just the property that stuns. Their marketing is next-level. In this case study I’m also sharing some insight former DTC(direct-to-consumer) marketer Nathan Woods, who led the brand from late 2022 into 2023, evolving Bolt Farm Treehouse into a direct booking powerhouse.

Behind The Brand

From the jump, Seth and Tori infused their personal story into the brand. You see their faces. You hear their voices. They don’t shy away from the camera—and that human touch makes their luxury treehouse retreat feel accessible.

And this personal approach shines through in everything they do ⤵️

That posture of hospitality—leading with heart, inviting engagement—shows up in everything they do, from their booking flows to their Instagram captions.

Their success, of course, didn’t come without some ups and downs. If you want to learn more about that, check out their website and socials.

Marketing Strategy: Focus On Engagement

1️⃣ Instagram: Engineered to Engage 💬

Let’s break down what they’re doing on Instagram that’s worth copying ASAP:

Text overlays that stop the scroll
Example: “Hidden gem in Tennessee” with a little map pin and “This is your sign to visit Whitwell, Tennessee this Spring”. If you’ve been following this newsletter for a while, you will recognize the second one. The Local also uses this one pretty often.

Smart, engaging call-to-actions in every caption

• “DM us SPRING for help booking your perfect escape.” (Psst: this probably triggers a ManyChat automation!)

• “Tag someone you’d bring here.”

• “Agree or disagree: Couples should take a weekend getaway every 3 months.”

• “Send this to your Valentine.”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. INCLUDE A CTA in your posts! The easiest way to get engagement is to ask for it.

Their High-Performing Formats

• Drone footage + close-up shots

• User-generated content (UGC)

• Founder behind-the-scenes videos

• Collaborations with creators/influencers

• Seasonal content (Valentine’s Day, spring break, etc.)—use these holidays to your advantage!

Location-Based Targeting in Overlays —🚨You can easily copy and paste this idea!
“Only 45 minutes from Chattanooga” or “2.5 hours from Birmingham” helps to push a lot of local engagement. People living in these locations feel like you are talking directly to them. Bolt Farm Treehouse understands that if something works, you can and should rinse and repeat.

See examples of this content here ⤵️

2️⃣ Reply To Everything.

They don’t just post and ghost.

Bolt Farm Treehouse had (and maybe still has?!) someone on the team fully dedicated to engaging—replying to every DM, every tagged story, every comment. That warmth? That’s what builds community.

3️⃣ Book Through DMs

Yes, seriously. They’d send personalized booking links straight into people’s DMs—sometimes even shooting a custom video inside the exact unit the guest was asking about. Make booking a stay easy! That’s concierge-level service via Instagram.

4️⃣ Retargeting Ads

Bolt Farm didn’t go heavy on top-of-funnel ads (meaning: ads with the objective of introducing people to your brand). Instead, they ran retargeting campaigns.

Retargeting ads target people who already visited your website, signed up for your emails, or engaged with you on social media. Because these people are warmer leads, retargeting ads tend to convert much better.

They tracked ROAS (Return On Ad Spend), which basically means: for every dollar spent on ads, how much did we make back? And they saw consistent returns—especially when showing ads to people who had already visited their site or engaged on Instagram.

5️⃣ E-mail Marketing That Performs

Bolt Farm Treehouse used email flows using Klaviyo + a custom API into their Property Management System. They added:

• Welcome series

• Abandoned cart flows (basically, people that clearly showed booking intent, but left without taking action)

• Pre-arrival content

• Rebooking offers

• Seasonal newsletters

And it worked:
Over 30% of all revenue in 2023 came from email, with more than half of that from automation.

They’re so smart about this. When you go to their website, you’ll get a pop-up asking if you want to participate in a giveaway where you can win a free stay. To participate, you need to let them know when you’d like to come. This knowledge then allows them to send potential guests super targeted email campaigns, too.

6️⃣ Facebook Group as a Loyalty Engine

They also built a private Facebook group with 20,000+ members, where they offered sneak peeks, last-minute deals, and behind-the-scenes content for their most engaged guests.

Creative Extras (which you can recreate!) 🙌

Bolt Farm isn’t just doing digital well—they’re making analog work, too.

One savvy trick: automated postcards for abandoned cart users, with unique discount codes. Smart! These people were already thinking about booking at Bolt Farm Treehouse.. so why not give them that final push?

And I can't skip the reconnection cards: placed inside each unit, these cards feature prompts and questions designed to spark meaningful conversations between couples—like:

“What’s one adventure you still want to take together?”
“When did you last feel most connected?”

It’s was low-cost but deeply impactful way to strengthen the guest experience and leave a lasting impression.

🔑 Key Takeaways from Bolt Farm Treehouse

✔️ Emotion is everything: From captions to visuals, Bolt Farm Treehouse taps into their guests’ desire for connection and peace.

✔️ Direct bookings are gold: They optimize every touchpoint—from popups to DMs to emails—to drive bookings straight through their site.

✔️ Smart CTAs drive results: Every post has a call-to-action, and they often create conversation starters.

✔️ Marketing starts in the DMs: Personalized, fast engagement (including booking via DMs!) helped them drive real conversions.

✔️ Postcards and reconnection cards = next-level touches: Memorable, heartfelt, and super shareable.

✅ Three Things You Can Do Right Now

✅ Add a Call-to-Action to Every Instagram Post. Instead of “link in bio,” try engagement-boosting CTAs like:

• “Tag someone you’d bring here!”

• “DM us ‘Spring’ for your perfect escape”

• “Agree or disagree?”

These CTAs encourage interaction, keep users on the platform, and can trigger automations (like with ManyChat) that convert followers into guests.

✅ Add a Reconnection Card or Special In-Room Touch. Bolt Farm Treehouse places branded conversation cards in every unit—simple prompts that help couples slow down and connect. It’s on-brand, heartfelt, and memorable.
You can create your own version with 5–10 thoughtful questions. Tie them with twine, place them on the pillow, or include them with a welcome note.

✅ Use Relatable/Trending Text Overlays: Scroll through your Reels feed and take note of text overlays that stop you.

Maybe it's “Hidden Gem in [Location]” or “Only 2 Hours from [City]”.

You can use Canva or CapCut to recreate that style for your own property.

Pro tip: Mention nearby cities, key attractions, or a type of guest (“nature lovers,” “romantic getaways,” “dog moms”). It’s hyper-relevant and hyper-shareable.

🎥 Watch Me On YouTube!

Ready to take your hotel’s marketing to the next level? These YouTube videos are packed with tips, ideas, and inspiration to help you grow. 🎥✨

Don’t forget to hit subscribe—I’m sharing a new video every single week! 🙌

Also check out these articles:

• Crafting Your 2025 Hospitality Marketing Roadmap

• How to use AI to create social media content & newsletters faster

• A Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Hotel Newsletter

Or check out these case studies:

• How Outpost X Built an Experience Hotel in the Middle of Nowhere—And Made It Go Viral 🚀

• How The Local St. Augustine Masters Hotel Instagram Marketing 🏨📲

• How Claridge’s Hotel Masters Luxury Hotel Marketing Strategy ✨🏨

💭 Final Thoughts on Bolt Farm Treehouse

There’s no denying it—Bolt Farm Treehouse is killing it on social. From their stop-the-scroll videos to thoughtful DMs and dreamy in-room details, they’re proof that great hospitality marketing is equal parts heart and strategy. 💡

But here’s the good news: you don’t need a full mountaintop resort to borrow their brilliance. Start small. Try a trending overlay. Add a reconnection card. Get curious in your DMs. These are things you can do, right now, to create more connection—and more bookings.

Because when you market with meaning, your guests will feel it. And they’ll remember it, too. 💫

That’s it for this week! See you next week with another case study.

Cheers,

Caroline 👋