In marketing, we focus a lot of energy around your “target audience.” But how do you find out more about who that target audience really is? Research, research, research!
“The value of having an outside voice who truly "gets" our unique work and is steeped in the complex world of how to effectively connect with the public is incalculable. As a small nonprofit with a distinct blend of historic preservation and hospitality, having a trusted resource for all our marketing needs has really helped us take our communications to a new level…Their technical knowledge and skill has allowed us to go places we simply couldn't reach otherwise. In every instance, they're always generous, inquisitive, and genuinely willing to help, always going above and beyond."
—Jeremy Ebersole, Public Outreach Manager at The Landmark Trust USA
The Landmark Trust USA is a nonprofit organization located in Dummerston, Vermont, working to preserve historic properties and make them available as short-term vacation rentals. Each property was built between 1802 and 1915, providing unique experiences for visitors.
Fun fact: While now separate organizations, The Landmark Trust USA was founded by The Landmark Trust in Great Britain, an internationally recognized organization with over 200 properties.
The organization came to LONDONmiddlebury to get deeper insights about its target audience. Specifically, the team wanted to know the demographics, psychographics, and interests of those who seek out short-term rentals, particularly those that are historic properties, to better inform marketing strategies going forward.
Research is essential to your marketing strategy and beyond. The Landmark Trust USA offers amazing historical rentals, but if these offerings aren’t reaching the target audience, the organization’s ideal customers might not even know they exist. We went into our market research with five main questions:
Our next step was developing a primary research tool. With leading experience management platform, Qualtrics, we recruited a panel of participants throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States to provide feedback on our research topics. This opened up the opportunity to hear from many people without a direct connection to the organization, giving us an unbiased set of data. We also promoted this survey on The Landmark Trust USA’s email and social channels, collecting information from people with an existing connection to the organization.
We intentionally structured the survey so we could deliver and analyze several data cuts based on respondent attributes, behavior in the short-term rental industry, and social media usage.
Following comprehensive survey data collection and cross-analysis with our datasets, our team developed a suite of insights designed for maximum organizational impact and stakeholder engagement.
We presented the findings through a mix of standard charts (bar charts, pie charts, scatter plots) and more visual formats like word clouds. This made the data accessible to both researchers and non-researchers alike.
The reports turned raw data into clear insights that the team could act on when they were ready.
The Landmark Trust USA used this research to improve their marketing and reach their target audiences more effectively. The project's success strengthened our partnership—they later returned for logo redesign work and digital advertising consulting.
There's still time to book your Landmark Trust USA stay for this year—secure your historic getaway today!