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Case Study

Building a social presence from the ground up for a coastal vacation rental

How eleven weeks of consistent content, platform strategy, and on-site photography turned a quiet Instagram account into an active, multi-platform booking presence.

Client Jackies on the Reef
Duration July – October 2019
Services Social Media, Photography, Listing Management
10×
Instagram profile visit growth
1,297%
Facebook post engagement increase
+39
Instagram followers gained
6+
Platforms built or optimized

A beautiful property with almost no digital footprint

When I started working with Jackies on the Reef in July 2019, the property had an Instagram account with 1,195 followers and virtually no engagement — seven profile visits in the week before I came on, and one or two comments spread across every ten posts. Facebook existed but wasn't active. There were no listing pages beyond Airbnb, and no cohesive visual identity across any platform.

The property itself was stunning. The work was making sure people could actually find it, feel it, and want to book it.

Content, infrastructure, and presence — all at once

The first few weeks were about building the foundation. I shot the property, edited photo and video content, rebuilt the Facebook page from the ground up, and set up listing pages across six platforms. Once the infrastructure was in place, I shifted to consistency — showing up every week with new content, responding to potential guests, and tracking what was working.

On-site photography

Shot rooms, landscape, and lifestyle content for use across all platforms

Social media management

Weekly posting on Instagram and Facebook, including stories and captions

Facebook buildout

Built page from scratch, added contact info, linked to Instagram, and maintained active posting

Listing management

Created and optimized pages on Airbnb, HomeAway, FindAmericanRentals, StayHolidayRentals, and PerfectStayz

Video production

Edited and produced a promotional video for the property

Weekly reporting

Tracked and reported metrics weekly so the client always knew what was moving

Steady growth and a presence that could sustain itself

By the end of week eleven, Instagram profile visits had grown from 7 to a sustained range of 19–70 per week. Comment engagement went from 1–2 per 10 posts to 5 per 3 posts — roughly an 8× improvement in the rate of interaction. Follower count grew by 39, but more importantly, the audience that was already there became an active one.

The follower count mattered less than the shift in how people engaged. Sticky audiences — ones that actually comment and come back — are built through consistent, genuine content. That was the real goal.

Facebook went from essentially nothing to a page with real reach. At its peak in week three, the page hit 2,038 post reach and 433 post engagements — a 1,297% increase from baseline, and 11 new page likes in a single week. By the final week, reach was still holding at 1,141 with 236 engagements, showing the audience was holding after the initial growth push.