Black Sheep Hotels
Industry
Hospitality
Black Sheep Hotels is a boutique collection of luxury stays scattered across the Scottish Highlands. From rustic manors and charming inns to modern cabins and lakeside lodges, each property offers a distinct design and experience, right in the heart of nowhere.
The Challenge
Despite being based in Scotland, the brand’s Indian ownership and predominantly non-local staff created a perception of it being an “outsider” venture. At the same time, their digital presence—especially on Instagram—needed to work harder to turn viewers into future guests. Adding to the challenge, most Scotland-based creators only accepted paid collaborations, making barter-based collaboration growth difficult.
Our Strategic Approach
Adjusted the Brand Voice to Feel More Local
We redefined the brand’s tone to sound more native—using Scottish phrasing, local humour, and references to weather, landscapes, history and small towns across copy and replies. Collaborating with UK-based creators with genuine regional ties helped shift how the brand was perceived—from a tourist chain to something that felt rooted in place.
Pitched Barter Deals in a Paid-Only Collab Market
In a space where most good influencers were used to paid deals, we flipped the conversation by offering high-value stays, curated itineraries, and full content support—enough to make barter worth their time. As a result, we secured barter deals with hikers, food bloggers, travel and lifestyle creators—even in a market where paid deals are the norm.
Data- driven Iteration That Drove Saves (and Engagement)
Our consistent data analysis revealed a critical gap—our content had reach but low interaction. So, we looked deeper and found that content that offered local knowledge—like travel guides, Highlands listicles, and where-to-go tips—got far more saves and shares. We doubled down on these, and spaced them out consistently rather than posting randomly
We also realized influencer content was visually strong but lacked engagement value— so we became more involved in what content they produced, helping shape ideas that would engage both their audience and ours. These shifts helped turn passive scrollers into planners and potential guests.
The Results
Engagement Rate (vs Reach): 4% → 7% → 10% year over year
Average Saves per Post: 5 in Year 1 → 14 in Year 4