Imagine this: you’re preparing to launch a new travel startup. You’ve got a bold concept, a sound business model, and a tight-knit team. Everything’s in place for a promising debut — and then, the market shifts overnight.

Popular destinations close, currency volatility spikes, and consumer behavior changes drastically. Suddenly, all the groundwork you've laid feels like it might collapse under the weight of uncertainty.

That’s exactly what happened to our client — a small travel agency that launched just days before global lockdowns were introduced. Their original concept focused on educational tours abroad for school-aged children. But in the new reality, that idea became instantly obsolete.

The founders were faced with a hard decision: shut down the business, freeze the project, or completely reinvent it. And this wasn’t just about switching destinations — it required a full rethink of the business model, target audience, and marketing strategy.

Faced with the need to completely redefine the project, we resisted the urge to improvise. Instead, we started with a deep analysis of the new market conditions — and the opportunities hidden within them.

Why We Refused to “Sell Anything to Anyone”
The founders’ first reaction was predictable:
“Let’s just sell whatever kind of tour is still possible right now.”
It’s a common reflex during a crisis — chasing any potential source of income.
But we strongly pushed back against this idea.

In a highly competitive market — especially one in crisis — vague positioning is a direct route to failure. A new agency has nothing to offer that large players don’t already have. No brand recognition. No scale. No financial safety net.

The only way to survive is to carve out a narrow, clearly defined niche — and focus everything on it.

Market Research: Finding the Gap
We conducted a rapid but targeted market analysis, asking:

• Which destinations remain open and viable?
• How are travelers’ interests and priorities shifting?
• Where is demand growing, but supply still limited?
• What niches have low competition?
• What knowledge and strengths does the founding team already have?

The research revealed a key insight: with international travel restricted, many European travelers began looking closer to home. But they weren’t seeking “just any trip.” They wanted:

• Unconventional routes
• Nature-based and eco-tourism experiences
• Adventure travel formats
• Authentic local culture
• Good value for money

This shift revealed a promising niche that matched both the market gap and the team’s personal interests.

A New Concept, Built from the Insight
We developed an entirely new brand concept:
Unconventional trips across Europe at accessible prices.

This simple idea had multiple strategic advantages:

1. Clear positioning — customers knew what to expect
2. Differentiation — it stood out from the usual mass-market offers
3. Growth alignment — it addressed a rising trend in domestic/adventure tourism
4. Team fit — the founders themselves loved this kind of travel
5. Branding potential — it allowed for a distinct, memorable identity

The social media positioning was sharply defined:

1. We’re experts in travel across Europe.
2. We know how to travel differently — and affordably.

This wasn’t just a marketing message — it was a complete strategic pivot. The change affected every part of the business: the product line, partnerships, content, and communication channels.

Redefining the Target Audience
With the product reimagined, it was time to reassess who it was for. Originally, the agency had focused on parents of children aged 7–10. But the pivot required an entirely different audience profile:

• Men and women aged 30–45
• Urban professionals in large cities
• Active travelers with mid-to-high income
• People interested in eco-tourism and adventure formats
• Those seeking authentic, off-the-beaten-path experiences over standard tours

The most responsive audience turned out to be eco-tourism and adventure enthusiasts — the perfect match for promoting nature-based trips across destinations like the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Carpathians, and beyond.

To build this new travel brand, we created an integrated strategy that combined content marketing with highly targeted performance ads.

Content Strategy: More Than Just Entertainment
We believe that grown-up audiences deserve grown-up content — not just pretty pictures or gimmicky contests. Our content plan was grounded in principles rarely applied in the travel industry:

1. Intelligent Provocation Over Cheap Hype
We deliberately tackled controversial topics that sparked conversation. For example, we addressed the myth that “there’s nothing to see locally except churches.” Posts like this achieved multiple goals:

• Demonstrated the brand’s subject-matter expertise
• Encouraged active engagement
• Sparked curiosity about domestic travel
• Strengthened audience involvement

Importantly, the tone remained respectful and constructive — never hostile or clickbaity.

2. Structured Content Planning
Instead of random posts, we built a content framework based on thematic pillars — each designed to achieve a specific marketing goal:

• Provocative content — to spark discussions
• Commercial posts — to directly promote tours
• Hot topics — addressing trending travel questions
• Polls — to drive engagement and audience interaction
• Trip reports — to create wanderlust and showcase destinations
• Helpful guides — to deliver practical value
• Quizzes — to educate in a playful way

This approach ensured continuous interest and allowed us to target multiple objectives at once.

3. Combining Tactics Within a Single Post
Rather than using a single format per post, we often layered tactics to maximize impact. For instance, a post about mountain travel could be:

• A poll (“Where would you go?”)
• A light provocation (“Where would you send someone into exile?”)
• A soft promo (implying an actual tour is available)

This multi-dimensional format dramatically boosted performance.

4. Personalization and a Human Voice
To avoid sounding like a generic corporate account, we made the brand more personal and relatable:

• Posts were written in the first person — not the typical “we, the company” tone
• Each post was signed by one of the co-founders
• We linked to personal Instagram profiles for added transparency
• Occasionally, founders shared their own takes on specific destinations

This created a sense of genuine connection — the audience felt like they were talking to real people, not a faceless brand. For a new travel company, this was essential to building trust.

5. A Visual Identity That Matched the Brand’s Character
We also developed a clear and recognizable visual style to enhance content usability and engagement:

• Bold headlines that made the topic immediately clear
• Color-coded content categories for quick recognition
• Mandatory inclusion of location tags in visuals
• Templates for different post types to maintain consistency

This not only increased the visual appeal of the feed but also made the content easier to consume and revisit.

While building organic content, we simultaneously launched targeted ad campaigns with three core objectives:

1. Reach the target audience and stimulate engagement
2. Grow the social media following
3. Generate leads for local and regional trips

Each goal had its own strategy, creatives, and targeting settings.

Growing the Follower Base
To attract new followers, we emphasized the page’s core value:
“We know how to travel across Europe differently. Fresh ideas and unconventional tours.”

This positioning aligned perfectly with the brand and attracted the right kind of audience — those curious about alternative travel formats.

Result: cost per follower ranged from €0.13 to €0.88 — significantly below industry benchmarks.

Promoting Specific Tours
To promote individual tours, we used creatives that:

• Highlighted what made each trip unique
• Emphasized the non-standard format
• Included a clear call to action
• Created urgency with time-limited offers

We launched multiple campaigns for different destinations:

• Caucasus adventure — cost per lead: €5.45 to €7.80
• New Year in Karelia — cost per lead: €4.40 to €6.10
• New Year at Lake Baikal — cost per lead: €6.85 to €9.15

Overall average across all campaigns: €6.20 per lead — an exceptionally low rate for the travel sector, especially in a volatile market.

Smart Budget Allocation
Despite a limited budget, we achieved strong results by:

• Quickly scaling successful campaigns
• Reallocating funds from underperforming ads to high-performers
• Using precise targeting based on behavioral and demographic data

This allowed us to get the most out of every euro — and consistently exceed expected performance.

Despite launching during a highly unstable period, our integrated strategy delivered real, measurable results — and quickly.

Audience Growth and Engagement

• From zero to over 2,000 followers in just a few months
• Steady monthly growth of 300–500 followers
• Average engagement rate: 7.2% (vs. industry average of 1.5–2%)
• Over 60% of followers regularly engaged with the content

Advertising Performance

• Average cost per follower: €0.75
• Average cost per lead: €6.20
• Conversion rate from ad view to lead: 3.2%

Business Impact

• A consistent flow of inquiries, even during the most challenging periods
• A distinct brand identity in the niche of unconventional travel
• Operational break-even achieved within four months of relaunch
• Growth in average check value, driven by a loyal and engaged audience

But perhaps the most important result:
The agency didn’t just survive — it laid the foundation for long-term, sustainable growth.

This case shows that even in the most difficult conditions, the right strategy and a professional marketing system can not only save a business — they can lay the groundwork for long-term growth.

The key lesson:
Market turbulence isn’t a time to panic — it’s a time to rethink, adapt, and focus on creating real value. With clear positioning, strong content, smart advertising, and efficient resource use, even the most challenging circumstances can become an opportunity.

And that principle doesn’t just apply to travel — it holds true for any industry facing disruption.