Digitising a Community through Place Marketing
Place marketing plays a vital role in Scottish tourism, and the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) is a leading voice in this space. To further support their mission, we developed a digital platform for place marketing that simplifies member onboarding, supports active members, and streamlines membership management. As a result, self-catering operators are now better equipped to promote Scotland’s diverse destinations.
Interested in our process? Learn more about our approach to digital product design and development and how we help organisations bring platforms like this to life.
A Place Marketing Platform Empowering Members
ASSC supports a highly engaged membership of holiday cottage operators. Nevertheless, their digital platform needed a modern upgrade to enhance place marketing strategies, attract new members, and simplify access to resources.
Revitalising Member Services and Navigation
As part of the redesign, the new platform revitalises all member services, significantly reducing manual steps in onboarding and invoicing. Moreover, the improved member area offers easier navigation, clearly presenting options for new members and showcasing the value of joining ASSC.
Data Migration and Advocacy for Tourism
Migrating years of data and member-only resources was key to ensuring continuity. Thus this platform now houses ASSC’s efforts to advocate for and support self-catering tourism throughout Scotland’s diverse destinations.
Building the Foundation for Seamless Onboarding
Growing membership numbers highlighted the need for improved invoicing and sign-up processes. Moreover, these critical areas slowed down internal workflows and affected place marketing efficiency.
Discovery Workshops and Research
Through Discovery Workshops and collaborative research, we thoroughly defined the requirements needed to streamline these processes. Consequently, this clear understanding guided the design and development teams in creating effective solutions.
Therefore, designers created vibrant onboarding workflows, while developers built tech solutions to accommodate ASSC’s diverse subscription plans. Clear, engaging copy was crafted to guide prospective members through every step.
Improved Invoicing and Transparency
The new invoicing system and onboarding experience now provide transparency and ease, ultimately encouraging more businesses to join ASSC’s community.
Bringing the ASSC Brand to Life through Place Marketing
A core challenge was refreshing the platform's interface while respecting ASSC’s established identity. Consequently, the design reflects the welcoming and vibrant community, while effectively showcasing Scotland’s stunning natural environment where self-catering properties thrive.
A Nature-Inspired Design Palette
Additionally, the nature-inspired colour palette encourages action and conveys warmth and passion. Complementing this, carefully chosen imagery captures authentic moments in Scotland’s self-catering sector.
Clear Messaging and Improved Navigation
In addition, the site’s copy highlights member benefits clearly, and the reimagined member’s area makes resources and policies easier to find key tools for businesses managing their place marketing strategies.
A tool for members to utilise
The platform empowers self-catering businesses to navigate the tourism industry and connect with peers.
Notably, existing features such as the discussion forum with thousands of conversations and an extensive archive of resources were migrated and enhanced. As a result, this gated content ensures only members access exclusive guidance on regulations and industry concerns.
Therefore, this contained digital space not only supports current members but also attracts prospects by showcasing the benefits of ASSC membership and their place marketing impact.