Read about Pearl Expeditions, an Australian travel operator, and their digital marketing partnership with Beech ahead of their new expeditions. Â
The Challenge: Building a Brand from Scratch
When Pearl Expeditions were ready to launch their exclusive small-group expeditions to remote Australasian destinations, it faced a unique challenge. This wasn’t about improving existing marketing efforts. Instead, they were starting entirely from scratch with a brand-new venture that needed to make a big splash in the competitive expedition travel market.
Like many specialised travel operators entering a saturated market, they needed to differentiate themselves from mainstream cruise operators while building trust with discerning travellers who invest significantly in unique experiences.
Pearl Expeditions specialises in unique, immersive experiences to destinations like the Kimberley, Papua New Guinea, East Indonesia and Borneo, aboard their boutique, purpose-built vessel, Paspaley Pearl. With their inaugural sailing set for 10th August 2025, they needed a comprehensive expedition marketing strategy and implementation that would capture the exclusiveness of these extraordinary expeditions and attract travellers seeking high-quality experiences.
Key Challenges for Pearl Expeditions:
- No existing website or online presence for their new expeditions program
- Need to build brand awareness from zero in a competitive travel market
- Tight timeline with inaugural sailing approaching
- Requirement to communicate the unique value of remote, small-group expeditions
- Building trust and credibility for a new venture in the travel industry
The team understood that launching without a strong digital foundation would mean missing out on potential guests for their carefully creafted expeditions.
Beech's Solution: Complete Digital Marketing Launch Strategy
Starting in April 2025, we worked closely with Pearl Expeditions’ Marketing Lead, Chris Perkins, to create a digital marketing foundation that would establish their brand and attract their ideal travellers. Our approach focused on building everything from the ground up while maintaining strict adherence to their brand guidelines.
Website Design and Development
- Created a bespoke expedition website design that showcases the unique expeditions and destinations
- Developed an eye-catching landing page during the build process to capture early interest and ensure no potential guests were lost during development
- Implemented direct booking capabilities via a contact form and newsletter subscription functionality that connects to their chosen email marketing platform, Mailchimp
- Ensured the website effectively communicated the exclusive nature of their small-group expeditions
- Embedded an automatically updating Instagram feed, connecting the website to one of Pearl’s other digital channels.
- Optimised existing page copy for search engine optimisation (SEO), considering best practices, keyword research and the purpose of the website.
Complete Social Media Marketing Setup and Management
- Built social media profiles across LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram with branded imagery and content ready to publish
- Created and launched a YouTube channel for Pearl Expeditions
- Launched all profiles strategically in June 2025 to build excitement ahead of the inaugural sailing
- Implemented daily posting schedules with optimised content showcasing destinations, onboard experiences, and the Pearl Expeditions brand
- Developed platform-specific content that highlights the unique aspects of each expedition destination
- Managed community engagement across all platforms on behalf of Pearl Expeditions.
Strategic Brand Building and Timeline Management
- Worked within strict guidelines and timelines to ensure everything was ready for the 10th August inaugural sailing
- Coordinated the launch timing across all digital platforms to maximise impact
- Created content that effectively communicates the exclusive, high-quality nature of the expeditions without relying on overused terms like ‘cruise’ or ‘luxury’, in line with Pearl Expeditions’ messaging and tone of voice
- Built anticipation and brand recognition within the Australian expedition travel community.
Results: Impressive Marketing Launch Success
Just four months after beginning our partnership, Pearl Expeditions has established a strong digital presence and built meaningful engagement across multiple platforms.
Website Performance
- Since launching the landing page, followed by the new website launched in July 2025, the Pearl Expeditions website has received:
- Over 5,000 website visits
- 25 new submissions through the Contact page, with enquiries ranging from destination insights to booking on one of the expeditions
- 35 itinerary downloads from the expedition pages from visitors looking for more information about a destination
- Direct bookings coming through the website contact form, leading to a fully booked inaugural sailing
- Newsletter subscriptions growing steadily and stored efficiently in the Mailchimp system.
Social Media Growth Metrics
- 25,000 combined impressions on LinkedIn from June to August 2025
- 20,000 impressions on Instagram in the same period
- 12,000 impressions on Facebook
- Over 450 followers (400% growth) on LinkedIn
Email Marketing Metrics:
- In the first official email marketing campaign, Pearl Expeditions received:
- An open rate of 35.5%
- A click through rate (CTR) of 3.9%, exceeding the Mailchimp benchmark.
Industry Recognition
- High brand visibility among major travel agencies in Australia
- Media attention from key travel industry figures
- Growing reputation as a unique expedition provider
- Content shared across multiple platforms generated significant organic reach, with posts being shared by travel industry professionals and potential expedition guests.
Team Satisfaction
The Pearl Expeditions team has expressed genuine happiness with our expedition-focused digital marketing approach and the results achieved in such a short timeframe.
Client Testimonial
We have been working with the team at Beech to create a website for our expedition cruise brand in Australia. They did a fantastic job, totally committed to delivering an outstanding job. Excellent planning and delivery. On the back of that work, they are also managing the setup and delivery of our social media output, as well as email management and CRM setup. I will certainly use them again in the future and would recommend anyone to speak to them about how they can deliver projects. Many thanks to the team.
– Chris Perkins, Marketing Lead for Pearl Expeditions Â
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