Linens N Love

User & Market Research • UI/UX Design • Wireframing • Content Strategy • SEO

Developing an inbound design strategy to reach this non-profit’s goal for securing hotel partnerships

June 2024 – July 2024

Overview

LinensNLove is a nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting, recycling, and donating excess linens from hotels to shelters in need. To sustain its operations, LinensNLove charges hotels a fee for the linen recycling service.

Role

I led research, developed a content strategy plan with a strong emphasis on SEO, designed the UX and UI of the page, and launched a targeted Google Ads campaign.

Tools

Team

2x Designers
3x Marketers
1x PM

Problem

LinensNLove's existing approach requires significant manual outreach to hotels, which is time-consuming and inefficient.

Goals

Despite initial successes, the organization needed a more sustainable and scalable strategy to attract hotel partnerships.

The challenge was to create a compelling online presence that would resonate with hotel decision-makers, aligning with their growing emphasis on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitments and sustainability goals.

Solution

Process

I designed LinensNLove’s new corporate inbound sales page and led its online marketing campaign, aiming to attract hotel partnerships more effectively.

I began the project with a comprehensive UI audit of the existing webpage, focusing on ways to improve the overall user experience.

In collaboration with the marketing team, I conducted in-depth market and user research to identify industry trends, user pain points, and strategic opportunities to position LinensNLove as the premier solution for our target audience's business needs.

UX Audit

The existing webpage had a couple of paragraphs with embedded metrics, but it failed to clearly convey the value proposition to potential hotel partners.

There was a need for:

Research

Who are our key decision makers?

Based on previous hotel partnership experiences, we know that the decision makers behind these potential partnerships are hoteliers and operation heads. Through interviews and surveys, we identified 2 critical key pain points:

These challenges align with LinensNLove’s mission, as our services could help hotels improve their sustainability efforts, thereby enhancing their competitive edge.

What’s the hospitality industry like?

The hospitality industry is placing a growing emphasis on waste management and carbon reduction, with clearly defined metrics.

  1. Consumers are becoming more conscious of sustainability, and hotels are under pressure to align their offerings with ESG principles.

  2. LinensNLove can help hotels manage linen waste effectively, much like the shift towards eliminating plastic straws, providing both environmental benefits and competitive advantages.

Ideatation

Guiding Insights

  • Our target audience are busy people– keep the design simple.

    • Easy-to-understand summaries

    • Lots of visuals

    • CTA will lead to clear, concise, 2-minute Interest Form

  • Frame LinensNLove as the solution to user pain points.

    • Reduce waste disposal costs by donating

    • Help hotels in meeting ESG commitments/goals

    • Appeal to eco-conscious customers

Framing, Marketing, and Content Strategy Brainstorming

Key Elements

The user experience will be designed to be intuitive and focused on quickly communicating LinensNLove’s value proposition. Key elements include:

A clear and easy-to-understand summary of how LinensNLove works, supported by visuals (e.g., “You store your used linens → We pick them up → We donate them to shelters”).

  • A standardized call-to-action encouraging users to submit their information rather than committing to a scheduled call, making it more accessible and less intimidating.

  • A concise interest form that users could fill out in 1-2 minutes, reducing the friction of scheduling a call.

Infographic Summary

Call-To-Action

Interest Form

Designing

The webpage was designed to balance sleekness, empathy, and a focus on sustainability. Key design choices are explained below:

Low Fidelity Wireframes: Design Choices Rationale

High Fidelity Wireframe Iterations

Final Mockup

Outcomes and Impact

This project was a pivotal opportunity to directly influence LinensNLove’s ability to sustain and expand its operations. By shifting the focus to inbound marketing, we not only optimized resource use but also positioned LinensNLove as a leader in sustainability within the hospitality industry. The successful launch of the redesigned page demonstrated the power of strategic UX design in driving business growth and environmental impact. Since the launch, we have initiated conversations with VPs at premier hotel chains and are receiving a significant increase in corporate outreach.

Takeaways

This project showcased my ability to:

  • Lead the end-to-end design process from research to implementation.

  • Align design choices with business objectives to drive tangible results.

  • Utilize user and market insights to create a compelling and effective user experience.

  • Iterate based on feedback to continually refine and optimize the product.

By successfully shifting LinensNLove's strategy from outbound to inbound marketing, I contributed to the organization's long-term sustainability and growth, demonstrating the power of thoughtful UX and product design in achieving business goals

The importance of clear communication in B2B partnerships was really highlighted throughout this project. It is crucial for conveying value effectively, as seen in our work with LinensNLove. By focusing on precise messaging tailored to hotel decision-makers, we successfully aligned our offerings with their sustainability goals, enhancing their market competitiveness. Additionally, adopting a user-centered design approach allowed us to address key pain points, leading to increased engagement and successful partnerships. This project underscored how thoughtful design not only meets user needs but also drives business success.

Next Steps

As we move forward, our focus will remain on continuously monitoring and optimizing the inbound strategy to ensure sustained effectiveness. We are currently managing an ongoing Google Ads campaign designed to drive traffic to the LinensNLove site. This campaign plays a crucial role in attracting potential hotel partners and generating qualified leads. Regular analysis of campaign performance will help us refine our approach and maximize our return on investment.

Additionally, we plan to explore opportunities to expand this inbound strategy to other sectors. By applying the insights gained from this project, we aim to adapt our approach to new industries, leveraging our successful model to drive engagement and partnerships across different domains. This strategic expansion will allow us to scale our efforts and further enhance LinensNLove’s impact and reach.