Community-Driven Digital Strategy at Cherry Creek North
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Community-Driven Digital Strategy at Cherry Creek North 〰️
Building a digital brand around the businesses, people and experiences of Denver's premier shopping district
Community-Driven Digital Strategy at Cherry Creek North
Role / Tools: Digital Strategy Marketing Manager / Social Media, Web Strategy, UX Research, Content Production, Email Marketing, SEO, Analytics
Objective:
Build a digital presence for Cherry Creek North that reflected the personality of the neighborhood while connecting visitors with more than 400 businesses, events and experiences throughout the district.
Note: Unlike marketing a single brand, marketing a Business Improvement District meant representing an entire neighborhood—balancing the needs of independently owned businesses, national retailers, restaurants, hotels, service providers, property owners and community partners within one cohesive destination brand.
Approach:
I spent nearly four years developing a digital strategy rooted in knowing the neighborhood itself. That meant building relationships with business owners and employees, walking the district, attending events, discovering new businesses and continually looking for the stories that made Cherry Creek North worth visiting.
I translated those relationships into digital content across the district’s website, social channels and email marketing, while supporting major events and seasonal campaigns throughout the year. I also used audience behavior and research to improve the district’s digital experience, including leading website strategy and user experience research to better understand how people searched for businesses, events and information about the neighborhood.
Over time, my role grew beyond managing digital channels. I became a resource for businesses looking to participate in district marketing, a connector between what was happening on the ground and how we represented it online, and one of the people responsible for maintaining a consistent voice for a community made up of hundreds of individual brands.
“That community-first approach became a defining part of my role. By the end of my time at Cherry Creek North, I had built relationships across the district and developed a deep understanding of the businesses, people and experiences that made the neighborhood distinct. In 2024, Cherry Creek Magazine profiled me in its “Gal About Town” feature, highlighting both my digital marketing work and my connection to the Cherry Creek community.”
Deliverables:
Digital strategy and ongoing management of a 2,000+ page destination website
Social media strategy that helped grow the district’s audience from approximately 7,000 to 15,000 followers
Email marketing to both business owners and managers, as well as consumer segment subscribers - with separate strategies for both
Website redesign strategy, user research and UX/SEO initiatives
Content strategy, photography and video production
Influencer and creator partnerships
Digital campaigns supporting district events, seasonal initiatives and 400+ businesses
Cross-functional collaboration with business owners, community partners and internal stakeholders
Impact & Recognition:
Some of the most meaningful results of my time at Cherry Creek North weren’t captured by a single campaign metric. Marketing the district effectively required becoming genuinely connected to the community I was representing.
By building relationships throughout the neighborhood, I developed a firsthand understanding of its businesses, people and personality—and could translate that knowledge into more authentic marketing.
In 2024, Cherry Creek Magazine featured me in its “Gal About Town” series, highlighting my digital marketing work, knowledge of the district and connection to the Cherry Creek community. The profile captured something I came to value deeply about the role: the best destination marketing doesn't simply promote a place from the outside. It comes from knowing the community well enough to tell its story from within.
