How The Kidman Way grew its social reach by over 3 million and unified five councils along the route

What started as disconnected social activity became a high-performing, collaborative tourism brand, reaching more than 3 million people and building real community engagement.

Project snapshot

Client

The Kidman Way Promotional Committee

Location

Inland NSW (Jerilderie to Bourke)

When we worked together

April 2022 – August 2023

What we worked on

• Organic social media strategy + management

• Content creation + curation

• Instagram launch

• Community management

The Kidman Way spans more than 640km of inland New South Wales — and five local government areas. But while the route had a compelling story and steady visitor traffic, it lacked a cohesive digital presence.

Assembld was brought in to launch and manage their Instagram, develop a strategy across Facebook and Instagram, and unite the committee’s efforts under one consistent brand voice — without favouring any one town or attraction.

Signage along the Kidman Way.

Where they started

The Kidman Way Promotional Committee had a clear vision: position the route as a cohesive tourism experience. But on social media, the presence was fractured.

Facebook was underutilised with ad hoc, council-led posts that rarely focused on the route as a whole. Instagram didn’t exist, despite travellers actively sharing their photos. The opportunity to build momentum and visibility through organic social was going untapped.

And with five councils involved — each with their own priorities and attractions — messaging consistency was a known challenge.

What we did

Assembld stepped in to bring structure, clarity and a neutral lens to the strategy, helping turn a disconnected group of towns into a unified destination.

• Developed a region-wide content strategy that positioned The Kidman Way as a journey, not just a collection of stops

• Launched and grew a brand-new Instagram account, focused on UGC and visitor perspectives

• Created and scheduled posts across Facebook and Instagram with a focus on reach, engagement and route awareness

• Used community management and hashtag campaigns (#TheKidmanWay) to boost interaction and increase traveller content

• Balanced content across all five LGAs to ensure shared visibility and collective buy-in

• Facilitated mindset shifts among committee members, helping each council see the value in promoting the whole route

The strategy leaned heavily on curated user-generated content and travel community engagement, especially in niche Facebook groups like free camping and grey nomads. This created a sense of belonging and inspired shares, clicks and commentary far beyond what the budget would allow with paid ads.

The impact

+250% Facebook follower growth

From 666 to 2,326 followers in just 17 months, all organic.

Instagram launched from scratch → 709 followers

Built from zero, now with high engagement and UGC traction.

2.8M+ impressions on Facebook

Massive reach for a relatively small page, driven by community-focused strategy.

9.8% average engagement rate (Instagram)

More than triple industry averages and proof that the content resonated.

We also…

• Drove more than 120K total engagements

• Fostered community pride through consistent acknowledgement and regional wins

• Built a neutral brand voice that gave equal visibility to all five council areas

• Shifted the internal mindset from local-first to region-wide promotion

• Handed off a strong foundation for continued in-house management

The numbers tell one part of the story, but the real win was community. Posts didn’t just get views, they sparked conversation, memories and future trip planning. We built a space travellers wanted to return to, tag friends in and save for later.

What this shows

Marketing a multi-town route requires more than nice photos. It takes diplomacy, clarity, and consistency.

Assembld helped The Kidman Way Promotional Committee go from scattered efforts to a recognisable destination brand. Through smart content, a structured rollout and stakeholder alignment, we didn’t just grow the audience, we helped build the buy-in to sustain it.

Post project and ongoing work

Since wrapping our full social management, the committee has continued running both Facebook and Instagram in-house using the strategy, tools and content systems we developed. Assembld still supports the team through Assembld in a Day, delivering new content in ready-to-post batches as needed.

It’s a model that works — flexible, collaborative, and built for regional realities.

Planning a tourism campaign with lots of moving parts?

If you're wrangling multiple stakeholders and need help building clarity, consistency and community online, let’s chat.