Out here in Joshua Tree, California, two new motels/hotels are opening their doors. One is a shipping container hotel being designed by the successful architect and YouTuber Ben Uyeda. It's called Hotel Reset, and it looks incredibly sleek and upscale. The other, Hotel Wren, appears to be a revamped 1950s-style motor lodge, which also has the potential to be really cool.

For the sake of simplicity, I'll refer to Hotel Reset as "Hotel A" and Hotel Wren as "Hotel B" throughout this article. I'll also link their Instagram accounts below so you can check them out yourself.

I’ve been discussing these two hotels with some of my marketing clients because they’re a perfect example of how storytelling can create amazing marketing. Unfortunately, they also illustrate how a business can completely miss the mark by not telling a story at all.

So first, let’s talk about Hotel A and Ben. Sure, Ben has an advantage because he’s a highly successful content creator, but his content has to generate more interest and leads than Hotel B's marketing. Ben’s team purchased 80 acres for Hotel Reset, and the room rates will range from $350 to $1,100 a night. They have a big chunk of cash invested so the marketing MUST do better.

Ben is a master storyteller. He’s showing everything from the construction process—digging holes and sanding rocks to create bowls for the restaurant. The behind-the-scenes content makes you think, “Wow, this place looks amazing!” He has a budget and help, sure, but honestly, he’s not doing anything in his Instagram reels that most of us couldn’t easily emulate with minimal effort and almost no cost. He’s simply putting in the work.

Now, let’s talk about Hotel B, Hotel Wren. From what I can tell, it’s a 1950s motor lodge they’re remodeling. And that’s about all I know. Why? Because their Instagram page gives absolutely no story. There’s nothing there. The only remotely interesting post is an old black-and-white postcard of the motel from the 50s. That one post alone could be an amazing jumping-off point for telling a rich story. Instead, they have 1,000 followers, 9 posts, and they’ve followed back only two people. That’s terrible. There’s some interaction from followers in the comments, but they don’t seem to respond at all.

I’ve daydreamed about owning a boutique motel out here in the desert. But then I realized, I don’t want to do the actual hotel work. It’s the marketing part that excites me. So, what would I do differently for Hotel Wren? Here are just a few ideas.

Start posting Instagram Reels a few times a week, telling the story of the hotel. One video could dive into the history of the property. Another could focus on the history of motor lodges. What caused the decline of these amazing old desert motels? (Hint: Think Route 66.) You could also post regular updates and mini tours of the renovations. If you can find out who famous stayed there back in the day, that could make for some really fun content. There’s so much potential—it’s honestly hard to believe it’s not happening already.

Now, how can you apply this approach to your music lesson business? That’s probably why you’re reading this, right? How can you tell a compelling story about your music school? The answer: It’s not just posting a short video of a kid singing a song. I see that type of content all the time on school pages. It’s fine, but it’s not going to capture attention or drive engagement. Here are a few steps you can take to make your story stand out:

1. Start with the building and location. Is there a story there? For example, Rob’s School of Music’s building was used for a scene in a Scorsese film. Can you imagine the kind of reel you could make from that? Maybe even several! What was your location before it became your school? Was it the site of a famous crime or event? Most of you would probably never mention that, but I guarantee it would draw a ton of attention. If you’re remodeling, that’s an easy angle to work with too.

2. The people. Who works at your school, and do they have interesting stories? I had a voice and piano teacher who was in The Carpenters. Before social media was a big marketing tool, this was an amazing story that no one knew about. If I had him as a teacher today, I could create killer content telling his stories. But you don’t need to be famous to have a great story. Most people have unique experiences that could make for interesting content.

3. Tell stories about your customers. Many of your students probably own businesses or have interesting jobs themselves. Why not feature their stories on your Instagram page? This could help them get some exposure while also adding depth to your own marketing.

Bottom line: You have stories to tell on your Instagram account, and Reels tend to perform much better than static pictures these days. This might change at some point, but for now, Instagram Reels are easy, inexpensive, and highly effective. Go out there and do it! See what resonates by analyzing your stats, and then create more of the content that works. Once you have a sense of what’s performing well, consider putting a little money into Instagram ads. I’ve run ads for KidzRock classes, and for just $30, I can get 35 to 50 page visits. If I can convert even one of those visits into a student, I’m ahead of the game. Two students, and I’m really rolling. Replicate that process, and watch it grow.

• Here’s a link to a story post I just did for my music school. Will it do good? Well I don’t really know. We will see. Follow along with and see if it get’s any attention.

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