Welcome to The Social Media Sessions, where we chat to one of our favourite small businesses about how they use social media and the impact that it has on their business. We love to discuss social media and even though we use it, work with it and teach it pretty much 24/7, we’re still learning and picking up hints and tips whenever and wherever we can. And the best way to do that is to talk and to share stories, successes and difficulties with others.
Meet Catherine Davies from the Cargo Cabin at Trelan Farm
Hi Catherine. First up, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself and your business?
We offer a luxury glamping experience on our farm in Cilcain, North Wales. We are third generation farmers here at Trelan Farm and we wanted to be able to share our amazing surroundings in a truly unique way. We (Wynne & Catherine) live at Trelan with our two children.
The Cargo Cabin, a luxury converted shipping container, docked on our farm last year and we welcomed our first guests last June. Since then we’ve not looked back. We’re obviously closed at the moment but we are staying positive and look forward to opening again soon. Whilst we’ve been closed, we have spent the time updating our website and branding and have been busy planning the next venture for Trelan Farm.
What role does social media play in your business?
Social media is playing an increasingly important role in our business. Since we started our Instagram account last year, we have continued to gain followers which has led to an increased number of direct bookings. We have worked successfully with influencers to promote our business too.
In addition to this we have also found an amazing support network on Instagram too which is something we weren’t expecting. It’s not just been about gaining bookings, we have collaborated with lots of other businesses, we’ve found suppliers, made friends with other business/glampsite owners, been featured in magazines, and much more.
We have also utilised social media to learn how to grow our business. We follow business coaching accounts which have explained things like how get a good engagement levels, explain hashtags and things like photography and blog writing tips.
Social media has opened the door to lots of opportunities for us. Having a network of people in your pocket is powerful!
Do you think your business would be as successful without social media?
Definitely not, I like to think we’d still be as busy with bookings but our turnover would be significantly less if we had to rely on agency bookings with their fees. Social media allows us to react quickly to things for example if a guest cancels a stay we can quickly try and sell it on – something we couldn’t do without social media.
Which channel is most effective for you and why?
Without a doubt Instagram. Its where our target audience are and where we get the most bookings from. The Cabin is very ‘Instagramable’ and we love it when guests upload their pictures.
We are using Facebook and plan to try and grow our presence on the channel over the next couple of months but at the moment we find that is more of a place where our friends and family keep an eye on what we are up too! Currently we just post duplicate posts on both channels but hope to grow on Facebook with some different content and competitions.
We have signed up to Pinterest and have some amazing new photographs which we hope will do very well on there.
And which is your preferred channel to spend time on?
Again, it has to be Instagram for me. I like the way business and personal accounts are completely different. Too many times on Facebook have I accidently replied to business posts from my personal account.
How long would you say you spend on social media per day?
Too long! My biggest problem is distraction, I go on to do something and before I know it, I’m lost in posts and have wasted half an hour.
Is there anything you dislike about a particular social media channel – or all of them?
We get lots of spam messages and some very strange accounts following us on Instagram which can be frustrating. The Instagram and Facebook algorithm is a funny one too! It drives me mad when I get a quick glimpse of a post and then can’t find it again after.
Is there anything about any of the channels where you think, ‘I’d love to know how to do that.’
Hashtags, I need to spend more time researching hashtags and using them on our posts rather than using the same ones each time. I’d also like to utilise paid adverts more, especially as we grow the business and have extra spaces to fill.
What does social media success look like to you? Do you have any goals?
If you’d have asked me this last year, I would have said I want 10,000 followers!
I used to measure success on number of followers but I’ve realised now that I would rather reach the people who really want to stay with us and enjoy our content then having followers just for the sake of it.
I want to continue to expand my network and support other businesses like they support me. I have found Instagram to be a really encouraging place and its lovely to have a team who always cheer you on.
Is there a business/social media account that you really look up to?
First up has to be Cheryl Taylor, CEO of Oh Darlin. I follow all three of her accounts and she is such an inspiration. The Burrow Dolassey, fellow Glamping Business owner Amy’s posts are beautiful. I love following Jenny from The Laundry Garden, it’s amazing how she’s grown her account especially during lockdown by giving tours of her beautiful garden.
And who do you follow for pure enjoyment?
Over on my personal account, the stories I always click on first are Anna Mathur, she speaks to my soul; Lois La Mode for her amazing fashion finds; and finally The House Build, I absolutely LOVE Becks’ house. Not practical style for a farmhouse but a girl can dream.
Thank you so much for answering our questions, Catherine! Want to know more about Catherine and the Cargo Cabin at Trelan Farm? Here’s where you can find them online:
Website: Trelan Farm
Facebook: Trelan Farm
Instagram: @trelan_farm
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