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Social Media Marketing Strategy: Hapey Cabin Rentals

 
My new YouTube series interviewing small business owners about their social media marketing strategies recently launched! The video interview is above but the transcript of the entire interview is available as well if you'd rather read. Hope you enjoy!
 

(Transcription has been edited for clarity)

Pyrpaw Marketing (00:00):

Hey everybody. It's Joe from Pyrpaw Marketing. And in today's video, we're going to be talking with Angie Ablanalp from Hapey Cabin Rentals, which is a cabin rental company out of the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. And we're going to be talking with her about her social media efforts and what she does to have such great engagement, such great following with her folks, her audience online, lots of great tips and tricks. So I hope you'll stay tuned.

Pyrpaw Marketing (00:34):

Hapey Cabin Rentals is a business that is focused on cabin rentals in the Tennessee Smokey mountains - Great Smokey Mountains. Angie Ablanalp is the owner and I would say the chief marketing officer of Hapey Cabin Rentals. And I want to thank her for joining me today. And full disclosure - I have stayed at Hapey Cabin Rentals before. Angie is also my big sis. So I wanted to thank my sister for joining me today. And this is actually our first interview for Pyrpaw Marketing... So I'm gonna mention some stuff in the intro to this interview - I will have talked a little bit about Hapey Cabin Rentals - but I wanted you to kind of give me a little background of when you started and some history and just some overall information.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (01:22):

Sure. We've been vacationing, We - I say WE as in, our family, yours and mine - have been vacationing in the Smokies for, whew, 46 years. The first time that I ever came here, I was two months old. So the memories for me go way back, it's a very special place. It was somewhere that we went that even though we didn't have a lot of money, it was always a very bright spot, a very happy, happy memories with happy, happy occasions. So after OUR family I started bringing MY family and those adventures in the Smokey Mountains continued and we decided to purchase our own cabin instead of giving everybody else our money. And it really, it started out honestly, just as an idea to help fund our vacation cabin for ourselves and morphed into an absolute passion.

Pyrpaw Marketing (02:26):

And give everybody a little information about where "Hapey Cabin" comes from, cause some people could look at that and think, well, you know, somebody doesn't know how to spell...

Hapey Cabin Rentals (02:35):

Hapey Cabins is an amalgamation of our names. It is Harry, Angie and our son Peyton.

Pyrpaw Marketing (02:55):

Excellent. And so now you said that you bought your first cabin. When did you buy your first cabin? What year?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (02:57):

We bought the first cabin in 2016.

Pyrpaw Marketing (03:01):

2016. So four years now. How many cabins do you have under the Hapey Cabin umbrella?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (03:08):

We personally own two and we have three other folks that have trusted us to take them under our brand and market them. So we have five locations total.

Pyrpaw Marketing (03:19):

So you own two, but you manage five essentially and you also manage all the marketing for those five as well. So do you have any downtime, do you [take] reservations all throughout the year or have you shut down at any particular time?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (03:41):

No, it is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The phone never stops. You know, if it's after nine o'clock, they're going to get me the next day, but, I get them from 11 o'clock at night, three o'clock in the morning, whenever somebody is on the internet looking, they will send voicemails, they will send emails.

Pyrpaw Marketing (04:03):

So, Pyrpaw Marketing is all about digital marketing and it's also all about small businesses. So one of the things that I'm interested in knowing is first of all, in terms of social media, where are you? Where can you be found on social media right now? What social media channels?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (04:23):

We are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and I'm on Google.

Pyrpaw Marketing (04:29): 

Like, Google My Business?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (04:29):

Yeah.

Pyrpaw Marketing (04:29):

And then of those, first let me ask you, you've got those four: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google my business...

Hapey Cabin Rentals (04:41):

Oh! We're on YouTube.

Pyrpaw Marketing (04:43):

You're on YouTube. Okay, so that's five. And then are there any other places not related to, let's say digital marketing or social media channels that you are online? So you're on VRBO, right? As well.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (04:54):

We're on VRBO. We do a paid service or we pay for marketing on pigeonforge.com. It was the most cost-effective that reached the widest market. So we do pay monthly and that is the only one that we actually pay for. Everything else is, is organic. And then we are also on VisitMySmokies.com, which is a free service that's offered by the city of Sevierville for taxpayers.

Pyrpaw Marketing (05:32):

Gotcha...

Hapey Cabin Rentals (05:32):

So if you pay taxes from your cabin lodging, then you're allowed to market on their webpage for no charge.

Pyrpaw Marketing (05:41):

And with the marketing - Is that just the listing or is it, can you add things to it and edit?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (05:46):

Well, it's just the listing. It's just a clickable link. It will take you - you can get to our information through VisitMySmokies.com - But, it's going to link you directly to our website.

Pyrpaw Marketing (05:59):

Gotcha. And so of those - of the social media that you do use because I'm not a huge user personally of Twitter, but I use a lot of Facebook personally, and a lot of Instagram. So I've definitely seen you there.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (06:15):

Those are our two key...

Pyrpaw Marketing (06:15):

Those are your two key? So of those two, which one would you say is your most active in terms of the engagement between your audience? Like when you chat with them or they inquire about stuff and where you get kind of your most leads for reservations?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (06:31):

I would say that honestly, Facebook and Instagram really are kind of neck and neck as far as interaction and, and you know, the page views - that kind of thing. We, we get leads from both. We really do.

Pyrpaw Marketing (06:49):

When you get your leads, do you get direct messages from that? Or do the folks get funneled from your social media interaction? Do they go to your website and then contact you?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (07:01):

They have a tendency to contact me on Instagram or on Facebook to ask initial questions. All of our booking is through VRBO, so we direct them to our web page. They'll direct them directly to VRBO. I direct them to our webpage so that they can see all of our locations.

Pyrpaw Marketing (07:23):

Perfect. And so that was one of the things that I talk with my clients about is that with Pyrpaw, I advocate for your website being your hub, where you send everybody where you get all of the most detail possible, because obviously your social media is going to have great detail, but there's going to be stuff that kind of goes by the wayside because you're constantly updating it. But if you really need to answer questions, I say just always send them to your website. If you've got a secondary thing - a shop or something like that - and they can get to it otherwise, but that's really where you want to funnel everybody.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (07:59):

And I like to do that too, because that's where I get my main metrics from when I'm looking at - That's where I can really see who's generating what. Is it coming from Instagram? Is it coming from Facebook? I like to send them to the web page.

Pyrpaw Marketing (08:14):

Perfect. Yeah, because some of the analytics for social media, they're good, but they're a little bit difficult to navigate and decipher what the hell [it] means. So for those two accounts, so you bought your first place in 2016. How long have you operated those two accounts?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (08:36):

From since before we actually purchased. We were in the market and started looking for our first cabin in January. And I would say that kind of amped up around April of 2016, where I was really trying to get folks interested in our website and in Facebook and Instagram to start following us. We didn't actually purchase and put the place on the market until June 10th of 2016. So that's when it really started to take off.

Pyrpaw Marketing (09:18):

Awesome. So, you actually had started them in anticipation of - you didn't even buy it or start your business - that's awesome.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (09:25):

It was really just a follow this journey kind of thing, you know, hang out with us from beginning to now.

Pyrpaw Marketing (09:33):

I think that's a great thing and it's something too, just for folks nowadays - if they haven't been doing been doing a lot of social media in the past, they've dabbled in it here and there. And they're always worried about, well, I don't know what I should even put out there because I don't have Instagram worthy this, or I don't have Instagram worthy that. I always say, people want to connect with you and understand what your journey is. So I mean, show them that. And the fact that you did it before you even had a place...

Hapey Cabin Rentals (10:02):

And I say, don't be afraid. You gotta feel it out because I literally learned how to use Instagram [from] a book called "Instagram for Dummies".

Pyrpaw Marketing (10:18):

Hahaha...That's awesome.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (10:18): 

So, that was in my, my marketing research, that was in my reading. And I'm not ashamed to say it - if you go back and look at 2016 on Instagram, it's kind of scary compared to now.

Pyrpaw Marketing (10:31):

And that's the other thing that I say to everybody. It's like, you have to start somewhere and there's gonna to be a year down the road where you're going to be like, "Oh!" you know, and you see one of those things that pops up and says, your post from a year ago or two years ago, and you can't believe it, but it seems so natural to you the way that you do things now.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (10:52):

Now, yeah.

Pyrpaw Marketing (10:54):

So, with that being said, you started out with Instagram for Dummies and before you even had a [cabin] and you were learning as you went. So let's talk a little about Facebook and Instagram. Facebook: how many followers and/or likes, or how many... What's your audience like on Facebook?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (11:10):

On Facebook we have right around 4,500 you know, a few more. Instagram is, we're creeping up... It's 9,300 right now.

Pyrpaw Marketing (11:21):

So you're almost hitting that 10k mark...

Hapey Cabin Rentals (11:21):

Almost hitting that 10k - Oh, I'm so excited. I've never been so geeky to say, I cannot wait to be able to have the "swipe up" feature.

Pyrpaw Marketing (11:37):

Yeah, cause it's 10k, right? Not 100?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (11:37):

Yeah, 10k...10k and I get to swipe up...But we came a long way from that. I do have to say that I had several influencers that - and I still have influencers contact me all the time - But very early on in our game, we had two influencers contact us that were, I want to say key seriously in growing our audience and helping us. And that was @InstagramTennessee and @LostCreekRambler. Those two folks really helped us out in the beginning. We did a lot of giveaways and marketing promos together and those folks really helped us build from that "Zero".

Pyrpaw Marketing (12:23):

So was it something that - first of all - you bring up influencers, which a lot of businesses are going to wonder whether or not they should be involved with an influencer and then also trying to figure out, you know, depending upon their business, do I even have an influencer that I can work with? With those two influencers, obviously the @InstagramTennessee is all about Tennessee...

Hapey Cabin Rentals (12:45): 

All about Tennessee...

Pyrpaw Marketing (12:48):

And then @LostCreekRambler. I actually happen to know about them, they're a photographer, right?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (12:51):

Yes.

Pyrpaw Marketing (12:51):

So, and they take amazing photos all over Tennessee...

Hapey Cabin Rentals (12:56):

Yeah, Brandon Phillips. He's from Sparta, Tennessee. Just a great all-around guy and he does, you know, photography and he's done some work for us. We would trade off. Sometimes he'd come hang out and stay at one of the cabins and he would promote our website and just push us out there a little bit to some of his followers.

Pyrpaw Marketing (13:15):

And so that was my next question, because the next question that everybody's going to have in terms of using an influencer, is - Is it going to break the bank for me? Is it going to cost me a ton of money? So the question that I would have for you is using those two; What was the, you mentioned collaboration, you mentioned that he stayed at your place and that was kind of a trade off. Did you have to pay for anything or did you do kind of trade?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (13:40):

We did trade. Yeah. We literally did a trade. There was no money involved, other than me being able to take the stay as a tax write-off. You know, you can take that as a write-off for advertising. You know, so beneficial to us because we have zero marketing budget. Doing trade was... Was outstanding.

Pyrpaw Marketing (14:04):

So you're saying it IS possible to do it without having to pay a grand per post or something crazy?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (14:08):

Not a penny...

Pyrpaw Marketing (14:08):

That's awesome.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (14:11): 

Just find those people you trust and make sure that it's relative. You know, I have a lot, a lot of influencers still contact me today - and no offense to influencers - but, they don't meet my marketing needs. They don't actually promote to the family oriented - that type of demographic that I'm looking for. So make sure that if you're doing trade with somebody that it's relevant to what you're doing.

Pyrpaw Marketing (14:41):

So that kind of brings up - I'm going to jump back to your following and all that good stuff - But, that brings up another point when you're saying that some of the influencers that have contacted you aren't relevant to the customer. So - and this might be a curve ball to you - but do you have, I tout a lot "Buyer Personas" and basically that just boils down to who's your ideal client? Who are the people that you want staying at your cabins? Who are the people that you want buying your products and your services? And my question to you is: is that something that you've developed or it's just kind of instinctual in your head? You know, kind of, who you're marketing to and when you post something kind of who you're talking to?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (15:21):

I do, but I have to say again, that was a learning experience. You know, you genuinely, you think from your own heart, what would I want to see? Because, you know, I've traveled here multiple times a year for decades, so, you know, what is it that I want to see? And that's how I try to present our image.

Pyrpaw Marketing (15:50):

So the important thing for folks watching this to realize, when you say that is you're, you're posting from, what do you want to see, but not as a business owner, as someone who is a huge fan of the area...

Hapey Cabin Rentals (16:03):

Of the area. And, we really, we take a lot of the focus off of our cabins. I don't, you know, you can go weeks and not see anything, except for in our story, what availability we have or what our cabins are, or - that's not where I'm coming from. You don't come to stay specifically in my cabin. I'd like it, if you DID, but we 100% know we are a means to an end, and you're coming to see the area. You're coming for Dolly [Parton], you're coming for the mountains. You're coming for the food, for the bluegrass, for all of that. It's not necessarily us that you're coming to see. So that's what I spend my time focusing on is sharing my love of the Smokies and what brought us here so that it will bring other people here.

Pyrpaw Marketing (16:55):

That's a perfect answer. That's a wonderful answer. But for somebody watching this and you'll hear me say it over time is when, when you are using the digital space, when you're marketing to people in the digital space, it's not so much, at least from Pyrpaw's standpoint - And obviously from Angie's standpoint, it's not about the final sale. Obviously when you're online people are online to find answers to things, to find a solution, to see what's going on, or discover something new. And if you're there providing that value where you're just, it's not about you, it's not about yourself. It's about what the folks are looking for, the next adventure they're trying to find in terms of Angie's cabins. You're there providing that [value] for them. And you're able to stand out from those folks and then they'll eventually find their way to you because you're so knowledgeable about the area and the activities. They're going to say, "Well, that's awesome. Where could I stay?" Even if they haven't noticed that you have rentals...

Hapey Cabin Rentals (17:54):

Hey! I got a place!

Pyrpaw Marketing (17:54):

Exactly, exactly. And so that's fantastic. And it's a great thing for folks that are watching that to really pay a lot of attention to, in terms of what your digital marketing initiatives and efforts are. So going back to Facebook and Instagram, we'll get a little bit nerdy and technical. Do you have a general idea of, for Facebook like what your engagement rate is? You know, how much, what percentage you get back from the audience that you have?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (18:22):

I can tell you that on Facebook, not so much Instagram, I probably follow those metrics a little bit more. I know that we have about somewhere somewhere between 250 to 500 folks visit us, visit our page per day.

Pyrpaw Marketing (18:42): 

That's fantastic.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (18:43):

And then I would honestly say as far as clicking on each individual [posts] and I would say probably a hundred or so actually click on the links to visit the different cabins.

Pyrpaw Marketing (18:55):

Gotcha. Now, in terms of when you make a post, of likes on your posts or comments and questions or saves or anything like that, do you have any idea in terms of - and it's okay if you don' - but do you have any idea in terms of those metrics? Like how many people, like a typical post on average?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (19:13):

On average, we may have somewhere around 60 to a 100 on a particular post. But, then there'll be that one and it'll have two, three, 4,000. So that, that engagement, I'm still learning, you know, what is it, what is it that turns these people on?

Pyrpaw Marketing (19:33):

Right, exactly. And that's, and that's the thing for folks watching is if you're kind of looking to figure out, why did this [post] do so great and the other one didn't do all that great is looking at your metrics - kind of saying, well, what's the common denominator here that really made them kind of jump for joy and really dig into it? Is the time of day? Is it the content? Were they're people in it, were they're not people in it,? All those sorts of things. And it varies.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (19:58):

I think honestly, again, it's relate-ability. I really - that's kind of what I'm starting to find is how much do they relate to a particular post? Every time we post a tunnel picture, a tunnel picture, you know, when you were a kid, you'd go through the tunnel and your dad would lay on the horn...

Pyrpaw Marketing (20:19):

I still do it...

Hapey Cabin Rentals (20:19):

I still do it too, but it's so relatable. So, you know, you can think the day before you have a beautiful sunset picture or a beautiful mountain picture, and you only get like 60 or 70 clicks, but day two, you post a picture of the tunnel and ask somebody if they honk in the tunnel. And there's 2,000 people that are, "Yeaaah!"

Pyrpaw Marketing (20:40):

And that's, again, another important thing is that it doesn't discount the beautiful sunset photo of the Smokies. It doesn't discount that. Because you'll have people that see it and just in their head, they're like, "Gosh, that's beautiful." And they might like it, but they might just love it, but they'll keep, you'll stay top of mind because Hapey Cabin Rentals is the one who posted it. But then there's something that really - like Halloween - you're laying out the candy that you got and there's people who - it's the nostalgia. Things like that could be really what's drawing them in. But, I will tell you that I've been on the Hapey Cabin site before for folks that are watching and she's being a little bit modest and saying it's 60 to a 100 [likes per post], but it's usually up past a hundred on [average] at 150, 200, 250. And like she said, there's some posts that are like 450 likes, 16, 20 comments, 2000, almost 3000 views of videos, almost 10,000 views of one video I remember seeing. So there's a lot of interactivity and the organic stuff, folks watching this should also understand that organically - you're just not going to get a ton of engagement, but you do get engagement. But the thing is, is like you're doing, like we talk about is just kind of figure out what it is that people really respond to. And if you get a chance, don't try to specifically focus on it, but give them the things that they like, you know?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (22:06):

And it's - I am not a photographer. I have no - I mean - these pictures are coming from my iPhone. So I think that, that is also relatable. So just being the "Average Joe" that takes pictures and posts them, you know, it says right on there that the photos are mine, unless otherwise credited. There's, there's nothing magical about it. It's just like the photo you would take on your vacation, so...

Pyrpaw Marketing (22:35):

Yeah, and I mean, the thing that I always [say] is the best camera you have is the one you have with you. You know, it doesn't matter. It's if you've got it in your pocket and it's your phone, that's the best one to take a photo with. So in terms of, we kind of talked about your engagement and the content that works best for you. And we talked about organic, but, and I focus a lot on organic marketing, but you did mention that with one of the folks you do pay, is it, which one is it that...

Hapey Cabin Rentals (23:04):

Pigeonforge.Com.

Pyrpaw Marketing (23:04):

Okay. And you feel like you get pretty good [return]? You do?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (23:10):

Oh yes, absolutely. It's worth what we pay. Yeah.

Pyrpaw Marketing (23:15):

Good. And so have you ever tried any paid media for any of your social media channels? Have you ever dabbled in that at all?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (23:23):

(Shakes Head no)

Pyrpaw Marketing (23:23): 

Okay. And so what is your kind of, what is your hesitation or why have you, it's not even a hesitation because you might just say, "We don't need it."

Hapey Cabin Rentals (23:30):

I don't need it. I really don't. You know, it's funny, I took on my very first management cabin mainly to pay for the advertising. And I just figured if I could, if I could boost our two cabins and then have a third by doing some paid advertising, I would give it a shot and see how it works out for us. And I thought to myself, well, if I can take on one cabin, then my commission will pay for the advertising for the month. And that's kind of what I did. And you know, now I'm, I'm at five cabins and, and two of our cabins don't have any availability left for the remainder of the year. And I'm not going to complain about that. Things are, things are working pretty good.

Pyrpaw Marketing (24:22):

Yeah. And that's fantastic. And it's, and it really just boils down to, for the folks - I'm not preaching to you - I'm preaching to the people who might be watching - That it really just boils down to what your situation is. You know, if you feel like you need to take a chance and try [paid advertising] out, then great do it. But be very careful and, and that might be talking to somebody like me and might be reading a book, which is not a big deal. It might be getting on Google and, and putting something in there just to find a little bit more information about it before you start throwing money at it. Try the organic [approach] first.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (24:57):

Absolutely. That's our best. I mean, that, that is our best. [The paid ad] was just kind of a secondary. And I'll tell you, a lot of folks, they also put their cabins on different places. Like, you know, we do VRBO, and they also will jointly use Airbnb or Vacasa or different things like that. But you're paying annually for each one of these particular platforms where my focus, I thought, and obviously it gets confusing and a little scary because you're integrating calendars and praying that you don't overbook or double book or anything like that. So my focus was stay with one platform to make it simple. Folks can find us and then [I can] use that money that I would've used to list elsewhere for advertising.

Pyrpaw Marketing (25:46):

Got it. That's excellent. Because, that goes for another thing, even though it's about your platform that you're using [to list] your properties that would go for other people watching as well. Because the thing is, whether it's a platform, should you be on every platform to list your property or list a service or product? Should you be on every social media channel? No, because if you get to the point where you're like, "Three is too much, two is okay, one is plenty." just do one. Just focus on one and kind of work your magic there and see how it goes. And then if you're comfortable and you build yourself up, then expand. But that's, that's all awesome information. So, [In my interviews] I kind of want to do one thing where I ask a question. A question that you, in terms of what's a challenge to you in terms of your marketing or your organic [efforts] or whether you want to try paid. What's one question that you might ask me that I might be able to help with, or we can brainstorm together?

Hapey Cabin Rentals (26:45): 

I would really love to hear your feedback as much as you followed us through the years and as much as you know, and after the things that you've heard me talk about, I would love your feedback on what we could do to accelerate viewership, or just, just to bring more people to the table.

Pyrpaw Marketing (27:13):

Well, I mean, I personally [think] you're doing a lot of the great things that I would recommend anybody does, or if you were a client of mine or somebody was a client of mine. I would [try] looking at the backend of things and saying, "Well, why did this post in particular do so well?" Well, because it got a ton of engagement because it was at this time of day. And then the other one at this time of day, it really did well also. It might have nothing to do with time of day it might be what we're talking about, where it may be nostalgia, and you don't have to post it every single time, but there might be something where as holiday is coming up and it's all about nostalgia. And that might be the first thing that you do. The other thing too, is one of the things that people are talking about now with say Instagram is with their algorithm change, is that in order to [get] more people, seeing things, they're talking about people doing a little save, you know, doing that little bookmark, where they save the posts. [There's] a little thing on there where you can save it and you put it in something that you might look at later on.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (28:14):

Ok.

Pyrpaw Marketing (28:15):

I might suggest that since, you know so much [about the area], maybe you have, you know, a list - a graphic - that you put together of the holiday things that are going on and what dates and times, and maybe a web address or something. So it's something that - you know, in the past, when I did a lot of physical [marketing materials], one of the things we did at the real estate company I was at is they did a sphere of influence. So it was all the agents had a list of addresses for people that they were friends and family and past clients. And when we sent postcards out to them every month, we didn't want to always sell to them. We wanted to give them something that they would say, "Oh, this is really helpful. I'm going to like stick it on my fridge." And the idea was always create something that they might stick on the fridge and reference and always see your name or your logo every time. So maybe you could test out doing a few graphics for the different holidays or events during the year.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (29:07):

It's the time to do it. That's a great idea.

Pyrpaw Marketing (29:11):

Right, and then just say, physically say, "Hit that little button on the side where you save it." And supposedly that kind of helps. I haven't done a lot of it myself, supposedly that gives Instagram the notification that this is valuable information. People are saving it because it's really important. So they'll give a little bit more attention to it and push it out there a little bit further.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (29:32):

Excellent...

Pyrpaw Marketing (29:32):

I bet you're probably doing this already, but also you know, if you've got an event that - really two more things and I'll shut my mouth - if you've got an event that either you're having, let's say that you're going to do a giveaway, or you've got a time of year in which your reservations drop a little bit, create a campaign [where you] map out what you're going to say, because there's going to be - One of the things about someone who's looking for something, there's always that "Awareness stage" where they're going to come across what you're doing simply because they're kind of looking around and they're, [saying] "Oh, Hapey Cabins, they're pretty cool. They got some great things and they know a lot about the area and, you know, maybe I'll think about them for my next vacation." And then you've got the "Consideration phase" where they're like, "Okay, I'm ready to go on vacation. I need to find a great place to go." And so they think of you again, and you're still popping up and they see you and they maybe save a couple things or they go to your website and take a look and see what's available. And then the decision stage, you know, where they're like, they're ready. They have intent. They want to rent a place. They want to rent your cabin, but they want to know which ones are available. It's just kind of the different types of posts for the people in those phases, just kind of create a little bit more, but, and that's something you can consider.

Pyrpaw Marketing (30:55):

And that really helps a lot when you know the folks who you rent cabins to, and you might have more than one [Buyer Persona]. That's something I tell my clients [when they say] "Well, I don't just have one [Buyer Persona]." Well, you might not have just one. You might have several, and you can think of things that way. And then the final thing that I would say is if you ever consider doing any paid advertising or anything like that, because you want to ramp it up. [For those] who do something with a rental or something that is very specific, like let's say where I used to live in Charleston it's a destination, a tourist destination and Tennessee is a tourist destination - do you know a pattern? Are there, you know, Ohio is like, for some reason, a big thing for Charleston people, they know a lot of people move or come on vacation from Ohio.

Pyrpaw Marketing (31:42):

Do you have a group of people or a few segments of people that come from different parts of the country frequently from that area? And you might consider advertising in that general area to get them to come down. So that's another consideration too, but honestly, I really think that there's a, you're doing such a fantastic job with the type of information, the type of content that you're putting out there, because it's very much non-sales related.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (32:12): 

Yeah.

Pyrpaw Marketing (32:13):

Like you said, a means to an end, which is exactly what we're talking about when we talk about those, you know, the, Awareness, Consideration, Decision Stage. It's a means to an end, because the end is people are kind of thinking about, they want to do something, but they don't know where they want to do it. And then they stumble across Hapey Cabins and then they're like, there's a lot of really cool information. And then they stick with you. And then you're the one they think about when they decide that they're going to reserve or they're to go on vacation. So if folks haven't checked you guys out, you should, and I'm going to leave all the links for all of your stuff in the description of the video, but check the business out and see - not only reserve a cabin to stay, because it's a great location for whether you want to be out in the outdoors or whether you want to go and see the Titanic for some reason, that's in the middle of the Smokies and have dinner. There's all kinds of great things to do - But the thing is, is if you go to Hapey Cabin's social media channels and see what they're doing, it's more about providing value for the potential customer and kind of drawing them in that way, as opposed to selling to them all the time. It's all about my thing that I talk about inbound marketing, being human and helpful. So I wanted to thank you a whole bunch for being here.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (33:29):

Thank you!

Pyrpaw Marketing (33:29):

And it was a great first interview. And like I said, everybody check out Hapey Cabin Rentals and the information is going to be in the links below. And I'll probably put some information on the screen as well. And we'll see you on the next one. Thanks.

Hapey Cabin Rentals (33:43):

Thank you.

Pyrpaw Marketing (33:46):

So I hope you enjoyed that interview. I think it was really a lot of great insight from Angie about her business and how she goes about her social media marketing in the digital space. And I hope you found some great information from that. If you like the video, of course, please subscribe and hit that notification button because we do have a series of interviews with small business owners and how they're navigating social media and some of the tips and tricks that they use. So thanks so much for watching and we'll see you on the next one.

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