Using Instagram Reels to market your glamping site

Instagram can be a very effective platform for some businesses, particularly those that sell experiences such as glamping businesses. One of the best ways to increase reach on Instagram is to use their reels feature.

What type of users will be on Instagram?

We can fall foul of thinking of Instagram users as teenagers, but the truth is that teens have now moved on to platforms such as TikTok and the majority of active Instagram users are now aged between 20 and 40. This means that active Instagram users are predominantly millennials and some older Gen Zs.

These are people who have careers and are likely established in their living situation. They are also increasingly likely not to have children and to be more willing to spend money on experiences, or experience-led products. They are also more likely to be educated consumers and to make purchase choices that they see as being ethical. This can include trends such as the increase in plant-based diets, but it can also include trends towards buying more locally and choosing high-welfare animal products.

Their love of experience-led shopping means they are the ideal target market for many agri-tourism businesses such as glamping. They are also often keen to spend on value added experiences. As such, a good way to increase the average spend of your customers is to team up with other local businesses who provide complementary activities. For example, if you are a romantic couples getaway type of glamping site, consider working with a local vineyard to offer wine tasting. Both you and the vineyard can benefit through joint advertising and providing customers with small discounts on each other’s services.

Using farm marketing to target Instagram users for your glamping business

The key to marketing to this type of customer is to communicate your story and educate them on why you are an experience worth having.

This type of customer will buy into the businesses that show their storytelling skills and can therefore create an emotional response from the viewer. This could include explaining the background of your farm and family. Maybe you are a 6^th generation farmer who is trying to save their family farm through farm diversification. Or maybe you are a new entrant who is striving to create a new type of glamping business that has a niche audience.

Consider the brand story that you want to present and make sure it is authentic to you. You can somewhat Disneyfy your brand story or simplify it to make it a clearer and more impactful farm marketing tool. But you must make sure it never becomes inauthentic. This generation of consumers believes strongly in buying from authentic businesses and looking beyond the traditional marketing hype.

You may be familiar with the phrase “a picture paints a thousand words”. This is very true of almost all social media platforms, but for Instagram, imagery is central to its whole identity. Therefore, you need to ensure you can communicate your brand story as much through images as through words. If you or a family member is keen on their camera, this is a huge advantage on Instagram. Show your followers what life on your farm is like and show them your authentic self through images and videos.

Is it worth having a photographer/videographer in to do some content creation for your glamping business?

If you are trying to communicate a high-end brand story for your glamping site or if you are starting out, I would recommend having a photographer or videographer do a session for your glamping business. They can capture moments that will communicate your brand story extremely effectively and present your glamping business in the best possible light. Having a one-off session to give you a host of branded imagery is a great investment as this content can be used for your website, brochures and social media, including Instagram.

Having this done doesn’t have to be a regular event and doesn’t mean you only use professional images online, but it does give you a library of professional imagery for ongoing use. You can then choose to add to this content with personal images you have taken or content from customers.

When you are having professional content created or when you are filming for your own purposes, make an effort to dress your glamping site to look as good as possible. You can always do other content where you show what it looks like on an average day to educate your audience. But doing stunning images of really romantic or attractive set ups will help your content and hence your business to gain further reach on Instagram.

Why should you be using Instagram Reels for your glamping business?

Central to making the most of any social media platform is to work with the tools they give you. Currently, Instagram is really pushing its reels feature. This is in an attempt to stave-off market share loss from TikTok. So, if you aren’t using reels, you are likely to find your reach significantly reduced. Reels can be scary when you first get started, but practice makes perfect, and they can have a huge impact on your brand reach.

Some ideas for reels for your glamping business could include:

• 5 reasons to stay with us – using 5 images with text over
• A tour of your glamping site – pair this with relaxing/happy audio
• Do we allow dogs? – pair this with a cute video of your own dogs or guests dogs.

Reels are also the main form of content that is shared outside of your following. So, Instagram will share your reels with users outside of your current followers.  This is why it is so effective for increasing your reach and following on the platform.

At the moment, Instagram is pushing users to complete reels every day or as often as possible, but even doing them a couple of times a week will help your reach. You can also use a scheduling tool for some reels or use the draft option on Instagram to have a few reels prepared and then post them over a few days, saving you time and energy.

You can also improve your reels reach by using trending audio from the app, which will help to gain more exposure. Examples of trending audio from the last few months include:

• Tik Tik Boom
• Seriously, what is this place …
• 5 things that just make sense

The trends will come and go, but if you can tap into them where appropriate, they will make a big difference to your reach. The trends will also indicate if it is best to use images or videos or both on your reel.

If you would like help planning a marketing strategy or would like to learn more about marketing on Instagram check out our free guide, book a consultation or take a look at our coaching package.