Hudson Business Solutions’ “Social Media Savvy” Business of the Week: Outdoor Bound!
November 4, 2011 | Social Media
This week’s “social media savvy” business is Outdoor Bound! If your feeling adventurous and want to go hiking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, or partake in any other outdoor trip, you can find it with Outdoor Bound. This company has been creating authentic and unique trips throughout New York, various areas in the U.S. and abroad since 1982.
Some of Outdoor Bound’s upcoming trips include the Schunemunk Mountain Hike, a Central Park Photography Class, an Africa Volunteer Trip Aiding Elephants, as well as a Horseback Riding and Wine Tasting event. In addition to showing their clients a variety of outdoor trips, Outdoor Bound has been engaging their customers through social media. With a Facebook account, Twitter handle, and Flickr site, Outdoor Bound can teach others a thing or two about social media and the important role it plays for businesses.
To learn more about Outdoor Bound’s social media strategy, we talked with Kirk Reynolds, guide and owner of Outdoor Bound. When Outdoor Bound started paying attention to social media about a year ago, Reynolds wasn’t convinced of the benefits. But a year later, Reynolds is now a social media advocate. “For our business, it’s an especially important medium for connecting with our clients,” Reynolds explained. “You could describe me as a former skeptic as I wasn’t sure how it really converted into business, but our Social Media Manager, Michelle Welsch, convinced me otherwise.” After a year of building relationships, loyalty and quickly communicating our brand and personality, I’m 100% on board with social media.”
When asked what he would say to those business owners who dismiss social media as unimportant, Reynolds believes once companies start integrating social media into their marketing strategies, they will be able to connect with customers and see the benefits. “Every business is different, so it may not seem obvious at first,” Reynolds said. “However, every business has a personality and every business is run by people. If given the chance, consumers will connect with you as they naturally want to connect with other people.”
Out of all of Outdoor Bound’s social media outlets, the company sees the most benefits through Facebook. “Twitter has been great for developing relationships with prospective business partners, but Facebook really is our way to touch clients,” Reynolds said. Whether it’s posting pictures of their journeys, hyping up an upcoming trip, or recapping an adventure, Outdoor Bound does a great job engaging their followers through Facebook.
According to Reynolds, this connection with clients is one of the greater benefits of social media. “Some of our trips are life-changing events. For example, our clients climb Kilimanjaro with us for a variety of reasons – to overcome a fear; to raise money for a cause; to connect with their spouse in a deeper way. Through Facebook and Twitter, we get to follow their progress on a daily basis, reporting their status to our community,” Reynolds explained. “My favorite Facebook post is when I get to announce that everyone reached the summit together. Even thousands of miles away, our community here in New York can feel the anticipation, struggle, and accomplishment of the actual climbers.”
Want to learn more about Outdoor Bound, the trips they offer, and their use of social media? Visit their website, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and browse through their photos on Flickr.
