3) We "discover" social media
We have the boat, we have all the authorizations, we're ready to go! What we need now are more guests. The only question is how to achieve this goal. Here it is worth remembering one of our first questions again:
Where are we, where do we want to go, how do we get there?
Where are we?
Jim's company "Ryfylke Relax", which rents out vacation homes, had around 2000 guests a year at the time. Due to increased demand from these guests for boat tours, we founded our company "Ryfylke Adventures". About 20% of the guests of "Ryfylke Relax" book a boat tour in the Lysefjord with us. A solid customer base that makes it easier for us to get started, as we are not starting from scratch!
Where do we want to go?
However, in order to not only cover our costs throughout the year, but also to be able to earn money in the future, we need to increase our guest numbers considerably. The aim is to achieve good cooperation between our two companies from which both benefit, but at the same time we also need to attract many more guests from outside.
How do we get there?
Flashback: We are on our test drive with our dream boat, refueling in "Lysefjorden Marina" and thinking about how we can make our idea a reality. We are approached by a family from America. Absolutely enthusiastic about our plans, we are asked a question that will have a lasting effect on us: How do people find you?
We realize that it is not enough just to have a good product. We have to actively advertise. We need flyers, posters, a website, social media, we need to be visible on booking platforms such as "GetyourGuide" and "TripAdvisor".
To be honest, neither of us know much about these things. Especially for Instagram, we both feel we are at least 2 generations behind. However, we both agree that these things are the key to success. I leave the social media to Jim and set about creating our website.
Instagram @ryfylke_adventures
Jim transfers the Instagram account of "Ryfylke Relax" to our company. So we don't start from scratch here either, but with around 110 followers. Our first posts, sorry, reels and stories, are (in hindsight) not very professional. We are not only trying to improve our content, but also the image quality. We have a lot to learn, especially with our drone videos.
Our very special thanks go to Elin(TheBolder), who has helped us to this day with advice, ideas and suggestions for continuous improvement!
The target for the end of 2024 was 500 followers, we reached 700. Today (21.Jan25) we have almost 900 followers. We are growing and are very excited about summer 2025!
