Over the past week I have developed an online sharing group. This group aims to target customers of hospitality spaces and provide a space where they can post applications of nature that they like or dislike accompanied by short comments as to why they hold this opinion. This data can then be utilised to develop upon what people are liking, to create the most effective applications of nature to attract customers and get them engaged in nature.
Further advancements of the group, include developing a community whereby the group can be utilised to direct people to events which bring nature to people that I am developing as well as being a space to share other events and venues that are promoting natural design; so that people are able to get the knowledge of where to visit to build their connection to nature.
The group has been created on Facebook, as this platform allows for members of the group to share their own images and add captions to it. This group also allows people to comment on the posts, which should help to spark conversation between members and begin the formation of a community.
I am the admin of the group and so I can approve people wanting to join. This process helps to ensure that everyone in the group is there for the right reasons.
I will attract people to the Facebook group by posting about in on the multitude of Facebook groups around natural design and also hospitality that I am a part of already (see below). I will also share about the group in the LinkedIn groups around these subject areas, that I am a member of to promote it further and get people engaged in it. Finally, I will share the group amongst my stakeholders that I have been in contact with the get them involved in the group. Once, people have joined the group they can share the link to their friends to join, I will just need to approve them and then they can get posting!
An example of a post can be seen in my first post below for inspiration for members.
I am going to utilise the @nature.i.n instagram page to upload curated images from the Facebook group to showcase the best examples of natural design and events. I will also upload images of spaces and events that I come across so that it provides a specific and intriguing feed into the best places and events to go to experience nature (alongside those that I will be hosting myself).
I will also share this instagram page via the Facebook group and I will gain extra followers of similar such content by following accounts looking at nature, natural design or connecting with nature; as well as those accounts looking at hospitality and interacting with these accounts. I aim to grow a steady following on this account, so that in the future I can utilise this platform to promote the natural events and experiences I am running over the coming months. I will also post about these events in the Facebook groups and the community I nurture in this space will hopefully aid the success of my other ventures in the natural experiences and events, as the other part of my project.
Reflection
I am excited to see how this group can grow and evolve as it gathers members to create real change in how nature can be brought into spaces through utilising the direct feedback from customers of hospitality spaces. I am also intrigued to see how the group can form a space that directs people to applications of nature in spaces and encourages them to visit these spaces and absorb nature in anyway they can. This can also help to gain traction for attending natural events and experiences in hospitality spaces that can aid the entirety of my goal to re-connect people to nature in hospitality spaces. Even if people aren’t attending specifically just the natural events, experiences and designs that I am trialling, the group can help people to visit others promoting nature, which still aids their connection to nature.
Over the coming weeks I will continue to attract members to this group. I will also start to post some images in it myself to set an example of the types of things members might post. Additionally, I will begin too curate and add to the @nature.i.n instagram feed and direct people in the Facebook group to there.