Whilst Glyn Davidson wouldn’t recommend taking a leap of faith to customers of Climb Wales, he is thrilled to have made his own life-changing jump.

After years of juggling a full-time job with his passion for the great outdoors, Glyn finally decided to dedicate his life to doing what made him happy in January 2022.

Little over 12 months later, the company which specialises in rock climbing and mountaineering courses in Snowdonia, is thriving after Glyn combined his own desire for change with free digital support from Superfast Business Wales.

owner of climb wales Glyn sat on hillside

 

It all confirmed to Glyn what he already knew – that through a mixture of organised climbing sessions, guided mountain treks, and challenge days for individuals or groups, he has found the perfect vocation.

He said: “Whilst working in education, I got to lead the outdoor recreation lessons, which featured a variety of expeditions and activities such as abseiling and gorge walking.

“It didn’t feel like work as the pupils loved it and so did I. I grew up in Beaumaris and in my early years I was always out exploring around sea cliffs and there was a real sense of achievement with every climb or jump I did.

“Being outdoors is a passion of mine and I knew that it was something I wanted to pursue in the long-term.”

Climb Wales enjoyed a steady start, but the business was really sparked into life by what Glyn learnt on the Superfast Business Wales webinars. These included three on marketing – featuring both digital and email, two on social media – basic and advanced, and running your business online.

Glyn said: “Before, any online marketing I did, whether that was through the website or social media, was haphazard and a real stab in the dark. Having watched the webinars, I quickly realised that I needed to develop a strategy to improve engagement and increase sales.”

The new marketing plan initially focused on regular and targeted social media posts, and search engine optimisation (SEO). For example, using Google trends and Answer The Public, Glyn spotted what people were searching for, including a spike in hiking on Boxing Day.

A new mailing list sign-up form was also introduced to the website, providing access to a newsletter that focuses on future courses and challenges, such as the Welsh 3000s, which sees those taking part tackle the 15 highest mountains in North Wales in just under 24 hours.

Glyn explained: “I really struggled with Instagram before the webinars, but there is now a strategy in place which is proving effective.

“Rather than simply sticking up a picture at random with ‘a good day on the hill’ caption there is a process, which includes uploading certain content at specific times of the day, like Monday mornings when people don’t want to be back at work, and utilising reels and stories to help the algorithm.

“Similarly, with Facebook I am posting engaging content more frequently, and I’ve joined groups that tie-in with our business offerings. In addition, I’ve spent time understanding the platform’s algorithm to help guide what to publish.

“Facebook adverts have also helped increase our reach, which has led to more business enquiries. Rather than boost a post, I’ve tailored it to the target audience and the results speak for themselves.”

With the guidance of Superfast Business Wales adviser Leon Ingham, improvements to the Climb Wales website have also played a part in the increase in sales with some subtle but effective changes made.

owner of climb wales Glyn holding laptop on mountainside

 

Improvements following the help from Superfast Business Wales include:

  • Almost 5,000 website visitors in January 2023 – up from 679 during the corresponding month in 2022.
  • A 1,700 per cent increase in Instagram reach with likes and comments up by 692 per cent over 30 days.
  • Reach of Facebook posts has increased by more than 30,000 from 11,000 to 46,000 over 30 days.
  • 319 people signed up to the mailing list, with around five new Facebook followers and two fresh Instagram followers per day.
  • Sales have increased by 314 per cent when compared with the previous year. 

Glyn continued: “Our website speed before the report and the webinars was down at 30 out of 100, which is considered poor, but after some work, it’s now 90.

“It was easy to think that most people would be viewing the website from desktop computers at home, but having taken a step back, search engines are favouring sites that are mobile-friendly.

“We also included a pop up to add your details to the mailing list before you leave the site, while there has been a key change in the booking form to allow people to put their details in before progressing to selecting a date.

owner of climb wales Glyn climbing

 

“This means that we are constantly collecting information for a database of people who have shown interest in the company, including those who didn’t complete the checkout process.”

Climb Wales and Glyn’s journey has not peaked just yet, however, with the owner still striving to reach the summit.

He added: “After implementing changes based on what I learned in the webinars, I’ve seen substantial improvements, and I’ve still got Leon’s suggestions to look forward to.”


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