Social Mum of the Week – Shona Chambers

This week’s Social Mum of the week is the lovely Shona who is a member of our Social Mums London Facebook Group. She tells us what inspired her to start her business as well as her top social media tip.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.

Hi I’m Shona. I’ve lived and worked in SE London for 20 years. I worked in the Media & Finance industries as a Marketeer, then in 2012 I opened a cafe which I later turned into an event space, and most recently I opened a Marketing consultancy specialising in small business marketing.

What is your business?

I currently have two businesses Space at 61 which is an event space for hire in Nunhead near Peckham. I market it as an AirbnB for business, you can hire the venue from 1 hour to a whole day or longer. My other business is Shona Chambers Marketing where I focus on support for small businesses. I feel having run 2 of my own (cafe included) I understand the challenges.

What inspired you to start your business?

Space at 61 came about because I had opened a cafe which I ran for 3 years and then decided to turn it into an event space. I saw a need for affordable hire space for small businesses and start ups.

What social media platforms do you use and why?

I use all of them. I love Instagram for generating enquiries, Twitter for local news and promoting events, & on Facebook I run a thriving small business group on my Space at 61 page which is all small business people in the local area. If you are local to SE London come and join us.

What do you find most challenging about marketing your business on social media?

Space at 61 is very multi faceted, I have noticed that accounts who post about just one topic grow faster than those that vary in topic. I have found that this means you lose followers who only want to know about one topic.

What is the best social media tip you have picked up for your business?

Post Consistently, always maintain a presence, don’t let your account go quiet.

What have you found most useful about being part of a Social Mums Facebook Group?

Its really nice to feel like you can be real with other small business owners. I enjoy the conversation and once you’ve met they are more likely to support each others posts when you see them.