Community: Are you building one?

Courtesy of Flickr - kirk_martin

Week 1 is in the books for “The Best Shape Ever Challenge” for my friends and me. It was a week chock full of runs, swims, rides, weights, anything to help me achieve my goals. As a part of the rules of the game, we are using DailyMile.com to log our workouts, talk trash, motivate, and inspire. It’s a fantastic thing to see. Excitement and struggle throughout the entire field. It shows the human aspect of exercising. Being able to see the enthusiasm one might have one day and the utter struggle to get through the workout the next gives us all a connection to each other, whatever our end goals may be.

community.

Throughout the week, I have noticed some great things. We are all vying for The Best Shape Ever Challenge championship, but having each other to lean on and motivate has built a tremendous sense of community. We all feel like we are a part of something that is a life-changing event which, in essence, should be if fulfilled. We communicate with each other, we are accountable to each other, we depend on each other all while being competitors as well as supporters. We know each other’s goals and want to see each other succeed (just not as much success as ourselves). It truly is an amazing thing unfolding right in front of us.

social media.

The great thing about this entire program is that it’s all through social media technologies and platforms. With each individual living in a different place, with different schedules, and different goals, we can stay connected to each other on our own personal time. I can log in every morning and see what happened over the past 24 hours. I can see who I need to congratulate, inspire, motivate, etc. and do so with a few keystrokes on my trusty computer. These conversations have built relationships that once never existed, have strengthened others, and empowered very different individuals to become a part of a very niche community.

the point.

For seven different individuals with different physical backgrounds, we have found social media to build our community and allow us to get on the right track to achieve our goals and have a support network when the hard days come. Communities are like little cults. The bonds created in them are strong and passionate about a specific cause, product, brand, movement, etc. The communication spans both online and offline. Having that feeling of being part of something, gives you a sense of inclusion, secrecy, excitement, and confidence. After all, alone we are just individuals, but together, we can move mountains. The power of community is one that should be feared and awed, for, with community, we can conquer even our greatest personal fears.

where’s your community?

With all the social media communications your company is participating in, can you identify where communities are spawning? What products, services, movements, riders, does your constituency talk about, feel passionate about, bond together about?

Wanna Hit the Niche? Look to Forums.

I was recently contacted by a great marketing mind in the Mountain Bike industry at Evil Bikes. Todd Seplavy wanted to fill me in on some great things happening in the industry that are currently flying below the radar. These great things? Niche communities.

Courtesy of Flickr - David Barker1

niche communities.

With the dynamic nature of the bicycle industry, highly segmented, niche communities are sprouting up everywhere. From the communities on the traditional social media platforms like Facebook and Ning, to the more overlooked communities on forums or social magazine sites bike riders are showing up everywhere to talk with other like minded riders. The power of these niche communities? Immense! These communities have the strength to mold and shape their niche bike market.

forums.

So, what are these forum things? Forums are basically running conversations throughout particular segments of the member base. These really are an amazing phenomenon. Not only are people actively talking passionately about their rides, brands, and experiences, but are also creating that aforementioned tight-knit, culture with its own personality including individual slang and lingo.

Some of the more popular niche forums that are out there right now in the industry are:

RideMonkey
MTBR Forum
PinkBike.com Forum
BikeForums.net
CyclingForums.com

As Todd said to me, “The actual participation numbers might be small, but these are the king makers at play and their input is going directly into product development, marketing, and sponsorship decisions at the key companies in mountain biking.” Very powerful stuff.

the future.

Todd shows me that he has the ability to see what is about to happen in certain segments of the bicycling industry (especially the mountain bike culture). He points out that the youth (which are virtually absent in the road world) are highly involved in the conversations on these forums and sites. Their distinct, individualistic chatter shows their excitement for the industry and shows the tremendous potential for the future of cycling and communication in the industry.

conclusion.

Communication is slowly transitioning from mass channels to individual, intimate conversations. The involvement in conversations on platforms like forums are creating highly segmented niche markets. This illustrates the passion of the industry and the need to come together to discuss certain aspects of their cycling life with like minded individuals with like minded passions. To participate in these segmented niche conversations, look to forums.

thoughts?

What are your thoughts? What has been your experience with forums?

No Social Media = Missed Opportunity?

Courtesy of Flickr

As some of you know, I took a trip this last weekend to Eureka Springs, AR to get in some hill training for my Ride the Rockies training. It was a fairly good trip with a little too much rain for my liking, but the hills of Northwest Arkansas was a great place to train.

As I was planning my trip I tried to find as much information as I could about Eureka Springs and its road cycling community. I scanned Twitter, Facebook, Google, MapMyRide.com, etc. and couldn’t find much information. So I was kind of going into the hills of the Ozarks blind. Once I got down there and introduced myself to the town, I ran across an adventure sporting goods store, Adventure Mountain Outfitters, which had some great Specialized mountain bikes hanging in the window. I went in and talked to Denton West, the owner. He filled me in on the great mountain biking in the area and had a little knowledge about some local road loops. He showed me around his shop and invited me to contact him before I came back to Eureka Springs to set up a group ride.

what could have happened.

I did have a great trip and some great riding, but what could have happened? Being such a small (pop. 2,400), tourist town there was little competition for my new friend Denton and his Adventure Mountain Outfitters. What if Denton engaged in some minor online marketing strategies? How could that have improved my experience?

SEO – With minor work on his Search Engine Optimization, Adventure Mountain Outfitters could have easily been found with a simple Google search. This would have allowed me to begin my research and to start a conversation with Adventure Mountain Outfitters.

Blog – Having a blog about the cycling community and different rides, Adventure Mountain Outfitters could provide me and other online visitors valuable information about trails (road and mountain), traffic, mileage, expectations, etc. This would have given me a much better understanding of what I was getting myself into.

Twitter – Just by having a Twitter account, Adventure Mountain Outfitters could have answered the questions I posed on Twitter and engaged me as a tourist cyclist before I even stepped foot into Eureka Springs. These conversations would have given Denton some great opportunities to invite me into his shop and to even go ride with him.

Engaged Community – Using a combination of offline marketing and social media, Adventure Mountain Outfitters could have built a solid engaged community around, not only the shop, but also the riding in Eureka Springs. This community would have then felt empowered to engage me as a peer and point me in the right direction for my Eureka Springs training and even send me to Adventure Mountain Outfitters as THE local bike shop.

conclusion.

This example just goes to show that with the smallest engagement on social media, Adventure Mountain Outfitters could have engaged me as a tourist cyclist before I stepped foot in Eureka Springs. This preliminary engagement would have given me the information about the local landscape that I needed to plan accordingly. To take it a step further, Denton could then have the opportunity to invite me and my group on his Saturday group rides that start at his shop, getting us all through the doors for an increased possibility of a purchase.

thoughts.

What are your thoughts? Am I thinking too narrowly? Is there more to the story?