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?

Cycling Brand Relationship Series: An Overview

Over the past few weeks, I have had some great conversations both online and offline about the Brand Hierarchy in the cycling industry. Who is in charge of brand loyalty to the end cyclist? Is it the OEM (bike manufacturer? The LBS (local bike shop)?  The component or part brands?

During a conversation with @GStech yesterday, we realized that the dynamics of the relationships throughout the cycling industry supply chain varies from company to company, relationship to relationship, cyclist to cyclist. Over the next week or so, I will be going into detail about each level of the cycling industry supply chain to unfold what part of the cyclist experience each company is in charge of. During the series, I will discuss:

• What characteristics define the brand
• Who are the different customers that need to be communicated with
• How can the brand communicate effectively with each customer
• How social media / branding could facilitate this communication

With the increase in cyclist communication and the rise of cycling communities, cycling brands need to know where they fit into the lifestyle of these cyclists to build loyalty, advocacy, and evangelism. Hopefully this series will shed some light on this topic and begin to open eyes as to what needs to be done and what is possible.

encouraged communication.

This being such a dynamic topic, I encourage you to interact with me and one another on the coming posts. Agree, disagree, raise questions, dream big… Be sure to subscribe to the feed and invite your friends to follow along too. The weather is perfect; It should be a great ride!

Social Media for the Cycling Industry

Courtesy of cdiniz on Flickr - Cycling

As I continually write about marketing in general, I see one of the most advanced industries in regards to brand loyalty, advocacy and evangelism is the cycling industry; one that is extremely overlooked in the ad and marketing industry journals and case studies. There have been some great strides but there are some tremendous opportunities still available for any company in the cycling industry through social media - from LBS to cycling manufacturers.

To show my excitement and passion for this industry, (as well as a little opinion of my own), I am reposting some of my favorite past posts.

Favorite Posts

The Felt Bicycling Brand Badge

The Orbea Chronicles: Part 1 – What Happened

The Orbea Chronicles: Part 2 – What Could’ve Happened

The Orbea Chronicles: Part 3 – The Conclusion

Are Brands Becoming Badges On Social Media?

Discuss

Enjoy these favorites of mine. As always, feel free to discuss, ask questions, comment about points you like, or dislike…

The Orbea Chronicles: Part 3 – The Conclusion

The last week or so, I’ve been discussing my girlfriend Toni’s quest for the perfect bike. I’ve identified why she bought the way she did and what could have happened to make Toni a “cult-like” follower for the brand. I won’t go into detail, you can go back and read for yourself. But, I’ve had a lot of response from this series and have been asked to elaborate a little on some key points.

Toni has actually commented on the part two post with some great insight into her thought process and what she would have liked to see post sale. I found something very interesting in what she said. “Especially as an athlete new to cycling, it would have been very exciting to have received an email from them. It would be great to have some sort of communication to interact with them and be able to ask questions.” This quick statement has completely proved my theory on the transition of power in the marketplace. There is a HUGE transition from marketers “pushing” messages to consumers “pulling” information that is pertinent to them as an individual. Consumers now want to be engaged in a conversation and have a voice in a relationship. Toni’s want to have a conversation with Orbea, is a natural occurrence and a change that we, as marketers need to adapt to.

So, How Do We Adapt to These New Communication Styles?

In Part 2, I outlined a few strategies Orbea could’ve taken to move Toni from excited customer to a passionate brand advocate. As I pointed out, the end goal for the brand is to integrate itself so deeply into the lifestyle of the customer that the brand begins to define the customer as a person. With that being said, I have broken down a strategy that Orbea could’ve taken to create this level of advocacy.

5 Strategies To Personality Defining Brands

Social Branding Strategy - Great results come from great strategy. Knowing what to say, how to say it, and who to say it to, puts your brand in a very powerful situation. Whether continuing a relationship from post sell to advocacy or reigniting a lost relationship in the social sphere, you need to know who you’re talking to, how to engage, and how to build the brand position.

Cult Creation - As illustrated by @Big Boy “The first rule of Orbea Club is - you do not talk about Orbea Club.” This is exactly the mentality you want your loyal followers to have, especially in the cycling community. To have a sense of belonging to a specific culture or community, really enhances certain emotional aspects tied to the purchase. Creating and engaging in these communities online will continue the culture creation as well as fuel the already burning loyal fire.

Viral Campaigns - Brands don’t go viral by themselves. It needs power, a voice, and a following. By simply creating a platform and empowering your loyal following, you can create a viral awareness that no advertising could mimic. These strategies could include having a YouTube channel and having seasonal Orbea Rider contests. Showing how Orbea fits into their life. How does cycling effect the rider and their world.

Interactive -Interaction is a determining factor for customer experience. The more experience the customer endures the more they will be involved. By interacting with loyal followers, you will enhance that loyalty as well as keep your brand on the top of mind for repurchase, cross sell, and up sell abilities. Some strategies for customer interaction could be Orbea branded iPhone or Facebook applications that could track mileage and capture goals. This would give Orbea a chance to engage again with that individual as they’re striving for their goals. Other strategies…Twitter Contests, Blogger Outreach, Orbea Trail tracking on Google maps, How to ride Wiki’s, etc.

Network Site Development - The days of one website is over. Networked sites are the future. Messages and components are communicated for highly targeted, highly defined niche segments. As Toni mentioned in her comment “The information on their website is limited, and I would like to learn more about them.” I know, from looking at the Orbea site is that it has tons of information. But what if, Orbea had a Networked Website? A specific page for the Dama TDA outlining every aspect of the bike; How it fits into the Orbea Culture; RSS Feeds from the ‘real time’ blogosphere and social sphere; Give both Orbea Pros and Weekend Warriors voices on the same platform (Orbea Rider blogs - how Orbea helps them compete) & (Weekend Warrior blogs) …

Conclusion

In conclusion…Riders want a voice and to be engaged. Give them voice and you will get advocacy. Enough said. Here’s some more “voice from real riders.” Are you listening?

“I bought it [Specialized Tarmac] because I too am a bike snob and it had the component group Ultegra with Dura Ace rear - you know what I am talking about. It was the frame, components and the paint job. What a great ride and I can’t wait for Spring to get back out there. Emotion runs high…”

- @Dave

“This was the bike [Orbea Onix Dama TDA] that would make me pumped for every single upcoming ride.”

- @Toni

“I know exactly what you mean by brand loyalty, Paul. However, I might put a little different spin on what you have discussed as wearing your brand as a badge. I almost feel like I have a closet loyalty to Giant. I love my Giant road bike, but when I was shopping around for the frame to build it up I felt guilty buying it…But when comparing apples to apples, a light, stiff, and aero frame is exactly that, no matter what the brand. So we can buy based on emotions, and do so without guilt.”

- @Dr JET

Open for Conversation

As always, I am always open to conversation. Feel free to reply publicly with a comment or contact me using any contact information on my “Contact” page. Happy Riding.

The Orbea Chronicles: Part 2 – What Could’ve Happened

As we left off, we saw Toni buy a bicycle, not on the features or components of the bicycle itself, but on the emotions and feeling it elicited within Toni. This type of buying behavior is not new, but one that is overlooked. These emotions are strong purchasing vehicles but shouldn’t be scoffed at in the post sale or brand loyalty stage. With these emotions running high, now is the time to strike to integrate into the consumer’s lifestyle.

Cyclists aren’t like the normal human being. We’re a little more advanced. We use brands to define who we are as a person. The type of bike we ride, the component groups, the kit we wear, all of it says a little more about who we are. Other consumers and industries will make the transition and mold into this model of loyalty. This “cult-like” following will use brands as badges to define personality. The driving factor of this is the permeation of brands in social media. Let’s look at how Orbea, could have used the emotional strength of the purchase process to shift into brand loyalty and advocacy mode to create a “cult.”

Steps to Build a Cult-Like Following

With emotions running wild Orbea could have captured the contact information, model, and size of the bike purchased. This information could have started a series of automated, but personalized communications with Toni.

1. Push and Invite – Using email or a welcome package, Orbea could have reached out to Toni and welcomed her to the Orbea “cult” or group. Given her some background information on the culture and reaffirmed her purchase.  Here Orbea could have invited her to connect through various social media platforms.

2. Wear as a Badge – Coming off the emotional tidal wave of purchasing a $2000 bike with the affirmation and welcoming into the company culture, Toni would now be wanting to tell anyone and everyone about her experience with Orbea. She would then connect on these social platforms, proudly wearing the Orbea badge…allowing the Orbea brand to define a little bit of her personality.

3. Empower the Consumer – With continuous conversations between Orbea and Toni, Toni would become educated and empowered enough to become an advocate for the Orbea brand. During this stage, Toni begins to infiltrate her own social network with the Orbea message and culture, furthering brand awareness with the almighty, powerful word of mouth.

4. Let Go – With a “cult-like” following that these strategies will create, Orbea will have to learn to let go of the Orbea brand and allow their “cult” followers to carry the message forward. This is the hardest step in the process for most companies. But it is the most necessary step to succeed in the new social marketing world in which we live.

5. Rinse, Repeat, & Adapt – New customers are continually coming into the cycle; current customers are continually having conversations with your brand; Communication strategies are continually changing. Stay dedicated to the process, the consumer, and the dynamic nature of marketing and you will succeed with your brand.

All in all, to create a cult-like following for your brand online, you need to integrate your brand into the lifestyle of the consumer. Allow your brand to become an defining factor of one’s personality. Then, and only then, will you find true brand loyalty and advocacy.

Your Thoughts?

What do you think? Would you love a brand so much that you would wear it as a badge? If so, what brands?