Comments on: Social Media Primer for Bike Retailers http://www.interbiketimes.com/2008/12/29/social-media-primer-for-bike-retailers/ The Official Blog Of Interbike Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:46:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Shaili Jain http://www.interbiketimes.com/2008/12/29/social-media-primer-for-bike-retailers/comment-page-1/#comment-32923 Shaili Jain Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:11:43 +0000 http://www.interbiketimes.com/?p=477#comment-32923 Rich, a timely article. Chris points to some key aspects of using SM in the bicycle market. Here's another good example of using social media to engage your user, promote bike riding and support a cause (ALA) e.g. Steve Bursley rode from Seattle to SF for an ALA fund raiser in September. He used our GPS recorder on a blackberry phone throughout the ride, added photos, uploaded them directly to the MyGeoDiary account which automatically geotagged his photos and posted it to his blog of choice (Google's blogspot). Steve's story can viewed at sbursley.mygeodiary.com OR at Google blogspot: http://ridesteveride.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html Our biking & fitness social media site is called www.mygeodiary.com and we work with bike and ATV brands to launch and manage their LBS social sites. thanks, Shaili (full disclosure: I work at Abaqus Inc. who provide the MyGeoDiary service) Rich, a timely article. Chris points to some key aspects of using SM in the bicycle market. Here’s another good example of using social media to engage your user, promote bike riding and support a cause (ALA) e.g. Steve Bursley rode from Seattle to SF for an ALA fund raiser in September. He used our GPS recorder on a blackberry phone throughout the ride, added photos, uploaded them directly to the MyGeoDiary account which automatically geotagged his photos and posted it to his blog of choice (Google’s blogspot). Steve’s story can viewed at sbursley.mygeodiary.com OR at Google blogspot: http://ridesteveride.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html

Our biking & fitness social media site is called http://www.mygeodiary.com and we work with bike and ATV brands to launch and manage their LBS social sites.

thanks,
Shaili
(full disclosure: I work at Abaqus Inc. who provide the MyGeoDiary service)

]]> By: Rich Kelly http://www.interbiketimes.com/2008/12/29/social-media-primer-for-bike-retailers/comment-page-1/#comment-32768 Rich Kelly Wed, 31 Dec 2008 21:18:47 +0000 http://www.interbiketimes.com/?p=477#comment-32768 Scott- Thanks for the success story and congratulations! In case you'd like to check out Scott's shop online, the url in the link above is wrong. Here's where Lighten Up Bikes can be found: http://www.lightenupbikes.com LUB is also an NBDA member, by the way. Mike- I guess I was writing my last comment while you were writing yours. I agree with you last statement about tailoring your SM strategy to the needs of your business. Find out what your challenges are and apply the appropriate tool to it. Happy New Year to all! Scott-
Thanks for the success story and congratulations!
In case you’d like to check out Scott’s shop online, the url in the link above is wrong. Here’s where Lighten Up Bikes can be found:
http://www.lightenupbikes.com
LUB is also an NBDA member, by the way.

Mike-
I guess I was writing my last comment while you were writing yours. I agree with you last statement about tailoring your SM strategy to the needs of your business. Find out what your challenges are and apply the appropriate tool to it.

Happy New Year to all!

]]> By: Scott Jolliff http://www.interbiketimes.com/2008/12/29/social-media-primer-for-bike-retailers/comment-page-1/#comment-32766 Scott Jolliff Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:23:18 +0000 http://www.interbiketimes.com/?p=477#comment-32766 Rich & Chris, Thank you both for your contributions to the advancement of the bicycle industry. I began my SM a few weeks before I went to Interbike (somehow I missed the fact that Rich was putting on those seminars). By that I mean that I had roughly a blog with little content and a twitter account. I didn't really begin it in earnest until this Fall. It took several days to put the system in place but it was during the recent financial crash so, even as a Father of 5 & 7 yr old boys, I had plenty of time to set it all up. Since then, my Web site traffic has gone up over 100% and the phone calls and sales have gone up drastically as well. It now takes a few minutes here and there throughout the day. Some days more, some days less. I can do it from my phone, my laptop, my desktop computer, and my camera which means that I can do it from my home, my shop, or virtually anywhere else. It connects me with the customers, the industry, the culture of bicycles. It heightens my personal 'bicycle experience' and that of many others. Again, thanks for spreading the Gospel my Brothers! See you out there! Rich & Chris,

Thank you both for your contributions to the advancement of the bicycle industry. I began my SM a few weeks before I went to Interbike (somehow I missed the fact that Rich was putting on those seminars). By that I mean that I had roughly a blog with little content and a twitter account. I didn’t really begin it in earnest until this Fall. It took several days to put the system in place but it was during the recent financial crash so, even as a Father of 5 & 7 yr old boys, I had plenty of time to set it all up. Since then, my Web site traffic has gone up over 100% and the phone calls and sales have gone up drastically as well. It now takes a few minutes here and there throughout the day. Some days more, some days less. I can do it from my phone, my laptop, my desktop computer, and my camera which means that I can do it from my home, my shop, or virtually anywhere else. It connects me with the customers, the industry, the culture of bicycles. It heightens my personal ‘bicycle experience’ and that of many others. Again, thanks for spreading the Gospel my Brothers!

See you out there!

]]> By: Rich Kelly http://www.interbiketimes.com/2008/12/29/social-media-primer-for-bike-retailers/comment-page-1/#comment-32764 Rich Kelly Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:42:23 +0000 http://www.interbiketimes.com/?p=477#comment-32764 Mike- The conversation is happening in the social media world whether you are a part of it or not. That conversation may or may not be specifically about you and your business. At the very least, the only way to know and to dispel any incorrect assumptions or myths (many as they relate to LBS's, by the way) that may be out there and is to participate yourself. The time issue is something that we all face and struggle with. Social media monitoring and participation is not on my formal job description, but is something that I feel is critical in today's world as a brand manager since much of my customer base and people that influence my customers are there. Social Media is all about being social with your community when they can't be physically sitting there on the couch in your shop. It's also a great way to let new like-minded people know that you actually have a couch in your shop. Your blog is a great effort on your part and I encourage you to keep pushing your fellow NBDA members to get active or at least keep tabs on what's being said online. Mike-
The conversation is happening in the social media world whether you are a part of it or not. That conversation may or may not be specifically about you and your business. At the very least, the only way to know and to dispel any incorrect assumptions or myths (many as they relate to LBS’s, by the way) that may be out there and is to participate yourself.
The time issue is something that we all face and struggle with. Social media monitoring and participation is not on my formal job description, but is something that I feel is critical in today’s world as a brand manager since much of my customer base and people that influence my customers are there.
Social Media is all about being social with your community when they can’t be physically sitting there on the couch in your shop. It’s also a great way to let new like-minded people know that you actually have a couch in your shop. Your blog is a great effort on your part and I encourage you to keep pushing your fellow NBDA members to get active or at least keep tabs on what’s being said online.

]]> By: Mike http://www.interbiketimes.com/2008/12/29/social-media-primer-for-bike-retailers/comment-page-1/#comment-32763 Mike Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:39:51 +0000 http://www.interbiketimes.com/?p=477#comment-32763 Cris, Yes, social media:electronic shifters is a better analogy. My comparison was dealers set in their way:down tube shifters. I also think how far deep you go into the various social media branches depends where your market is and who your customers are. Cris,
Yes, social media:electronic shifters is a better analogy. My comparison was dealers set in their way:down tube shifters.

I also think how far deep you go into the various social media branches depends where your market is and who your customers are.

]]> By: Chris http://www.interbiketimes.com/2008/12/29/social-media-primer-for-bike-retailers/comment-page-1/#comment-32761 Chris Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:36:35 +0000 http://www.interbiketimes.com/?p=477#comment-32761 @Mike Rather than comparing social media to down tube shifters, I would suggest that electronic shifters would be a better analogy: very much in their infancy, not at all required to keep doing the same things you've always done in the past, and yet, they promise a lot of new efficiencies that we've never been able to imagine before. The element here that I hope bike shops will accept: Social Media does not require that you do all the work. It only requires that you lead the effort, and give people a reason to join your tribe. @Mike
Rather than comparing social media to down tube shifters, I would suggest that electronic shifters would be a better analogy: very much in their infancy, not at all required to keep doing the same things you’ve always done in the past, and yet, they promise a lot of new efficiencies that we’ve never been able to imagine before.

The element here that I hope bike shops will accept: Social Media does not require that you do all the work. It only requires that you lead the effort, and give people a reason to join your tribe.

]]> By: Mike http://www.interbiketimes.com/2008/12/29/social-media-primer-for-bike-retailers/comment-page-1/#comment-32732 Mike Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:31:41 +0000 http://www.interbiketimes.com/?p=477#comment-32732 Rich, Fifteen minutes a day doesn't sound like a lot, but those 15 minutes mean you will need to take 15 minutes from something else: family time, riding time...or commenting on blog posts ;-) I sent an e-mail with a link to this post and Chris Matthews' post to an e-list of dealers from across the country. I got one reply. To me that says that they either don't understand the phrase "social media" or they don't have time to investigate. The one reply mentioned that once you start, you have to continue to maintain a certain quality/quantity level of posting other wise it becomes becomes a chore and quality will suffer. The other reason why I believe may be more telling, is many dealers, like myself to some extent, are dinosaurs. That e-mail group I mentioned previously contains only about 390 members. That's a pittance with regards to how many dealers are members of the NBDA. Out of that 390 members there are about 20-30 that post with some regularity. If dealers don't want to be members of a simple e-mail group, I would think joining the social media world would be like trying to find down tube shifters in the pro peloton. Rich,
Fifteen minutes a day doesn’t sound like a lot, but those 15 minutes mean you will need to take 15 minutes from something else: family time, riding time…or commenting on blog posts ;-)

I sent an e-mail with a link to this post and Chris Matthews’ post to an e-list of dealers from across the country. I got one reply. To me that says that they either don’t understand the phrase “social media” or they don’t have time to investigate.

The one reply mentioned that once you start, you have to continue to maintain a certain quality/quantity level of posting other wise it becomes becomes a chore and quality will suffer.

The other reason why I believe may be more telling, is many dealers, like myself to some extent, are dinosaurs. That e-mail group I mentioned previously contains only about 390 members. That’s a pittance with regards to how many dealers are members of the NBDA. Out of that 390 members there are about 20-30 that post with some regularity. If dealers don’t want to be members of a simple e-mail group, I would think joining the social media world would be like trying to find down tube shifters in the pro peloton.

]]> By: Rich Kelly http://www.interbiketimes.com/2008/12/29/social-media-primer-for-bike-retailers/comment-page-1/#comment-32722 Rich Kelly Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:15:24 +0000 http://www.interbiketimes.com/?p=477#comment-32722 Mike- Good to see you here again! As Chris writes in his guide, you should only need about 15 minutes a day to keep up with the social networks once you set them up. Obviously, getting deeply involved in the online communities can be a real time suck, but you have to be mindful of the return you are getting and the value that it's adding to your business - which can be meaningful and real. All it is is a way to stay in touch with your community when you can't be physically in touch with them. Mike-
Good to see you here again! As Chris writes in his guide, you should only need about 15 minutes a day to keep up with the social networks once you set them up. Obviously, getting deeply involved in the online communities can be a real time suck, but you have to be mindful of the return you are getting and the value that it’s adding to your business – which can be meaningful and real. All it is is a way to stay in touch with your community when you can’t be physically in touch with them.

]]> By: Mike http://www.interbiketimes.com/2008/12/29/social-media-primer-for-bike-retailers/comment-page-1/#comment-32718 Mike Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:20:34 +0000 http://www.interbiketimes.com/?p=477#comment-32718 I think the simple fact that more bike retailers don't participate is simply a matter of time available. I maintain a blog, but I can't imagine having time to devote to other aspects of social media. I think the simple fact that more bike retailers don’t participate is simply a matter of time available. I maintain a blog, but I can’t imagine having time to devote to other aspects of social media.

]]> By: Rich Kelly http://www.interbiketimes.com/2008/12/29/social-media-primer-for-bike-retailers/comment-page-1/#comment-32714 Rich Kelly Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:04:19 +0000 http://www.interbiketimes.com/?p=477#comment-32714 Jeremy, by the way, works for Gregg's Cycles in the Seattle area and was the lone retailer on our seminar panel at Interbike. His successful online strategy for their shops is a great example for other retailers to follow. Except those in their immediate area, of course ;-) Jeremy, by the way, works for Gregg’s Cycles in the Seattle area and was the lone retailer on our seminar panel at Interbike. His successful online strategy for their shops is a great example for other retailers to follow. Except those in their immediate area, of course ;-)

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