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Nov
17
Nielsen: Discounts Drive Brand Love on Social Media
Filed Under Attendee News, Online Marketing | 1 Comment
From our colleagues in the NM Incite division of Nielsen, who work with companies to measure and optimize their online brands (officially: “helps businesses harness the full potential of social media intelligence to drive superior business performance across their organizations.”), comes this report about the most important driver of brand loyalty in the social media world.
There’s been much discussion in the marketing world recently about what motivates consumers to “friend” or “like” brands on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Typically used as a way to stay in touch with, share and communicate with friends, what are we looking for in return for friending a brand? We don’t usually opt-in to receive advertising and branding messages in other media – unless there is an incentive. Think free weekend at the resort in return for sitting in on a presentation about purchasing a time share at the property.
And while it’s all good that we – as brand managers – have been able to use SM to personalize our companies and interact with fans and customers in a more direct, human way, this study shows that, at the end of the day, discounts and deals are still a powerful driver. Other reasons, such as “showing support for the brand” and “be among the first to get news and information” are still significant, but are overshadowed by the almighty discount. Just look at the success of deal/coupon sites like Groupon and Living Social. In the bike and outdoor specific industry, we’ve seen the emergence of companies like The Clymb.
It’s interesting that in North America, this economic incentive is noticeably more powerful than in the rest of the world.
Do you offer deals or discounts to people who like or follow your brand online?
Here’s the chart from the report:
Jan
7
Bike Shops using Twitter
Filed Under Interbike | 3 Comments
Other than setting up a U-Stream feed so that my sister in Atlanta could watch the kids opening presents on Christmas morning (what a geek), I apparently did a really good job of unplugging from the frenzy of social media and haven’t written much either here or on Twitter since about mid-December. That’s not to say that things have been quiet here at the office. December’s priority was the preparation and sending out of 2010 contracts to 2009 exhibitors (yes, it’s that time already). One of these days I’m going to write the “what do you guys do at Interbike the rest of the year?” post.
So getting back into the social media stream here early in 2010 (“twenty-ten” as I’ve learned), I’ve plugged away on a side project that I’ve been meaning to get to for some time and which Twitter’s still-new lists tool makes easier. With the help of friends on Twitter, I’ve compiled a list of bicycle shops and retailers that have accounts on the popular micro-blogging service. The point–aside from helping to promote our industry’s retailers–is to give those not involved an opportunity to see examples of how others are participating. I think the debate as to the value of social media to a small business (or any business for that matter) is pretty much over, but how, exactly, to take advantage of it is a whole other challenge.
The 245 shops, as of this writing, are using Twitter in many different ways. Not all are super active or social, but many have found great success at using it to connect with their communities and customers. In browsing the list, you can see that there are some great shops on the list like. Names like the Pony Shop, Revolution Bicycles, Belmont Wheelworks, Bonzai, Bicycle Therapy, Harris Cyclery, and I Martin are a few that stand out among those that I’ve found. If you’re a shop that Tweets (a “TwIBD”, if you will – ugh) and not on the list, let me know here or @Interbike on Twitter.
So in the spirit of the great Picasso’s statement that “good artists copy, great artists steal,” follow these shops and see how they use Twitter. Learn from them and then take some of what you see and like and make it your own. Oh, and don’t forget to use the list as a means to connect with your fellow retailers, too! Social networking, remember?
Up next, bike shops on Facebook.
Apr
30
Gary Fisher on Social Media from Sea Otter
Filed Under Cycling, Industry News, Interbike, Video | 2 Comments
At the Bicycle Leadership Conference that took place in Monterey, California, just before Sea Otter this year, I gave a presentation to the attendees on the topic of social media marketing. It was an interesting opportunity given the make up of the audience at the BLC: primarily the executive leadership of all the major brands in the bike industry. That’s an interesting group to speak to on the topic because at most other seminars, talks and panel sessions on the subject, the audience is typically made up of people in marketing that already “get it” about SM for the most part. What many of these marketing professionals and SM evangelists are looking for are tools to use when trying to explain the value of SM to upper management at their companies – exactly who I would be speaking directly to.
In framing the “why” of SM to executives, I believe that it’s imperative to address the value proposition that SM can bring to their companies. What is it that CEO’s and presidents need to hear to be convinced? It’s not just the fact that conversations are happening online (yawn…) – it’s how engaging these people through SM can add value to their companies and empower and excite employees and customers. I hope that we – I asked Chris Matthews of Specialized’s marketing department to co-present with me – were able to do that. (I’m still planning a full post on this as soon as I can finish writing it up.)
With that said, one of the examples we gave in our presentation (along with the photo above from fisherbikes.com) when describing the importance of *authenticity* and *personality* when engaging in social media, was Mr. Gary Fisher. If you’re at all familiar with the bike industry, you know what we mean about Gary. I was really hoping to run into Gary in the expo area of Sea Otter to ask him a few questions about his use of SM since he’s become a very active – and interesting – user of Twitter over the last few months. As you can see below, I did and was able to get some great insight into his use of the tool and what it means to his mom, of all people. Again, with the great video skills of Markus from Cyclefilm.
TALES FROM SEA OTTER 2009 – Gary Fisher from CYCLEFILM on Vimeo.
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Dec
29
Social Media Primer for Bike Retailers
Filed Under Blogging, Interbike | 11 Comments
Here’s a cop-out post from me today so I don’t finish up the year with such a long posting drought. Been going through the annual holiday season blogging doldrums here. I’ve had some fleeting topics for posts over the last few weeks, but between the work of getting things going in earnest for 2009, the drain that the holidays themselves can impose and continuing allure of the 140-character-limit Twitter as an easy networking and communications tool have all conspired against this now seemingly long-form medium.
Now it’s a cop-out only in the sense that I didn’t craft the content. Having been somewhat ‘offline’ since leaving for Christmas, I was catching up on what’s been going on in the Twitter bike world and saw a post from Chris Matthews about a “gift” he made for Bike Shops during his spare time. Chris works in the marketing department at Specialized Bicycles and writes an insightful blog on issues related to “bicycles, business and the bicycle business.” He put together a nice brief, yet thorough, introduction to social media specifically geared toward bicycle retailers. As a fellow believer in the opportunities that SM can provide a business and brand, I created the Web 2.0 and SM seminars at this last Interbike for the same reason that I assume Chris wrote this.
In preparing for the seminars, I struggled to find a retailer taking advantage of SM to participate in the panel. The online communities are obviously populated with many active cycling enthusiasts. Members of the media also seem to be early adopters of these relatively new tools, and manufacturers are not too far behind for the most part (with many notable absentees). Retailers, though, are few and far between and they have so much to offer the cycling community online. As Chris writes, with the challenged economy that’s upon us, retailers really owe it to themselves and their businesses to use these free marketing tools to help weather the storm and thrive:
I noted recently that there are very few bike shops that are taking advantage of free Social Media marketing that’s available to them. This is stuff that ANY bike shop can and should do, and in times of scaled back marketing budgets, the practicality of it makes it extra sensible. However, if you’ve never used it before, it can be rather intimidating.
Here’s how he wraps up his primer and sums up the benefits of SM:
Through the strength of active and passive referrals, by becoming involved in the daily lives and conversations of your customers, and by extending the reach of the activities you’re already investing time and money into, Social Media can offer your bike shop an absolutely free way to grow your tribe, and remain strong so that you’re there for your tribe when they need you in the future.
Well said, Chris. Read his post and download the pdf of his “Social Media for Bike Shops – A How To Guide” at his blog, “Chris Writes”.
Retailers?
Sep
9
Companies Still Avoiding Social Media Despite Benefits
Filed Under Attendee News, Blogging, Deep Thoughts, Events, Exhibitor News, Industry News, Interbike | 14 Comments
Courtesy of a Basecamp Communications Twitter post this morning, is this interesting article on a survey that was just released on the level of adoption of social media in the corporate world despite the documented benefits that it can provide a company (and its inevitable infiltration regardless of company policy).
The article is super timely since I’ve been working on our new seminar series at this year’s show that will focus on Web 2.0 and Social media for the bike industry. Actually had a great conference call (old-school, I know) yesterday with about half the panelists to get the conversation going (Mike Geraci from Basecamp is one of them, btw). This is going to be a great panel for everyone to attend whether you you think you know all about social media or whether you don’t know that you don’t know.
That last line is key, as we were discussing on the call yesterday: those that don’t know that they don’t know. I think that most us who have been using social media tools for their or their clients’ businesses for some time have seen what it can do whether it’s been a branding exercise, a customer service tool or has added new sales. Many, though, have had challenges in pitching social media to upper management as an important part of the official marketing strategy. Most companies in this day and age have a social media evangelist who “gets it” on the payroll. Maybe they’ve even launched some social media efforts on their own for the company – it’s “invading the workplace by stealth” as the article linked above describes it. Companies need to develop their social media strategies and how they fit into their company’s mission – and employees that get it need tools to help explain it and sell it to their management that may not. The article goes on to mention the ever present technological generation gap and how the next generation will be bringing social media with it to the workplace in a big way – regardless of how ready the company is.
Speaking of social media evangelists, long-time bike industry executive and consultant Rick Vosper, who will be on one of the panels, said he thinks they can be some of the best investments a company can make. I agree.
I’m going to be posting a complete list of the panelists in the next day or two, but they’re all accomplished members of the bike industry or of the social media world. I’m really excited to be working with all these great people and can’t wait to sit in on the talks. I’m really proud that Interbike, with the support of sponsors Sportgenic and our Nielsen BuzzMetrics colleagues, will be able to provide education on such a high tech and timely topic such as this. We’ve also got a survey out to the industry currently looking find out about the online and social media habits of the bike industry and will be presenting the results at the seminars.
The bike community at large has a truly large and vibrant online presence. The industry itself could use a little help in catching up. The seminars will be at 2:30 p.m on Wednesday Sept 24 and Thursday the 25th in Casanova room 601.
Going back to the original topic of the article that I mentioned at the top, how many of your companies have formal social media strategies or policies in place? Is your company’s social media presence by way of the “stealth” mode?