Just Riding Along

From BikePortland.org: My Ride with Lance

On Sunday, I hung out with Lance at the LiveStrong Ride at Nike World Headquarters. Read the full report over at BikePortland.org.

Getting press, getting customers

Rocking Danica to sleep and I started to think about how the keys to getting media exposure are the same as winning over your customers.  Here's a list of things that could be the guts of a Powerpoint presentation on either topic:

• Make it easy to "buy"
• Establish a friendly, authentic relationship
• Become a trusted source of information, guidance, expertise
• Help them out, even when it doesn't benefit you directly
• Know as much as possible about who you're dealing with
  
• The customer/media is always usually right (but honest and direct communication is essential).
• You always have time for the customer/media
• Customer service is the same as good media relations
• Stay in touch after the "sale"

That's it for now, maybe I'll expand on these a bit more down the road.

Focus shifting to other projects...

You may have noticed I've been posting less than usual here at JRA.  I've been spending more time with the family (Danica is already 1 month old!) and I've been focusing on my clients and other projects.  Also, my blog/site that covers the Portland bike scene has really taken off and is taking more and more of my time. 

But stay tuned, because there are some cool things ahead (most notably Interbike and a new contributor).

Don't forget to use permalinks

Just a friendly reminder about linking to blog posts:  remember to always use the permalink when referring to a specific post.  What's a permalink?  It's a link that goes directly to the specific entry of a blog, instead of the blog's home page.

For instance here are links to:

This blog's home page

• http://just-riding-along.typepad.com

A permalink to a post on this blog

• http://just-riding-along.typepad.com...2005/08/the_interbike_q.html

Why is this important?
The problem with using the home page address is that blogs are frequently updated and content is constantly being pushed down the page.  So, if you use the home page link, your audience will click the link and see a bunch of content that has nothing to do with what they're hoping/expecting to read.  They may not take the time to scroll down and search for what they want...they'll probably just keep on surfing.

Wi-fi at Interbike

Just noticed this story at BicycleRetailer.com.  Looks like the Sands will be wi-fi at Interbike.  Great news for all us techno-geeks:

“It is something we’ve been working really hard to get. It didn’t come cheap,” said Lance Camisasca, Interbike show director.

Big thanks and cheers to Lance Camisasca for making this happen.

The good stuff's in the comments

Just FYI, the people that read and comment on this blog are smarter than I am.  My posts just get things started, but most of the time, the comments are where all the action is.  So, if you're not reading them you're really missing some great insights. 

Here's an excerpt from a recent comment by the Cannondale blogger that pretty much sums up what I've been trying to say for months now:

"To me, that’s what this is all about….being able to share cool information, excite, inform and get back opinions one way or another. This new way of corporate thinking is a hard sell, but I think I’m winning them over. In fact, we’ve recently made a major decision to start being much more open with our dearly held secrets here at Cannondale (you heard it here first!) not because we have to, but because in the end, we’ve got some great information that’s worth sharing, and it’s what our riders want from us. I like to think I had a lot to do with this recent change of heart and mindset here at Cannondale.

There’s no doubt that blogging is a very powerful tool… not just for us on the BradBlog and the RaceBlog but also as a tool for content management for our websites. We’re starting to incorporate the technology as a solution across the board world wide. It’s very exciting but will, I’m sure, take a while for people here to fully comprehend it and embrace in all its forms (especially those at the top)..."

Cannondale has always been a product innovator and it'd be great to see them lead the charge as a communication innovator as well.

Interbike Blogger Meet-up details

Mark your calendars and cancel your previous commitments...

The Interbike blogger meet-up will be Thursday, September 29th at 4:00.  Come to the Online Lounge at the top of the stairs near the main entrance (go here to load the floor plan map).  From there, we'll walk to the food court in the Venetian, pull up some chairs, eat cheap food and hatch a plan to take over the world industry. 

Whether you love, hate, tolerate, or foster a healthy curiousity of blogs, you're welcome to join us. 

Here's what I hope to accomplish at the meeting:

• Discuss the current and future state of blogging in the bike industry.
• Provide a knowledgeable forum of experts that can answer questions from both fellow bloggers and from interested newbies.
• Share experiences that illustrate blogging's strengths and weaknesses.
• Answer the question:  Why should the bike industry start blogging?
• Document those answers into a white paper on bike industry blogging.

Those are just off the top of my head...anybody have other ideas? 

Article on e-commerce doesn't mention blogs

For some reason I just received my August 15 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News Magazine (BRAIN).  It must have gotten lost in the mail.  I still think it's crazy they don't have more content on their website, but I digress.

I read with interest a cover story titled: "Internet Sales, Marketing Continue to Blossom."  It was a good article but I was quite surprised to not see blogs mentioned in any way, shape or form...not even a passing reference.

Does anyone else think this is strange?   Haven't blogs had an affect on consumers' buying habits online? 

According to a Marketing Sherpa survey from October 2004, when people were asked where they go online first to "find out more about a product or service," 64% of them said a search engine.  Now, given that we all know how blogs are frequently among the top results for many search queries, I think this fact alone is testament to how blogs have affected e-commerce.

I know at least one webmaster from a major bike brand reads this blog.  I'm curious as to how much inbound traffic they get to various product pages from blogs.  I imagine it is more than a significant amount.

So which is it:  Does a large part of the bike industry still not fully understand this new medium?  Or are my glasses covered in blog fog, making it impossible to see the picture clearly?

The power of search revisited

Some of you might remember a previous post I made about the power of blogs in search engines.  My opinion is that search strength alone is reason enough for businesses to take blogs seriously.

To illustrate this I thought I'd point out  a recent search that led someone to my blog.

As you can see in the screenshot, when this person typed in "sram road components" into the MSN search engine, one of my posts from just last week was returned in the #1 slot.  Right above none other than SRAM.com.

And guess what?...I haven't done any special search engine marketing or paid a dime for advertising of any kind. 

Lucky for SRAM, I'm just a harmless industry geek and not a disgruntled customer with an axe to grind.

 

Boulanger launches Skidstrong

"Skidstrong" is a new brand of fixed gear bikes and accessories that will target the messenger crowd.  Gary Boulanger - Cycles Gaansari founder and former PR guy for Pacific Cycle - is launching the brand to:

"raise awareness and funding through the promotion and sales of fixed-gear bicycles, accessories, components and clothing, for the Bicycle Messenger Emergency Fund (BMEF), a nonprofit organization established in 2001 to provide financial assistance to injured bicycle messengers around the world."

Proceeds from the sale of all products will benefit the BMEF and the bikes will be made in Ohio.

More info at Gary's shop blog, The Bike Evangelist.  The Skidstrong website is coming soon.