How much do we love memes? Consider this – according to Google Trends, in December 2019, people searched for “Meme” slightly more often than “Money,” and many more times than “Baby Yoda” (who, at the time, seemed to be taking over the known universe).
Those marketing athletic and fitness endeavors really like memes, and it’s easy to see why – they are an easy way to fill your social media schedule, and a fun way to connect with followers.
Unfortunately, memes are a lot like junk food – they fill you up, but rarely help move forward any strategic objectives such as building brand loyalty, increasing sales, or appealing to new members.
A quick rule of thumb – if memes make up more than 10% of your content schedule, you may be using too many memes.
What can you share instead? Let’s take a look at some of our favorite cycling examples:
Product
Want to increase sales? Let’s start by telling people what you have available. Cascade Bicycle Studio in Seattle does a nice job of featuring the bikes and accessories they sell with consistent staging and styling.
Each new item into Steve the Bike Guy is an opportunity to share with customers and prospects.
People
Highlighting your people, whether they are employees, customers, teams or coaches, can help build brand awareness and loyalty.
Bicycle Express in Vermont has a nice mix of photos and videos featuring employees and happy customers picking up their new bikes.
With over 80 members raising money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Team Perry has a wealth of content. Leading up to the Pan-Mass Challenge we helped support the fundraising efforts, and filled the schedule, by sharing each rider’s story (and link to their fundraising page).
In 2018 The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) had 25 state and regional leagues, and served approximately 40,000 student-athletes – which from a content standpoint means a near infinite supply of potential stories. They regularly highlight teams, kids and coaches through their social channels which helps with awareness, recruitment and fundraising.
Activities & Updates
Teams, like the Wild Ones, share photos and videos year round, documenting not just races but also rides and the misadventures of the coaches, giving potential members a feel for the team and ultimately helping with recruitment and awareness.
Is that to say you should never share memes? Of course not, but consider whether they are ultimately helping you meet your strategic objectives, or just filling you up.
Whether you are looking to get a content & social media strategy started, need to evaluate & refine your current strategy, or want support on an ongoing basis – we can help. Let’s talk!
