marketing getting the word out there

[Russ44]

Hi Guys,

I am the owner of a business called R U Commuting in which we promote active transport across Queensland, NSW and ACT.

Marketing is not one of my strong points and at the moment i'm operarting on a shoestring budget. We run programs such as FIT2BKIDS, Pink Pedal Power womens workshops and Smart Commuting which works with workplaces developing travel plans.

WE have a twitter and facebook page and we have a website which is currently under construction, however i am looking at ideas of how and where the best places to advertise and the best way to get noticed.

Thanks

[tonyk]

have you thought about getting a landing page developed? it costs a little bit but it's highly effective. i had mine done through octoply, www.octoply.com.au, and it has been reaping good dividends for me thus far.

[AgentMail]

Have you gotten in touch with local cycle shops etc? One idea might be to run a competition for them, give each store a code, and for every person that signs up for a course of yours, they get an entry into a draw to win an IPOD or some other Apple branded thing that everyone falls in love with

That way, you can catch people at the beginning of their fitness journey. You could even look to do the same for after school care clubs and the like, if that fits the product your are selling.

Other than that, I would work on visibility - do you have staff coverage across the various states? If not, you could contract, but look to do little things, like sponsor an under 8's footy team with free sports gear, or setup some small free events. I think momentum can work by getting out there in front of as many people as possible - Also think about where your key demographic congregate and what you can do to exploit it - For example, speak to a local school about giving a prize at their next sports day, or for adults, check the listings for your local cycle, running etc. events - If you have your car signed, even better - rock up and park it somewhere blazingly obvious, then stand by it and give out leaflets to everyone that passes.

Your business is all about being active, so my best advice is for you to get out there and be active with them

Hope this helps and isn't just 5 minutes of waffle

[gossipism]

chuck up your facebook page link!

also, what's active transport??

pardon my ignorance.

dEx

[Russ44]

Originally Posted by gossipism

chuck up your facebook page link!

also, what's active transport??

pardon my ignorance.

dEx

Hi Gossipism,

My facebook page link is

http://www.facebook.com/pages/R-U-Co...25974840767380

and Active Transport is Cycling, walking

[The Infotainer]

active transport


did you make that up- as in are these your words

all the advertising promotion in the world will not help if people don't know what your core product is and you need to crystalize your communication If you have to tell us what active transport it- bang that's 1 of your problems, your solution might be important to people but if you use a language that they do not understand your wasting your time

sorry to offend but more cyclists on the road?- no thanks they break all the rules and then want respect on the roads and they want to be equal I personally can't stand them.

but personal stuff aside how do you make money? I don't understand where your money is coming from

you recommend people to ride and then ........what happens are you selling the safest route for a person to ride from work to their home

are you selling bikes? safety gear

or are you selling seminars where you go to a school and do a presentation and charge the school money. do businesses spend money on this kind of thing? gees I got to get into the seminar business- surely my sales magic could benefit businesses

If I had a child I would want them to get on the bus- that way I know they are probably not going to get hit by a car on the way home- gees I have seen so many near misses around Berowra where I used to live of kids riding badly (with 4 primary schools) my kids would hopefully be playing hockey on the weekends (Like their dad) so thats where they get their fitness (hopefully they don't get into football) but thats if I had kids you need to address this problem why risk the child when a bus is safer and easier

in any case I think you need to dumb down your messaging- call it what it is

cycle to work is easier to understand that active transport if they have to think about it- they wont

perhaps you could have a slogan, a jingle or a rhyme

slip slop slap is good but is not relevant to your business so think of your own version that is easy to understand, delivers the message and gets remembered

[Russ44]

Originally Posted by The Infotainer

active transport


did you make that up- as in are these your words

all the advertising promotion in the world will not help if people don't know what your core product is and you need to crystalize your communication If you have to tell us what active transport it- bang that's 1 of your problems, your solution might be important to people but if you use a language that they do not understand your wasting your time

sorry to offend but more cyclists on the road?- no thanks they break all the rules and then want respect on the roads and they want to be equal I personally can't stand them.

but personal stuff aside how do you make money? I don't understand where your money is coming from

you recommend people to ride and then ........what happens are you selling the safest route for a person to ride from work to their home

are you selling bikes? safety gear

or are you selling seminars where you go to a school and do a presentation and charge the school money. do businesses spend money on this kind of thing? gees I got to get into the seminar business- surely my sales magic could benefit businesses

If I had a child I would want them to get on the bus- that way I know they are probably not going to get hit by a car on the way home- gees I have seen so many near misses around Berowra where I used to live of kids riding badly (with 4 primary schools) my kids would hopefully be playing hockey on the weekends (Like their dad) so thats where they get their fitness (hopefully they don't get into football) but thats if I had kids you need to address this problem why risk the child when a bus is safer and easier

in any case I think you need to dumb down your messaging- call it what it is

cycle to work is easier to understand that active transport if they have to think about it- they wont

perhaps you could have a slogan, a jingle or a rhyme

slip slop slap is good but is not relevant to your business so think of your own version that is easy to understand, delivers the message and gets remembered

Thanks Infotainer for your comments.

Its unfortunate that you are incline to feel that way about cyclists considering the roads are they to be shared.

R U Commuting is all about promoting Cycling, Walking to the community, to break down the barriers stopping people from driving there cars and to increase physical activity.

As you may not know there is a massive increase in diabities and obesity among children and doing more physical activity can help lessing these preventative diseases.

Basically R U Commuting runs a schools program which conducts safety skills sessions in cycling which is all free through sponsorship.

We have a Smart Commuting program that works with workplaces in producing travel plans and also conduct skill sessions which organisations pay.

We work with all government agencies and large corporate businesses developing travel plans

We also have a women's only cycling workshops and Events up to 400 cyclists that are run all across QLD.

I appreciate your opinions about cyclists and if you had kids they play hockey, but the term active transport is splashed around the internet, newspapers everyday.

The message is not just about cycling to work it is about doing recreational activity to increase Physical activity.

[gossipism]

yo

firstly, read my blog post on facebook pages. its nothing too difficult but it has some simple tips on how to make your page better.

secondly, thanks for the explanation. and unfortunately i do side with the infotainer on this one. "active transport" is a term ive not heard before and even your explanation doesn't sit well with me. it kinda doesnt make sense and i would have to take your word that its all over the internet, cuz honestly, this is the first time ive heard about it (and i live "on the net")

that aside, i do think theres merit in actually pushing your business using terms that are more user friendly. even terms like "physical transport", "people power", "human transport", "human power" to me, better fit what you're about.

On the flip side, you can take "active transport" by the horns and simply run a campaign that states "what is active transport?"

in terms of "getting it out there" i think its rather obvious. get it onto the people doing it. i know your budgets thin but that aside get some stickers made, tshirts printed, jackets tailored, all in super loud colours, ideally the safety colours so it has a dual purpose (to get your name out and to protect the wearer).

i would imagine an organisation such as yours would benefit from huge government funding (and if it doesn't talk to someone that can give you a definite answer) but if not, look at sponsorships from local bike stores, and other related bodies. get a jacket made, put your logo on it, and your sponsors also. keenly priced and good looking, people passionate about the cause should fork out the dollars.

honestly, there are so many marketing opportunities available to you the mind boggles. you also happen to be dealing with a current and ever growing social problem that can be attacked from basically any angle (scare tactics, health promotion, etc). if you can't find sponsors to help you fund marketing campaigns, i would be shocked.

dEx

[Chris's Signs]

Originally Posted by gossipism

yo

firstly, read my blog post on facebook pages. its nothing too difficult but it has some simple tips on how to make your page better.



dEx

nice info there...can i say that the font that you have used for your text is very hard to read....this is just my opinion...great read btw, now i gota fix my facebook page...lol

[Marketing Consultant]

Hi Russ, one of the biggest mistakes people make when they start marketing a business is that they try to "get" people to either come to or find their business. One of the core principles I teach my clients is to locate where your clients are and the places that they are looking and position yourself there. Things like twitter and Facebook are great but do not suit all niches. Also those channels are mostly brand dependent and when you are starting out it is easy to get pulled in many directions with your marketing and forget about your home base (website or shop). Unless you have a marketing team or are outsourcing I would pick one marketing channel and master that then move into another.


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