Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Woo Effect

Describe how your blog has generated interest (or disinterest) in your team, club, shop or other group.

6 comments:

gwadzilla said...

that would be hard to track

but
not being anonymous can be weird

last year after I finished the Susquehanna Scorher I was talking with a friend about how it went
and someone cat called from the distance...
maybe if you spent more time riding and less time blogging you would be in better shape

or something to that effect

honestly...
I do not know
but I do read about companies using blogs as marketing tools

I would love to do R&D for bicycle part manufacturers

some people have sent me stuff
but
only a few things
I did not care for the stuff
so I did not get into bashing it

Jason said...

My blog got enought interest from my team sponsor- Bikeman.com that they asked me to keep a version on the web site as well for reader to check out.

I've also been able to track on my blog whe I link a product i used or somthing I think is cool and see the "out clicks" . Makes me realize people are readng and my opnion- right or wrong can influence. Personaly I wouldn't listen to a word I say ;)

Jason said...

My blog got enought interest from my team sponsor- Bikeman.com that they asked me to keep a version on the web site as well for reader to check out.

I've also been able to track on my blog whe I link a product i used or somthing I think is cool and see the "out clicks" . Makes me realize people are readng and my opnion- right or wrong can influence. Personaly I wouldn't listen to a word I say ;)

Your Friendly Neighborhood HR Dude said...

The blog is great for working with new teams, because it can be hard for a company to decide if they want to work with someone, they review tons of resumes, my blog has been benefical to me because I have said, please read my blog, it tells the story as I see it, adn I pull no punches, this will give you a nice look into my world. I think teh blog thing is viral, everyone has their favorites, and they pass them on. My sponsors love the exposure that they get, and it's grassroots marketing, really speaking to the groups they want to connect with. Do I think someone buys a product because I use it. No, but it opens a door, they say, you know that fatmarc is nice, and funny, in a jackass kinda way, he can't ride but he has a nice bike, and he isn't a dick, maybe I'll check out Spot or maybe I'll check out TwinSix or Henry's bikes. I think from there it's up to the companies, and I think these companies have benefited from exposure in the right places, you know like snakes on a plane.

Grizzly Adam said...

I was surprised at the response I got when potential sponsors saw my blog. I think they see it as free press. If I can put up even half-way decent results (and let's face it...they usually are half-way at best :D) then they have someone on their hands that is out there using and abusing their products that is willing to talk about them with others.

A great example is with my pack sponsor, Wingnut Gear. I helped test and develop a pack for them. I rode the proto-type in a grueling 142 mile self-supported race. Afterwards I made suggestions about how the pack could be improved. Today it is on the market with some of my suggestions and tweaks. That is very cool to see.

In that process I wrote a lot about the different Wingnut products. As a result I recieved a lot of emails about them. Several of them were from people who had purchased the product based on my reviews. I don't really tkae any credit for that, I just happened to expose them to a great pack. These packs really sell themselves, I am just hoping to spread the word about them.

Rob said...

It is interesting to see what will and won't get a reaction. The failure or limited involvement of the Sunday night ride for example may have stemed from some blog posts... actually our blog posts. It's a classic case of: take a good idea- run with it- and crash it into the ground. As far as the "woo effect" Single-Speeders are a tough crowd I don't expect to dazzle anyone with the stuff I come up with. I really think I'd be better off with having a blog called "Cool Shit I found at Target" and leave the bike stuff to the industry guys. Are you down with the Wu?