It's easy to get caught up in the Got-To-Win-The-Google-Search game and forget about the second largest search engine in the world, YouTube. YouTube is arguably more engaging than any other social platform and it allows people to make a personal connection far faster than Facebook, Twitter, etc. YouTube should be taken very seriously by all retailers and I strongly encourage building a strategy going forward on the channel. If you're skeptical, here are some absolutely crazy stats to prove how much of an impact YouTube is making:
- Over a billion people have YouTube accounts.
- 4 billion YouTube videos are viewed each day.
- 100 hours of video is uploaded every minute.
- 40% of YouTube traffic comes from mobile.
- 14.4% of Americans use YouTube during work.
- 19.1 million monthly unique visitors for YouTube in the UK.
- 60 million YouTube users in China (where YouTube is blocked by the government)
- 50% of teens consider YouTube their favorite site.
- 70% of Millennials visit YouTube at least monthly.
- 58% of Generation X visit YouTube at least monthly.
- 40% of Baby boomers visit YouTube at least monthly.
- YouTube is 20.5% of the US video advertising market.
- Average sales order value for visitors referred by YouTube is $27.63.
All these stats came from here.
I've gone ahead and compiled some of my favorite bike shop videos to give you some ideas of what people are already doing. Check them out:
PEDAL by Gears Bike Shop
Gears Bike Shop did an amazing job in this video. It's calm, it's understated, it's clean. It never tries to sell you, rather it tries to convey an experience.
SPRING 2013 by Bicycle Gallery
Bicycle Gallery's video is here to sell you, but it's not Crazy Eddie on a car lot sales. It's showing you how the local shop is preparing for the coming season and dropping all sorts of ideas on how you can be a part of it. I especially love the final bit where they say what camera they used and how that camera was on sale at the store. Also, the music is perfect.
LESSONS IN LAYEROLOGY by Big Poppi Bicycle Company
Humor, humor, humor. Nothing wrong with having a bit of fun.
OUR COMPANY CULTURE by Big Poppi Bicycle Company
Going to give Big Poppi double props here. With this video they are teaching people about their culture. To quote Simon Sinek, "People don't buy from you because they need what you have, they buy because they believe what you believe." This video does that wonderfully. If you believe in fun, teamwork, and inclusive environments then you'll love Big Poppi... who just happens to sell and repair bicycles.
THE ART'S CYCLERY TRAILER by Art's Cyclery
Along the same lines the Art's Cyclery Trailer is showing us why they exist- to ride, race, teach, rip, soar, etc. It's short, it's clean, and it make me want to ride.
HOW WE ROLL by Mike's Bikes
The video from Mike's Bikes doesn't stop at telling us why they exist, they go on to say how they do it (locations, training, community-based) and what they do (bike sales, fit, repair). It might not be a video I watch twice, but it's definitely a video I will watch. Especially if I landed on this video when I hit their website.
Some honorable mentions:
Bicycle Gallery, Ride A Specialized
718 Cyclery, Inverted Bike Shop
North Shore Bike Shop, Commercial
Do you know of any great videos from bike retailers? If so, share them in the comments.
Hope you found this post helpful. If so, please consider sharing it. Thanks- Donny.
Want more? Take a look at Leading Out Retail. This book is a creative look at bicycle retail and teaches retailers simple strategies on how to increase profit through service, what the most important question to ask every customer is, and how to manage the dreaded Timmy Factor.