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1/ Brands massively underestimate the importance of having authentic relationships and people who are genuine brand advocates, represent their brand.⠀Let's take a look at @Gymshark and how Ben Francis did it (THREAD) + PRACTICAL STEPS of how you can do this at the end.
2/ To start, look at @hellahgood9 and how gassed he gets when another gymshark package arrives. This is the fruit of doing this. DHL says "Another one?!" (which speaks to how they take care of their athletes).
3/ You see videos like this and we still have CMO's asking for ROI on cultivating community with influencers.
Community 101: build relationships on giving, not asking.
If you begin by asking something of them, you might get some posts. But that community will never adopt you.
Community 101: build relationships on giving, not asking.
If you begin by asking something of them, you might get some posts. But that community will never adopt you.
4/ @BenFrancis1992 founder of Gymshark, did the opposite. Launching a new product is tough. Tougher without budget. That was the situation for Ben. ⠀
A pizza boy launching an apparel company from his mom’s garage. Competing with Nike or UA right away isn't likely.
A pizza boy launching an apparel company from his mom’s garage. Competing with Nike or UA right away isn't likely.
5/ But he believed that the product would speak for itself. He had niche influencers attend his first Fitness Expo, featuring them after they had told him they loved the product. By providing value upfront to the individual and many within the fitness community - they adopted him
6/ He realized influencers were Gymshark’s secret weapon. Not trying to compete with Nike or UA at their game (big brand TV budgets), But these brands overlooked social, and the communities that influencers were building.
Smart now, but a groundbreaking move in 2012.
Smart now, but a groundbreaking move in 2012.
7/ Gymshark tripled-down, owning the fitness influencer community. ⠀
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By 2018, they hit $100m in sales. ⠀
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Take seriously the community you want to enter into. And then serve it. Provide them value and soon, you’ll find people rallying around your brand.
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By 2018, they hit $100m in sales. ⠀
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Take seriously the community you want to enter into. And then serve it. Provide them value and soon, you’ll find people rallying around your brand.
8/ Below it how to do this for yourself. It's a full-circle approach. What is crucial is to not just think of these spaces as people with the highest # of followers but who has a web of connections.
5 senses can be inspo, ideally, hitting your potential customers in all 5 ways
5 senses can be inspo, ideally, hitting your potential customers in all 5 ways
9/ Who will be on your Seeding List? Not just influencers but who in the industry should you send your product to?
What charity or nonprofit do you want to give back to? What media partnerships should you take on? (a podcast, youtube channel, media outlet banner ads, etc)
What charity or nonprofit do you want to give back to? What media partnerships should you take on? (a podcast, youtube channel, media outlet banner ads, etc)
10/ What event do you want to vendor at? Will you create a product specifically for this community? What ambassadors should you sign to long-term contracts?
This can be a framework to put yourself through and make sure you aren't doing siloed work in certain communities.
This can be a framework to put yourself through and make sure you aren't doing siloed work in certain communities.
11/ Whether you’re in the category you want to be in - i.e, you make running shoes - this full circle approach can still be helpful to you, in thinking through different ways to make an even deeper impact and separate yourself from your competitors in the running category.
