The Wattbike team needed to step out from the rarefied training environment of elite athletes to establish the product and its unique approach to training with power as the mass-market indoor training device of choice for all levels of athletes, in all sports, both at home and in the gym.
Metia created a structured, pragmatic approach to build and sustain an online community using Wattbike's existing online channels and through the creation of additional social media properties. The strategy focused on authentic engagement and content that was void of tricks and gimmicks. In order to succeed, Wattbike would need to: raise awareness and create desire among the target audience; educate and inform consumers about the unique characteristics of the Wattbike; establish scientific credibility; and build a community of influencers and advocates.
Metia obsessively profiled Wattbike target users to understand their online behaviours motivation, purchasing habits and lifestyles. The team captures and amplifies customer photos, videos, and stories by documenting them across blogs, a raft of social media channels and PR campaigns to guide prospective customers through the purchasing journey.
The social media strategy developed and actioned by Metia has transformed Wattbike into a socially native business. While the original goals focused on customer conversations, content generation and community-building, Wattbike has started to integrate social media into other areas of the organization. Social media is now firmly at the forefront of the company's customer service, technical support and pre-sales activities, providing an authentic, credible and accessible way for consumers to access the brand.
Key to the success of Metia's social media strategy for Wattbike has been the focus on celebrating and sharing powerful stories of personal health and fitness victories. These moments provide fantastic, shareable, word-of-mouth content which helps the target community to realize the features and benefits of using the Wattbike. Stories of individual success shared via social media have also been invaluable in amplifying key messaging across multiple marketing channels including blogs, product brochures, advertisements and editorial.
Wattbike's tone of voice across social media has closely mirrored the product's brand values of providing an authentic and credible experience. The brand has quickly become a trusted voice amongst the health and fitness community where individuals can gain training advice, share specific workouts and set challenges amongst their peers. This open approach to social media has developed a genuine following from the elite sports and health & fitness community who have provided unsolicited and unpaid positive product endorsements, which have been shared amongst the wider community.
An important element of Metia's social media strategy is to assist Wattbike's commercial sales team in generating demand for the product in the gym sector. A targeted campaign of sharing members' use of the Wattbike in their local gym to a wider social audience has been successful in creating a social demand from members of other gyms to be able to benefit from using the Wattbike. This social outreach to large gym operators from their own members, all driven by Wattbike, has significantly enhanced the pitch of the commercial sales team during the sales process.
The impact of Metia's social media strategy for Wattbike is evident in the acceptance of Wattbike as the premier training tool amongst sport and health & fitness professionals and at-home and gym consumers. Social media has provided Wattbike with a cost-effective way to gain high levels of brand visibility amongst a targeted audience and position itself as the trusted voice of the health and fitness community.
