How To Grow Social Media Community With Limited Budget For Small Business? - Just Climb, Hong Kong

I see a lot of questions by Marketers on Digital Marketing discussion board/forum on "how to grow social media community with limited budget for small business?".  There aren a lot of case study on big brands in growing social media community where these brands have marketing budget to "buy" the initial community base, create content, and do larger scale interactive campaigns.  I can't find much example or best practices for small business with limited budget.  

I came across this campaign at a climbing gym in Hong Kong call Just Climb.  This is a perfect example of doing something fun and interactive that your target customers would participate because it is cool, relevant and fun that they will be happy to spread the word among their friends like them (this is viral using your customer to find more target customers).  A little competition with incentive is always the nugget to give a little motivation for people to participate.  Incentive doesn't have to be expensive but it has to be relevant and valuable to your target customers.  How does this tie to growing social media base?  Use social media as a platform to enter the competition!  Give them a way to spread the word.  Once these people find your company/brand cool and fun, they will naturally be a fan.

For Just Climb,

• they joint a few other climbing gyms created a platform call, Climbio, for climbers to share climbing routes.  This is fun and make their customers have more fun climbing problems than what they set in the gym and something to bond climbers online - get them talking so they comes back frequently (=stickiness)

• then, they threw out a competition where anyone can enter a draw once for every 2 videos they post on Climbio, and anyone can get a chance to enter the draw once per 5 routes shared.  Not only does this drive participation on social media and this create content that the community values (=stickiness, interaction, content)

                                                           

• that's not it, to drive people to come to the gym more and get those who already come to the gym but hasn't join they FB, they give out a chance to enter the draw for every time they check in on FB when they come to the gym

•  What about prize?  sponsored equipments, gym pass of participated climbing gyms for 1 month or day passes

Now Climbio has less than 500 likes and Just Climb as about 4500 likes.  Let see how many likes this competition can bring Climbio and Just Climb.

Can I do it?

Climbing taught me a lot of non-physical lessons.  Sounds a bit odd? 

One thing I learned is fear can be people’s biggest enemy.  Most of the time, people have the capabilities to achieve whatever the thing is that they want.  However, it is the fear of failure, fear of XYZ that holds a lot of people back.  Knowing to manage your fear can be the key to success.   Wining the mind battle can be 50% of winning the game.  

Climbing is awesome because……

What I love rock climbing so much is it is not just a physical exercise.  You work on your mind as well.  

Physically, I learn so much more about talking and listening to my body.  I didn’t know I can use my body the way I’m after I got into climbing.  You don’t just use your limbs; you engage other parts of your body as a team to achieve a movement you want.   For example, when I was really fit, I can hang my whole body weight with my one finger.  It sounds crazy but I don’t just use my finger.  I use my abs, my back, a bunch of other muscle to positioning my body to minimize work on my finger.

Psychologically, you’re consistently playing with your mind.  What I found is, most of the time, whether you are able to complete a route/climb is determined by your mind.  When I first started climbing, my friend, Dave, always told me (which I didn’t understand at that time), “Jo, you have to be committed to do the climb.  You are physically capable.”   There’re lots of psyching up involve.  Then, just go for it.  After a while, you become strong in your mind and know how to manage the fear.  It is all in your head.

Climbing, unlike a lot of other sports, it is a competition to you, not others.  Every climb, you are stretching your own limit.  You don’t need to compare/compete with others.

Climbing involves consistent decision making and problem solving, especially outdoor climbing – it could be a decision of your life.  Every move you need to plan, and you need to make a best decision for yourself at that time regardless of whether it is not to kill yourself, to complete the route or to try things out.  There’s also no one right way of tackling a problem.  It is not like it is the only way to finish a problem/climb this way.  Depending on the problem, your body shape, how fit you are and what you like, there could be hundreds of ways to solve a climbing problem.  I love it.

Buying South America Climbing Gear

It is very hard to find climbing gears in South America but here are a few spots. Be prepare to pay more than at home.

1) La Paz, Bolivia

2) Santiago, Chile

http://www.andesgear.cl/
http://www.lacumbreonline.cl/

Rock Climbing @ South America

I regret everyday that I did not bring a climbing buddy AND my climbing shoes with me in South America. There are quite a few sweet spot for sport climbing here. Man. Buying climbing gears is NOT easy here in South America. Bring your gear my friends!

Here are a few spots I've heard so far that has pretty decent climbing.
1) Around La Paz, Bolivia
South of La Paz @ area call Mallasa (Valley Del Luna) or Madre De Dios. Local goes there. Only spot climbing. You can take the minibus there. If you don't have gear, you can pay 300 B to hire a guide with gears.

Rolando Tarqui - rolotarqui@hotmail.com is the guide I went for from Elma Tour on Illampu Street North of Plaza San Francisco.

2) Around salar de atacama Area, Chile
Toconao, Chile
Socaire, Chile
Some basic bouldering and 5.9 to 5.13 spot climbing. You can find a tour from San Pedro De Antacama for 45,000 pesos.

3) Chile
http://www.escalando.cl/escalando17/Escalando-Chile.html
The staff at Eros, where I finally bought a pair of Madrock (YEAH!!!!!!!!!!), gave me this website with lots of info on where to climb in Chile.