cheapgurus.com

Advertisment

Years ago you had a handful of skateboard companies and brands that ruled the streets at every demo, skate shop and contest. Starting a new skate company then was risky; and still is! Back then, this sport was not acknowledged as a sport but more so frowned upon. Now, things are a bit different and skating is anywhere and everywhere. Skate parks are finally popping up at the speed we wanted to when we where little kids. Skateboard shops have become a dime a dozen. It is still a relatively young sport compared to many others out there. Many skate industry enthusiast want to launch their own brands but there are some serious questions you have to ask yourself before you venture out and do:

1. Is it Unique? You have to be realistic when asking yourself this. There is a tremendous amount of clutter in every industry now and your brand absolutely needs to stand out. You have to bring something new to the table that just hasn?t been done. It is imperative that your brand reflects this uniqueness at first glance. Try taking a different spin because these days you really have to.

2. National or Regional? Do you want to take your brand to Hong Kong and back? Or do you just want your brand to blow up on the streets of your home town? Try getting some of your gear out to your immediate surroundings and see how it responds. If you see chatter start building on your brand than start saving so you can widen that network. Remember the wider the network the more investment and capital you will need to be visible.

3. Get Yourself Online: Find a buddy or someone to build you a nice looking website. Get your friends to put one of your logo shirts or hats on and put together a team photoshoots for the site. Most of your audience is online; it will be important that you build a following online as well as on the streets. Launching an ad in Transworld might not happen right away so you have to figure out other ways for people to see you. You will want to be visible on every social profile out there. Start connecting with other skaters!

4. Research: Before you start your skate brand research the cost?s associated in getting decks printed and t-shirts made. If you are going to be starting off with smaller quantities of product it will be a bit more expensive per unit but if you hunt around you will be able to find suppliers. You might want to purchase a handful of blank decks and get decals made if your budget really doesn?t allow for traditional screen printing.

5. Push it Hard: You have to ask yourself this question and be realistic with yourself. Are you ready to sleep little and work hard? This will require patience and hard work and if you like sleeping until noon this might not be the best profession for you. Get ready to really push your brand hard to make this happen and remember: ?You?ve got to get up every morning with determination if you?re going to go to bed with satisfaction.?

---

Maciej is the owner of Action Sports Branding which is an action sports marketing firm dedicated towards providing search engine optimization and marketing efforts to the action sports industry. Everything from SEO to viral marketing efforts. Action Sports Branding specializes in skateboard marketing services.

Tags: action, bmx, marketing, skateboard, snowboard, sports