In the not-so-distant past, marketing a cycling business was relatively straightforward: create one or two annual campaigns, place an ad in a cycling magazine, sponsor a team, press release here and there and done. Fast forward to 2025, and the landscape has transformed into a complex web of digital and traditional channels that demands constant attention, creating unprecedented challenges for marketing teams in the cycling industry.

The Channel Explosion

Today’s cycling brands must maintain a presence across an ever-expanding universe of platforms. Beyond traditional websites and email newsletters, there’s:

– Instagram for sharing product launches and athlete content

– YouTube for in-depth product reviews and technical explanations

– TikTok for quick, engaging content

– Strava for community building and activity tracking

– Facebook for local event promotion and community management

– LinkedIn for B2B relationships and industry networking

– Twitter/X for real-time updates and customer service

– Discord for building devoted brand communities

– Various cycling-specific forums and platforms

– Amazon Content (The world’s largest Ecommerce platform)

Each platform requires its own content strategy, tone of voice, and posting frequency. What works on Instagram might fall flat on LinkedIn, and content that resonates with hardcore cyclists on Strava might need complete reimagining for TikTok’s broader audience.

The Resource Reality

While the number of channels has multiplied, marketing team sizes in the cycling industry haven’t kept pace. A typical mid-sized cycling brand might have a marketing team of 2-3 people handling:

– Social media management across all platforms

– Content creation (photos, videos, articles)

– Email marketing campaigns

– Dealer support materials

– Event marketing

– Influencer partnerships

– PR and media relations

– Website updates

– SEO optimization

– Performance marketing and paid advertising

– Community management

– Analytics and reporting

– Amazon

This creates a situation where marketers must be jack-of-all-trades, often leading to burnout and compromised quality across channels.

The Content Conundrum

The cycling industry faces unique content challenges. Products are highly technical, requiring deep knowledge to market effectively. A single product launch might need:

– Technical specifications documentation

– Lifestyle photography

– Action videos

– Engineering explanations

– User manuals

– Dealer training materials

– Social media teasers

– Press releases

– Website updates

– Email campaigns

Each piece of content needs to be accurate, engaging, and tailored for different audience segments – from casual riders to professional cyclists.

The Time-Quality Trade-off

With limited resources, marketing teams face difficult choices:

– Do we post less frequently but maintain high quality?

– Should we focus on fewer channels but do them well?

– How do we balance immediate engagement needs with long-term brand building?

– When do we outsource, and what do we keep in-house?

These decisions become even more complex when considering the seasonal nature of the cycling industry, where timing can make or break a product launch.

Potential Solutions

While there’s no silver bullet, successful cycling brands are adopting several strategies to manage these challenges:

Strategic Channel Selection

Rather than trying to be everywhere, smart brands are choosing platforms that align best with their target audience and business goals. This might mean skipping TikTok to focus on Instagram and YouTube, or maintaining a minimal presence on some platforms while going deep on others.

Content Repurposing

Developing a smart content repurposing strategy is crucial. A single product photoshoot can yield content for Instagram, dealer catalogs, website updates, and email campaigns. The key is planning content creation with multiple uses in mind from the start.

Automation and Tools

Investing in the right tools can multiply a small team’s effectiveness. Social media scheduling tools, email automation platforms, and analytics dashboards can free up valuable time for strategic thinking and creative work.

Community Leverage

Many cycling brands are successfully leveraging their community for content creation. User-generated content, ambassador programs, and community features can help fill the content pipeline while building authentic connections with customers.

Looking Forward

The complexity of marketing in the cycling industry isn’t likely to decrease anytime soon. If anything, new platforms and channels will continue to emerge. The key to success lies in being strategic rather than reactive – choosing channels thoughtfully, investing in the right tools and processes, and building systems that can scale without requiring proportional increases in headcount.

For marketing teams in the cycling industry, the goal isn’t to be everywhere or to do everything perfectly. Instead, it’s about making intelligent choices about where to focus limited resources for maximum impact. This might mean doing fewer things better, rather than trying to maintain a presence everywhere with mediocre results.

The most successful brands will be those that can balance the technical demands of cycling products with the creative requirements of modern marketing, all while maintaining authenticity in an industry where passion and expertise matter more than polish.