Bottom line, skate shops, brands, and companies need to up their game. Everybody says the industry is struggling but there are key areas that can still be exploited. 100% there are still things y’all and we can do to help
This is simply my opinion and I am more than open to criticisms and I wish to start a discussion. I love the skate industry, I love longboarding and I wanna see us all succeed bottom line.
READ ON FOR SOME TOUGH LUV.
There are more things I wanna add but they aren’t coming to mind immeadiately so might update the rticle later.
4 things we can do to get rich and start balling again
1. Online articles, SEO, online marketing
I’ve seen brands like Muirskate, Vandem longboards UK etc. do this. Writing guides, articles, reviews, blog posts etc. in order to appear higher on Google and on other search engines. This leads people to clicking on your page which is super important so you get sales and turn profit or whatever.
You have sites like longboard brand, review longboards etc. showing up on the top 10 of google searches. Not because they have any real value, but because they have put in the work and time and figured out the best way to get traffic (and thusly sales) to their site.
What I want is that when someone googles anything longboard related, y’all sites show up instead of all the other shit that’s there now. This will be so key to your success and the industries too. Literally look to the right and see what happens if you google “longboards for beginners”. All these affiliate marketing website all selling through Amazon show up. Is that really what you want our industry to be? There is so much shit y’all can still do and write about.
Hit me up if y’all want to learn more about this and are interested in getting more traffic to your site and in getting wealthy.
There is also other stuff like Facebook and Insta ad campaigns. But I don’t know if any of that works or how to do it. Y’all can communicate with some consultants or something idk.
2. SELL CHEAP CHINESE COMPLETES
Look. The fact of the matter is a lot of people aren’t going to care about buying 100% American made decks, trucks, etc. A lot of people don’t care about “supporting the industry” because they are completely unaffected by it. It’s something you’re simply going to have to accept and figure out how to deal with.
I think that loads of companies are caught up trying to get people to buy and support them but a business is not going to survive on kindness. It’s why those brands selling $50completes on Amazon are making money whilst you the shop and the industry are struggling.
Look, I’m not saying we should encourage people to buy cheap completes, but people are gonna buy what people buy, so you might as well get a piece of that pie.
Y’all need to understand not everyone has the money or sees the value in dropping $120-200 on a longboard. Y’all won’t turn profit this way unless you start selling boards at high price points like Loaded does and thats gonna be tough in this market right now, those guys have already built up their brand and have a strong following, what y’all got?
Yes, I as an advanced rider see the value in dropping loads of money on trucks, decks, wheels because I understand why it’s worth it and can appreciate the quality. I also want to support brands and people I like.
Someone who has no connection to the industry and won’t look at things the same way.
Cheap boards that people who just want to cruise on once in a while or buy as presents for their kids should come from you guys! You can even tell them that this thing their buying isn’t the best. Most will still buy it cause they already understand that no longboard worth $50 is gonna be high quality. Y’all might even get return customers and new members to the community!
Plus if we’re dead honest, $50 longboards work good enough for beginners and the like. They are good enough because they turn, roll and don’t break in half suddenly. So don’t come here waving your $50 set of trucks in my beginner face bih …
BUT YEAH, BOTTOM LINE PEOPLE ARE STILL GONE BUY $50 COMPLETES SO THEY MIGHT AS WELL BUY THEM FROM YOU. AN ACTUAL SKATESHOP AND Y’ALL CAN MAKE MONEY AND STUFF.
*EDIT So after some discussions with a friend on the downhill254 facebook page, it might make sense to not actually sell those cheap completes. The high volumes and low margins they will give may not be worth it at all … Check out the photo for more words and stuff.
3. Start affiliate programs
Maybe a pretty hard thing to do, but loads of sites (like this one), try to make money through affiliate sales. I am currently selling things through Amazon. Really don’t like going through them. I would definitely be up to sell things through other websites (Muirskate hit me up for US sales) and other brands around the world.
I am also sure that other skaters who have reviews and write about shit would be up to do the same. Even if it’s sharing a thing on their social media or whatever or on some of those viral videos up on the youtubes and facebooks.
This is a good thing y’all should do … mostly for me and my conscience … but yeah the industry.
4. Branding??
A big part of why I got into longboarding was because of these really sick Landyachtz #Skate&Explore videos.
I remember watching the series over and over again because it was so cool and just gave me so much stoke. Genuinely one of the main reasons I like this sport so much. #WEGIVETHANKS
One thing I’ve noticed is that when a brand does really clever advertising, high quality media, lifestyle, trendy boi kinda things and makes stuff look good. They usually blow up, get a large following and get a lot more sales.
Some brands that I’ve notice do this are Landyachtz, Sanctum Collective, Caliber trucks. Blood Orange, Loaded etc. They really sell the brand and the idea that once you buy their product you’ll attain this lifestyle, be part of this vibe/collective. It’s like you’re buying a cool pin to make you cool.
We all know it won’t make you cool because coolness comes from the inside, not from outside circumstances per se. But consumers love buying into the lifestyle shtick.
But this formula takes time. Tons and tons of time and resources I think.
I’m no pro or expert but that’s my observation on things. Y’all figure out how you can make it happen. Maybe we’ll see a Supreme version of a longboard brand.
