Need Help Marketing Your New Videos??

L

LuvCardio

Cathlete
Cathe -
I am interested in understanding why you don't market yourself more widely? I think that you are absolutely fabulous and have such amazing skill! You truly make the best home workout videos I think I have ever seen! I tell everyone I know about you. I am forever telling the women (even the instructors) at the club that they need to try your videos!

My thought is that you are a hidden secret to many women! I consider myself lucky that I found you!!!!! There are no new good videos on the shelves in the traditional stores today! NONE of them even come close to comparing to you!!!!!!!!

Maybe you could use some of us to market your videos even more? I work in product marketing here in Colorado and would be more than happy to promote you and your videos as much as possible!!!!! Maybe you could give us a few small cards with your website on them or flyers??? I don't really know the right mix but I am sure there is a way!!! I have your pre-sale mailer sitting on my desk at work. Soooo many people have asked me about you. Every time I get asked I take the opportunity to tell them all about you! I work with a lot of both women and men and it would be great to have something more to give them to point them in your direction!!!!!!!!!! I could send the men home with a little card for their wives!!!!!!! I work with a lot of folks who have stay at home wives/mommies so I am sure they would love the info.!!!!!!!!!

Please feel free to e-mail me if you are interested and think there is anything I can do to help. I'd be happy to provide you with any easy marketing help here in Colorado!!!!!!!! We women must share our good experiences ya' know!

I do understand that there may be specific and very good reasons why you have not expanded your marketing reach broader so I am by no means trying to tell you how to market! I think you are awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am just offering my help in case you may ever want it:D
 
I inquired with SNM a while ago about this and their response was less than welcoming. I was interested in becoming their distributor and they told me that I can do that just by buying the video and reselling them, they offered no help whatsoever in setting up the business.

I think maybe the workouts are quite tough and is not suitable for everyone and their really is a niche market. I have tried to promote Cathe off my own back and people's attitudes are that she is too muscular (mostly women), men don't want to know because they think it's for women only, they are not interested in home exercise, they don't want to weight train because it will bulk them up etc. It's just tough to get people interested in exercise.

Yen
 
If you go to the Video Fitness website and under Video Reviews click on to instructor Cathe Friendrich, then click on to the biography or interview (can't remember which) with Cathe, she mentions using a marketing company to get her videos into retail stores. I don't know how old the interview is, but you might want to take a look.
 
Hi
It has been said before that Cathe is the best kept secret in the fitness biz.Perhaps it is better that way.We have had previous discussions as to why Cathe does not receive the recognition she deserves.I still don't understand it.I have never heard of some of the "instructor of the year" winners.Cathe is a small market of home advanced exercisers.I am so happy we have her.I do think her video business is doing well by word of mouth or should I say internet.
Ki
 
IMHO, Cathe knows exactly what she's doing both in terms of the crafting of her workouts and in their marketing.

The vast majority of video/DVD instructors out their cater to the lowest common denominator of exerciser: the unskilled, deconditioned and easily intimidated. That sounds harsh, but it's true, and our own Getnfit@38 is an example of the exception: the novice who's willing to learn the hard and best way. And the video/DVD market is fiercely competitive and more than a little catty, as is the group fitness instructor field more generally. (I can say this as a group fitness instructor of 5-1/2 years' standing.)

My prediction is that Cathe is unwilling to mass market herself, because she'd receive a lot of undue pressure from certain market segments to "ease up" on the intensity of her workouts. My prediction also is that she is unwilling to engage in the hyper-commercialized politics surrounding "star" instructors AND product placement in big-box retailers and video exercise catalog companies (where mediocrity of product reigns supreme, AND where corporate forces try to tell her how to run her business - I have a bit of personal knowledge on that score).

I kind of like it that Cathe is fitness's best-kept secret.

Annette Q. Aquajock
 
I think you're right, she would have to modify her workouts so as to appeal to the mass market, that would be dreadful for us. I think I like it the way it is!
 
*Nodding head*

I completely agree with you Annette. By "outsourcing" the marketing of the product to a larger corporation, she would most likely lose all "creative" content dibs on her product. The major goal of marketing specialists is to acquire an ever increasing part of the market (ie become number one in the industry). I know a lot of marketing specialists (my spouse is one) and I've taken marketing classes as a part of my MBA, so I've come to understand these things a little bit better.

IMO, Cathe is at the top of her niche in the video fitness industry right now. As we can see, there is DEFINITELY a market for this niche (isn't this why we are all here?). I say let her keep creative content, we will all be better served that way.
 
Annette,
I totally agree with you and was making some of the same assumptions. In reality, I think we would all prefer she stay focused on the niche market anyway! The statement of the lowest common denominator is so true and Cathe is definitely miles ahead of that! She is the best I have seen and I guess we should just all feel fortunate we found her and spread her word as much as we can!!! I know I do! I would never want her to change her strategy just to get on the shelves of Wal-Mart. hee hee.

I am sure it is also a big cost (and pain in the booty) to do a wider distribution. Plus, the middle man makes the money and we all end up with a higher price and Cathe with less of a profit. I guess all of us Cathe fans will have to just continue with our word of mouth marketing!

I just remember how desparate I was for months to find some new advanced home workout videos. I was so depressed because I couldn't find ANY! Then one magical day I was searching for them on the web praying to find something new and happened upon Video Fitness. If it wasn't for them I probably would have never found Cathe!!! Now I can't picture my 5:00 mornings without her! Who knows what I would be doing??? Probably still pounding away on the elliptical machine - board to death with no variety and no weight loss:(

Every time I go to a store like Galyans (high end fitness/outdoor store here in Colorado) I can just picture her videos right there next to the others... they would stand out like a star!!!!!!!!!!

I still just wish there was I way I could help her more. It is the marketing side of my brain ya' know!!! I just can't help it! I can't even watch a dang commercial without over analyzing it:) It drives my DH bonkers.

I'll shut up now;)

Pammer
 
Well, everyone,

One way we can spread the word is get the t-shirt and wear it! (remember the t-shirt discussion) Then when someone asks, tell them.

Whenever anyone compliments me on what good shape I'm in I do an advertisement for Cathe.

Why I'm the nut that wants a license plate that says Cathe.com for the front of my car. I also want a hat (with sparkles, please.)

Then I got thinking (but didn't mention it until now) that I would LOVE a Cathe doll. Much better than Barbie!! And think of the possiblities....a little step, workout outfits, little barbells and dumbbells... And then we can have Cathe's workout friends and ....Oh My Goodness I need to catch my breath. :-wow

(now mind you I sit across from a 46 year old woman who has a Jeff Gordan doll on her desk so I ask you, why can't I have a Cathe doll to put on my desk. I'll bet this woman never 'talked' to Jeff)

I guess I'm agreeing with the word-of-mouth marketing and etc....

-joy
 
Cathe may also be perfectly happy with the amount of business she gets. Reaching "fitness celebrity" status like Denise Austin or Kathy Smith may take her away from home more, from her new little ones, etc. as well as what you've mentioned about bigger marketing can mean less say in what you do.

But we all know that Cathe is certainly a celebrity to us, even if the shelves in Target don't know it :) -- Renee
 
How can I make a t-shirt? Aren't there places in the mall that will silk-screen a t-shirt for you? I have a mind to put Cathe's logo (some logo- maybe her catalog) in my purse and the next time I'm in the mall, get it out and get my own Cathe t-shirt made.

Let me know, anyone, if you have done this.
-Connie
 
I totally agree too with you Annette. Also, IMHO, word of mouth is one of the best forms of advertising. Just last week, two of my friends bought a bunch of her tapes because of how I rave about her and now they think she is great also.

Joanne
 
"IMHO, Cathe knows exactly what she's doing both in terms of the crafting of her workouts and in their marketing."

Well said, Miz Aquajock! This also goes for those who want to "collaborate" with Cathe on developing her workouts, too.

Just Do It! :)
 
I agree that Cathe should not compromise her beliefs for the sake of fame and money. I also don't like the idea of her becoming famous on the back of a celebrity - she is more than capable of being famous in her own right and if she starts working with celebrities then fquite frankly she would not have enough time for us!

Also a lot of women are turned off by Cathe's physique - not someone like myself who is more interested in exercise for internal health and not just the external 'thin appeal'. If I get a little muscular it's fine by me. My friends have seen her and they are just not interested, they'd rather diet and do aerobics and will not lift weights.

I think we can all do our own little bits just by talking about her.

Yen
 
When I first started working out, Karen Voight's Energy Sprint was the most intense step video I could find. I discovered Cathe at Collage quite by accident and, at first, her choregraphy was too much for me but I persisted and now I can do most of the workouts I have pretty easily. I recently bought KV's Firm and Burn and Sleek Physique and was completely disappointed. One is a clone of the other and they have exactly the same cardio and strength work. It's repeated over and over and over and it's not challenging at all! Karen plays to the beginner/intermediate exerciser and I think we really need Cathe right where she is! Once an advanced instructor shows up at Target or the like, they tend to, shall we say, dumb down (no offense) their workouts to appeal to the beginner/intermediate exerciser. And if you think about it, Cathe really isn't too hard to find when you are looking for workouts for the seasoned exerciser. Does the educated crowd really want to share Cathe with beginners who will probably scurry right back to Denise and Kathy once they get a taste of what a real work out entails?

http://www.plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Chick's Rule! B http://www.plaudersmilies.de/natur/petals.gif bbi
 
RE: Well put, Bobbi

I too find Energy Sprint to be a cakewalk after finding Cathe. And like you, I believe that if you want to find Cathe she can be found quite easily.

Also, if Cathe were to go all big-box, would we really want a bunch of people begging her on these forums to lighten up? I don't think so.

What I like most about Cathe is her ability to combine ultra-high intensity (and safety and effectiveness) with a wholesome, personable demeanor. I predict that other video instructors will start gravitating toward the high-intensity arena, BUT in an effort to be "cutting edge" they'll have the personas of sullen, hard-bodied porcupines.

Annette Q. Aquajock
 
After years of buying fitness video after fitness video, and getting bored and seeing no results. I agree Cathe is one of the best kept secrets. I found out about Cathe by surfing the internet. I found her website about 2 months ago, and have been hooked ever since. She is awesome!!! I've been looking for something more challenging and have found it in Cathe. I do not think she should advertise to the mass market, because as a lot of you have said, the beginner crowd is not going to appreciate her advance workouts. I lost my interest in the Firm, because of their infomercials. Cathe doesn't need that kind of publicity, word of mouth is good enough.
Thank you Cathe!!! Thank you for being true to your very much appreciative fans!!!!
 
You gals are oh so right! I was in Galyans today. They had one of those systems with a TV and buttons you can push to see the different videos.

I sware..... there was NOT ONE of them that even came close to Cathe. She is in an entirely different league! I completely agree that we do not want you Cathe bending over to all those beginners and having "porn type" music... hee hee.

Anyway, I would much rather have Cathe to ourselves (I am sounding like all of you now!) versus having her change her style just to get on the shelf next to some other beginner tape.

I would however, still like to promote her in anyway I can. It is just the marketing side of me ya' know. I guess I'll just keep doing what I am doing and telling everyone I know!!!! I am all for a t-shirt/tank top or something we can wear around around!!!!!!!! Or maybe a keychain!!!!!!!!

Anyway, I am just glad I found Cathe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Pammer
 
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