Three lessons to learn from GoPro

Two years ago I never would have believed a company that sells a line of wearable and mountable HD video cameras would captivate me the way GoPro has. I love their advertising, follow their social networks, read every communication, and they are by far one of my favorite brands. A strong statement perhaps, but I was inspired the instant I discovered how GoPro completely transformed the way we capture life’s moments. And I’m not the only one – what started out as a camera for surfers has expanded to a number of sports and activities and evolved into a $250 million industry.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been fascinated by the success of GoPro and the significant role YouTube has played in unleashing their greatest marketing tool—customers. Recently I came across an interesting case study on this very topic that is worth watching.

GoPro may easily lend itself to avid engagement and advocacy among customers; however, there are several strategic principles GoPro has adopted which any brand can apply:

Innovation is crucial—GoPro has incredible products that customers aspire to own because they never stop looking for ways to improve. They sold their first camera in 2004 and have continued to evolve and advance their technology over the years to provide exceptional experiences for rapidly growing audiences.

Get up close and personal—Understanding the customer has been instrumental to the success of GoPro. As awareness grew so did the audiences and uses cases for Go Pro products. What began as a camera for surfers has since expanded across a broad range of action-sports (moto, auto, snow, skate, bike, etc.) not to mention reality-TV shows, expeditions, surgeries and more. GoPro embraces each audience, strives to understand their needs and desires, and customizes their products and marketing efforts accordingly.

Give customers a voice—GoPro acknowledges that customers are their strongest advocates. Communities exist on a number of social media platforms that welcome user generated content as well as GoPro produced/branded content. They also encourage customers to share their exciting moments for the chance to be included in GoPro advertising. They’re even exploring opportunities to pay users for video content based on the number of views and shares generated through YouTube.

There is no doubt GoPro set a high bar for engagement marketing and it will be interesting to see how other brands evolve their strategies to create the same coveted engagement with customers.