DISCOVER YOUR LOCAL BICYCLING COMMUNITY
Find local advocacy groups, bike shops, instructors, clubs, classes and more!
5 Tips to Market Bike Education
With more than 3,500 certified League Cycling Instructors nationwide, we have the privilege of working with hundreds of leaders who are delivering our Smart Cycling program and innovating bicycle education in exciting ways.
Whether you’re an educator yourself or simply a bicycle enthusiast, our LCIs have so much knowledge and inspiration that we want to share their stories. In this first edition of LCI Corner, Molly North, executive director of Bike Denver (and LCI #2669!), gives five helpful tips for marketing bike education.
***
So you’ve completed the League Cycling Instructor seminar and you’re excited to share your expertise with your community… but you’re not sure how to get started. Well, here are five quick tips to get you going.
Find allies in your community who can help spread the word about the importance of safe cycling and the educational resources available. Reach the general public by listing bike education presentations and courses in your local newspaper and recreation guides.
Don’t get stuck thinking you have to schedule an eight- or nine-hour Traffic Skills 101 course. You can adapt the materials to offer shorter “teaser” presentations, which can interest people in registering for the longer TS 101.
Reach out to groups that already exist, like senior clubs or fitness groups. If you want to get folks pedaling in the business realm, approach your Chamber of Commerce or flagship company to offer this benefit to its employees. Then you can approach other companies that will be more inclined to follow the flagship’s lead.
Once you have an interested group, tailor classes to meet your specific audiences’ needs. Seniors might be more interested in learning how to choose a bike or safe route rather than how to effectively change multiple lanes of traffic during rush hour.
At the end of your presentations, remember to ask for feedback, including how people heard about the course. That way you can hone your marketing approach and the education you offer!