This article summarizes Keep’s textbook-like operating strategy: How to get users to help you promote?

The trend of sports is prevalent, and every product is trying new ways to connect users, sports, and sports resources (venues, coaches, and events) . From the running social tools "咕董, 悦跑圈", to the fitness social tool " Keep ", to the ClassPass model "全城热炼", they all use unique operating methods to explore user habits and consumption upgrades.

All operations start from the user's entire sports cycle and the sports industry chain in which they are located. From the development of sports habits, scientific training, resource connection, event services, equipment needs and other aspects, we can either make breakthroughs in a single point or integrate them in depth.

Today we will focus on Keep, which is dedicated to developing users' fitness habits.

Give users an itch point, such as positive feedback on data

Exercise is hard and tiring, and it is difficult to stick to it. To keep the APP active, it is necessary to help users develop exercise habits and even like exercise. As a running tool, Gudong first provides users with data recording and sharing functions, allowing users to get timely feedback on running results (data results, not actual physical results) . Sharing can bring a certain degree of social show-off.

In further operations, we will cultivate users' sense of challenge and social emotional dependence through task modes such as online marathons and running groups.

The fitness field that Keep targets is very different from running. The fitness system includes many types of training, with intensity ranging from high to low, and scientifically matched. The exercise effect of running is relatively vague, but many users who participate in fitness have clear goals, such as reducing body fat, increasing muscle, and having a six-pack. In order to achieve this goal, long-term and continuous scientific training and strict diet control are usually required.

In summary, developing fitness habits also involves task challenges and social attributes. Compared with running, the exercises are more complex and difficult to persist in, but they are more goal-oriented and the KOL demonstration effect is shocking. Once the habit is initially formed or the initial fitness effect is produced, deep stickiness will be generated.

The core content of Keep is the scientific breakdown of various fitness courses and online video teaching. The progressive practice characteristics of fitness guide users to practice in a fragmented manner, record training data, and check in to share training results, gradually persist in and develop habits, which forms the core operating idea of ​​Keep.

Cold start and follow-up promotion of new versions

Keep started development in November 2014 and also entered into operations at the same time, beginning with content operations for WeChat public accounts and fitness communities. The content matrix of fitness is very rich. For non-professional users, how to eat, how to exercise, and KOL role models are all attractive content, and there is also a chance of creating explosive articles.

In the fitness community, KOLs have a huge influence, and the method of content promotion is also very clear. The key lies in the writer's professional knowledge of fitness. By comparing the shocking fitness effects and introducing scientific fitness plans, it will attract a large number of users to worship and consult, which is the most effective launch promotion.

For example, non-professional fitness platforms such as Douban will attract users’ attention for their fitness content.

Let’s take a look at the operation methods of the first launch and several new launches respectively

1. 2015.1.22 Recruiting iOS version internal beta testers.

You can register by following and forwarding the event on Weibo. The operator will provide the installation package through private messages on Weibo, and 50 prizes will be drawn. The event Weibo post was forwarded 502 times, and the reward was later increased to 100. The number of internal beta testers for this event reached 4,000. Based on this speculation, there may have been internal beta test soft-text guides in various communities, or users may have directly promoted the internal beta test to their friends after getting the address.

The product is open to users for internal testing, which is not only to improve the experience and bugs, but also to lock in users in advance. But not all products are suitable for internal testing. Internal beta users are not your employees. Their primary intention is to see whether the product is fun and useful, rather than to be your bug helper . Keep is first and foremost a PGC teaching content and tool, and only secondarily a community. For pure communities or some two-sided products, internal beta users may feel that the product is hollow or that the quantity on the other side cannot meet demand, resulting in a poor experience.

2. 2015.2.4 iOS version was launched.

There is a prize-giving retweet campaign on Weibo, and the designs of 9 campaign posters list the misconceptions about fitness that 20%-90% of the population have. The event Weibo post was forwarded 2,301 times, and with the help of soft-text guidance from the fitness community, Keep rose to the top of the AppStore ranking the next day.

It is worth mentioning that as a corporate account, Keep did not turn Weibo into a platform for activities and publicity. For example, for the first launch event, in addition to publishing the event Weibo on 2.4, the list of winners was only announced on 2.10. In other series of activities, only a small amount of participation content was forwarded by users during the process. In addition, it is more about maintaining orderly release according to the planned content matrix .

After the iOS version was launched, we tried several Weibo Nine-Grid joint promotions, which was also one of the few paid promotions . 2015.2.10 It was released through the Weibo account "app菌", and was forwarded by a number of big accounts such as "忆忆专装小马甲". 2015.3.17 Joint promotion with Weibo account “app菇仔” nine-square grid . Combined with the potential of the product itself, Keep was recommended as an excellent new application by the AppStore in February and as the best APP in March by the AppStore.

3. 2015.4.9 Android version internal testing.

Reply to the keyword through the WeChat official account to get the QR code download address, forward the picture and text and take a screenshot and send it to the official account, and 50 prizes will be drawn. There is also a reward-based forwarding activity on Weibo. Please send a private message to participating users to provide the download address, and 100 prizes will be given away.

4. 2015.8.28 Keep 2.0 was released.

For the new version, Keep has customized an exclusive training data page for each user on the APP, which is similar to the annual bill of Alipay. It only appears once and needs to be saved or screenshot immediately . During the event, users can participate in the lucky draw by sharing the exclusive page under the Weibo topic #KeepEffect#. During this event, both Weibo and WeChat directed users to Weibo to participate in the event. The #KeepEffect# Weibo topic had 4.75 million reads and 12,000 discussions.

5. 2016.4.15 Keep 3.0 was released.

The new version focuses on the running function. In response to the new function, Keep launched the #Eliminate0km# campaign. At 9:00 a.m. on April 16, 2016, if you run more than 3 kilometers through the Keep running function and post a dynamic with a topic in the community, the first publisher in each province will receive an exclusive commemorative badge and 200 limited edition T-shirts will be drawn.

This event will introduce participating users to new features and generate a large number of sharing topics. The number of readings of the topic #Eliminate0km# on Weibo reached 5.54 million. The event format is equivalent to an online marathon, and many running apps often hold it. The 3-kilometer threshold is not high, and it also makes full use of the topic mechanism.

Lightweight operation

As mentioned earlier, based on the multi-dimensional and progressive nature of fitness, Keep insists on lightweight operations to cultivate user habits. Content matrix + topic operation constitute Keep's lightweight operation system.

This system is based on two aspects. The first is the APP’s check-in, topic function and community. Users can check in only after completing each training session. The content editing window has a convenient topic tag insertion function (including the latest and historical topic recommendations) , which can be synchronized to social platforms with one click. Many of Keep's activities are carried out by combining the community and Weibo's topic function.

The second is the content matrix that enriches and spreads potential. Fitness content is broken down into many different dimensions based on training system, KOL, dietary structure, life scenarios, etc. Although the content space is large, the requirements for professionalism and system are very high.

In this lightweight operation system, the first thing is content planning. On the WeChat official account, Keep has more than ten regularly rotating columns such as "Activities, Q&A, Benefits, Sharing, Classrooms, Recipes", etc., and the focus pictures of the columns have a unified style.

On Weibo, common topics include different content systems such as "#Keep课堂#, #KeepEatHealthy#, #Keep问答#, #Keep Talking#" and so on. The content meets very high standards in terms of professionalism, freshness and standardization. The figure below shows the total reading count of some topics.

In marketing activities, they are mainly carried out around topics. Combine hot topics and festivals to allow users to participate in activity topics through the APP community or Weibo and give out prizes. The topic format has a unified theme, and there is a topic homepage on Weibo, and there is also a chance to be on the hot topic list.

From June 26 to July 20, 2015, in conjunction with the variety show “Real Men”, we launched the #ChallengeMan# event. By completing the training check-in through Keep and adding the topic #ChallengeMan#, you can participate in different draws based on the number of consecutive check-in days. Retweet the event on Weibo for a chance to win prizes.

From September 25 to October 8, 2015, during the National Day holiday, users completed the Keep training check-in, added the hashtag #Travel with Keep#, posted travel fitness photos, and won awards such as the most likes and the most calories.

In addition to regular topics, Weibo's hot topic list is even more impactful. The "challenge mode" in sports has the opportunity to push the topic to the top of the list through the KOL effect, friend invitations, etc., such as the previous "Ice Bucket Challenge".

2015.10.27 Weibo launched a large-scale topic activity #全民深蹲#, releasing squat videos and @ing friends. The friends who were @ed had to do 3 squats at a time. Many celebrities including host Yi Yi, Yu Jia, Tian Liang and others directly participated and forwarded the post.

The figure below shows the Weibo data of some single topic activities.

The depth of brand cooperation

There are many cooperation options in the fitness user groups and industrial chain. Different brand collaborations have multiple meanings for Keep, including joint exposure, potential user introduction, brand value output, rich interactive forms and exploration of commercialization. In this regard, Keep has tried many types of brand activities that integrate resources, which is the most colorful and commercially meaningful part of its operating system.

1. In-depth resource interaction of sports brands

The biggest commonality among users is sports, and sports brands have great cooperation advantages in terms of brand fit and market resources. In addition to brand value output, they are more consistent with Keep's demands on user interaction and experience. In terms of activity form, the cooperation chain between the two parties can be longer.

From July 20 to August 16, 2015, Keep and Puma jointly launched the #PutAwayExcuses# 24-Hour Sports Challenge Training Camp, a large-scale online and offline experience event. Each brand partner participated in the final on-site challenge as their own team. In Keep's team registration, users complete the training check-in in Keep, bring #ThrowawayExcuses# + body photo, participate in the team registration, and select 4 groups with a total of 16 people to participate in the on-site challenge.

During the on-site challenge on August 15-16, users in Keep who participated in the training and checked in and added the topic #Throw away excuses#, the top three with the highest cumulative calories will receive Puma equipment, and 30 people will be drawn to receive prizes.

The whole activity is based on the theme of fitness. During the event, Keep linked offline topics twice through online events. As the organizer, Puma invested large-scale brand promotion resources and physical rewards. The #PutAsideExcuses# Weibo topic was read 140 million times and discussed 303,000 times.

2. Value Output of User Groups

In addition to the commonality of sports, Keep users can also discover attributes such as youth, vitality and coolness, which are consistent with a number of young and fashionable brands. Through joint theme activities, Keep has tried to output brand value and enrich interactive forms, so that partners can obtain accurate user interaction experience, brand recognition and conversion.

2015.11.13-11.27 Keep launched a multi-brand joint series of activities on Weibo with the topic #有式人让心慌#, involving 6 brands including New Balance, Bong, LeTV, and Youhuo. Each event will customize an exclusive poster for a brand. Participants can follow and forward the event on Weibo and receive brand sponsored gifts. Each event will last for 2 days for 6 consecutive days.

The format of the event is the same and not complicated. Through the unified topic #Stylish people make me nervous#, the brand and publicity effects are linked and amplified. The average number of Weibo reposts for the six events was 1,620, and the number of readings for the Weibo topic #有型人让心慌# was 8.175 million.

2016.5.14-5.20 In the cooperation with UNIQLO , users used the Keep running function to run out a "U-shaped" track map, shared the track map under the community topic #跑出優功能#, and won a prize from UNIQLO.

Many brand collaborations on running apps are in this form, where users can win rewards by running out of the partner’s brand image. The APP can achieve effective user activation, and the user's actions can well convey the brand image to the partners.

3. The unexpected popularity of traditional media

At a time when traffic channels are rampant, but costs are rising and user quality is worrying, many people are considering and trying to return to film and television media delivery. The one-time cooperation fee (the fee is not equal to the cost) and the vague user volume return can easily put people off. But how to strike a balance between precise and stable user coverage and huge brand added effects?

In October 2015, Keep chose "Happy Camp". Due to the high cost of product placement cooperation with the program itself, the common practice is to get the guests on the program and convey the product and brand through the guests' statements and presentations.

On the 2015.10.31 "Happy Camp", Lu Han and Zhu Yawen, who were promoting the movie "I Am a Witness", were locked in in advance. Lu Han's commercial cooperation cost is relatively high, so Keep chose Zhu Yawen who was on the same stage with Lu Han. In addition, Du Haitao is also a user of Keep (Du Haitao has also demonstrated Keep training on Weibo), so it was natural to show Keep on the screen during the show.

The investment cost is estimated to be between RMB 400,000 and 600,000, and the number of users gained in the month after the program exceeded 1 million.

4. Multi-level linkage of advertising effects

In June 2016, around the theme #Self-discipline gives me freedom#, Keep produced its first brand promotional video, carried out large-scale ground advertising , and simultaneously linked multiple levels of online activities.

1. From June 3 to June 12, 2016, the course "Zou Shiming's Boxing Fat Burning" was launched. After completing the training, users can obtain exclusive badges, check in and post the topic #Self-discipline gives me freedom#, and share it on Weibo, and they can draw prizes.

2. From June 4 to June 30, 2016, during the period when Keep’s city light boxes and stadium advertisements were put on display, users took photos with the advertisements and posted the topic #自论给自由# on Weibo, and prizes were given out every day.

3. From June 13 to June 20, 2016, users can post before-and-after fitness photos on Weibo and add the hashtag #Self-discipline gives me freedom# to participate in the draw for prizes.

In the promotion of this series, in addition to shooting gorgeous advertising videos and placing them, we used multi-level sub-theme activities based on the established themes to bring the topics together at the center, making online users eager to encounter the ads, and those who encounter them eager to become the protagonists of the topic.

The operational challenge under business

Under the sports trend, many user and service grading operation methods have evolved. For example, increasing the organization and service operations of events, connecting with ClassPass's fitness resources, providing C2C services for coaches, providing graded communities and services for enthusiasts, and live fitness broadcasts , all of which address the operational needs of a certain link.

It doesn’t matter which is more important. Users don’t practice for the sake of practicing, or compete for the sake of competing. After using demand to acquire users, we can continue to help establish a scientific training system, accumulate training data, and explore personalized services so as not to become victims of operations.