On the list of the most high-profile sports in the world, cycling does not necessarily fall within the top ten. In fact, most of us know very little about the sport in general. Though bicycles are among the most familiar objects known to man, we are much more likely to associate them with training wheels and leisurely bike rides, not competitive, heart-pumping athletic activity. While the Tour de France and the Olympics bring some attention to the sport, it remains largely unknown. Cycling seems to simply fly under the radar.And while cycling isn’t necessarily the most popular or well-known sport in the world, it is not insignificant. The reality is that cycling is really quite exciting to follow and is extremely beneficial to practice.The bicycle – the tool used for the sport of cycling – is primarily a means of transportation. Largely used for getting from one place to another and for recreation, it is also used in sport and athletics.Cycling races date back to the 19th century. From the 1890s up through the mid 1900s, cycling was an extremely popular sport around the world. This time period is referred to as the “Golden Age of Cycling.” Over the years, the sport’s popularity diminished. The Tour de France, which began in 1903, remains a premier world athletic event, giving some clout to the sport. The Olympic Games also feature cycling. That said, the sport remains quite ignored.Racing and competition in cycling can take place in various formats. Road races, indoor competitions and mountain bike races are all aspects of this multi-faceted activity. Cyclers compete as both teams and individuals, and competitions can last minutes, hours and even days.Nowadays, cycling is moving beyond the world of professional racers and becoming popular among a wide array of amateur athletes and sports enthusiasts. It is an excellent way to spice up a cardio work-out.Research has linked cycling, like most physical activity, to an overall increase in physical and mental health. The time, effort and money put into starting out in the world of cycling will be returned to the individual manifold.Like running, cycling is a great way to improve cardiovascular fitness. It benefits the legs, buttocks and abdomen among other parts of the body while getting heart rates up to burn calories and to lose fat. Easier on the joints than impact sports, cycling is a great cardio alternative for those with arthritis or past sports injuries. Because it is generally practiced sitting down, it is an activity within reach of all.Those looking to try out cycling have both indoor and outdoor options. Indoor spin classes are popping up in gyms all over and seem to be all the rage. For those who prefer to be outside, the cycling options are endless. All that’s necessary is a bike.Cycling is truly a fantastic sport to both watch and practice. If you haven’t gotten in on the action yet, check out your television sports channels and head to your local sporting goods stores.

Why Use Life-Cycle Marketing?For many companies, the current recession has made one fact abundantly clear: Doing business the same old way simply will not work. Old methods of sales and marketing are too inefficient, too costly, and they may be a risk to the business itself. Postponing a change in marketing strategy one more year is no longer an option. Web, Direct Mail, Email, Social Media, traditional, and digital advertising must all be in a business’ marketing strategy. Simply stated: Life-Cycle Marketing ensures businesses get the right message, to the right person, using the right media, at exactly the right time.Consider The Following:”Purchasing decisions include many factors that most consumers are not even aware of. Five steps are involved in nearly every purchase made: need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and finally post purchase behavior. Even the simplest purchases can include any or all of these steps.” (Brown, 2005)”Purchases are further influenced by such things as personal, psychological, and social issues. A good market researcher will study the thought process undergone by consumers, compare it with their demographic data, and use the resulting information to market their products.” (Armstrong et al, 2005)Marketing Factors: Consumer Buying Behavior
February 01, 2006 by S. L. O’BrienLife-Cycle marketers use analytics to predict when customers are most likely to buy. They then reach out with incentives aimed at encouraging the consumer to buy from them. Timing and message are keys. Instead of wasting marketing dollars trying to reach a large audience, many of which have no interest at all in the offer, the Life-Cycle marketer targets an audience where he or she is most likely to succeed.The benefits of a Life-Cycle Marketing Strategy extend beyond higher conversion rates. The collection of useful, measurable data will allow a business to develop trends, segments, and behavioral patterns that can be used for more precise targeting. Thus, marketing efforts will become more specific to the consumers’ needs. Their level of trust and appreciation will increase, improving loyalty and soon advocacy.What is Life-Cycle Marketing?Life-Cycle Marketing transcends traditional thinking about customers and prospects. Instead of focusing on individual campaigns aimed at the masses, Life-Cycle Marketing instead considers the individual prospect/customer, keeping in mind where they are in relationship to the sale, and communicating with them accordingly. To be effective, A Life-Cycle Marketing Strategy must capture views of the customer as he or she moves through the life-cycle stages: Reach, Acquire, Convert, Retain, and Advocate.1. The Reach Phase is the starting point. Reach refers to the potential target audience. It can relate to current customers and prospective customers alike. Reach is what advertisers and marketers do to gain their attention. It is getting in front of leads, turning them into prospects. Reach can be exciting. It is the glitz, the ad, the website, the wow, the bang. Reach works best when customers understand a business’ brand, service, or product.Reach will target the audience at a point when they are most likely to be affected by the message. Advertising, direct mail, variable data direct mail, social media, email or other methods may work well. Unlike many campaigns, all the methods employed during this phase will be coded and measured. The ultimate goal of reach is to acquire prospects, but just in case that does not happen, Reach will gather valuable information to be used in future campaigns.2. The goal of the Acquire Phase is customer participation. Did the prospect interact with the company? Did they walk in the store, call, email, visit a website? Acquiring a prospect happens the moment a lead shows interest. We know how they responded (e.g. signing up for a newsletter, filling out a credit application, taking a survey, requesting a coupon, downloading a demo or any other action). We have a bona-fide prospect, but actually making the sale could still be in question.Acquire will define the methods and processes required to handle this phase of the customer life-cycle. Responses will be personalized (age, gender, point of interest, and others), using information gained from the prospect. As in the Reach phase, all Acquire outreach will be coded and tracked so trending data can be collected.3. The Convert Phase is the point at which the sale is made, and the prospect has been converted into a customer. It may take several actions on both sides of the process before the prospect actually converts.Convert is the phase where customer segmentation begins. What did they buy? Where do they live? What additional products or services did similar buyers purchase? Age, gender, buying power, the need for additional services, and other factors determine your next move as a marketer. The closer a company can get to its customers at this point, the greater the opportunity to sell them again.After all, it is more efficient to keep existing customers than to constantly be looking for new ones.4. The Retain Phase is the process of nurturing the relationship and encouraging repeat sales. It is far easier, and less costly, to sell additional products and services to an existing customer than it is to find new leads.Current customers have already made the decision to buy. They already have a relationship with a company. They have decided to trust a sales team, product or process. The importance of maintaining, if not enhancing, this trust cannot be overstated.Retain is where the Life-Cycle Marketing strategy truly enhances business. Knowing that the customer will stray if we neglect him or her, it is imperative we maintain contact. Working closely with management applications to create trending models and tracking mechanisms will help a company retain customers.5. The Advocacy Phase is the completion of the cycle, returning business to a better beginning. These leads have the word of a friend, a loyal customer, fresh in their minds.Customers with the greatest life-time value are the ones who advocate on a company’s behalf. They tell their family and friends. They suggest products on social websites. They run fan clubs. They tattoo a company logo on their bodies. Just ask Harley-Davidson how that is working out for them.Advocating is simply the best marketing tool possible. Advocates will get the attention they need, and if necessary, the tools to do what they do best… sell a company to their network.How does a company use Life-Cycle Marketing?Once a company has decided to pursue a Life-Cycle Marketing Strategy it must have clear understanding of each phase of the process. Each phase of the strategy builds upon the previous phase, creating an ongoing cycle with predicted expectations and measurable results.• To begin successfully putting a Life-Cycle Marketing Strategy into action, marketers must have a clear understanding of their current business status and their long term goals.• They need to capture the right data to identify both their profitable and unprofitable customers, understanding their behavior to given offers, incentives and messaging. With that information, they must structure a plan to contact customers at the optimal point when they are ready to act.• Marketers must have in place an active tool that allows them to check results against objectives and to act accordingly.• Test, tweak, measure, act. Then, test, tweak, measure, act. It is a never-ending process, but is that not true of all marketing? The difference is decisions made in a Life-Cycle Marketing program are based on facts, not hunches and wishful thinking.To realize the maximum benefit fully from a Life-Cycle Marketing Strategy, marketers should:
Utilize the life-cycle stage as a means to narrow data collection.
Create rules and personas for each customer segment.
Stop thinking campaign, start thinking relationship building.What about the impact (ROI) of a Life-Cycle Marketing Strategy?Like any other investment a company will undertake, Life-Cycle Marketing should be implemented with clear goals and expectations for its return on that investment. Unlike traditional thinking where an offer is sent and the direct result of that offer is measured, the Life-Cycle Strategy looks at the whole picture. As the strategy itself implies, marketing is conducted over the life-cycle of the customer. In the same fashion, ROI needs to be evaluated over that same span.Important Considerations:
Findings from a study conducted by about.com
• Repeat customers spend 33% more than new customers.
• Referrals among repeat customers are 107% greater than non-repeat customers.
• It costs six times more to sell something to a prospect than to sell that same thing to a customer.Like all good relationships, Life-Cycle Marketing relationships take time to develop, and their value should be assessed over time using a variety of measures. Doing this is not always easy, but for the companies that embrace this strategy, the rewards are worth the effort.

If you enjoy active holidays that enable you to discover another side to a country then you should consider booking cycling holidays in Spain.Visiting the southern European nation during such a break is an excellent opportunity to really get under the skin of one of its many diverse regions and Catalonia could prove to be the ideal destination, particularly if you are new to this kind of break.Cycling in Catalonia ranges from straightforward trails suitable for beginners to more challenging routes but regardless of which part of the region you decide to explore, you are sure to discover plenty of picturesque villages and beautiful landscapes along the way.The Catalan coast is a particularly popular option and you can look forward to following a route along quiet back roads and empty farm tracks to make your cycling experience all the more enjoyable.As you journey through the area, you will come across numerous bays and coves, with inviting stretches of golden sand and the clear blue ocean beyond.Of course, one of the best things about self-guided cycling holidays is that you can set your own pace and this means you will have time to stop off and enjoy the scenery if you want a break from your saddle.You will also find that there is time to explore some of the ancient villages dotted along the coastline and further inland, each with their own unique stories to tell about the country’s past.One particularly fascinating village that you may want to visit as part of your cycling break is Peratallada.The houses here are constructed from stone carved out of the moat that surrounds the village and you will find a beautiful old castle and palace if you take the time to wander around its narrow streets and open squares.Many of the buildings are centuries old and you are bound to feel as though you have stepped back in time as you walk around the village.But there are many stunning places to find as you travel around on two wheels and you will be in a great position to choose how long you stop for and where you go.As you travel between destinations, your bags will be carried ahead, so you won’t need to transport heavy cases or worry about the logistics of your cycling holidays in Europe.One of the reasons that the Catalan coast makes such a great destination for cycling breaks is that you can easily head inland for a change of scene during your trip.Just a short distance from the coast, you will find an idyllic rural setting comprised of farmland, vineyards and rolling fields.Small villages are dotted around the area and if you want to have a taste of traditional Spanish cuisine then you will be able to savour the local delicacies each evening once you arrive at your accommodation.By staying in small, family-run locations, you will be treated to true Spanish hospitality – as well as a real flavour of the Catalan region – throughout your holiday.And if you are not ready for an entire break based around cycling, why not take to two wheels for a few days before settling in one place on the beautiful Catalan coast and soaking up the sun before you return home?Then you can have the best of both worlds – an active break discovering some of the hidden gems in the area and a few days of lounging on the beach or sightseeing elsewhere.