Biker Kulture Mag Blog

This morning I was inspired to write to you all. This magazine was something that many people wanted us to do. We tossed the idea around for a couple of years and felt it was time for something like this in Houston! 

It started out as a way to show off the entire motorcycle business community in the area and then we discovered the riders were just as excited with the idea. 

We said, LET'S DO IT!

Here we are. This magazine pushed me expand my design skills even more. Got so many people nationwide excited to read it and contribute. It's great to hear I've inspired the women I've spoken to and hearing that we've caught the attention of so many types of people.

This magazine has a lot of potential and we look foward to bringing together some of the greatest people in the industry (nationwide) to get the riders something interesting to see and read. 

Just when you think you've seen it all with Biker Kulture, you will be surprised to see how we raise the bar again.

We're very excited for what's in store....For riders and business owners alike. 

You'll want to be a part of this! This is the new era for those who ride and enjoy motorcycles as a career.

Times have changed and we're going to shock you. We're going to keep you on your toes. We're going to give your eyes something vivid to look at and bring you info that will grow to be very rich in quality and style. 

We will follow a general format, but the content, design and photos...you won't be able to predict what's next!! We created and own the magazine, so we make the rules with our advertisers and riders in mind. Feedback is always welcome!!

Stay tuned...as often as possible. Let me know if you want to be an advertiser or if you want to distribute the magazine. (our interactive distribution map is built. We'll be adding it to the website shortly!)

Heather 954-651-8966 (Houston area Office)

www.bikerkulture.com

For graphic design and marketing work, go to: www.redphoenixmarketing.com 

We are sponsoring the Bike Show for a new event!!

If you register online you can use code BKM for a discount off of your registration fee to enter your vehicles!!! Don't forget to register early!! It's open now!

www.gcclassic.com

INTERESTED IN BEING A VENDOR OR SPONSOR? CALL: 954-651-8966

We are very excited to introduce to you a new contributing writer for our magazine! You may already know her or know of her famous story. Speaker, RiderCoach, Safety Advocate- Brittany Morrow.

On September 25, 2005, Brittany Morrow had a brush with death in a motorycle accident as a passenger on a GSXR 750.  She spent two months in the hospital and received skin grafts on over 50 percent of her body.  Since the accident, graphic photos of her injuries and articles about her experience have been posted on over 200 motorcycle forums in the United States alone.

With the magazine that I used to be part owner of in Daytona Beach, FL, we began speaking to Brittany Morrow when she was associated with the website SpeedFreakInc.com in 2006. She contributed a story about her experience. An amazing story. It always stuck with me, what she went through and how she is helping to prevent others from going through the same thing. 

I've invited Brittany to write our safety feature at Biker Kulture Magazine. There have been so many accidents involving our friends and associates and so many stories of death in our area. I hope that with what Brittany knows first hand and her partnership with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) in the Rock the Gear Campaign, we can help lessen the number and eventually prevent these injuries and deaths.

Most recently, Brittany is presenting at seminars on safety at the International Motorcycle Shows. 

Now, she will bring her expert experience and advice to you!

Brittany is a multifaceted person, not only helping people, but she is involved in many women's events and organization in motorcycling, too! She belongs to well-known groups such as the American Motorcyclist Association, Women Who Ride Rock, Sportbike Track Time, and is an active member on several national motorcycle enthusiast forums. Brittany is a staff writer for Sportbikes Inc. Magazine is also a contributing writer for RoadBike Magazine, StuntRide.com Magazine, and WomenRidersNow.com.

Brittany has embarked on writing a book with Brittny Cleveland about women in this industry. 

I was thinking...there are some people who don't hear this term very often.

Multiculturalism

In the field of marketing, where I am most versed in business, marketing multiculturally means to appeal to a wide variety of people of different races and cultures. Marketing this way in a magazine means that we are appealing to every rider and every advertiser out there by customizing the delivery of the information to include the rich heritage, cultural aspects and ways that these things enhance and affect the industry. This isn't about a small cross section...this is about a cross section of everybody. I hear that some people are under the impression that this means a small group, however, this is not the case.

THE NUMBER 2 DEFINITION ACTUALLY IS ONE DEFINITION OF THE UNITED STATES, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND WHAT IS KNOWN AS INDEPENDENCE!

WHY NOT BE MULTICULTURAL?

ITS WHAT WE ALL ARE UNLESS NOBODY IN YOUR FAMILY EVERY MARRIED OFF OR HAD CHILDREN WITH SOMEONE WHO DECENDED FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY OR COLOR?

I'm Polish, Scottish and Irish and if I knew something that we contributed to the motorcycle industry, it would be in there too LOL. (feel free to tell me if you know something I don't-it would be cool to have some new info on my peeps LOL ; ))  

LOOK AT MY NOSE-IT'S MY POLISH NOSE-WELL PART OF IT....BECAUSE I AM MULTICULTURAL TOO!

THIS IS MY POINT. NO PUN INTENDED ; )

Between myself and my two daughters, we have Irish, Scottish, Polish, Coushatta Indian, Mexican and some African American. Yeah...they are both pale redheads...fooled you huh? That is what America is, though. We're all essentially a descendant of immigrants...except Native Americans and even their tribes mixed.

How is this relevent in our magazine and to bikers? Well, Bikers are people aren't they?

There's someone in EVERY culture that rides. We're just showing you a little bit at a time ALL of those different types of people! You'd be surprised at how many over my 2000 something friends on my list are riders and business owners in the motorcycle industry in another country!

Our features, advertisers, photography, music and artists will be highlighted beyond the fact that the people ride or sell bike parts or bikes. It will talk about the story BEHIND these things. Ever watch the Harley Davidson Documentary on Harlistas? They did it, so it's not a new concept---- multicultural news and marketing.

I'd say Harley Davidson has a handle on their marketing methods wouldn't ya think? 

Let's use Daniel Sanchez, our founder, as an example. 

He's Apache Indian and Mexican-we hear some possible Navajo, too. If we talk about his work, we'd talk about how he integrates his culture or heritage or history into his work. (the red hand on his AMD bike representing the symbol of a hand print indians put on their horses when going into battle) He was competing in a championship...a compeition...a "war" between like minded men to win over one another. How about how he sometimes keeps a rolled up sarape on his personal bike?

The restaurant Danny eats at...Merida...in this first issue...we talked about how the restuarant became what it is and the love, passion and drive to be an entrepreneur and share their Mayan cuisine with Americans. Which, we LOVE!

The bike owner/painter on the cover, Lunchbox, is caucasian like myself, he painted a tank on his bike that represented a religious symbol....Virgin Guadalupe-Mary-...you see where I'm going with this?

Did you know that our own Cover Model, Veronica Gomez, is multicultural herself?

Our current and future slated models are Caucasian, African American, Mexican, Asian, Native American, Indian and so on.

I hope we cleared up any questions you may have.

The motorcycle industry has MANY facets. Some have a flamboyant style and love wild paint jobs and lights and big wheels....some have their heritage painted on their bikes. Some people like a stock bike. Some motorcycle clubs are mostly hispanic...like the local Harlistas. Some are clubs gathering based on their religion and desire to spread the word.

We can't be fit into a box. We are a MIXTURE of ALL groups.

Heck, half the time I'm walking around with PINK MULTICOLORED mohawk styled hair....Danny has hair down to is backside!

This mag is NEW because we are doing something for our riders that hasn't been done before.

We're not taking away from what's already been done, we're just here as a complement to what's out there!

It's what our customers have asked for.

Hope we shed some light on what it is to be a multicultural magazine.

Thank you to all of our supporters! You have been AMAZING promoting such a new magazine!

Shows we're doing something right to have so much immediate support!

We look forward to bringing you the MOST diverse info on people JUST LIKE YOU!

Just when you think you know what we have in store, you will be surprised!

~Heather Wright-Owner of Red Phoenix Marketing

We wanted to add a video section to our site. (under construction, so we're just beginning!)

Videos that represent the diversity in the magazine and vision for the future of the magazine.

The independence, the different heritage and the passion of different types of riders.

You can find our video page here:

http://www.bikerkulture.com/#!gallery

Here is one I can identify with:

To me, this video is a metaphor for my part in Biker Kulture Magazine.

A new generation of design, integrating different styles, ages and preferences...it's about moving forward into the future and new era of motorcycling. Rebelling against complacency and finding out what various types of people want and like and ride, then making it happen through research and the drive to be different!

We hope you enjoy the first few videos. We will be posting new ones, cycling out the old ones, etc.

We've begun a Youtube channel for our readers, too! Make sure you subscribe here: 

https://www.youtube.com/user/bikerkulturemagazine?feature=mhee

It may seem like a lot of info right now, but trust that what it means for riders is that we're looking at a future of very interested potential advertisers....the more advertisers...the bigger the book gets...the bigger the book gets...the more you have to read and see!

For advertisers? This means that people are REALLY paying attention to what's going on around here.

If the readers, business owners included, are paying attention, then YOU-THE ADVERTISER, are getting your money's worth!

The point is to promote and get more exposure for your business!

The groundwork is being laid for a magazine that keeps a lot of people engaged. 

OUR RIDERS KNOW THAT WE'RE WORKING TO BRING THEM SOMETHING FRESH AND ARE WAITING TO SEE WHAT'S IN STORE!

• Our average time on the website is 6 minutes and 9 seconds...still in shock when I remember that  the average time spent on a website is usually under a minute! Everyone's really taking the time to check our pages out! 

• Visits are spread pretty equally throughout the pages...not just the gallery shots of the pretty girls  

• Just as exciting...we've had a LOT of clicks on our blog posts! Shows them that we'r bringing some interesting content to both advertiser and rider posts.

• More than 60% percent of our site visits are coming from the PC not mobile

• HERE'S A GOOD ONE: the majority of the visits to our site are from people who have been to it between 26 and 100 times!! WOW...people are checking it out almost daily it seems!

• In two months I can see that our website alone has been visited by people in 86 cities

We're selling ads now for the next issue. If you didn't make it into the first one, you won't want to miss this one!

Advertisers are featured on the PC and mobile version of the website. 

In the digital magazine ON the website

In the digital magazine on ISSUU.com which boasts 52 MILLION READERS...sure, not all bikers....but I'm sure there are a LOT more of them there....than here in Houston. Who knows, your company could get NATIONAL customers from it! AND people can subscribe for FREE right online! They will know each time we post a magazine.

You will be featured and regularly mentioned on three Facebook pages containing around 3000 people (mostly motorcycle industry related)  and we have just started the magazine!!. How often do you see that on other publications?

Our blog is networked all over the internet through different sites where people can subscribe to updates.

There's SO much more!

Find out more at http://www.bikerkulture.com so you can LIKE us on Facebook and connect in other ways online. You will see just how often we post and promote!

Any questions? Call 954-651-8966 (Houston Office)

If you are...you better be ready...They say you always know a Pioneer by the arrows in their back.

What does that mean? It means that the one that's unafraid in uncharted territory is always out front and always doubted by those who fear the things they do not know.

You're a PIONEER, though aren't you.

Entrepreneurial spirit within...and ready to make a move on the most important decisions you will make on the way to your success.

Biker Kulture Magazine is a pioneer of sorts. The people who are involved in building our NEW magazine are some of the most creative people in the industry. Creativity is what brought us some of the most important inventions on the planet. We launched a little early, but sometimes you can't let the train leave the station without you on it, so we started running as fast as we could and JUMPED on one of the coolest concepts and formats to hit moto-media in this area. This first issue was only a taste of what's to come while we get saddled up and get ready to ride....

So you ask yourself...WHY WOULD I ADVERTISE IN A NEW PUBLICATION?

OUR ANSWER?

The earth's not flat, you won't fall over the edge if you sail beyond the sunset and there are stars beyond Hollywood.

You're a Pioneer, remember?!

Why am I writing to you about being a PIONEER?

We didn't come up with this magazine concept because we wanted to see a few pretty ladies on bikes.

We did this because there IS a market for it that is WIDE open and all of our own customers weren't advertising elsewhere and we wanted to know WHY.

All of that being said...

I want to share what everyone should  know about advertising before they decide where to do it...

Think about it, what nationality are you marketing toward? Do your bikes or  your products/services get purchased by one race/gender/age more than another? What kinds of people do you usually see at your bar?

That could be a way to think about it, but eventually, you will realize that the ones who are NOT buying YET are also people you WANT to market to. If you already have 90% Hispanic or white customers....there are a LOT of other people out there you are missing....and chances are....ALL of your customers ALREADY know who you are, right? 

If you have all male customers, you should ask yourself if your advertising and marketing efforts sway toward the male or female view....and the same applies for age, race and financial demographics.

The KEY IS TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS!

It's very easy to "stay the same" or become complacent by doing only what you've always done. It takes guts and ambition to step outside of what you already know and we know you've got the guts. If a girl left everything she knows to move back to the BIG state of Texas by herself 6 years ago and start her own company with nothing but her kids, what's in her pocket and a divorce battle in tow...you guys can do ANYTHING you set your mind to! Trust me on that. It's never easy when you want to improve yourself, grow a business, become successful and grow as a person!

And something else...it doesn't matter if you are successful at EVERYTHING you set out to do...but if you don't TRY, you already failed. Don't be afraid of things you are not familiar with. If staying away from things you don't know was a good rule, the United States and all of its inhabitants would be doing exactly what they were doing hundreds of years ago. You'd be riding behind a bunch of horses on a cart instead of a bunch of horses in your motor.

BIG QUESTION

Where do you want to advertise? In my opinion and in the opinion of many other reputable business owners, NEVER in just ONE place. That would be a bad move. Advertising to only one demographic, in one place or to one type of customers...is really going to do nothing but slow you down. Eventually, those people know who you are and then you find out that you haven't EXPANDED your presence in the industry...and that's not what being an entrepreneur is all about. See what I mean? Step outside of the box...don't be afraid of what you don't know.

What you'll want to do is evaluate the different advertising venues.

Local magazine, web, mobile, television, newspaper, National magazines, post cards, spaces on a bathroom or bar wall...you get the picture. Determine a budget.

The BEST thing to do is ignore people or your fears when they say DONT advertise somewhere.

BUT YOU ASK....What if I don't have the budget to advertise EVERYWHERE???

Adjust the options a bit. Say you can advertise in ONE place with a full page ad....but you're only reaching a particular demographic. But that's all you have the budget for right? Not really in most cases. What the Big Daddy Corporations that are making billions would choose if give a limited budget...is advertise in SEVERAL issues with a smaller, well placed, well designed and targeted ad. I know this because I used to sell advertising for a multi million dollar publishing company whose customers consisted of the LARGEST and MOST PROFITABLE companies in the WORLD-even to different divisions of the government.

That should give me a little insight. I also increased the sales of that publishing firm from 3-30% (depending on the publication's space being sold)  in the first couple of months. It happened, because there was money people were missing out on and there were advertisers who didn't really know what their options were.

Instead of one full page in one magazine, you choose to have two half pages in TWO magazines. Or instead of advertising only online, you hit up those riders on the road with some paper....a LOT of people still want that paper in their hands.

>>>>>>>>>>>The point of it all is for the magazines to help increase the advertisers' profit while still having a successful business of their own. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

>>>>>To give the riders...THEIR CUSTOMERS something to look at, information on how they get to these businesses...who is the best at something....who carries a NEW product...what bar is the MOST fun and so on.<<<<<<<<

THE RIDER AND THE ADVERTISERS HAVE TO BE HAPPY.

There has to be balance.

If you don't have the time or the knowledge to research or go out and about the entire city to bring customers into your shop...OR if you can't afford a sales team, then your advertising better be selling FOR YOU.

Find out where you haven't been and BE THERE!

I will gladly take a quarter page over a full if it gives the customer a chance to advertise in MORE THAN ONE PLACE AT A TIME.

A little of something is always better than a LOT OF NOTHING!

The other MOST important thing and the BIGGEST FAVOR you can do for yourself and your company and where you invest your advertising budget is to make sure that you and your ENTIRE staff asks EVERY customer that buys, calls and comes to your store these SIX VERY IMPORTANT WORDS:

HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US?

This is how you track your advertising efforts. Black and White numbers don't lie.

OH...don't forget to get your customers' contact info INCLUDING that how did you hear about us part. Before you know it, you will have answers to some VERy important questions in marketing yourself...

1. Who are my customers and where did they come from?

2. What potential business is out there and how can I reach them?

If you'd like to hear more about how you can market your business through a complete marketing plan, contact:

Red Phoenix Marketing

http://www.redphoenixmarketing.com

Moral of the story is, after you've researched your options, broaden your horizons and you'll be surpised how many people don't know about your business. Time to go get 'em!!

We know its difficult to try a new way of promoting your company and that you might be curious about who we are...

Think you'd like to know a little more about who you are giving your money to?

She's been on bikes since she was a little tyke....

But what does she know about motorcycles?

Does she ride? Yes...

Does she network and go to events?

DAYTONA BEACH RATS HOLE SHOW BIKE WEEK

This is shot was in American Iron Magazine

 

You can find the owner Heather Wright on Linkedin, for a better view of her

CORPORATE

experience and work history.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/redphoenixmarketing

Here are a couple of testimonials you might want to check out:

http://www.redphoenixmarketing.com/#!__testimonials

MANY OF YOU ALREADY KNOW THE FOUNDER of BIKER KULTURE MAGAZINE, DANIEL SANCHEZ, OF CUT THROAT CUSTOMS

http://www.ctcfab.com  

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS IN THE MEANTIME, CALL US AT 954-651-8966!

UNTIL THEN...

CLICK THE PIC TO GO TO THE DIGITAL MAG!

 

Did you know...That Biker Kulture Magazine is owned by Heather Wright, Owner of Red Phoenix Marketing & Design and Founded by Daniel Sanchez, owner of Cut Throat Customs?

RPM arranges most of our layouts, designs our ads and articles.

Daniel is the mastermind behind the "Diversity" concept of a local biker mag and consults with Heather on the range of content.

YEP...small, independent business owners.

Heather was a Sales and Marketing Professional in the corporate world for almost 15 years, working in Oil & Gas, Weddings, Special Events, etc. RPM began as an idea in 2005 while owner, Heather Wright, decided that a job for a single mom needed more flexibility. It was about time to create one. She began to teach herself how to do Graphic Design on the side while she was a Marketing Director for a small internet firm in town. She moved further beyond simple Microsoft programs into Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver and more, learning how to create Flash and edit videos and even build websites from scratch with HTML.

She was able to spread her wings through many websites and graphic design jobs with her biggest client, longtime friend and boyfriend-essentially Cut Throat Customs was a guinea pig LOL. (and yes, they keep business separate and he has to pay like everyone else LOL)

She began a pocket sized magazine in Daytona Beach, FL in 2006 called the Biker Guide with a business partner which ran for 3.5 years, expanding into Texas. The owners of the Biker Guide Magazine decided to dissolve the LLC when the motorcycle industry began to tank, though they tried to keep helping the small business owners by giving free ads for a while before it ended, then helping them market their businesses after the magazine ended.

POSTER MADE by RPM FOR THE TOPLESS TECH TIPS MODEL FROM EASYRIDERS MAGAZINE TO SIGN AT

DAYTONA BIKE WEEK AND LONE STAR RALLY-FOR JIM BEAM DEVIL'S CUT

Red Phoenix Marketing has since grown to do work (marketing and/or design) for people in the industry like Jody Perewitz, Strip Club Choppers, Rhett Rotten, Bagger Concepts, Jim Beam, Lone Star Rally owners and more! You probably saw Jody's trailer RPM designed when she was at Bonneville becoming the fastest woman on a V-twin last year!

Cut Throat Customs is the Founder of our magazine. A Native American/Hispanic Bike Builder who owned his own business for over 10 years. He began as a metal fabricator for a couple of industrial businesses and made a name for himself doing crazy metal work and lifing and lowering custom cars & trucks. Daniel Sanchez's wild bike builds can be seen all over town, recognizable by their uniqueness and the logo in the gusset of the frame. He still does custom auto work, too!

DANIEL RIDING INTO DOWNTOWN HOUSTON-PIC BY NOT STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY

In 2010, Daniel competed in the AMD World Championship of bike building and most recently was invited to be part of a 5 month exhibit at a museum in Indy called the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western History. The exhibit is called Steel Ponies and features more than 20 motorcycles, some on loan from museums like the Smithsonian and others like the Captian America bike from the movie Easyrider, an Even Knievel bike and the OCC Chippewa bike.

Daniel's bike is the only one being built specifically for the exhibit and will be unveiled on the opening day. It will be a Native American themed board tracker, including some of his own style and Hispanic heritage influences, as well.

Daniel came to Heather (Red Phoenix Marketing) with an idea for a magazine that would represent the new era and breed of "biker". There is so much cultural influence in the motorcycle clubs, custom bike designs and so much diversity that isn't always captured in mainstream "moto-media". Daniel, being Apache and Mexican (affectionately referred to as our Mexipache) he wanted to bring more coverage to people that are like his customers. Show off the work that their clubs do, brag on the rich multicultural aspects of the Texas Motorcycle Scene. Houston is known for having very large African American and Hispanic Motorcycle Riding Groups. Some having hundreds of members based in Houston Chapters. 

There are some great riding destinations and musicians to see, unbelievable artists that some people don't even know about. We're gonna give you all of our secrets. 

Daniel wanted the RPM twist on it. Creative layouts, striking photography from her favorite photogs, ballsy coverage, HOT HOT HOT models that she knows...who all have a connection in the industry in some way. Whether its a biker destination, bars, tattoo shops, fashion events....add to it that she's got an outside of the box mind, experience in the industry and has been on motorcycles since age 4. 

We have a perfect mix of views of the scene here in Houston.

This magazine will start out small, of course. We're independently owned and created it ourselves with our own visions and our own ideas and our own rules. But that's how we want it. We're building it from the ground up ourselves because we are like our customers....hungry for something new in town. It will take a while to find out what our riders and readers realy want. It's up to them to tell us and up to us to gather info. That's what we'll be doing. Adding, adjusting and creating the perfect magazine for local riders and business owners. That's what's great about being a magazine that we govern the rules of....we can do what ever our customers want and we can change it up to accommodate whenever we can.

RARE PHOTO OF HEATHER RIDING SINCE SHE ALWAYS HAS THE CAMERA LOL

We're different, yeah, we sometimes have wild hair colors or can be seen making a group of people laugh at Daniel dancing in public...we have a blast wherever we go. We have a diverse group of friends and customers who became friends in EVERY walk of life. Even in motorcycle clubs who don't typically mesh. WHY? Because we don't fit into a mold, just like our magazine. 

Stick by, watch us unfold. We're only gonna get bigger and more interesting...that's how we "roll"  LOL.

Do you know someone as different as us that you think we should cover in our mag?

Are you a business who is ready to break out of the stereotyped media mold?

Talk to us about what we can do! We're ready to run with it just like you!

954-651-8966

(Houston, TX Based)

http:// www.bikerkulture.com

http:// www.ctcfab.com