Every now and then, things just seem to “click.”

QuikrStuff makes tough, durable bike racks built here in the United States. Using a patent from legendary product designer Cal Phillips, one that has become the next generation of his popular “Quik Rack” bike rack, QuikrStuff has become the gold standard for dirt-hungry riders heading to the trailhead. The leadership team behind QuikrStuff – Bryan Wachs and JT Westcott – launched the business in 2020 on a mantra of building quality products that become essential to their users, and doing so in a manner that creates good jobs and boosts local economies, rather than sending work overseas. This QuikrStuff case study outlines how MSB Agency helped the brand build a winning marketing formula.

QuikrStuff racks: The making of an iconic brand

People tend to notice when you care this much about the quality of your product. When that product is built off a legacy as solid as any in the outdoor biz, you know you have a recipe for success. Over $1 million in presale revenue and a backlog of orders later, QuikrStuff found itself in the unique position of having more customers than product. By building a positive relationship with these customers that is equal parts inspirational, informational, and humble, the company overcame supply chain issues and continues to see steady growth. MSB Agency is proud to partner with QuikrStuff and to be a part of this story.

“In January 2020, I took the leap,” Bryan Wachs says. “I raised only $250,000 from some friends because we already had a factory, per se. We didn’t need to start one from scratch with JT. Part of the business plan from day one was we were going to do presales to the 6,300 people waiting (to buy a rack) since Cal had announced this in 2017. We had these people wait and we marketed to them. We told them it was going to be a six-month wait because of COVID and the supply chain. Little did we know it was going to be 10-month wait for some of them. And through three different marketing experiments, we’ve pre-sold $1.2 million worth of racks.”

Now, the company still presells racks and builds a positive relationship with customers during the interim period. How did QuikrStuff pull this off? First, the company knew it had the best rack ever made. Second, Wachs and his team worked side-by-side with MSB to bring the message to the masses.

In 2020, MSB launched a full-scope e-commerce platform for QuikrStuff built around the optimization of on-page SEO and paid ads. We also mixed in some fun marketing strategies along the way.

“I think that’s the cool part for a company like MSB Agency, is that since they’re so tech-savvy, you get to experiment and try new things to be relevant,” Wachs says. “Part of our success has been playing with systems and experimenting. Having a highly technical, educated, experienced crew like MSB has been huge.”

Attaining “rockstar level” CAC (customer acquisition cost)

No business owner wants to pay more than they have to for each lead. Our paid ads and marketing strategies for QuikrStuff delivered a Marketing Efficiency Ratio of 25.8x – total sales revenue divided by total marketing spend – meaning the company brought in over $25 for each $1 it put into its campaigns with MSB Agency.

Of course, anyone can buy an ad on YouTube or Google. Our strategy for QuikrStuff highlighted the following characteristics, and tied them into the brand’s adventure-first ethos:

• QuikrStuff offers a new product, built in the USA, designed by cyclists for cyclists
• Developing relationships with customers and over-loving them, helping them to identify as part of the “crew”, which breeds brand loyalty. “We get to own that relationship and therefore build brand awareness and get them “involved” with our story,” says Wachs.

MSB focuses on one thing above all else: Targeting.. We’ve spent over a decade honing and re-honing our targeting strategies. A paid ad is worthless until the right person sees it, and because we take the time to learn who your customer avatar is, we’re able to identify where he or she hangs out online, what they’re likely to click on, and craft an ad that speaks directly to them.

More cool strategies that worked

“Ask an Owner” – In the lower-right corner of QuikrStuff’s website, we put a pop-up that prompts users to ask questions about the product to verified QuikrStuff owners. In return for answering and effectively acting as an “ambassador” of the brand, the owner can choose to earn points towards future merchandise purchases or have QuikrStuff make a donation to their local trail network. Everybody wins – from prospective buyer to owner to the greater mountain bike community.

Integrated Klaviyo – For companies selling a physical product direct to consumers, having a Marketing Automation/CRM (lite) to handle email and SMS marketing in a flash is critical. We optimized the platform for QuikrStuff’s customer interaction and helped the brand to develop the most effective email marketing strategy in its niche.

Monetizing QuikrStuff’s core value as “the last bike rack you’ll ever buy” – As a business owner, one of the biggest questions you must answer is this: If you’re adding value to people, how do you better monetize that value? In this case, that happened through paid ads that delivered the brand’s rugged high-desert mantra directly to customers through YouTube, Google Ads, Facebook, and Instagram – in other words, we brought the brand to where its customers were already hanging out.

Bringing QuikrStuff’s personality to life. Bikers want to use racks made by other bikers. A quik (pun intended) stop by QuikrStuff’s “About Us” page makes it clear that these racks practice what they preach – not only through a compelling story and mission statement but also who the company partners with. We highlighted organizations and brands that QuikrStuff’s customers know and trust, including COPMOBA, Colorado Mesa University, and Bicycle Outfitters. After clicking through the paid ad funnel, a potential customer learns right away that QuikrStuff’s roots are as “Colorado” as theirs.

Why it’s important to work with a local Grand Junction marketing agency

There are the big players in outdoor recreation marketing – the companies that know the ins and outs of a corporate boardroom as well as anyone, that design flashy campaigns to air on major mainstream media outlets.

But what those major marketing agencies don’t know is your town. And your customer. YOU know them and you know why your product is perfect for their active lifestyle. Here on the western slope, a local Grand Junction marketing agency like MSB Agency can speak to your customer because, off the clock, we are your customer.

“I think you want to connect with a local agency because they have to live your brand and vice versa,” says Wachs. “There’s nothing like being in the same room and brainstorming and getting that connection because your marketing agency is basically an outsourced employee and they have to be able to live that brand experience with you.”

MSB Agency asked Wachs what factors he recommends business owners consider when choosing a marketing agency, and why he picked us. These are his tips:

• Do you connect with the team?
• Are they passionate about your business and your model?
• Are you aligned with them from a vision, ethics, and values standpoint?
• Does it feel good to have a healthy debate with them from a non-biased, outside perspective?
• Do they admit when experiments don’t work?
• Do they move budget?

“MSB Agency ticked all of these boxes,” Wachs says.

“MSB Agency gets me. I’m the leader of this brand. This is our vision. This is who we are. This is what’s important to us.”

Want to see what MSB Agency can do for your paid ads?

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