Marketing a business....advice...

[Brian2by2]

Well I'm going to be helping a buddy of mine out with some marketing for his speed shop. He deals primarily with BMWs, Audi's, Porsches and other German/European cars, so my NSX isn't really a marketing tool

Anyways, I was wondering if ya'll had any ideas for advertising. So far I've got:

Forums (BMW, etc)
Local Car shows (vendor booths and fliers)
Local Trader Magazines

Im trying to figure out some other ideas to spread the word. They have a few sponsored cars that have their name on them, so thats a plus. I also know a ton of people in the car scene down here, so thats another plus.

Any other unique ideas?

thanks in advance

 

[Eric5273]

Is he just tuning cars or is he reselling parts as well? If it's just tuning, then I really would have no idea since I have no experience with attracting local customers to a business.

If he's going to be selling parts through mail-order, then I would suggest taking out an ad in a european car tuner magazine. And don't get one of those small 1/6 or 1/4 page ads. If you really want results, then pay for a full page ad. Also, you can usually get a good position (near the front, right side) without paying extra -- you only need to request it.

I'm not in a similar business at all -- I'm in the music business. But for my company I find advertising in trade magazines to pay off, but only if its a large ad in a good position within the magazine. The small ones seem to be a waste of money.

Also, experiment at the beginning. Whenever someone calls to place an order, ask them how they heard about the company. If they say from a magazine, ask them which one and the month of the issue. People usually have no problem answering a couple of questions like that. If you are taking orders on a website, also ask those types of questions. It helps you to know how well your ads are working.

 

[AutoEuphoria]

As with most businesses, word of mouth is the best advertisement. Have him do a few amazing cars, and take them to shows like you said. Sooner or later people are going to say "Damn that's a nice M3...who did your work?", and then it just spreads. That's how most of the good tuning shops blow up - just satisfied customers telling their friends.

 

[NsXMas]

price his items 5 dollars above cost, sell. don't ship to 30% of his customers.
repeat...


*da guilty one nos wat I'm talkin' about

 

[huckster]

Web site are also a good source. Here are two makes that he may not have considered that are really 'under-represented' and may be a niche market. Volvo and Jaguar. I would think it would be hard to compete with Bmw and Porsche tuning/parts, as there are a lot of companies already doing this. Volvo and Jaguar are makes with very few aftermarket tuning/parts options. Especially Jaguar, which does have a 'sporty' image and for which there is demand for what your buddy is doing.

 

[loNfastNSX]

Go to the local Dealerships in the area and ask them if you can place fliers in their showrooms. I did this for my business and it worked great. I even offered a 10% discount to new owners that purchaced their car from those dealerships. Most GM love to be affiliated with as many sources of potential buyers as possible. Word of mouth will always be your best advertising though. Good luck to you and your friend!!!!

 

[NetViper]

You really cannot beat the local paper for advertising power. The amount of people that will see your ad in the paper is far far far greater than any other source you can use. It is not cheap, but it is very effective.

 

[DocL]

You really cannot beat the local paper for advertising power. The amount of people that will see your ad in the paper is far far far greater than any other source you can use. It is not cheap, but it is very effective.

I agree 100%, plus they will give you the best areas to cover and they also provide a professional looking layout.

The biggest mistake that small business owners make is thinking that they can also be a marketing agent.

-Good luck.

 

[NSXLuvr]

Yellow pages and Billboards. Unlike a newspaper the ad has visibility for atleast a year(yellow pages) or as long as the ad is posted(billboards). In my research, it offers more visibility that an ad in a paper. This specially applies to billlboards in the big cities where somebody might not drive 40 miles to go to your shop when he has a closer shop.

my 2 cents.

 

[DocL]

Yellow pages and Billboards. Unlike a newspaper the ad has visibility for atleast a year(yellow pages) or as long as the ad is posted(billboards)...

I disagree. If you have limited funds, why lock yourself into a year long contract that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. The yellow pages are not they used to be, and if you're not listed as the first entry in the section with a full page color ad, you are wasting your money. I have recently consulted with an marketing person and I was amazed at what works now as comparred to what used to work.

 

[White92]

See if you can get ahold of BMW Girl from the BMW forums. Everyone on the web knows who she is. Have her do some print ads and billboards.

 

[NetViper]

Yellow pages and Billboards. Unlike a newspaper the ad has visibility for atleast a year(yellow pages) or as long as the ad is posted(billboards). In my research, it offers more visibility that an ad in a paper. This specially applies to billlboards in the big cities where somebody might not drive 40 miles to go to your shop when he has a closer shop.

my 2 cents.

I 100% disagree. What do people normally go to the yellow pages for? Answer, 7 digits... a phone number. Most people already know what they are looking for. It is mostly a reference. Most people also put it in a closet and never pull it out unless they need a number. Another thing is most people browse the yellow pages back to front.. so that HUGE ad near the front is really worthless.

Spending a lot of money on a yellow page ad IMO is a waste of money. Should you be in there, yes, but I sure wouldn't spend much of a budget on it.

Billboards are also very expensive and blend in to the background in about 17 days. Positional billboards are also an option.

Stick with the paper IMO.

 

[Brian2by2]

Since this is a tuner shop, I'm considering starting a car club under their name and using the shop as a "hang out" kinda place that will draw more attention. This is just an off the wall type of marketing.

We have an M-coupe, a ton of bikes, 2 T-rex's, my NSX, a Turbo SI, a Porsche Cayenne and a few M3s, so that will be one of the more "elite" car clubs in our area. That should draw a good reptutation and lots of attention.

Other than that, I think I'm going to begin posting on some of the Bavarian forums, maybe sponsor one of the BMW forums, re-design their fliers and hire some models to advertise at HIN in Dec, and place an ad in our local trader mag as well as in a Euro Tuner mag for right now.

 

[White92]

I'd be careful turning the shop into a hangout. You'll get alot of unwanted people hanging out there. Alot of posers. People wanting to hang out in the shop where they don't belong to see what you guys are up to. Just like an Acura dealership that never has an NSX, they finally get a used one on the showroom floor and the ricer kids come flocking like stink on, well you know....