Need Marketing Help

[tasr]

Please help me figure out how to start marketing for our new shop. I've never done it and need all the help we can get.

[ATSAutomotive]

You are discussing an extremely broad subject. What have you done so far? Website, facebook, newspaper, tv, radio, etc?

[tasr]

We are looking for suggestions on providers of these services. Who do you use to manage or provide marketing services. What services have provided the best return on investement etc. We do have FB website, etc however we are not in the business of marketing.

 

Thanks.

[mspecperformance]

tasr, I currently use Kukui for my CRM and web marketing. Been with them for almost a year and I am happy with their service.

[Dustin Rutkowski]

We currently use Netdriven for our website (www.autoDRx.com) and Mechanicnet for our CRM. Other than that the only thing that has worked marketing wise is a monthly bulletin that is mailed to everyone in our area. But, all areas are different. Your best bet is to talk to other businesses in your area (preferably of the same trade) and see what works for them.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Dustin Rutkowski

[JustTheBest]

To start, do you have ANY type of customer list? I am talking about customers that you've serviced? You MUST take full contact information. You can't get a flat fixed at Walmart unless you give them everything - you need to be the same way. With a customer list, you can start because they already know, trust and like you. Then put a referral program in place - and a proactive one - not some lame "get 10% off if you send us a customer". That doesn't work.

 

You could also rent a list to get leads or do a daily deal (like Groupon) I know, I know, that one is going to get comments about 'bottom suckers' and all that, but you need to get a list of customers.

 

Your website? Do you have one? It's got to be MOBILE RESPONSIVE or you're wasting your money.

 

I'm not really sure of where you're at - but I'll answer any questions you've got.

 

Matthew Lee

Author - The Car Count Fixer

[coyotesoftware]

The first thing you need to know about Marketing is that its a process and it has multiple moving parts. There is no such thing as a single activity done one time that will get you the results of launching your business.

 

There are two keys to success: Your message and the market you deliver it to.

There are many options about how to deliver the message.

 

A basic sixpack for marketing a new small business is:

1. A website

2. A Facebook page

3. Customer Reviews

4. Advertising to the population that are your best targets based on services you offer that they want to buy

5. Basic Public Relations

6. A list of targets that you can call on the phone, send mail and email to.

 

The best way to start is to begin with a canned program or service and then add or subtract from it as you get going and have data on what works and what doesn't.

 

You can get a website, automatic email marketing to your customers, reviews, lists to mail to and postcard campaigns with a dedicated account manager from Mitchell 1. I think Mitchell gives pretty good results reporting. Demand Force and Mechanic.net are in that same category.

 

Great PR and advertising can be fairly easy to come by if you're creative. Post your grand opening on Topix and put an ad on Craigslist. Look for all of the free places you can tell people that you exist. And by no means neglect Google.

 

Is there a free paper in your area that writes up interesting, edgy articles, restaurant reviews and hip places to go and things to do? See if you can work with them to do a promotion with a radio station for your grand opening?Talk to your vendor partners about a customer story on your business that they'd post on their websites. There are marketing programs that may include your ad on a page or in a coupon book that another company sells - a lot of schools sell those coupons for fundraisers.

 

Do your vendor partners publish customer stories?

 

The point is to tell people you're there and that there are a few things that make you different than any other provider in your market. In today's socially networked world, your customers want to know you too.