By now even the most low-tech tire dealer knows that having a presenceon the Web is a necessary part of improving his or her business.

Thenext generation of consumers has come to rely on the Internet as ameans of gathering tire information – from brands and features tosizing and prices. And you’ve likely seen a customer come into yourshop armed with computer printouts, already set on making a specificpurchase.

Chances are you already have a Web site, which shouldprovide the basic services of helping area consumers to locate yourdealership and letting them know what brands of tires you carry. Butare you using your site to its fullest potential? An informative,easy-to-use Web site can do wonders for a marketing campaign. Keepreading for some Web site “must-haves” to enhance your shop’s imageusing the Internet.

Back to Basics
Youdon’t need music, video, animation or fancy graphics to promote yourbusiness. Sure, those are extras that can be added if you have theability and resources, but for starters, a solid, general-purpose Website that offers key information will do. Think about the site you planto build – or your current Web site – and be sure it includes thefollowing sections:

• About Us: This is the place where you caninclude information about your company’s history, a mission statementor a customer care philosophy. To help customers get an even morepersonal connection with your shop, you could also include a short bioand photos of some or all of your shop’s staff. Include any training orcertification members of your staff have received, as well as localawards, like a “best of” or “reader’s choice” honor goven by localorganizations.

• Locations: even if your dealership is a singlelocation, it’s still important to provide potential customers with theaddress and directions to your shop. For multi-location dealerships,it’s also a good idea to include a photo of each shop’s storefront socustomers who have never visited before know what to look for. Inaddition to written directions, it’s also helpful to provide a map thatshows surrounding streets.

• Contact Us: In addition to anaddress, phone number and the names of key customer service employees,providing a form on your Web site that gives customers an easy,one-step means of leaving feedback is a good idea. Leave spaces for acustomer’s name, contact information and question. The key is to gatherenough information to answer the customer’s question or resolve theirproblem, while at the same time keeping the form simple enough so itdoesn’t scare people away. Leave them the option of getting a responseby e-mail or phone. Above all else, be sure someone on your staffregularly goes through customer comments and answers any questions.

•What’s New: Use this section to publicize any upcoming events you wantyour customers to know about, including car care clinics hosted by oneof your locations, a local race or charity event that your shop issponsoring, or even meeting times for community organizations in whichyou are involved. This page of your site should be treated like yourown personal public relations tool. Just be sure to update this areaoften, since people will likely stop checking this section if the itemsin it are outdated and no longer of interest.

• Services: Inthis section, provide visitors with a list of the services your shopoffers. You may not want to include pricing, since this often variesdepending on the vehicle in question, but do include a briefdescription of each service. Be sure to include any service that setsyou apart from your competition, whether it’s using premium parts oroffering free upgrades.

• Tires: Customers searching for aparticular set of tires will find it useful if your site lists thebrands of tires you regularly stock. Update this section often toinclude any current specials or new products. It’s also helpful toinclude basic tire care maintenance tips.

Going the Extra Mile
Ifyou already have a basic Web site but are looking for ways to drivemore traffic or stand out above those of your competition, consideradding features like video, an events calendar and printable coupons.Aim for thorough and informative rather than flashy, and avoid crowdingyour page with too many graphics and photos that will take too long toload.

Grab a digital camcorder and film your techs going overcar care basics like how to check fluids, maintain tire pressure andchange a tire. It will take a little time and know-how up front, butonce the videos are cataloged and posted to your site, it willreinforce for visitors that your staff are experts in the field. Inaddition to more Web site traffic, this will also drive added foottraffic to your shop.

Consider this idea to really make yourshop stand out: install “webcams” in your service bays so customers canuse their home or work computers to check on their vehicle while it’sbeing repaired. Unfortunately, the automotive repair industry is one inwhich consumers are often mistrusting. By being able to log onto yourWeb site and watch the techs perform work, you’ll be able to gain thecomplete trust of customers. Plus, with such a unique service, you’resure to gain positive notoriety by word-of-mouth advertising.

Offeringa handful of customer testimonials is another way to help build trust.For people who are new to the area, or who are unhappy with theircurrent tire and automotive service provider, seeing the positivefeedback from your customers will boost your shop’s image.

Tomake the testimonials meaningful, include a picture of the customer whois being quoted. Also, provide specifics – numbers, dates, car makesand models – to add a sense of realism to the testimonials. Choose asmall but diverse group of customers to use for the testimonials inorder to connect with as many people as possible, and of course, alwaysget their permission first.

To help build a more personalconnection with customers, try building a blog – or “weblog” – intoyour site. Updated daily, weekly, or as often as you have time, thiswill help customers get to know you, as the owner. Blog topics cancover just about anything – from shop news to challenges you’verecently encountered with a customer’s vehicle to common repairpractices. Be sure to inject a bit of personality into your entries tokeep readers interested.

Also, consider a “frequently askedquestions” or “question and answer” section for your site. If you don’tget many questions from visitors you can make them up yourself, basedon topics that would be of interest to the average consumer. Includenot only vehicle service and tire-related subjects, but also questionsabout your business. Questions like “What special services do youoffer?” or “Will I be provided with a ride to work?” can help youemphasize these perks to your customers.

Some other additions toconsider include a calendar or special events section, an automotive ortire terms glossary, printable coupons, a list of current job openingsor an employment application, tire and wheel fitment guides, anappointment scheduler, plus a form for service estimate requests.

Makesure your business is listed on all of your tire suppliers’ Web sitesunder their dealer locator tools – linking directly to your suppliers’sites will send new customers your way. Also, be sure to leverage anyco-op programs offered by your suppliers. Most tire manufacturers offera basic Web page template you can use to create your own virtualshowroom.

Remember, however, that basic sites linked from yoursuppliers’ locator systems will only show the suppliers’ lines, notyour entire product offering. If you want a site that showcases all ofyour products, you’ll have to create it yourself. That means finding alocal provider or using one of your suppliers’ Web developers.

Onceyour site is up and running, it may be helpful to set up a schedule toupdate it. For example, updating the events calendar monthly, the“what’s new?” section weekly and the blog section every two or threedays will ensure you are regularly adding fresh content without lettingmaintaining your site take up too much time every day.