Advertising Pitfalls
Advertising is an expensiveway to attract business. It is an investment of time, resources and money thatdemands a return. Most dealers cannot affordthe expert advice of an advertising agency, so they handle the creation andplacement of ads themselves. And, more often than not, they make many commonmistakes that prevent their advertising from working. A few
Deadly Direct Mail
Direct mail can be a lethalweapon in the hunt for new customers or increased revenue – if it’s done right.Because it reaches into a customer’s home or place of business, direct mailalmost always gets noticed. But there are a few tricks you can use to keep yourdirect mailer from hitting the trash can along with
Hit The Classifieds
When dealers think aboutadvertising, most think about display ads in the local newspaper. While theseare effective, they are expensive in both dollars and time. But what aboutgoing in a different direction – classified ads? Contrary to popular opinion,classified ads are well-read and responded to by people in all demographicranges – age, sex and income. And
Five Things You’re Doing Wrong and How To Fix Them
For as long as there have been tire magazines, we have looked for ways to improve your business. For the most part, we have focused on the basics – clean restrooms, inviting showrooms, training, technology, radialization, computerization, inventory control, employee pay and more. But, that was then, and this now. Many of you have taken
Measuring Direct-Mail Success
Customer acquisition is importantfor a company’s growth, and businesses need even more planning and strategicaction during an economic downturn. Tight marketing budgets and cost managementare name of the game when sales are slow. Even under such toughcircumstances, direct mail can play a huge role in getting and retainingcustomers. Direct mail is one of the mostcost-effective
Marketing Basics: Simple as 1-2-3
Marketing is not complex if youknow the basics. Here are some tools that are brilliantly simple, and if youuse them, you really won’t have to sweat the small stuff. Tip #1: The more your potentialcustomers see your name in front of them, the more likely they are to call yournumber (and not someone else’s) when
How to Target Inactive Customers
You probably know that a prospectneeds to see the name of your business an average of seven or eight timesbefore they trust you enough to buy. When you consider the high cost ofadvertising and the potential lifetime value of every customer, it makes senseto try to recapture your inactive customers – people who have not
The ROI Quandary
When tough times come around,companies generally slash advertising spending. Advertising is a particularly easytarget for cost cutting because few companies have developed reliable ways totrack or predict return on investment (ROI). Instead, advertising budgets areoften calculated strictly as a percentage of revenues or based on the previousyear’s budget, with little attempt to determine how much
Advertising ROI: Image is Everything, But Profit Power is in Numbers
In many independent businesses, advertising gets a bad rap. When times are tough, it’s the first to go. When times are tremendous, it’s the last priority. Any business expense without an immediate, noticeable return won’t make the top of a tire dealer’s to-do list, especially when that list is miles long, crammed with the hundreds
Use Technology to Maximize Your Advertising Dollars
For years, independent tiredealers have utilized technology to measure such critical aspects of theirbusiness as inventory turns and mechanic’s productivity. Why? Because for each of theseitems that contribute to revenue, there is an associated cost. Inventory needsto be purchased, mechanics need to be paid, and owners want to know that theyare getting an acceptable return
Internet Marketing Made Easy
With the advent of the Internet,you can’t escape the fact that an Internet marketing strategy plays a vitalpart of the marketing plans for any small business. In fact, Web site marketingis an important part of just about any business, small or large. However, it can be dangerous toput up a Web site and just hope
Six Easy Ways to Increase Your Advertising ROI
Growing companies need toconcentrate on what they do best – which, often, isn’t marketing. Most companies want to know whattheir return on investment (ROI) was for an advertising campaign. If it wasn’tsuccessful, they will move on to another method, and it will fail until theytake a look at what the business is trying to achieve.