Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Can you be more specific? What type of business, who are your target customers, what industry, do you have an online presence, etc.

Do your customers to-date have something in common? A type of car? Age? Gender? Profession? What you'd like to do is find the common reason they hired you, and then find more people who have the same reason to hire you. That can be online, banners, advertising, co-marketing (used car lots), etc.

I believe Tinker has it backwards. Prime the pump with targeted advertising, then keep the flow going with happy customers.

The basics to keep in mind when advertising: target your audience. Who needs your service? Where are they? How do they get information about the services they use? Most people get information in multiple ways, not just one: TV, radio, internet, mail, word of mouth, newspaper, text message, flyers in the door.

Then find an advertising method that meets their needs and your budget, and use one or a combination that fits the bill. Just remember, ADS do not carry the credibility of a personal recommendation, or of an ARTICLE in the paper or on TV. Note, I did not say AD on TV or in the paper. Write a press release instead.

If a press release is picked up, it will give you more credibility than an ad. Keep putting more press releases out as you can - announce new services, new personnel, new location, new prices, awards, charitable activities, etc.

Make it easy and desirable for customers to recommend you by doing a great job and making it easy for them to pass on your info. Remember, too, truly happy customers will recommend you without any incentive, especially if your service is an excellent value that others can use, too.

At the moment your customer says they are happy with your service, thank them, then give them two or three business cards and ask them to pass them on to friends and acquaintances.

Advertising does not need to be a huge part of your outlay, but it is essential to get things started or to bump things up a notch, and should be a steady trickle, not a knee jerk KICK because sales are falling. Word of mouth will keep people coming in. Every person you do business with can recommend you to at least one other person.

Quick, easy and cheap way: Develop relationships with business parks and set up a mobile detailing station (hope I got the service right) there. Schedule each location once or twice a month. Then deliver a flier or certificate or stack of cards to each nearby office. Maybe even offer a free something to the chief executive, or a first-timer's discount. Go to them directly and bypass spending advertising money. Then mine new customers from existing, and hopefully very satisfied, customers.

People have mentioned publicity. To get covered in the paper you're going to need a story. What you need to do is pitch that story to your local paper, television station, radio. A story is not "we are having a 50 percent off sale this weekend". Your story is the economy. People cannot afford to buy that new car every two years anymore. As an alternative you can give them that "new car smell" without the new car. The story can be about ways to live the life without paying the price. You could be one part of that story. This is a very hot topic in local media. I guarantee that any journalist would pay attention if you called with this idea and as an extra bonus you had another suggestion of a business that does something similar. Do you have a friend who is a tailor that can alter your wardrobe giving you a new look without buying new clothes???

I also love the office park idea but I think you need a pitch and this could be it...to both your customers and the media. People right now are overworked( if they still have a job) and on a much tighter budget. Detailing at the office park as Pamela suggests solves the time issue as their car is just sitting there anyway. Give them a reason to spend the $100-200 whatever the charge is by equating that with the feel of a brand new car.

Traci Browne
Red Cedar Marketing