I'm ok for work at the moment, but need to consider the future. I'm planning to advertise in a kit magazine, either Kit Car Magazine or
Complete Kit Car.
Any thoughts as to the best one to choose?
John
Kit car is nothing but adverts in my opinion. The local shops no longer even bother stocking it. I think complete kit car has the highest circulation
figures at the moment, although i stand to be corrected...
Online adverts on totalkitcar / owners clubs might be more effective?
Total Kit Car also have a magazine now so thats a 3rd option. I'd agree Kit Car is just a 100 pages of adverts too so yours may get a little lost
amongst them.
An idea though - might be worth talking to the mags about doing an article on your new business alongside advertising with them??
I thought the nest way of deciding was to ask magazines for their press pack and check their circulation figures, they may even manage some demographics of buyers.
Doe's anyone still buy kit car mags? Got fed up with all the bitching a few years ago and the odd one I do buy is all regurgitated and adds
Has anyone on here actually used Mr Hendersons services?
Has he got any happy customers?
Happy customers are the best advert anyone can get in my opinion...
quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
Doe's anyone still buy kit car mags? Got fed up with all the bitching a few years ago and the odd one I do buy is all regurgitated and adds
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
Has anyone on here actually used Mr Hendersons services?
Has he got any happy customers?
Happy customers are the best advert anyone can get in my opinion...
quote:
Originally posted by mr henderson
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
Has anyone on here actually used Mr Hendersons services?
Has he got any happy customers?
Happy customers are the best advert anyone can get in my opinion...
I have three customers from this forum (the only place I advertise at the moment) and nobody has complained so far
However, although I have reason to hope that they will speak kindly of me, who are they going to speak to?
That's the thing about advertising, it's a question of how many interested people you can reach.
Thanks for the replies, everybody. CKC is more expensive than KCM and I've never liked the preponderance of adverts in KCM either. I'll talk to them both some more, and get their circulation figures
John
Could you get a couple cars youve worked on and get a stand somewhere? Finished product with close inspection is what people really want to see before
parting with their money.
If going down the 'not in person approach' have you thought about online ads on forums and owners clubs. Probably more productive.
[Edited on 24/2/0909 by JamJah]
quote:
Originally posted by JamJah
Could you get a couple cars youve worked on and get a stand somewhere? Finished product with close inspection is what people really want to see before parting with their money.
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
Why not ask them if they would be happy to post up their experiences of dealing with you. Positive testimonials give potential customers confidence to deal with the business.
Have you considered handing out fliers at some of the shows? Small outlay and would reach the sort of customer you are looking for?
quote:
Originally posted by JamJah
Could you get a couple cars youve worked on and get a stand somewhere? Finished product with close inspection is what people really want to see before parting with their money.
quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
Have you considered handing out fliers at some of the shows? Small outlay and would reach the sort of customer you are looking for?
quote:
Originally posted by mr henderson
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
Why not ask them if they would be happy to post up their experiences of dealing with you. Positive testimonials give potential customers confidence to deal with the business.
I expect they would do that, one of them has already said so. The problem is who apart from us is going to read it?
The whole point of the magazine advert is to reach people who are currently unaware of my service.
John
quote:
Originally posted by mr henderson
It's an idea, but, as David points out, it's pretty expensive. In any case, my thing is finishing off cars that the owners (or even the previous owners) have started. So I would be showing someone else's work and in large part either taking the credit, or the blame! for something I hadn't done.
My main thing is finishing cars (especially wiring) that people have just run out of time, or patience, or space with.
John
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
[
If I was looking for someone, it wouldn't matter what you put in an ad in a kit car mag or the like, it wouldn't make me want to place my business with you. What would make a difference to me would be first hand accounts from satisfied customers.
quote:
Originally posted by James
Also, do you have a website? In this day and age I'd have thought that was a must. I was the 1st thing I looked for (you can link it off your LB profile) when I was reading this post.
John,
We do sound a bit critical of your venture, and I think you're being more than usually patient! But I do think that people are trying to give
the best suggestions that they can think of.
One thing's for certain - your business case will have been well tested by the time this topic has been fully aired!
[Edited on 24/2/09 by David Jenkins]
How about starting with a small add in the part built section of the classifieds? I think a lot of people who are “at that sticky stage” look there to see what they might get for the kit gathering dust in the garage before actually making the decision to sell and seeing your add might just make them think?
quote:
Originally posted by mr henderson
quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
Have you considered handing out fliers at some of the shows? Small outlay and would reach the sort of customer you are looking for?
No, I haven't considered it and no I don't think it would reach my type of customer. People at shows are planning to do the whole thing themselves, and many of them will.
My type of customer has already made his purchase, maybe even a couple of years ago. He isn't going to any shows when he's already got a bogged down project in his garage.
In most cases the builder simply runs out of time, and needs to get the project finished to sell on or drive.
John
quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
quote:
Originally posted by mr henderson
quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
Have you considered handing out fliers at some of the shows? Small outlay and would reach the sort of customer you are looking for?
No, I haven't considered it and no I don't think it would reach my type of customer. People at shows are planning to do the whole thing themselves, and many of them will.
My type of customer has already made his purchase, maybe even a couple of years ago. He isn't going to any shows when he's already got a bogged down project in his garage.
In most cases the builder simply runs out of time, and needs to get the project finished to sell on or drive.
John
I don't follow the logic here.
Your type of customer may be the same person but in the future, who went to the kit shows with good intentions but for various reasons did not complete the kit.
Don't discount this suggestion. Even if the people who find the leaflet on their car don't use your service, they will be aware of it and pass it on to those they may know may want it.
quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
Also ebay - you've seen the kit car delivery ads - you could try that approach.
Couldn't you ask for your leftlets to go in the 'welcoming bags' that the guides go in? At work, we had an agreement at a local show that if we did everyones stuffing we could put in whatever we wanted for nowt.
Maybe try to negotiate a trial package of advertising with one of the mags on the basis of testing if it delivers sales? They too should be fairly
hungry for sales right now and it maybe the only way to establish if it's worth the expenditure.
I do personally think that the time/money may be better invested becoming involved in (or even trying to sponsor?) some the various user/builder
forums out there. I think the number of potential customers you would come into contact with may be greater.
Good on you for actually going through with it and good luck!
Word of mouth is a far better advert than paying through the nose to advertise in a magazine....IMHO anyway as tried the advert route and not worth
the expense.
Shows are a good choice, take along a car you have built or parts you make so folk can see for themselves...hard going saying the same thing for 2
days but good fun nonetheless.
Cheers,
Mark
A simple website is also probably worthwhile.
I think an advert is prob not worth it, we are a small business. admittedly not anything to do with locosts but laboratory equipment
We have paid through the nose for adverts and have not seen any real reward for them.
Our best source of leads is our website and exhibitions, though they do provide good leads they are very expensive.
So I would suggest advertising your services on ebay, a simple website, (the CMS program joomla allows you to make a professional one very easily) and
on online directories. and obviously across as many forums as you can. Even ones not directly for locosts as word of mouth helps here.
[Edited on 25/2/09 by trogdor]
quote:
Originally posted by Triton
Word of mouth is a far better advert than paying through the nose to advertise in a magazine....IMHO anyway as tried the advert route and not worth the expense.
Shows are a good choice, take along a car you have built or parts you make so folk can see for themselves...hard going saying the same thing for 2 days but good fun nonetheless.
Cheers,
Mark