Local businesses regularly give back to the community Have you ever noticed how the list of sponsors on a little league baseball team’s jersey is, more often than not, of beloved local businesses? According to sustainableconnections.org, community groups receive an average of 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.

It helps protect the environment! Not buying locally often means a lot of transportation in order to obtain distantly produced goods. Most imports are done by shipping and according to research done by elocal.com, transportation by shipping produces emissions of 1 billion metric tons of CO2 and uses 11 billion gallons of fuel per year internationally.

It stimulates the local community According to research by the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and Austin (Tex.) consulting firm Civic Economics, for every $100 spent at a locally owned store, $45 remains in the local economy, compared with about $13 per $100 spent at a big box. Knowing this, why not make an effort to invest in your local community?

It promotes a family atmosphere A sense of community in your local area is important. Uniqueness often fosters that feeling. Multiple states across the U.S. can boast about having a Starbucks, but being able to offer something different creates pride and bonding in the community. Supporting local businesses helps give the place you call home a unique character and draw.

As you can see, buying locally does have its advantages. However, the point of this blog post is not to shun big-named businesses. It is simply to point out that the option of buying locally deserves more thought and consideration. For communities and local businesses interested in developing their own Buy Local Campaign, contact Vision Marketing today for help with your promotional materials. Call us toll free at 1-877-563-5654 or send an e-mail inquiry to ron@visionmarketinginc.com.

1. Know Who They Are

This is the first and most critical element. Your customer likely knows the names of your competitors and how to get in touch with them, so you need to play the same game. Developing and cultivating an effective database of the customers who are already coming to you is much easier than advertising everywhere and hoping someone will notice it and care enough to respond. Your database allows you to go straight to the people who you know are already interested in what you do. The trick is, people are protective of their information and will not just pass it out to anyone who wants to sell them something. This is where creativity comes into play.

The customer wants to know, “How will giving you my information benefit me?” So give them an incentive, like a discount or contest entry. Maybe even create a club or membership program for customers to join, and in the process become part of your database. This will make the customer feel like they are on the inside of what you do. People are more likely to return to a business where they are a member than go to the competition. No matter what strategy you use, make sure that the client feels like it is simple, natural, and beneficial to give you their information.

One of the newest ways to connect with your customer base is via social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. It is extremely likely that many of your customers are already on these sites, so create an account and join them. Give an incentive for them to become your “fan” or to follow you, and then stay connected with them by sharing interesting information or updates. In addition to creating a personal feel for you business, maintaining an active social media presence will allow you to stay in touch with your clients and be seen by the people who value their opinion.

(For more on using social media, check out Harnessing the Internet: Social Media 101)

2. Know What They Do

This is the step in the process that optimizes the sales potential of your clients and helps you improve the overall quality of your business. People have reasons for every purchase they make, which can be extremely valuable information. Here’s the key: Similar people tend to think in similar ways, which lead to similar desires, which lead to similar purchase decisions. Lets back up and break that down. You have your customer database, so now is the time to put it to work. Let’s say Jimmy and Johnny both bought whole wheat pizza crust and organic tomato sauce from your grocery store, but Jimmy also bought some fancy goat cheese. Johnny is much more likely to also buy the fancy goat cheese than Billy who bought potato chips and dip. So instead of advertising goat cheese to all your customers, point Johnny toward it and maybe even offer an incentive to try it, but get Billy going down the soda aisle. Look for trends in who is buying what and make your customers aware of the products that will likely interest them. Don’t settle for just what the person initially wanted when you can lead them, verbally or intuitively, to other things they didn’t even realize they were missing.

The database can also be used to discover what your customers want that you are not offering. People like to feel like their input matters, so ask your customers for their opinions in a direct way instead of hoping someone will drop a note in the comment box. Ask your clientele what other products or services they would like you to offer, or what would make their interaction with you more pleasant. Who knows, you may discover that the clown-on-stilts you have waving people from the street corner to your store is actually driving them away (or maybe the opposite).

Social media is extremely valuable in knowing what your customers are doing. They may never tell you that they think your sales people are jerks, but they won’t hesitate to get in their car and post a tweet (that’s Twitter language for message) to their 137 followers telling them exactly how they feel. Be on the receiving end of comments like this instead of wondering what happened to the person. Even consider doing a little homework and researching what your customers are interested in via what they post on their individual profiles and check out what other products and services they are fans of or follow. Take advantage of the honest information and opinions that your customers make readily available online.

3. Show Them You Care

Two words: thank you. These words could mean the difference between one sale and two or even one sale and 500 sales. If you had the option of two different coffee shops and one barista acted like a zombie while they prepared your order while the other conveyed to you that they were genuinely grateful that you allowed them to make your latte that day, where are you going to get your caffeine fix the next day? And just as important, if not more, where are you going to bring your clients for meetings or tell all your friends to go?

While verbal is an easy and very important medium for the expression of gratitude, it often doesn’t last very long in the person’s mind and can be overlooked. Consider using a variety of strategies to show your customers and contacts that you care. Taking a step back to step #2, actually implementing what you glean from customers’ input is a simple and effective way to show them that they matter to you and that you want to better serve them. People love to know that what they say carries weight and that their input is valuable.

If you want to show your customers that you are grateful they do business with you in a way that will actually stick, you have to get creative. Receiving a gesture of gratitude that is unique and purposeful will make an impact, whereas a thank you note or email will be well received, but potentially short-lived. If you want to leave a lasting impression, send a message or gift that shows you put thought into it and actually care. For example, during the holiday season or any other meaningful time, consider sending your clients or key customers and contacts a food gift of some sort. This is something that is unique and will actually be enjoyed by the people you send it to. A gesture like any of the wide range of food gifts available is a relatively small investment that will have a big impact with your customer base.

Making the most of your current customers and optimizing the way you interact with them is a simple way to build your business and increase the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Turn your customers into loyal customers and reap the benefits of word-of-mouth advertising and strong customer lifetime value. Treat your database with care: use it to make your customers feel valued and connected rather than bombarded with irrelevant information. Positioning the customer base as one of your greatest assets is a sure bet to grow and improve the quality of your business.

Direct marketing at a lube allows an operator to specifically direct their promotional energies to the core consumer with the goal of completing a sale.

Marketing programs at lubes should be powerful and creative. Here are some ideas to breathe new life into some old marketing approaches.

1) Reminder cards

Jiffy Lube sends out a reminder card to its customers at 65 days – 150 days if overdue – said Jackie Rea, marketing manager, Virginia Lube, Inc., franchisee of Jiffy Lube. These reminder cards have a discount offer to entice the customer to service their car.

Be creative with recall cards: Combine them with a scratch and win game; have the customer bring in the recall card and drop it in a drawing box for the opportunity to win something, like a free oil change every month for a year.

2) New resident programs

New homeowner – welcome-wagon – programs give you the chance to greet a new resident in your area with a discounted trial offer to your lube. When the new customer visits the lube, make sure that employees recognize the individual as being new to the neighborhood.

Have the welcome package contain a map of the area, car air freshener and a VIP-type card to the lube center.

3) Seasonal post cards

During the summer months and holidays, people usually travel more often; therefore, an operator’s marketing should focus on the services people need to keep their cars running safely during these times.

Some services that could be offered during these times include:

• Coolant checks;

• Fluid checks; and

• Tire pressure checks.

4) Ladies day

Since women make up more than half of the population; target them as a potentially lucrative market? Try having a ladies day. Put a banner in front of your shop that advertises a discount oil change for female customers.

5) Early morning discount

If business is slow during a certain time of the day you should give customers an incentive to come in for service at that time.

If early morning is the slowest time of the day, try offering a special discount for customers, and throw in coffee and pastries.

6) Door hangers

Have a contest where employees pass out door hangers in their neighborhood promoting the quick lube. The hangers should be an invitation from the employee and contain special discounted offers so that customers feel compelled to visit.

The employee that brings in the most customers wins a prize; in addition, the customer that the employee brings in could have a chance to win a free oil change.

7) Cross-promotion

Increase business by partnering with another business, such as a carwash or other car care facility, and do cross-promotional efforts.

One thing Jiffy Lube has done in the past was to partner with Papa John’s Pizza. They supplied them with pizza box-topper flyers that contained both Jiffy Lube coupons and Papa John’s Pizza coupons, said Rea.

Back to school

If you are in a college town, then college students are a prime market for your oil change business; but up-selling is a challenge. Despite this, they are an extremely valuable market and one that should not be disregarded.

There are many different advertising opportunities on university and college campuses to participate in – school newspapers, student hand books, coupon books, radio, etc.

Whatever direct marketing an operator actually does, they will want to make sure that the message is clear, concise and creative.

The goal of any marketing campaign is to create “top-of-mind awareness,” according to Rea. Rea advocates doing whatever is necessary to keep an operator’s name on the customer’s mind. An operator should keep the customer aware of the exceptional service that the lube provides, and make sure that idea is reinforced in everything the lube does.

Ron Beverly is president and chief idea generator of Vision Marketing, Inc., Lynchburg, VA, which provides marketing products and solutions for the carwash and oil change industry, and can be reached at ron@peeladeal.com.

The above article was originally submitted to Professional Carwashing & Detailing® magazine in September 2003.

Facebook

At the moment, Facebook.com is the mother of all social media. Founded in 2004, Facebook now boasts over 300 million users, 50% of which check their account everyday. Facebook is a social networking site that essentially allows the user to create a personal profile, add other people as friends, communicate with those people, and share photos, videos, notes, their status, events, and other information. Originally, the site was exclusively for college students, but now it is open to everyone.

How do I use it for marketing?

Facebook makes it easy for a business or organization to create a page (different from a personal profile) which individual users can become a “fan” of. Using a page, you can send updates to your fans, post pictures and videos, allow fans to post pictures and videos, share links, start discussions, and much more. A good example is Starbucks’s Facebook page, which has almost 4 million fans. This is a great way to share with people who are interested in what you do as well as create a more personal feel for your business.

Facebook also offers a revolutionary system of advertising on their site. Based on information individual users enter on their personal profile, the site allows you to target people based on variables such as location, gender, relationship status, interests, etc. For example, a bridal boutique can limit their advertising on the site to engaged females who live in the city, or even go to the local university. Also a concert promoter could advertise only to local college students who like a particular band. This unique system of segmentation makes Facebook’s advertising extremely effective.

Myspace

Myspace, which once was the leader in social networking, has lost some ground to Facebook, but is still very popular with about 125 million users. More and more, Myspace’s user base is shifting toward teenagers and bands. Similar to Facebook, Myspace users create a personal profile from which they can share information, photos, videos, and connect with friends. It is still the leader in social networking for bands because of the way it allows them to post music and concert dates to their profile.

How do I use it for marketing?

Myspace is much more limited as far as advertising opportunities than Facebook. Ad placement is mostly limited to banner ads on the top of the site. For a business looking to reach a younger segment or connect with music groups, creating a profile can be a valuable option, but overall, the trend is definitely toward Facebook in the social networking world.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn.com is a social networking site similar to Facebook or Myspace, which is stripped down to the bare bones for the sole purpose of professional networking. It has a network of around 45 million professionals and lets users make “connections” with other people in the business world. Because of this, marketing opportunities are limited mostly to business-to-business connections on a personal level.

Twitter

At its core, Twitter is a short-messaging or microblogging service. Twitter users utilize the site, a computer application, or mobile device (i.e. a text message from a cell phone) to post a tweet, which is a 140 character-long message about anything they want. Various other companies and sites have developed services that allow you to include pictures or even a map link of your GPS location (if you “tweet” from a device with GPS like an iPhone) in the tweets you post. While Twitter is relatively new and has fewer users than some other sites, Compete.com ranks it as the third most-visited social networking site. It sees much of its traffic from adults, and companies. Twitter users can follow the updates of anyone they choose from their friends, to celebrities, to businesses, to news headlines.

How do I use it for marketing?

In terms of business, Twitter describes itself as a communication platform that helps businesses stay connected to their customers. Also, one of the more unique aspects of Twitter is that there are no advertisements on the site except for any that a user chooses to follow in text form. The combination of these aspects of the site makes it one of the most unique and valuable tools in social media marketing and customer relationship management with two different applications. First, Twitter can become one of the key voices of your company to your customers. Updates, promotions, and other messages can be instantly broadcast to customers who actually want to hear them. It is a great way to make a business feel more personal to the consumer. Second, by searching for a brand or business name as a topic, the company is able to see what people are saying about them. In the same way, the company can follow its customers’ tweets to hear what they are saying about their experiences. A customer might never send a letter or fill out a comment card, but they are very likely to post a tweet about something that catches their attention during their experience with your business. It is like eavesdropping on your customers, except they want you to hear and they make it convenient.

YouTube and Vimeo

YouTube and Vimeo are both video-sharing sites. Posting videos online helps your business in two main ways. First, video content makes your message both interesting and tangible to a person in search of information. Most people, given the choice, would much rather watch a video instead of reading a page of text. Second, posting videos on sites like these helps with search engine optimization. By having an account on sites like these that links to you, and even going the next step and embedding the videos on your site using the easy HTML codes they give you, search engines are much more likely to view your site as interesting and rank you higher.

Now the question is which site to use. It basically comes down to quality vs. traffic. Vimeo is a less-used site, but plays videos in higher quality online. If your target audience leans toward the artsy side, or you are mainly concerned with embedding videos at the highest quality, this is the site for you. YouTube on the other hand has many more users, but does not offer the same picture quality that Vimeo does. It also is has much more clutter which includes videos of mature content (which Vimeo does not allow).

An effective social media presence is becoming a must-have to today’s society. From a customer management standpoint, social media make your business personal and accessible. It also lends credibility to your organization when a customer sees you as active and engaged with the customer base. In addition, a purposefully constructed web of social media presence makes your business a dominant force in the eyes of search engines. Customers will be able to get to know your business on a more personal level through whichever media they are most comfortable with, and you will reap the benefits of establishing an online fan base.

1. Who?

It sounds simple enough, right? In reality, this can be a very complex question that requires much consideration and research. Different types of people respond to different types of advertising and not all potential customers or clients are created equal in terms of value to your business. It is vital to the success of your campaign to identify the types of people who are most likely to bring the greatest return on what you put into your marketing efforts. Consider demographics (their physical characteristics), psychographics (how they think), and their habits. So back to the original illustration, we have narrowed our target from all the fish in the sea down to sharks (we wouldn’t want to leave out all the leopard shark’s friends).

2. What?

When we want a friend or colleague to do a favor for us, often times simply a few kind words or a rational appeal will do the trick. On the other hand, have you ever tried using a rational appeal with a few pleasantries to get your dog, Rover, to sit or drop your new shoe that he is chewing on? In the same way, offering your colleague a dog biscuit will likely not get you very far. All that to say, the message or incentive is ineffective if it does not reflect the desired audience, a.k.a. the “who.” Consider doing the homework and conducting the research to find out what your target market will respond to. Web sites such as Survey Monkey and Zoomerang make it easy to create online surveys that can help you discover what your target responds to. Perhaps even use these surveys in conjunction with social networking sites to get them to the right people’s computers. We just discovered that the leopard shark we are fishing for prefers small fish to the stale bread we were using as bait before.

3. When?

Let’s talk about Dependent Dan for a minute. Dan is a typical college student who works all summer, but when his summer earnings are all spent, he once again becomes dependent on the funds he can convince his parents to send him. If you are the local restaurant in Dan’s college town, “when” becomes a critical question. A marketing campaign in April or May will not reach him because all his funds are gone, whereas a coupon in September might keep Dan coming back for quite some time. Spending habits are not constant throughout the year for most people. Think about when people are most likely to take full advantage of what you have to offer (maybe tax return season, for example). So apparently sharks like to feed at dusk or dawn. That could have saved us from the sunburn we got sitting on that boat all day.

4. Where?

It’s time to become a stalker (well, not really, but maybe a little bit). We now know who our target is, what they will respond to, when they will respond to it, but where should we cast our line? It’s time to think about where our audience spends their time. It has been said that birds of a feather flock together. The same is likely true of your target market. People within the same psychographic (like-minded thinkers) and those with similar habits are likely to also show up at or near the same places. Say you want to run a promotion at your health food store targeting healthy people. Healthy people tend to do healthy things. Instead of finding the cheapest billboards in town that not even birds will pass by, consider investing in that slightly more expensive billboard right next to the gym. Looks like we need to get our boat to the west coast and closer to the shore if we are going to catch that leopard shark.

5. Why?

It’s all about you! Doesn’t hearing that make you feel good? It’s true when it comes to your marketing campaigns and promotions. If you are focused and purposeful about the results you are looking for, your goals become infinitely more attainable. Too often people and businesses want to advertise just because everyone else seems to be doing it. So they end up posting ads wherever they conveniently can. Marketing with weak purpose is likely to return weak results. Do you want new customers or do you want to reinforce your current clientele? It’s all about asking the right questions of yourself or your team to develop purpose. Backing up your promotional efforts with purpose, direction, and creativity targeted at your desired audience makes an ad an effective and efficient tool for your business rather than just another piece of junk mail or clutter on the side of the highway. Why do we want to catch the leopard shark? To see how beautiful it is and take some pictures for the folks back home (and then release it back into the wild, of course).

The journalist who wrote that story on the front page of the newspaper you were reading this morning during breakfast knows how to get your attention and package the information you are interested in. While the five W’s are a standard in journalism, they are too often overlooked when it comes to marketing. The same elements that make a news article interesting and informative can also make or break the way you promote your business. Purpose and direction are two of the elements that help get a business off the ground. In the same way, they can also make a campaign or promotion successful. By integrating the questions of who, what, when, where, and why into the way you market yourself or your business, the promotional efforts you invest in become tools that grow your business and help you to reel in that shark instead of the typical seaweed.