What Are The Best Ways/ Places To Advertise for my New Car Body Shop?

[Jan]

Just opened an auto shop that is now focusing on painting/ finishing. What are the most useful places/ ways to spend our marketing budget so that we can maximize customer traffic and sales? The categories that I have mapped out are: Internet, Print, and perhaps in-person at shows/ and local presentations.

Any and all complete ideas welcomed. Thanks guys! (and girls)

[HILL]

First place internet, second craigslist, third canvasse(pass out flyers), fourth local events where you can be station at one you can advertise face to face. Fifth local news paper. I would give discount if they mention where they saw the advertising. Good Luck

[Pratibha Bharati]

Well,

The best place to give advertising is local newspaper, it is off-line advertising, and second option is classified online. You have to target local visitors and customers, for that you have to give local ads more.

Thanks

[J]

1.. commission an online business portal (site) to be built with a blog and a self hosted corporate email -- must meet the required SE specs
2.. hire someone (semi retired) to maintain the site and find relevant content to post in the blog
3..hire someone to build all the local directory pages (there's about 50 or 60) and have them make sure that those are fully completed with bus description, logo, everything. It will take them about 1 to 2 hours each to submit and verify each one.
4..hire someone parttime to place ads on CL and backpage, CL now allows daily ad insertion, so get multiple accounts and submit multiple ads daily 7/365
5..have a designer to design a new business card that compliments your site
6.. find and go to as many local networking events as possible, DON"T BE SHY -- talk to people and ask for their cards. let them talk to you about them, not about your shop. If you can't make a network event, send an employee or spouse
7..hire a part time person to set up an email / contact database with all the contact info you gathered along with any personal info like b'day, etc .. have your part timer email a short note (BCC) to each person stating what a pleasure it was to meet them and learn of their business. -- within 24 hours of event
8.. re-emaIL those people every 3 days, tell them about some new content on your site that is important to them. keep reminding them who you are (very low key) and ask for their help in sending someone your way for service
9. capture email addresses from your customers and add it to your contact database
10.. every time you return a vehicle to the owner, walk around it with them. discuss what you did and before sending them on their way-- remind them to post comments on the local directories and PERSONALLY hand them a card