The right time to work on your winter tire marketing strategy is now.
The lack of snow in many parts of Canada last year made it a tough one for tire retailers, and next winter seems like a long way off. But to be proactive and help ensure next winter will be hotter, so to speak, it pays to think about it now, well before the frost comes back. “There is no bad time to think about your marketing strategy,” says Janet Boccone of BocconeCreative.com. “The first step is evaluating what you’ve done before and how it worked for you.”
Especially if you’ve largely stuck to traditional channels like TV, radio and print, now is the time to test drive new avenues. “The digital world changes quickly, so even if SEO or video marketing, for example, didn’t seem important last year, it could very well be key next year, and you don’t want to wait until you’re scrambling to differentiate your business to try it.”
Lights, camera, promotion
Video marketing in particular is becoming increasingly vital to any effective marketing campaign. According to Hubspot via Forbes magazine, video will claim more than 80 percent of all web traffic by 2019, and adding a video to marketing emails can boost your click-through rates by 200 to 300 percent. Embedding a video in your landing page can increase conversion rates by 80 percent and, according to YouTube, mobile video consumption grows by 100 percent every year.
Driven by reviews
It’s also a good time to find out what people are saying about you online. Be honest with yourself when you’re checking out customer reviews. If they’re good, don’t rest on your laurels, but take the opportunity to be even better at what clients say you’re already good at.
If they praise your customer service, make that central to your marketing. If they’re critical, address the matters that come up. If long wait times seem to be a problem, think now about what you can do to mitigate them when things get busier.
The survey says…
Speaking of customer feedback, a slow spot is a good time to conduct a customer satisfaction survey, which has the added bonus of reminding them that you’re around and ready to do business when they are.
It shouldn’t be long or onerous—in fact, you should limit your questions to half a dozen or less. Ask them to rate how likely they are to recommend you to their friends, rate the service they received or ask when they plan to buy their next set of tires. Ask them what social media channels they use when making buying decisions.
Sites like Survey Monkey make it quick and easy to set up an electronic survey that takes only moments to complete. Of course, make sure you use the knowledge you gain to address any issues and better target your future marketing.
“Just reminding your customers that you’re still there is a good thing,” Boccone says. “Make sure you’re in compliance with consent laws, of course, but the off-season is a great time to start up an e-newsletter that includes tips they can use now.”
