My role as Account Director at AusGarage allows me to encounter so many different businesses and meet so many business owners. These are actually the driving forces that get me up each and every day. Knowing that I am going out there to make a positive impact on someones business.

As many would be aware, I came from working heavily in the caravan and camping industry; an industry I continue to be passionate about day in-day out! I mean, what’s not to like?. It’s all about travel, lifestyle, spending time with family, spending time on the road (and off-road haha), holidaying…and the list goes on!

In continuing AusGarage’s commitment to assisting businesses in the automotive industry, I am excited to announce the addition of Sunrise Caravans to the AusGarage client stable.

I first met Director Steve Andonovski in 2015 and, if I had to sum him up in a few words, I would describe him as charismatic, passionate, excitable, caring and above all…committed! To me he was someone who understood the industry, his product and his customers.

Today, Steve is no different. He is still a top guy; a lot of fun to be around, and, he is just as charismatic and passionate as he was 2 years ago. It’s not hard to see why people gravitate towards him at the dealership and at caravan shows, but, here’s the thing, his entire team share his super positive attitude. You only have to search online and read the glowing recommendations from customers. In fact, let me share a couple here:

From the moment we went to Sunrise Caravans, we have been made to feel very welcome. Their assistance when we finally decided on our van to the delivery and follow up assistance has been excellent. Definitely recommend these people for their knowledge of their product, their friendly attitude and welcoming smiles and their above and beyond after sales service – Ann Gent via Google Reviews – 5 Star Rating.

After buying our second caravan from Sunrise Caravans, we highly recommend them for their great service, When choosing our new caravan, we would like to thank all staff Anita, Mel, Steve, Jim, Chris, and Glen. – Vicki Shaw via Google Reviews – 5 Star Rating

Notice the 5 star ratings? That’s all Sunrise Caravans has on Google Reviews – 5 STARS!

AusGarage will be working closely with Steve at Sunrise Caravans to produce a number of video deliverables aimed at highlighting their brand, their range of caravans and capturing the personality that make Sunrise Caravans who they are today.

Sunrise Caravans was established in 2004. They provide quality new and used caravans to suit individual style and budget. They sell 3 leading caravan brands including Blue Sky Caravans, Great Ocean Caravans and of course Sunrise Caravans. There’s something for everyone; touring, semi off-road or off-road.

Stay tuned for the first video release late October/early November.

We live in an exciting time. Technology doesn’t just add to our lifestyle, it is an integral part. While you are reading this article there is a good chance you have multiple devices in front of you. How often are you reading something on your phone, while glancing over to your TV, or computer and nowadays you can check your smart watch, just in case you aren’t connected enough.

So what does this mean for the average person? You wake up and check your Facebook or you turn on the TV, both of which bombard you with consistent advertising opportunities, whether you’re aware of it or not – Even half the shows are an ad themselves! Next you hop into the car, tune into the radio and get hit by business after business trying to get their message into the front of your mind. It goes on and on, from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep, we are hammered by advertising messages.

So with endless opportunities to reach your customer, advertising in the tech era should be easy right? It is simple, you just put your product on your website and social media profiles, customers will see it and the sales come rolling in. With all these different avenues, it would seem that it has never been easier to advertise your product… at least, that is the common thought.

The bottom line is that anyone can get their product online – the real talent is in making yourself standout from the market. It is simple, in the age to technology, quality creative is still king! The lines between entertainment and advertising have never been so blurred. To earn the attention of your customers you need to entertain. Break through the white noise with the kind of genuine content that your ideal customer wants to consume. Successfully integrate that entertainment with your product and the opportunities open up. Beyond sales you are able to drive brand loyalty, connect with your consumer and grow your business with the market.

An exciting example of creative strategy and the latest technology was the recent Porsche campaign run in Melbourne by oOh! Media. The billboard outside Melbourne Airport used cameras to detect a Porsche approaching and automatically changed the message to “It’s so easy to pick you out of the crowd”. This campaign was creative and exciting for all involved. The driver of the Porsche feels special, driving home brand loyalty. Other commuters witness the special treatment of a Porsche owner which further perpetuates the premium branding of the car manufacturer while millions around the country spent weeks talking about the campaign. This was creative, bold and a thoroughly entertaining way for Porsche to engage with their customer base. Full article here.

Unless you are dealing with an essential item or service, you need to provide motivation to purchase your product. Or better yet find and engage with those already motivated. Think about how your customer consumes your product. What sort of person are they? What age group? Where do they spend most of their time? Once you know the basics it is then about using a creative strategy to reach, entertain and engage with them.

It is this creative strategy and implementation that we here at AusGarage work with every client to discover. Your brand needs to stand out from the crowd, advertising is not a game of follow the leader, it is about being bold, being different and engaging with your consumer in a way your competitors haven’t.

If you have any questions about your Marketing or Advertising for your Automotive business, we would love to meet with you and see how we can help.

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Relative to our bigger neighbours, Australia is a small market. Break that down to automotive businesses in Australia and it gets significantly smaller. Despite our size and customer base the auto industry has proven time and time again that we can lead the way. We are lucky enough to enjoy a wealth of quality products and workshops that are dedicated to delivering world class services.

So why can’t we get along?

It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, you are in for a long hard slog if you try and do it alone. Working with other auto businesses is more than just having beers on a Friday arvo. (Although that is a good start!) It is about identifying strengths in another business and working towards a mutually beneficial goal. Co-Branded products are one the most effective ways to promote a product. Co-Branding builds both businesses as well as increasing your potential customer reach. Do you have a product that could be better or sell faster by using another businesses distribution network or production?

Some great examples are the Toyota – Subaru agreement that lead to the production of the 86/BRZ. Two competitor companies that managed to Co-Brand a product with incredible success. We often see it overseas, workshops that will work with parts suppliers for the R&D and the launch of the product. The part supplier gets the product endorsement of the workshop while they in turn throw their marketing and product reach behind that particular workshop.

It can be as simple as finding a business that has a similar target audience but sells a different product.
So rather than always seeing competition, or wondering what could happen if only you had the facilities, bigger reach, or customer base. Get out there, talk to other auto businesses and see what is possible. As long as your brand values align there are plenty of opportunities to advance your business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So how do you meet new businesses?

Networking can be hard, you have a busy enough schedule as it is. Running a business doesn’t often leave you with a lot of spare time to get out to different events. It is however essential. The old saying “you have to be in it to win it” rings very true when it comes to building valuable business partnerships. The classic notion of having to be at the office 9-5 is now a relic of the past. In order to build your business and your network you need to both create and capitalise on every opportunity that arises.  It might be something as easy as being at a local motorsport event, an industry function or simply communicating further with your existing network. Jump at opportunity and learn more about what Australian businesses can achieve together.

Next time you have the opportunity to meet new business contacts, remember these few tips:

• Schedule a meeting – NOW!

Lining up meetings can be difficult, especially over text or email. If you meet someone with whom you’d like to see again, set your next catch up on the same day that you meet. This ensures that you stay on their radar and takes the pressure of yourself to remember to do so after the event.

• Make meetings, not expectations.

It is very rare that you have the opportunity to walk into a meeting knowing exactly what the outcome will be. Do your homework on the business  behind the person you’re meeting with and the rest will follow from there.

• Be genuine – no one likes a wanker.

The age of the slick salesman is over, it’s now all about genuine business relationships. If you’re honest about your business and what you stand for then you’re going to be in the ideal position to foster positive business relationships with those you meet.

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Depending on their background, we come across many clients with their own media preferences. Those who have been using print media for years enjoy having something tangible with their brand that is distributed to a large volume of consumers. Another client may be drawn entirely to their own channels of digital media. It can be cheaper, more efficient and they get to focus on existing customers. The final client wants everyone talking, they want to release a video or image and for it to “go viral”. They see blogs, forums and consumers talking about products and they want to take advantage of it.

So which client has the right strategy?

The simple answer – none of them.

We say it time and time again, effective marketing is about doing all the little things correctly. Each strategy has its merits, they are all very effective ways to reach existing and potential customers. To market successfully you want to be using a number of these techniques as a holistic strategy. To do this, first you need to understand the difference between Paid Media, Owned Media and Earned media .

Paid Media

Paid media is when you purchase ad space or access to the consumers of that particular medium. If it is a magazine, you purchase a certain amount of space in order to deliver your chosen message to the readers of that issue. With social media, you may promote your own post to reach further users or to simply have your content viewed within their news feed (this can now be very targeted). Effectively, when using paid media, you are paying for the right to access someone else’s consumer base. This is highly effective for reach, just make sure you put the time and effort in to create the right message!

Owned Media

“It is cheaper to retain customers than find new ones”

With owned media your focus is placed on your existing communication channels. Your website, your email database, your own social media. Owned media is one of the most efficient ways to maximise your existing customer base. Why spend money on reaching 300,000 new potential customers if you are not fully utilising the 2,000 you already have following your business? Let existing customers know what you are doing, what current specials you have and find out what could be improved to service their needs further.

Earned Media

These are the campaigns you hear about, they are the ones that get plenty of media attention and generate talk at the water cooler. The thought often is that these campaigns are quick, easy and they just happened to be picked up and go viral. With the invention of Social Media these style campaigns have been becoming increasingly popular. You do not need to pay to reach consumers, instead the idea is that your content is interesting enough that it will be shared and distributed by interested consumers. Earned media is all about the strategy and the execution. You aren’t able to pay your way into the headspace of potential customers. You need to earn their attention through careful strategy and delivering quality, engaging content that is relevant to the values of your brand.

Now you know the difference between the different strategies. Take a look at how you market your automotive business. Which strategies do you currently use? Which ones could you utilise better? Look at your entire marketing efforts and break it down into each group, the most effective campaign will utilise elements of each to deliver your message clearly to the greatest amount of consumers.

Want to talk about developing effective strategies for your automotive business?

Contact us today to setup a meeting!
We would love to meet with you and see how we can help.

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An event that is held yearly, the World Time Attack Challenge Pro-Am class has been taken out two years running by Mick and the EvoM, and he is more than confident they can bring home the trophy for a third year in a row. For Mick though, winning isn’t everything.

“It’s more about getting down there next week, meeting a lot of the same people, but also meeting some new people.”

There are little changes to the car this year, bar small modifications to aero and electronic systems, however overall the car is as it was last year.

“We feel that we already have a very good package, and there’s no need to change something that already works.”

AusGarage wishes Mick and the team the very best for this Friday 16th October and will be providing live updates over the event.

LIVE UPDATES: AusGarage Facebook  | PMQ Facebook

The reality is, all advertising mediums work.

The important thing is that you choose the right ones for your business goals and you execute a strategy. Why spend all the money on buying the advert space and then throw in an image that was done by the receptionist a couple of years ago. Every single dollar you spend, whether it be local magazines, branding for your business, flyers, sponsorship etc. should be part of a clear strategy that works towards set business goals.

Successful marketing isn’t complex, it is simply doing all the small things right. This is something that the entire AusGarage team believes in and it is how we approach new campaigns and consistently deliver fantastic results. We run on a very simple strategy:

There are 3 key goals you want to achieve with the majority of marketing:

Trust, Reach and Engagement. All three aspects are equally as important and each one can be earned in a variety of different ways.

1. Trust – Show what your brand is made of
Trust is that warm and fuzzy feeling you get from a business – where you honestly believe that the business will do everything they can to help you in your purchase. It is what builds loyalty to a brand and what makes you recommend it to your friends. Inevitably trust is what allows millions of people every day to purchase items and services sight unseen from websites and over the phone.

From a marketing point, your brand builds trust through multiple areas. Your physical premises, whether it be a workshop, parts warehouse or an office. How your physical location presents does a lot for consumer confidence. Just as important is your website. Even if your business is not based online, your website is the virtual face of your business and needs to be at or above the standard of the rest of your branding.

Best Mediums for Trust: Branded premises, Website, Consistent Branding

2. Reach – Hit your target audience
Reach is generally the first thought when business owners look at advertising their product/service – “How many people are going to see the ad?”. It is also one of the most misunderstood areas when it comes to marketing and advertising.  Reach is crucial to any successful campaign. You could have the Prime Minister sinking a beer while endorsing your brand and it wouldn’t matter if it doesn’t reach the right audience. Reach however only matters if you have the right content and sales funnel to engage your audience and deliver a clear brand message. While a video going “viral” is great, you can’t just stick your brand and the end of a funny cat video and expect that to drive viewers to purchase your product. (unless your business sells funny cat videos, in that case disregard the last comment).

There are two main ways to achieve reach. One is paid media, you purchase a magazine page, radio spots, promoted social media posts. You are paying to use the reach of that particular medium. That is why publications sell advertising based on number of visitors, readers, subscribers etc.

The other is earned media. This is the tricky one, the one that every business owner wants to achieve. It offers the prospect of a massive audience for little outlay in purchasing advertising space. This can definitely be achieved, it is however not a game of certainty. Importance needs to be placed on generating exciting genuine and entertaining content. If that ad is then put in the hands of those who operate your large blogs, social media pages and websites, with a little luck it can deliver amazing results. This really comes down to the agency you use and their ability to create amazing content and utilise their contact list for distribution.

Best Mediums for Reach: Social Media, Print Adverts, Sponsorship, Radio/TV, Google Adwords

3. Engagement – Get to know your brand

Engagement takes reach to the next level. Once your message is in front of your audience you want them to react. Engagement helps your business sell products, learn from your audience and build your customer base. There is nothing stronger than brand recommendations from someone the consumer trusts. Testimonials have always been the tried and tested way to show this recommendation.

With the current dominance of social media there are numerous new and effective ways to achieve this. Every time someone comments, likes or shares something relating to your brand they are in effect recommending it to their friends. The more a consumer interacts with your brand, the more brand loyalty they are likely to build and this plays a major part when it comes to the point of purchase.

Lastly, it is always a great idea to get out and in front of new potential clientele at trade and exhibition events. Events provide a perfect opportunity for people to get to know the business outside of the office/garage, and allows for a concentrated and targeted audience to discover your brand or product.

Best Mediums for Engagement: Consistent Social Media Posts, Trade Displays, Competitions

Whatever your marketing style, if you are consistently addressing all 3 aspects of the Successful Marketing Triangle then you can rest assured your brand will continue to grow and reap in the benefits of effective marketing.

Need help developing an effective marketing strategy? Do not hesitate to contact AusGarage and organise a meeting with us today.

You know your business has a great product. You know that other automotive businesses would use it if you got the chance to talk to them. The benefits are obvious, you just need to get them out to those looking. So what is stopping you? One of the biggest limitations for any business is time. Short of having a dedicated sales team, how do you contact all the businesses that would use your product? Emails get ignored, cold calls are intrusive and you don’t have the time to be visiting each and every business personally.

AusGarage specialise in working with Automotive brands to deliver targeted distribution campaigns. These polished professional packs deliver quality branding for your business. It contains all the necessary information on your products and how they will benefit the potential trade customer or reseller. With databases provided it is as simple as a quick follow up after the packs are received…that is, if businesses aren’t already calling you! The best part is AusGarage will design, print, assemble and mail out all packs so you can focus on what you do best.

If you want to get your product out there quickly, now is the time.

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Working closely with the Cootha Classic team, BG Consulting as well as TPR Media we were able to create a fantastic media opportunity. AusGarage through our in house talent were able to 3D model initial concepts, coordinate locations and meet all requirements set by the Brisbane City Council to ensure that the event was run in a safe efficient manner. The logistics involved to display vehicles and a truss structure in a busy section of South Bank is quite a complex process and something the AusGarage team enjoyed organising.

On the day we did experience inclement weather which allowed the team involved to show off their ability to think on their feet and ensure the best results were achieved for the client. The TPR team stepped up to the mark to ensure that once the weather had cleared, high quality content creation was the number one priority for the brands ongoing campaign.

Thanks to the efforts of all involved this exciting event had an incredibly successful launch event with significant coverage achieved in Print, TV and radio. For more details on the Cootha Classic to be held on the 5th September in Brisbane, check out their website.

www.cootha-classic.com.au

Under the very capable hands of the new manager Michael Flanders, MR Tuning is looking to show off what they are truly capable of in 2014. Inevitably we will show you in this article a few amazing examples of high end cars they had in the shop, however this shouldn’t deter those of us who are on a more modest budget. MR Tuning offer top end quality products and service to all vehicles looking for performance upgrades. We would highly recommend giving Michael a call to see what is capable with your vehicle and budget.

When we first entered we were overwhelmed with the variety and quality of cars that were currently in for upgrades. This Cobra was sporting a Ford Coyote 5L V8!

The attention to detail and meticulous way the workshop is kept shows the workshops race team pedigree.

Nothing is too small or too big for the guys at MR Tuning. Although they are well accustomed to full gearbox and engine rebuilds such as these fine examples.

Simple upgrades such as Cold Air Intakes, Tuning, exhaust or suspension are all upgrades that you can have done at MR Tuning.

Did we mention they are dealers for KW Suspension and Akropovic exhausts?

We would like to thank MR Tuning for welcoming us into their amazing workshop and we strongly urge anyone looking to upgrade their performance car to give Michael a call and discuss your options.

Contact details // MR Tuning

Words // James Payne

Photography // Lethal

This year we thought we would do something different for our World Time Attack Coverage. By now you would know the results of the nail biting event. For those die hards like us, you would now be going through withdrawal. It is hard to go back to normal life after enjoying perfect weather at Sydney Motorsport Park with some of the most exciting cars in the world at full noise. So for those of you who are missing it and for those of you who weren’t lucky enough to be there, we will be going through the highlights of this year. If you haven’t already, now is the time to start planning for 2015, this is an event that gets better and better every year.

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The Pits

Surprisingly in an event filled with some of the most exciting on track action in the world. It is the pits that rank highly as one of the best things at WTAC. It is very rare in motorsport that you get the opportunity to get this close to the action. At a normal motorsport event you get to see half the story. You see all the on track drama but you miss out on some great moments. With WTAC having the back of competitor pits you get to see the whole story. Every drop of sweat, every bit of frustration and the indescribable moments when everything comes together and a team triumphs. Even as a member of the media you find yourself running around all day just trying to keep track of everything that is going on. If you can make it next year you need to! This is an event that you want to be there in person, chatting to drivers, meeting legends and appreciating the absolute dedication that it takes to run a Time Attack Car.

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The Live Stream

If you can’t make the event, this is the next best thing. An addition to this years event that drew unanimous praise from spectators and teams alike. This year it didn’t matter whether you were standing in pit lane or half way across the world. You could enjoy every moment of the action and keep up to date with the latest thanks to this great service. One of the most interesting parts of Time Attack Racing is the story behind the cars and their teams. The story of what got them to the point where they pour their time and money into a car built to smash out one quick lap. The story of their weekend, which is often a rollercoaster of emotions. The live stream enabled us to hear and see more than ever.

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The Cars (Obviously)

This may seem like an obvious choice however this year the entrants were on another level. Never have we seen such a variety and quality of builds at WTAC. Major motorsport events these days are run by very large corporate partnerships. This isn’t a bad thing, but what it does do is lock in teams a long way out from the event. You know exactly what cars will be like and in what format usually at least a year out from the event. The beauty with WTAC is that you never know what you will see at the next event. There are no restrictive regulations on manufacturer and the competition rules allow teams to run with their passion and inspiration to build not only fast cars but create something truly different. Some of the standouts for us this year were the Automotive Plus 20b PP powered MX5 and the Insight Motorsport’s Astra.

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The on Track Entertainment

This is an area where WTAC organisers certainly deliver! It would be hard to jam any more entertainment on track in between the competitive sessions. What makes it better is the effort they go to in order to organise unique opportunities. Entertainment you aren’t going to see at every event, new faces, new cars and a real focus on involving international guests. Our highlights this year were the static and moving (read: full throttle, flame spitting, tyre smoking displays) of both the Legendary Mazda 767B and Alex Kelsey’s “home built” MC2 Peugeot Rally Car. There is not much you can say about the 767B that you wouldn’t already know. The sound of that rotary, the le mans spec design and that classic livery! It was standing room only at the best vantage points to see and hear this thing head around Sydney Motorsport Park.

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Alex Kelsey’s MC2 on the other hand. In the best way possible, it is the complete opposite to the 767B. It is new, barking mad and uses a mixture of the latest technology to put on a hell of a show. Alex drove the pants out of this Formula Renault powered beast. Putting on a gymkhana show at lunch time there was everything you would hope for. Tyre smoke, flames, ear piercing engine notes and he got a chance to show off just how agile the MC2 is.

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You can’t leave out Mad Mikes RADBUL! As usual, there are very few people in motorsport that can draw a crowd and put on a show like Mad Mike.

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The International Competitors

This is a big one. There is nothing better for Australian motorsport and the Time Attack community then having international competitors make the journey each year to Sydney Motorsport Park. It gives spectators the unique opportunity to see cars they would likely never see otherwise, it provides tough competition for local teams and finally it makes the event that much more social and exciting. There is nothing better than heading to breakfast at our trackside hotel and seeing some of the best Japanese teams and drivers preparing for the day. A special mention needs to go to the inspiring privateer behind the Scorch Racing S15. Under Suzuki has slogged it out year after year to narrowly miss out on the podium. Not this time, the driver and car combo really stepped it up to earn one of the most well deserved 2nd place finishes in the history of WTAC.

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So there it is, a very brief (because there is just too much going on!) list of 2014 highlights and reasons why you should be at World Time Attack Challenge in 2015!

Photos // James Payne & Ibrettowski Photography

Words // James Payne

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