So why am I talking about the desert in the title of this article? Good question. I was talking to our Art Director Tyler earlier this week about a new client coming on board. During the discovery process we realised that the blame for a lack of leads had been placed on the website that was admittedly due for a bit of a refresh. From our analytics audit however we realised the bigger problem, their current site was averaging 200 visitors per month. Now it would be easy to place the blame on the website and dive into creating a new one for the client.

The problem however is the internet is the desert. Despite the fact that 3.7 billion people use the internet every day it can be an isolated place for a brand new website. You are competing against every other brand, news source and cat video.  Building a new website without the supporting distribution channels is like having a beautiful office building in the middle of the desert without any roads. It doesn’t matter what facilities you have, or how great it looks, if no one can get there it isn’t going to be a successful venture.

It would be really easy to say to this client, yes you need a website. We get paid, they get a shiny new website to show their family, friends, CEO or board. The problem is, after the the launch and the excitement, nothing much is going to change. We can’t urge strongly enough that before you jump into a website build, learn from your current situation. We recommend to every client to perform a digital audit before approving any new project. Look at your current site, what traffic do you have? How do they engage with your content? Where are you losing them in the sales funnel?  By learning from your existing data you can truly know the scope of what is needed to achieve your goals. Quite often the effective use of Social Media, PPC and branded content can drive the traffic you require.

We use this chart which we call the Digital Marketing Universe (DMU). This isn’t everything you can do in the digital space but as far as we are concerned this is what you should be looking at first. We are happy to share it, there are no secrets. It is something we go through with every client in the early stages to work out where their business currently sits in the DMU. Have a look at it, use it as a checklist to see what you are currently doing and what areas hold new opportunities. I can guarantee if your business isn’t looking and assessing digital marketing, your opposition is.

If you need a hand going through your audit or simply want to chat about an upcoming project we would love to hear from you.

Missed the first five points? Check it out: http://www.ausgarage.com.au/15-ways-to-get-the-best-out-of-your-agency/

6) Don’t strain your advertising through too many levels.

Sometimes the greatest ideas are elegantly simple. It is much like the movie “Inception”, great campaigns focus around planting a simple yet effective idea and letting that grow with your target audience. Allow your audience to make that message their own, relate it to their experiences and thus respond to your key message.

Do you know the best way to ruin a simple strong campaign idea? 9 times out of 10 running it through multiple levels of staff and committees will do the trick. You want opinions, you want to value your staff/board but ultimately you want feedback that will help make your advertising more effective. Consult with your departments, see what issues they face in the market place and compile them prior to commencing the campaign. Ultimately, when it comes to final review. Let the decision be made by yourself or your marketing manager. Make your feedback prompt and concise then let your agency do the hard work and stand behind their product.

7) Make sure that your agency makes a profit

This is a simple one. Whilst agencies will fight for your business during an initial pitch, if they are running at a loss on your account the shine quickly wears off. Whether your account has high billables or not you want your agency on whole (as well as the individuals in it) to enjoy working on your account. The difference between truly effective advertising and not is very rarely down to working “harder” or “longer”. It comes down to passionate creatives investing the emotional and creative energy into great work. If your agency is doing their job they are making you money, it is in everyone’s best interest for both parties to prosper.

On a side note: From experience, if your agency runs on any model that pays a percentage of your ad spend to cover their creative services, it is time to question that. (ie % kickback from media organisation to place an ad) You don’t want there to be any incentive for your agency to promote you raising ad spend unnecessarily. Pay them correctly for their work and get honest, unbiased advice when it comes to ad spend on any campaign. (This does change when it comes to management of PPC campaigns)

8) Don’t haggle with your agency

This is a great time to look internally. Your products and services took years to develop and master. Your team learn and improve daily. Advertising is no different. Each medium changes rapidly, audiences react differently, and production methods change as quick as the technology they rely on.

Whether you like it or not, a successful agency/client relationship requires both organisations to work as a team. You both have the exact same goal, for your business to succeed! During the pitch process you negotiate on dollar figures. It is good practice to have set review periods for pricing, services etc. In between, don’t haggle with your agency. It is a waste of both parties’ time, resources and is a great way to kill morale of what could be your businesses most crucial relationship.

9) Be candid, and encourage candour

Your relationship with your agency can be the difference between success and failure. That doesn’t mean everything has to be rainbows and unicorns though. Mistakes are made, briefs are missed and sometimes you are just on a different page. It is critically important that you speak to your agency with complete honesty. If you receive draft work and note something wrong, let them know quickly and concisely the problem and importantly, why it is a problem. Don’t let them waste time and money guessing what you want and don’t let fear of upsetting the agency hold you back from getting exactly what you need out of your campaigns. This candour will encourage your agency to reciprocate meaning more effective campaigns, better value and better relationships during the good and bad times. Provide accurate feedback based on tangible effects that can be seen in your business not based on your personal emotion or what your friend thought of the campaign.

Side note: This is not an opportunity to play mind games with your agency. No one wins out of this situation. You have hired the agency to help your business, they need positive results for your business to thrive themselves. Speak with absolute honesty, remove the emotion and work together to constantly find solutions to your business problems.

10) Set high standards

No one is more passionate about your business then you. Let your agency know your goals and stay committed to achieving them. If your campaigns are set around small tasks that give you the satisfaction of “value” at the expense of big result campaigns, then it is time to revaluate your approach. It is cheaper and easier in the age of digital marketing to have your daily jobs done in house. Work on the “big stuff” with your agency. Hold them to it and settle for nothing less than the best you can both achieve at the time. (within time/budget constraints) Sell your passion and motivation to your agency, at the end of the day they must sell that very same thing to your entire audience. There is an art to this however, a balance that needs to be maintained for everyone’s sake. You need to be very critical of all work to ensure only the best is produced, that means you need to be just as generous with your accolades.

To create truly amazing campaigns you can never settle, you can also never forget to celebrate the wins!

Points 11-15 coming soon.

Agree, Disagree or want to elaborate further? Comment below

Bernard Raffaut – Account Director

For those of you who know me, you understand what drives (pun intended) me. I’m happiest when I’m helping people…and more specifically, helping people in their business. When I started working with the AusGarage team, I knew it presented a very real opportunity for me to expand my client base and delve even deeper into an incredibly innovative industry; and when I say industry, I mean both the digital marketing industry and the automotive industry.

So far, my transition from print publishing to content creation and digital marketing has been exceptionally rewarding; presenting me with a new breed of clientele eager to create their own content and show it to the world using digital marketing tactics; tactics that many businesses still find difficult to embrace let alone understand.

Recently, AusGarage was appointed the retained content marketing agency for ASV Euro Car Parts; Australia’s largest seller of new and used European spare car parts! As part of this relationship, we will be managing the content marketing for ASV P-free; a revolutionary puncture free tyre technology available for the first time in Australia! Over the next 12-months, AusGarage will create a number of video content deliverables promoting ASV P-free as well as educating the Australian market on the innovation and technology behind the remarkable tyre!

Furthermore, we will work closely with the ASV team to launch their first eCommerce website – www.asvpfree.com.au. We are excited to be part of such a significant milestone in the companies history.

ASV Euro Car Parts has been in operation for over 30 years; starting out as a small, family owned mechanical workshop on Sydney’s northern beaches. The business expanded into dismantling vehicles to meet the ever increasing demand for quality used European vehicle parts. With a national network spanning Australia and New Zealand and a supply chain that includes Europe, Japan and the Asian continent, ASV offer customers a broad range of parts and a customer service stand that is second to none!

AusGarage will be responsible for video content creation, Google AdWords management and website development for ASV Headlights and ASV P-free. Major areas of focus when considering production and strategy will be brand building, generating awareness, educating the market, and increasing engagement.

ASV P-free was born based on ASV’s years of industry experience, product knowledge and commitment to quality. The first-to-market to Australia with a puncture free tyre; the innovative technology behind the ASV P-free tyre ensures consumers enjoy a comfortable, safe and uninterrupted journey to their destination…every time.

The tyres contain a self-sealing gel comprising of three essential ingredients – a thermoplastic elastomer, resin and rubber processing/extender oil. In the instance of a puncture by a nail or sharp foreign object, the gel application (which has an Australian Patent) immediately self-seals around the object that penetrating the tyre.

Chatting with AusGarage Director and Founder James Payne, he commented with; “We’re pleased to be selected as the retained content marketing agency for ASV. We see immense opportunity to work creatively with the brand and we’re looking forward to creating some key content to help raise awareness of their unique offering to the Australian market.”

ASV Euro Car Parts have expressed their excitement to be partnering with the team at AusGarage and helping them take their digital and eCommerce platforms to the next level.

As for my take on the new partnership; I really look forward to working together with the ASV team and seeking new and innovative (and of course creative) ways to showcase their amazing product. Might even buy a set for my car…if they do me a good deal ;).

I truly believe ASV and AusGarage are the perfect fit; with one major thing in common – automotive…and ASV expresses it perfectly on their website…”we know our cars, we understand car parts and we respect our customers”…so do we ASV…so do we.

World-class, industry leading, state of the art, high performance…all words synonymous with a brand that AusGarage is excited to be working with.

PWR is a leading provider of cooling solutions for race categories around the world; including V8 Supercars, Formula1, NASCAR and INDYCAR. Sounds exciting hey? Well it is.

PWR manufacture high performance aluminium radiators, intercoolers, oil coolers and supply them to both professional Motorsport teams and the general public.

Before PWR decided to turn up the heat on their content marketing strategy with AusGarage, I was fortunate enough to be given a personal tour of their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ormeau, Queensland. To say that I was blown away is an understatement. What I witnessed was nothing short of amazing. So much technology, research, engineering and innovation goes into the manufacturing of their product, not to mention leading quality-control measures! The facility includes a controlled atmosphere brazing furnace, a CNC machine shop, an R&D and design department and an in-house wind tunnel.

I toured the facility with PWR Head of Marketing Dave Mawson and AusGarage Founder James Payne. What I will say is James was definitively in his element and right at home.

What’s encouraging about partnering with businesses such as PWR is how much it excites the AusGarage team as they set forward on a creative journey to bring engaging, educational and valuable content to a business that sees value in creating, owning and distributing video. A business that began some 30 years ago; well before Facebook, content marketing and the like had any place in the marketing stable.

Dave Mawson from PWR said:

“We have a well-recognised brand in PWR and people know we are the best at what we do, but it is one of the best kept secrets. We have a great story and product, however we needed to better engage with our potential consumer-base; communicating our range and expertise in performance cooling. Given the work that we have done with AusGarage in the past, we knew we had to continue with that partnership.

James and his team make what is a complex process easy, it is as simple as that. We don’t know what the best angle is or how to get the most from our images and digital content, but the AusGarage crew are so professional and flexible in what they do, they just make it happen. They are the best at what they do hands down, which makes my job just so much easier.”

This is not the first time we have worked with the PWR team. In 2016 and earlier this year we created a number of videos with Power Torque Performance Tuning in partnership with PWR. You can check out some of the videos on the AusGarage Vimeo channel.

This time around, we are working exclusively with PWR; creating a series of videos to help the business display various aspects of their offering.

The first two videos will be 4WD focused and feature PWR’s intercooler products. The aim of each of these videos is to show the strain placed on both engine and gearbox when towing a caravan and; the need for engine cooling and issues with stress loads when heading off-road through puddles, sand and rough terrain.

I’m really looking forward to what the team create based on the brief and I’m sure PWR are just as excited.

If you’re an automotive business seeking to take your business to the next level, you seriously can’t look past automotive content specialists AusGarage. You may think I’m bias, but, I knew AusGarage well before I started working directly with them and I rate them just as high now as I did then when it comes to creating engaging and quality automotive content. Get in touch if you’re keen to drive your business to greater success with AusGarage!

Anyone who knows me knows I’m all about collaboration. What a group of like-minded people can do together to achieve a common goal, produce a desired outcome or make a positive impact is what interests me most when I work with commercial and community organisations.
If you’ve ever worked with me, you know I always seek opportunities to bring teams, businesses, organisations and the like together based on the ideas of:

• Creating efficiencies (time and costs)
• Forging long-term partnerships
• Identifying opportunities
• Maximising project success

One of my passions (and I have many) is uniting like-minded individuals in an environment where they can not only achieve what they need to achieve in terms of goals, project outcomes and all that, but also learn, grow, prosper, be inspired and be entertained.
What does the photo heading this article do for you? Does it inspire you? Are you flummoxed? Maybe it’s a little disturbing. For me, it gets me thinking about some of the businesses I deal with and the ones I’ve dealt with in the past. I think if only they had a little more muscle to add to their hustle, they could really unlock some of the amazing potential hidden in their business.

One of the challenges in business is that as owner/manager/master of your own destiny, you feel like you’re doing EVERYTHING. Am I right?
I bet I’m also right in saying that you’ve come to accept “that’s just how being in business rolls”. Well, I’m here to say it doesn’t have to!

By leveraging the power of collaborative partnerships, outsourcing, contracting or bringing in the experts, you can free up a great deal of your time (not to mention reduce your stress levels and blood pressure) so you can give more focus and attention to the things in the business you’re great at and actually want to work on.

A few common areas businesses bring in the experts are:
• Finance – Accountant
• Computer Set-up – IT Specialist
• Web Design – Website Designer

Building or growing your business with the assistance from external experts can lease to increased efficiencies and economies of scale. It is far more efficient to outsource aspects of your business that are essential (such as marketing) than for you to deal with them personally.

So let’s talk marketing. While lying at the very heart of business success, it is often one aspect in business where most feel a little out of their depth. A comment from one of my clients sums it up beautifully – “Bernie, we’re manufacturers, not marketers.”
Well, if you’re great at manufacturing, building, selling, creating and the like, then that’s what you should do. It’s what you know. It’s what you feel comfortable doing. It’s where you like to dance.

So how can you get more muscle to add to your marketing hustle so you can be more efficient in playing the marketing game? Most business would answer with “hire a Marketing Manager” which I’m not totally against. I think having a point of contact within the business who can handle all things marketing, advertising, social media, content creation, PPC, electronic direct mail, PR and the list goes on, is a great idea. Only thing is, for some businesses, this can be a little cost prohibitive. It is far easier (not to mention cost effective) to bring in a team to handle all that for you.

What team you ask? My advice is engage a creative agency, ad agency or content marketing agency who will work with you every step of the way. They can be the coach (tell you what you should do with regards to strategy) as well as do the heavy lifting (implement the strategy, create the campaigns, film the videos etc).

“Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.” -Steuart Henderson Britt

Think of it in terms of the below scenario:
Bob has a car dealership. February sales are a little light on compared to the same time last year. He knows he needs to get the word out about his business but doesn’t know where to start. He’s heard Facebook is good but so too is Google Adwords, but he also wonders if he should do some traditional advertising like in the newspaper and on radio.
Coupled with the other important duties he needs to do like buying stock, managing staff, paying bills, talking to the accountant, doing payroll, taking care of HR-related issues etc, he starts to feel a little overwhelmed and decides he needs to bring on a Marketing Manager to help.

He logs onto Glassdoor to see what the going rate is these days for a Marketing Manager and quickly realises, based on his current cashflow dilemma, he can’t afford a Marketing Manager as salaries range from $74k to $176k p.a. He also realises that in addition to the salary, he will also need to have budget available to run Facebook ad campaigns, Google AdWords, content creation, traditional advertising etc.

Based on this scenario, Bob has an alternative. To engage an agency to assist him with everything from marketing strategy right through to implementation and ongoing management.

Cost-wise, he has one option of spending $60k + GST for the year. That’s just $5k+ per month and includes budget for distribution on Facebook and Google AdWords as well as video production, graphic design, electronic direct mail campaigns, website updates and more. For a little extra, he can even have them offer some PR services to help get him in front of the media.

Time-wise, Bob can now rely on a team of experts in their field from the agency to market his business, increase website traffic and brand awareness while he gets back to helping his team sell more and give great customer service.

It makes total sense to engage marketing experts who understand the marketing landscape…especially the digital marketing landscape. With Google changing algorithms more often than you change underwear and Facebook adding new and different functionalities all the time, it is difficult for any business to effectively and efficiently market their business to the masses online in their industry.
The sure fire way in gaining new customers and building deeper relationships with existing ones in 2017 is to engage the people who understand how to do it so you can sit back and reap the rewards of their labour.

About the Author | Bernard helps businesses leverage the power of consumer-focused multi-platform marketing strategies and collaborative workflow practices. In particular, he provides strategic marketing advice to automotive/marine/travel/tourism/RV industries. He assists them in promoting their product/s, brand or region via various digital marketing platforms and content marketing initiatives – while also providing consultation on content driven advertising campaigns, bespoke content creation, video production and so much more.

Let’s say I am looking for a new car. If my local dealership doesn’t meet my requirements I am no longer limited to dealing with them. Within minutes I can have pages of dealers across the country in which I can deal with via phone and email as well as view videos and pictures of the car. Sight unseen online sales of cars have increased dramatically in recent years and there is no signs of slowing. More broadly across the automotive industry however there is a shift back to the local business. The increase in online sales does not mean the end of customer service and branding, in fact it is more important then ever. A consumer will travel longer distances and go to more effort just to deal with a business that they have a connection with.

What does this have to do with how professional your business is?

With so much choice on offer and the ability to shop around, your business needs to stand out. Consumers are sold on personality. Your personality (for sole traders) or your team/business personality (larger companies) needs to show through in everything you do. Every day when I drive into our office I drive past a mechanic that has now stepped into second hand car sales. They spent a small fortune building an extension, updating their showroom and installing new signage. This is great for building long term trust in the business however I wouldn’t have even noticed them if it wasn’t for one clever move. They have an old sign board out the front. Every week or so it is updated with a new saying, quote, or joke. It is always done in a tasteful way and is more often than not cleverly linked back to a product or service they have for sale. This is obviously not for everyone, you need to have the inspiration to continue updating and entertaining the passing traffic. What this simple sign board does is command attention. I would pass 50 mechanics each day, however it is this one that every day I look at as I drive past. It drives me to know more about the business but more importantly instantly gives me the confidence that I am going to be greeted by happy creative people when I enter. It sounds like a lot to draw from a simple sign board out the front of a shop but this is what clever affective marketing does.

Personality is the key! You still need to have the quality branding, the uniforms and all the typical items associated with a professional business. The trick is, you can’t be afraid to stand out. Learn more about your target demographic, add the personality of you and your employees and you are on the right track. There is no point running a Bentley style commercial if you are selling $20 000 cars and vice versa.

If you want to discuss how your business can stand out and build its own personality contact us today.

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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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