{"id":107,"date":"2009-02-25T10:41:11","date_gmt":"2009-02-25T15:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/2009\/02\/25\/ideas-for-the-auto-body-market\/"},"modified":"2009-02-25T12:26:36","modified_gmt":"2009-02-25T17:26:36","slug":"ideas-for-the-auto-body-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/2009\/02\/25\/ideas-for-the-auto-body-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Ideas for the Auto Body Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>When I was a teen, I got around my hometown of St. Louis Crossing, Indiana, in a beat-up 1968 Rambler Ambassador like the one to the right.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I’m sure some nearby auto shops could have used a magazine like FenderBender <\/em>to help me with my car.\u00a0 FenderBender<\/em> – a trade publication mailed to 55,000 collision repair and auto body shop owners around the U.S. – recently asked me to share the value of promotional advertising with their readers.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to check out the article.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The new publication, which hits a whopping 85% of the collision repair market, helps shop operators “think outside the blocks” with their marketing, which we all need to do these days.\u00a0 I shared some results from ASI’s latest end-user study<\/a>, which indicates that over 80% of recipients who receive a promotional product remember the brand on the item.<\/p>\n

You know those car air fresheners everyone seems to have?\u00a0 I suggested that shops could give one away stamped with a special Website customers can visit for a monthly prize drawing.\u00a0 Business owners get proof of traffic because that item is the only marketing vehicle carrying that Website. \u00a0Another thought: \u00a0include a clickable link online so customers can send the contest Website to friends and expand the shop’s referral base.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Creativity is the limit and being practical is key.\u00a0 According to the ASI study, about 81% of recipients keep an item because it’s useful.\u00a0 For shop owners, that means anything from imprinted collectible toy cars and travel mugs to portable CD carriers and iPod cases.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To find products, shop owners can search their local area for qualified ASI distributors at successfulpromotions.com<\/a>, hosted by ASI.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them.\u00a0 Post a comment on the blog or email me at tim.andrews@asicentral.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n