NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 16, 2014) — A lot has changed in the tire industry since I joined Bridgestone/Firestone as a PR manager in 1990.
Back in the 1990s, many tire dealers began developing their own websites to communicate with consumers after decades of mostly relying on newspapers, radio and TV to advertise their promotions.
In the past seven years or so, Web 2.0 (social media) has enabled people with similar interests from across the world to connect with each other—and that includes businesses engaging with target audiences, not just pushing out one-way messages.
Some things, however, have not changed for tire dealers—like the importance of good customer service and word-of-mouth marketing. The cool thing is, these new and ever-changing Internet technologies can greatly aid how businesses leverage tried-and-true concepts like word-of-mouth and reputation management.
Instead of a mom talking on the soccer field sideline about how much she trusts her local tire dealer or automotive service shop, she can now instantaneously spread the word to potentially hundreds of Facebook friends or thousands of people checking out the dealership's or shop's Yelp reviews.
With almost 25 years of tire marketing experience under my belt, I currently own a marketing agency, JTMarCom, that helps tire/automotive service companies leverage "New Media" tools to achieve their business goals. I'll be writing a monthly guest blog for Tire Business, providing advice and insights into this exciting and quickly changing world of online marketing.
You can certainly do a Google search on Facebook advertising tips, Twitter strategies, etc., but what I hope to accomplish is to put all of this into the context of the local tire dealer. It doesn't matter much to a dealer with two stores how Coca Cola is using Twitter to sell soft drinks. You need to know how these technologies can help you sell tires and brake jobs.
I appreciate the folks at Tire Business giving me this opportunity. Please let me know what topics you would like to see covered and I will do my best to provide relevant information that you can take action on.
I look forward to hearing from you, and in the meantime, happy selling!
John Taylor is president of JTMarCom, a Nashville, Tenn.-based digital marketing agency. He can be reached at 615-477-3099 or via email at [email protected]. The company's website is at www.jtmar.com.