Advertising Guide Before making any decisions about how to spend your advertising dollars, it is best to plan your overall advertising program.   Advertising Planning 1. Write down your objectives or goals Which products do you most need to sell? What promotions do you plan to run? Do you want to promote special events? 2. Identify your customers Age, income, family size, sex Where they live Lifestyles Motorcycle or ATV experience 3. Analyze the market situation When do people buy? Why do they buy? Identify your competitors and what they offer What do you offer that your competitors do not? What advertising programs have worked in the past? Analyze past promotions’ records Consider when national ad programs start and end Consider when regional ad programs start and end 4. Set your budget Set your budget as a percentage of retail sales, such as 5 percent of a season’s or year’s sales Budget a specific amount per unit, such as $25 to $100 Use last year’s budget as a guide: If you were successful last year and don’t raise your goals, last year’s budget — adjusted for inflation — may be fine. However, if your objectives are higher than those achieved last year, you should consider raising your budget by more than inflation Project your co-op fund and take inventory of advertising materials — such as ad slicks and radio scripts — that are available to you   Developing and Producing Your Advertising You have three choices when it comes to advertising materials. You can: 1. Use the materials in this Ad Planner and on the Suzuki website 2. Create your own ads using the elements in this Ad Planner 3. Create your own ads from scratch If you create your own ads, either from the Ad Planner elements or from scratch, here are some things to keep in mind: Start with a single main idea that sets your dealership or the specific product apart from the competition. Keep things simple Grab the customer’s attention by creating an ad that stands out Tell the customer how they will benefit from coming to your dealership Give reasons that support or refer to your main idea Let the customer know what you want them to do - "stop in and see us" - and let them know your dealership's name, address and phone number Match your advertising to the character of the product and the character of the customer Use consistent and frequent advertising messages