From Brian Stupski at Problem Child Kustoms (www.problemchildkustoms.com)
When I started Problem Child Kustoms Studio in 2003, my goal was to design hot rods and custom, cars, and provide graphic design and web solutions tailored to the specialty shop and aftermarket manufacturer. 100% of my work at the time was referral based, and any advertising was strictly word-of-mouth. I’d venture into forums occasionally, but never utilized the web as a grand-scale marketing tool.
Fast-forward to 2006, and I began to harness some of the web’s far-reaching capacity, becoming a regular on a select few forums and online communities, but still concentrating on print media… the stuff that got us rolling in the first place. A majority of my online exposure was from specialty artist sites and social communities, and the feedback was steady, but small.
About a year ago, we made a distinct change in our online marketing efforts, and met Craig from MyRideIsMe.com, joined his then-new community, and upon hearing his initial plans, jumped in with some banner ads. To say that we’ve been satisfied would be an understatement. The feedback has been tremendous. We’ve seen approximately 12,000 hits in 10 months from MyRideIsMe.com (actual, unique hits), and are confident in the local and regional exposure brought on by the community. We receive emails from grass-roots hot rodders and professional shops alike from all over the country, and
are excited to reach a broader market through the site.
I have placed print ads in major publications that returned negligible results, and have found that placing an ad (as well as submitting and contributing content to MRIM) have had a more profound impact, and truly exposed my work and services to a new audience. Besides, can a print ad place you in contact, almost immediately with potential clients as well as a new friend? It certainly does on MRIM.
I feel strongly enough about our success and future partnership with MyRideIsMe.com, that we have implemented plans for the next year to aid in the expansion of the community, and take a more active role. It’s rare to find something unique online anymore, and even more rare to find quality people with a great vision and tremendous ethics behind them. I’m fortunate to say I’ve found that, and a great friend in Craig at MyRideIsMe.com, and am constantly recommending that others register and participate in this growing, dynamic site and community.
From Tom Fritz at www.fritzart.com
Craig, my hits in July have increased more than 200% from my best ever month of December last year! Response to my ad has been phenomenal. This is a great way for me to reach automotive enthusiasts. Thank you!
