Need Advice: FJR Owners & Advertising

[Pirate1]

OK.. Most of youz guyz know our FJR backrest is finally on the market and I/we appreciate all the support and input getting that done... Now I need some advice...

This month we'll have our first ad for them in Rider magazine, but I'd like to know where else you guys would advertise to target the FJR crowd.. We're a small two man operation so our advertising dollars are limited and need to be focused...

Does Yamaha put out a magazine to/for it's customers like Honda or BMW? If so.. anyone got a link? Where would you guys advertise if it were your product? Any sage advice would be appreciated as I'm kinda alien to the Yamaha crowd..

TIA

 

[Murph]

I would reach out to RoadRunner Touring and Travel Magazine (website), published bi-monthly, to see what kind of ad deal you could get.

Best of luck and ... Negotiate. Negotiate. Negotiate.

 

[ShawnKing]

Does Yamaha put out a magazine to/for it's customers like Honda or BMW?

Unfortunately, not that I'm aware of.

Where would you guys advertise if it were your product? Any sage advice would be appreciated as I'm kinda alien to the Yamaha crowd..

With a small or non-existent ad budget, contact *every* motorcycle magazine, web site, motorcycling person of note, etc and ask what their review process is. A (good) review can be worth ten times the ad buy.

Secondly, if you can afford it, go where FJR riders congregate - Check these forums (and others) for rides and get togethers and attend them to show off your product or send a review unit to the ride organizers and ask them if they like the product to use it on their bike and tell others.

Nothing beats a good ad buy but the above come a close second.

Good luck and if you need someone to review the unit, send one to me.

 

[majicmaker]

Ditto! on going with Road Runner. Exellent mag for our bike. They concentrate / focus on the RIDE not the BIKE. Perfect for FJR Riders.

 

[DJB]

WHat those of us with a Gen 1 bike do not count. Hope you do not expect any kudos from me

 

[Bengt Weil]

Does Yamaha put out a magazine to/for it's customers like Honda or BMW? If so.. anyone got a link? Where would you guys advertise if it were your product? Any sage advice would be appreciated as I'm kinda alien to the Yamaha crowd..

TIA

Unlike Honda & BMW, Yamaha does not publish/distribute a magazine for retail customers... They only do internal publishing to the dealers.

 

[Pirate1]

I've seen Roadrunner on the newsstands but never gave it much thought..... I may look them up and see what their rates are.. I think they are owned by the same people who publish Rider. Thx..

Any other ideas would be appreciated..

DJB... No dis intended... I actually spent $300+ on an early FJR rack to see if I could do it...Your rack is very curvaceous, unlike the late version, which makes for metal fabrication nightmares. I pondered that project for over a freakin' year..burnt up most of my still functioning brain cells. Bottom line.. I couldn't figure out how to do it and still make it beautiful. Sorry..

 

[spyderbret]

Take a look at Pashnit... www.pashnit.com...

That site gets a lot of action from all different kinds of riders....

You might look at similar sites as well....

 

[El Toro]

The three non-brand specific mags that I read regularly are Cycle World, Motorcyclist, and Sport Rider.

I know you've got limited advertising dollars, but advertising is critical to generating sales, and exposure is the key value in advertising.

If I were trying to get exposure, I would include Cycle World, even if I could only afford a small display ad in the back section.

 

[FJRBill]

The three non-brand specific mags that I read regularly are Cycle World, Motorcyclist, and Sport Rider.
I know you've got limited advertising dollars, but advertising is critical to generating sales, and exposure is the key value in advertising.

If I were trying to get exposure, I would include Cycle World, even if I could only afford a small display ad in the back section.

I read the same as Toro, those are good magazies. Most companies put the majority of their money for advertising for a reason. You need to generate interest to generate sales. My wife wanted a back rest and purchased a stealth from someone who sold their bike recently and she loves it. If anyone asks me where I got it I'll point them in your direction. good luck.

 

[wellsj]

I would be glad to advertise for you for free! Just send me one and I will show it off to every FJR owner I see, which has been a lot here lately. Hell I'll see at least 30 next weekend.

 

[johnny80s]

OK.. Most of youz guyz know our FJR backrest is finally on the market and I/we appreciate all the support and input getting that done... Now I need some advice...
This month we'll have our first ad for them in Rider magazine, but I'd like to know where else you guys would advertise to target the FJR crowd.. We're a small two man operation so our advertising dollars are limited and need to be focused...

Does Yamaha put out a magazine to/for it's customers like Honda or BMW? If so.. anyone got a link? Where would you guys advertise if it were your product? Any sage advice would be appreciated as I'm kinda alien to the Yamaha crowd..

TIA

For us guys that don't know about it a link to the website or picture might help sell a few. Call me crazy!

 

[Hudson]

Gee, but who really reads magazines for the product ads anymore (especially those tiny ones in the back)? Me, I run google or MSN live searches for products I am interested in.

Best bang for the buck besides msn/google advertising, is to put up a dedicated website with pix of the product and use FJR, Yamaha, and back rest and other terms in the text and in the metadata of the site. Then get lots of folks to link to the site, increasing its relevancy, and submit the site to google and other search engines.

And don't forget advertising/selling on ebay, which often gets cached in google searches, increasing the links to your ebay ads.

 

[2WheelTiger]

OK.. Most of youz guyz know our FJR backrest is finally on the market and I/we appreciate all the support and input getting that done... Now I need some advice...TIA

Uhhhh, I think the first thing I'd do is advertise at every possible opportunity. Why is there not a link to the product in your post? How am I supposed to buy it if I have to go search for it?

 

[Checkswrecks]

Gee, but who really reads magazines for the product ads anymore (especially those tiny ones in the back)? Me, I run google or MSN live searches for products I am interested in.
Best bang for the buck besides msn/google advertising, is to put up a dedicated website with pix of the product and use FJR, Yamaha, and back rest and other terms in the text and in the metadata of the site. Then get lots of folks to link to the site, increasing its relevancy, and submit the site to google and other search engines.

And don't forget advertising/selling on ebay, which often gets cached in google searches, increasing the links to your ebay ads.

+1 on both counts. Paper advertising is seriously expensive and a little outfit like you is going to get lost in the back of a magazine.

I'd absolutely run EBay ads and put up a web-site that Googling will find. You might also ask a couple of the sport touring web-sites if they'd be willing to take an ad or do a review, but be careful on specifying what and when you will get back.

Bob

 

[Bigbeavk]

I would also run free adds on Craigs list. For me and I would hope others do the same, I joined this forum and read about the bike fora year before I bought one. Then the dealer of course ordered on before My wife and I came to pick it up so I didn't really even shop for one. Craigslist.org will run your adds for free all over the world so why not use them as well as Ebay.

Good Luck in your endeavor. I wish I still worked the the machinist trade, I would also make some goodies for all to enjoy.

 

[Bigbeavk]

I would also run free adds on Craigs list. For me and I would hope others do the same, I joined this forum and read about the bike for a year before I bought one. Then the dealer of course ordered one before My wife and I came to pick it up so I didn't really even shop for one. Craigslist.org will run your adds for free all over the world so why not use them as well as Ebay.

Good Luck in your endeavor. I wish I still worked in the machinist trade, I would also make some goodies for all to enjoy.

 

[NMRoadRunner]

I only read Cycleworld, and I read it cover to cover, don't like all of it, but do like the section of ad's in the back. I've used several of them.

 

[Pirate1]

Sorry guys, but I don't post links to our product as most sites have serious rules against such things... Most sites have paid supporters who get seriously angry if you post links that look like competition... I was just trying to be considerate and not to step on anyone's toes..Just asking questions.

I was actually banned for LIFE from the R1 site for trying to sell some brake lines that I wasn't gonna use... A site sponsor swooped down on me like a ravenous bird of prey, simply because I'm in the biz.

I just assumed that since we sell more backrests than anyone on earth (except Corbin)..and that many here gave us advice during the design phase that everyone knew who we were.. (and our website is in my signature.) I'll leave it to someone else to post a link to any product or not... I prefer not to do it..

anyway..Thx all for the advice... Lots to think about.. The "Google" search is pretty much covered or in the works.. we already rate high with our meta tags on all search engines.. I hadn't thought about selling on ebay... but that's not a bad idea...

You guys are the best!!

OK.. Most of youz guyz know our FJR backrest is finally on the market and I/we appreciate all the support and input getting that done... Now I need some advice...
TIA

Uhhhh, I think the first thing I'd do is advertise at every possible opportunity. Why is there not a link to the product in your post? How am I supposed to buy it if I have to go search for it?