Sorting Out Prices and Statistics

I've always looked at services from the end-user perspective. After all, even for marketing companies it is the consumer that has to be satisfied in the end. While doing my marketing research of other web sites that advertised new and used motorcycles I noticed a few things that I believe will lead 360Bikers closer to the top of your list of web sites to check. First, as a shopper I hate seeing the price listed as "Call for Price". It's an obvious sales ploy to advertise once and get many to call. It shows the lack of commitment on the part of the sales person to give a price from which the customer can start. 360Bikers requires a numeric price; a real honest-to-goodness price that someone would sell the bike for. It doesn't mean they won't negotiate from there, but at least when you search for motorcycles under $2,000 you won't see Harley-Davidson ElectroGlides with full dress listed with the dreaded "Call for Price". 360Bikers knows that most potential customers glide right past those listings to look for the real deal. Give me some feedback on that. If you're looking for a motorcycle in the $5,000 to $10,000 range do you want to look at 100 listings that say "Call for Price" that may be for bikes well over your budgeted price or would you rather have your search show you the bikes between $5,000 and $10,000? I'm betting pretty good money you want what you asked for, not a bunch of lonely dealers that want you to call them. Real prices for real customers. Don't forget that you can do FREE ads for a limited time at www.360Bikers.com.

Women in Motorcycling

One thing motorcyclists always pride themselves on is respect, especially for the exemplory rider. This link will take you to a photo journalist's perspective of Motor Maids, the oldest women's motorcycle club in America. It warms one's heart to see biker chicks riding their own bikes well past 80 years of age... and I'm talking about the riders, not the bikes. This is what respect is all about. This is what motorcycling is all about. It's about the ride.

First Press Release

Today we officially announced www.360bikers.com to over 70 motorcycle clubs across the U.S. and Canada. We will be enhancing the calendar to allow event posting that is more regionally associated and major events through 2005 will be completed this weekend. On a side note, the hot days and nights of summer in Florida don't agree with daytime driving. So, I've been riding along the ocean from like 10 PM to 1 AM. It is a relaxing few hours that feels like a week-long vacation. I highly recommend getting on that bike after the sun goes down.

Near Completion

With only two weeks left in July, the journey we set out on in November 2004 is nearly complete. There are fewer than a dozen items to correct on the web site and most of those are aesthetics. We are featured through Google Adwords. We will begin a multi-faceted marketing campaign soon that will heighten awareness of our advanced services and low prices. Our new motorcycle photographic rotator and display turntable will be ready soon along with our mobile studio for special events. Currently we have 3 items on the web site to promote initial usage. The first, and greatest deal, is the FREE ad mentioned in a previous blog message. The second is a coupon promotion for our larger packages. Finally, Home Made Pie is our solution for those that cannot get to a 360Bikers location or event to have a studio quality 360-degree emersive display of their bike. Future plans include event calendars for regional, regular bike events such as bike nights and local rallies. We are also planning a Poker Run to benefit the Digital Divide campaign to get more technology in the hands of those that do not have it. Remember, it's about the ride.

FREE Motorcycle Display

Free is one of the best words in society and now 360Bikers.com brings a promotional campaign giving your more for free. For a limited time you can show off your motorcycle or sell it through 360Bikers. Just go to web site and sign up. The truly exciting part is what you get at 360Bikers. This special offer provides a fantastic display for your motorcycle. Here are the features:

• You can upload up to TEN color motorcycle photos (60KB limit each)
• You get a FREE automatic slide show of your photos
• You get the standard statistical information display
• You get a detailed description area
• You can show your address, phone, email or all three
• Your address is linked to a mapping site so customers can find you
• You get a view counter to see if you need to promote your ad more
• Your account can link to your web site if you have one
• You link to your email
• You get 6 months of display

You get all that for FREE. This is a limited time offer and only one per member. (Membership is free, too.) 360Bikers is the only show-sell-see-buy motorcycle site that offers 360-degree solutions. Be sure to check out the Home Made Pie program and watch for our new motorcycle photography rotator and display turntables to be finalized next month. Remember, it's about the ride!

Home Made Pie

What a great idea from 360bikers.com. With a great new concept to show-sell-see-buy motorcycles you want everyone to have a chance to make a 360-degree view of their bike. Our new motorcycle turntable / rotator won't be ready until the end of the month and it will be August sometime before we have offices opening around the country to take care of you. So, we needed a simple solution. Home Made Pie is a low-scale version of our 360-degree product that you do yourself. Admittedly, it won't have the studio setting that we'll be using in offices beginning August, but it will let you show your motorcycle in 360-degree splendor. Here's how it works. You purchase a Home Made Pie 360-degree motorcycle package, which we reduced from the standard package by $20 to only $39.95 since you're doing the photography. You'll be given instructions to download the template and directions for taking your photos. This package includes the new SuperZoom feature that we'll be including in our office ads starting August. This allows you to make a close-up of special features of your bike that will be on the CD version. Did I say CD ROM? I almost forgot! You're Home Made Pie package includes a CD that will be mailed to you. This is a high resolution version of the interactive 360-degree view that you can copy and share with you friends. It's incredibly cool for showing off your motorcycle. If you're selling your bike, you can take it with you in your shirt pocket to show your possible buyers. You'll also have something to remember the bike by after it is gone. You also get a print of your bike. You'll be able to frame your bike to show on your desk or mantle. If you have multiple bikes, you'll want several Home Made Pie ads. These make great gifts for your favorite biker. Give him or her a way to show off on the web, on CD ROM, and in a photo at an unbelievably low price. Just select Home Made Pie and you're ready to start making a great motorcycle show-sell-see-buy. Remember, it's about the ride!

Charity Plans

My life can be tied together through many strings involving my interests and careers. A new endeavor will combine more than I've ever used in a single project. Here at 360bikers.com we are planning a pilot event that we hope to take national through appropriate sponsors. Our target is the Digital Divide, the line that separates those that have computers and Internet access from those that don't. It effects the abilities of our youth to develop the skills that will help make them productive citizens. Our project will be the 360Bikers Digital Divide Poker Run. We will be working with local and national charities to help community centers, churches, and non-profit groups that server poverty areas get computers and broadband connections. Face it, if you're reading this you're using technology. You probably have a high interest in motorcycles, too. So, you should see the connection already. Our project will bring motorcycle dealers and national companies together at locations where 360Bikers is developing markets. Our target date is late April 2006 so organizations will be able to have these in place for the summer, when children can take advantage of these resources. We are in touch with companies now and developing a template that can be implemented at sites across the country. Check the motorcycle bike shows and events calendar at www.360bikers.com for more information as it develops.