Why tire dealers should have a stall at the county fair

County fairs are at the heart of every rural community. They can give your business access to thousands of potential new customers you might have not reached through your traditional advertising. Don’t underestimate the impact of face-to-face contact and the power of a presence at your county fair.

What’s the payoff?

Firstly, you’re potentially reaching thousands of people. Ben Millar, current owner/manager of Millar’s Point S Tire and Auto Service, and his dad, Steve, have been attending their local county fair and rodeo for 25 years — nearly the entire time they’ve been in business in Canby, Oregon.

“There’s 125,000 people out there that come to the fair and rodeo and our town’s only got 16,000 people, so you are really getting your name out there,” Millar said. “It’s also about the community; we have a lot of longtime customers and we’ve become sort of a base meeting point because we’ve been there so long. When they come to the fair, they say ‘meet me at the Point S booth’ because everybody knows where it’s at.”

Secondly, you’re interacting with people, rather than relying on traditional advertising and walk-ins. You can talk to them about your store and your services and build a connection. A customer is far more likely to go to a tire store when they’ve met and chatted with the owner than one next door that they haven’t.

“You’re getting to talk to people on a more personal basis rather than on a ‘what can I sell you?’ basis, and they’ll hopefully remember that when they need tires or a service,” Millar said.

What will I need?

Straight off the bat, you’ll need to apply to the organizers to have a stall at the county fair. You’ll probably have to provide your own actual stall and you’ll have to pay a fee to be there, which starts from a few hundred dollars, depending on the size, location and whether you need utilities like electricity.

Have a look at your marketing collateral. Do you have suitable big, bright banners? You need to make sure people can identify your stall and that it looks attractive enough that they’ll want to stop by. Ensure all your flyers and brochures are up-to-date and have all the information people need. If not, it’s a good time to order some new ones.

Millar’s Point S Tire has a 20-square-foot stall that they man every day of the fair for six days straight. They also sponsor a stage and have a big banner at the rodeo chute gate where their business name is announced with every new rider. However, don’t be afraid to start with a small stall and work up to sponsorship later.

Any other tips?

Giveaways and competitions are a great way to attract people to your stall. Millar’s Point S gives out coupons for money off services and finds them really successful. You might also want to give away branded balloons to kids or consider giving out small items like fridge magnets when potential customers visit the stall.

Lastly, tell people you’re going to be there and take some photos while you’re manning the booth. After the fair you can put these on your website, reinforcing the fact that you are a part of the community and adding that personal touch to your business.

Does it actually lead to sales?

As a veteran of dozens of county fairs, Millar is unequivocal about this.

“Absolutely yes, one hundred percent,” he said. “We don’t formally track it, but throughout the year we always have people come in who say ‘hey, I talked to you at the fair’.’”

“I would say we absolutely get people from out of town come to us because we’ve given them a coupon at the fair or talked to them about what we carry or what services we offer. People are definitely coming to us from other places after seeing us there.”