Word of mouth

First of all I hope you had a great holiday and will have a great new year. I also hope we’ll have a great year too.

11 years in and I’m still making discoveries about the hobby. Over the years we have asked you all for opinions, ideas and outright help. Well we need your help now. Without a doubt, word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool there is. No question about it. Its been a challenge for us to cover all the bases. We don’t always succeed and some times, most times, we do. I don’t want to make grand promises that we can’t back up. I can however promise that we will continue to release great new kits. That’s what we have done for 11 years. and that’s what we will continue to do.

So what can you do, as an individual, to help us. We need to grow. That doesn’t mean more kits. Those will come as they always have. We need more people to know about us. We hear it all time “I’ve got ALL the kits”, wow that’s an accomplishment. To know that our models are satisfying builders to that level that you get them all. Well, we need other new people to know how much fun your having. We want to keep you happy and keep challenging you with new models but (it’s a big but) the only way we will have a successful future is to grow the user base. We need to double or triple the number of people that see what we are up to and maybe try a kit or two.

That’s a task that you can do better than us. We are here but you are everywhere. If you share your work and experience with others, on forums, at club meets and train shows, let people know about us. Then you make a real impact with real results. So we humbly ask you to talk about Clever Models, because if we can’t grow the base, we can’t move enough old models to assure the flow of new ones. Plain and simple just filling the pipe line with new kits isn’t enough. We need new and fresh eyes on what we have been doing for the past 11 years.

You all have become like family. We all get strength from those ties. Let’s make it bigger and stronger.

I’ll work on filling the pipe line.

Comments

[Ron Schmitz]

Thom, I'm already promoting Clever Models to anyone who will listen. I wrote Dave about taking several models I had built to the train show in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. I asked the show sponsors if I could bring them in to show people. There was so much interest that I was stopped several times when I was taking the models back to my car. People shouted, "Hey, are you the guy with the paper models? Could you stop a minute so I can see them?" All the reaction was extremely positive. The group that sponsored the show is planning to invite you to attend the show next year. If more people would take some models they have built and tell people how to get in touch with you I'm sure you would increase your sales. Your models are top notch. You need people who have built your models to let folks know with minimal reinforcement with craft sticks that the models are very sturdy. When they saw mine the club sponsors were totally impressed with the sturdiness. Sorry about the length of this. I didn't intend to write a book, but people need to see what you produce.

[Dave]

That's what I'm talking about. You personally made an impact. Not just with modeling skill but with attitude. People could see how you felt about cardstock modeling and caught some of your enthusiasm. No ad in a magazine can do that. Thank you.
After all this time I am always surprised to meet someone who has never heard anything about us. Only outreach from people like you can change that.

[John]

Say Thom and Dave,

Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year.

As for me in promoting 'Card Stock' modeling I keep building your models and giving them away to other model railroaders. It is kind of interesting when I do present them with a model I will usually hear something like 'Oh, is that a craftsman kit. How much did it cost and where did you get it?

When I tell them them the kit is just 5 or 6 dollars and it can be downloaded the reply is what is the website.

I know that a few of these model railroaders have started downloading and building your kits. Typically they start with the free ones and move on after that.

Just keep the models coming. Think small and reap big success.

Say how about a modular system of kits like 'Walther's and 'Design Preservation's'' offers?

And of course those little things like outhouses, fences etc

[Dave]

Thanks John, We do have a great core group of builders such as yourself. If we can get others to be as active as you we'll be fine. Right now one thing we are doing is going through our collections and making the more obscure pieces available for download. We have some modular things like you mentioned.

[Bob Strom]

Thom,
I agree with you about us spreading the word, but consider that I live in South Carolina, USA and found about your products in a 2013 issue of Narrow Gauge Downunder, not a US publication. While advertising where card modeling has always been popular and a known option is good business, you can also spread the word with effective advertising here to show there are options to plastic and wood. My focus is ON30, so I don't read most magazines that don't cover my interests but I do read some US publications. There is always new ways to advertise on the web based on current screen content too. I don't know al lot about this stuff, but I do know what catches my attention.

Good Luck and keep up the good work.

Bob

[Steve Cox]

Another thought:

I always struggle to find just the right panoramic photograph for a backdrop. Perhaps a line of backdrops could be considered for those of us happy to print our own?

Steve

[Dan H]

Happy to do it; happy to continue to do it!

[Dave]

Bob, we are advertising in print and on line. but nothing beats a friend coming along, showing their work and sharing the experience.
We know that many of you do share the good word. It works,keep it coming.

Steve, I've looked at panoramas. I have some ideas, but right now I need to focus on the basics and getting the word out. We are facing a tough year going up against a bigger competitor with a similarly named but inferior product. There IS going to be confusion and we don't have the resources to fight them.
Simple as that. We need the word spread.

[Steve Cox]

I have and have built many of your kits, some of which have been displayed on your site, and absolutely love them.

Have you considered a few structures from a more modern era, say the 70's & 80's? Suggestions would be a gas station, small strip mall.

Keep up the great work guys.

Steve

[Ian Guild]

I'd like to see some more modern buildings, possibly a set of "pop-up" walls to enable various commercial units to be made - a kit of a kit

[Dave]

Modular, modern buildings are coming sometime in spring when I can get some fresh photos. In the mean time, there are curtain walls in the texture collection.

[Dave]

We had just over 60,000 page views in November from 20,000 individual visits. sounds like a lot doesn't it. Still, that translates into about what we might sell at a weekend train show.
Now, if we can get that 20k people to bring one friend, what an effect that might have.

[Dave]

Just a bit of information that I would bet you folks don't realize. We do advertize in magazines. Both print and ezines. Magazines like Narrow Gauge Down Under, which is a spectacular magazine, costs us less than a hundred bucks a month and others like Classic Toy Trains are offended when we tell them that they are way overpriced at $750 bucks an issue with a 3 month guarantee. Sure they have a bigger circulation, but we get more Australian sales that we do from Hi Rail people.
Dave Miecznikowski

[jerry]

Took a couple of pictures of some of my builds & put them on my facebook page along with the website. Explained that these can be had in just about any scale & are not just for model train enthusiasts. Also great for the war games & dioramas. I got some shares & likes. One person so far said they looked great & will visit the site.

[Jim Gore]

Dear Thom and Dave,

You know that I am always promoting cardstock modeling. The book on cardstock modeling is coming along nicely with a June completion date. I will also be part of the Modeling With The Masters series at the NMRA national convention in Portland, so there will be some hands-on experience there. Keep up the tremendous work. I look forward to every new model !

Jim

[Mike Ratel]

I have "liked" your Facebook page but noticed that it can sometimes be 3 months in between posts. I would love to see the content flow. Many of your customers are brilliant artists and more photos and stories about their builds would be great for Facebook. Have a monthly contest on the Facebook page and invite people to vote for their favorite model built by a customer. Winner gets a free kit. That would drive people to your page. A dedicated flickr page would do wonders as well. The more content you put on Facebook and Flickr the more people can spread it among the people they know.

[Dave]

Mike. facebook and peoples response to it is intriguing but i put most of my effort into this page. it may be that i dont really understand how to use facebook but i know i cant duplicate the enormous amount of stuff here.
i currently spend at least 4 hours every morning on line with email and all the paper and railroad forums.
facebook is generating serious numbers so i certainly need to do more but im not sure what that is.

[Mike Ratel]

Post some photos of their completed models and a little back story...a couple times a week no more than 30 minutes a week. "Here's a photo of The Brick Garage sent in by our friend Mike Ratel. Mike is building a N and a HO scale layout in his apartment. Mike is a member of the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, National Capitol Trolley Museum, and the East Penn Traction Club. When Mike is not working on trolley stuff he is busy promoting his award winning documentary film about how the sport of lawn mower racing is being used to raise money and awareness for a deadly disease known as Huntington's. Mike, good luck with the mow-tiion picture and we look forward to seeing more photos of your Clever Models builds....."

I have been sharing your posts on the Petworth Traction Co's page on Facebook but I haven't had a whole lot to share :(

[Dave]

Mike. facebook and peoples response to it is intriguing but i put most of my effort into this page. it may be that i dont really understand how to use facebook but i know i cant duplicate the enormous amount of stuff here.
i currently spend at least 4 hours every morning on line with email and all the paper and railroad forums.
facebook is generating serious numbers so i certainly need to do more but im not sure what that is.

[Dave]

so where's the photo? ;)~

[Mike Ratel]

Thom, I bought a few of your O scale kits to use in a diorama with my Corgi streetcar models. I hope to get to them one day!!