Level crossing motorisation unit update.

[The son of Triangman]

Work continues on my easy fit motorising unit, work has been concentrated on the motor mount for the custom gearbox and off the shelf motors from China. Minor modifications and motor retaining top brackets to make now. The 3D printer has been working overtime.

[The son of Triangman]

Making a commercial product is always a challenge

[What About The Bee]

Hello Son of Triangman

You wrote "Making a commercial product is always a challenge"

Perhaps I should add the words, "at a profitable price point". The challenge is to be able to sell it for more than it takes to get it into the client's hands. You can always make something, making it cheaply enough is the hard part.

Perhaps I should add the words "and it is what the customer wants". Making the best chariot for military use isn't going to attract many buyers. A few millenia ago, they would have sold in the thousands. Today? Not so much.

I am confident that you are already well aware of these fine points, and other points as well. I simply thought to add a few comments from the peanut gallery.

Bee

[The son of Triangman]

Comments are always welcome Bee, you are never too old to learn. I have done a fair bit of research and there's enough people who want the product to make it worth manufacturing at least in small volumes. The design is "design clever" too and can be scaled up or down to be able to be used in more scales than OO. Costs are being kept to the minimum with standardisation of screws and electronics as well and are cost viable. Marketing is a big challenge for me.

[What About The Bee]

Hi Son of Triangman

If it were me, I would consider a well edited, professionally shot series of youTube videos. I would show the product operational, and ease of installation videos, especially for the fence sitters. youTube is a good venue for this type of thing. Its a free repository for corporate videos.

Now usually, when I think of "influencer", I giggle. It's kind of silly. But for a niche product, exposure is the key. We all look on youTube to enjoy what other modelers are doing. I would attempt to get as many "influencers" as possible to try my product. So it can be shown. So other modelers can see it.

I would send FREE samples to folks like Charley at Chadwick Model Railways and Jennifer Kirk and ask them to review the product. I would be exceptionally careful to put a well tested, ready to go product in their hands. DC / DCC, ready to go. I would absolutely not ask for it back, it is theirs to keep. Yes, that costs me money. I trust that my product is good, and that I will get a fair review. I would offer an affiliate sponsorship for referrals, to coax the reviewer into doing the review. Jennifer does this, as does Sam. Essentially, a fee for a referral through a link I provide¹. I would not expect a sugar coated review. Both youTubers have shown that they will call out bad products. But a good review will get me on the map.

I would consider magazines. The thing to consider with magazines is that the advert would need be in every issue for several years to be effective. Not a single ad, repeated ads. I would offer a small discount if they use a code, which is only associated with that magazine. In this way I can measure sales versus advertising; but the thing I am buying is exposure, which may or may not result in direct sales. Magazines are a toss up for me, I wonder if they offer a large enough audience anymore.

Trade shows may be considered. A working model, shown to thousands, is reasonable marketing exposure. Put it on a big screen TV, let folks see it as they walk on by. Not all will stop, but many will look. I would not count on in-show sales to fund my effort, although that would be nice. I just want to be seen. I would make absolutely sure to have several working models ready to go. Level crossing gates beating like a drum may not last forever. But a quick replacement, in view of the public, will convince them of the ease of installation. Maybe even a display of the installation, again, for the fence sitters.

While the romanticism of the local model shop runs thick through the veins of many, this will be the least likely venue for exposure. The LMS guy is not going to push my product. It will be an effort to just put 10 units on his shelf, out of which he will make a meager amount of money, not a terrific incentive. To an audience that is his client base. It will be nice to generate sales this way, but they will be all at keystone² and not the exposure I need.

Lastly, I would consider that all of this is to be rolled into my cost of doing business. The advertising campaign is part of the budget. Part of putting the product into the customer's hands at a price he or she wants to pay.

Bee

¹Which means a professional website. I would make it as slick as could be, and reference my professional youTube videos.

²in the US, keystone is considered to be 50% of the retail price. A retailer is expected to mark my product up by a factor of 2. If I sell my product to a retailer at 5USD, keystone suggests he will sell it at 10USD. And I need to make it for less than 5USD to be profitable. This may preclude me from marketing through the LMS or retailers.

[What About The Bee]

Son of Triangman

I do not know if you get the Rapido newsletter. I've just perused their latest. What they have to say about Warley is directly applicable to you. I will clip the pertinent section, in the event you do not. Italics added:

÷÷÷

The announcement that the Warley Model Railway Exhibition would cease was quite a blow. We understand that in the model railway world we are quite fresh faces and that the Warley Club, through their show, has been instrumental in Rapido Trains UK building a name for itself....

Because of the show, thousands of people now know who we are.

Bee

[The son of Triangman]

Thank you, Bee, all useful info for when the time comes, I intend to make a video of the product working and use social media to the full . Working on the limit switch mounts at present. Once complete the unit will tested to destruction including the 3ft drop test.