By Kathryn Creedy
Larry Hinebaugh, Founder, V-Log Aircraft Digital Logbooks uses ABCI for aviation marketing
When V-Log first started working with Aviation Business Consultants International on aviation marketing objectives two years ago, CEO Larry Hinebaugh faced a marketing challenge. He had invented a new product, one that was critical to aircraft value, but needed more than the traditional marketing approach. Much of the message was about educating the industry on the importance of V-Log, which digitizes logbooks and creates an online backup for something that represents about 30% of the value of an aircraft.
“I knew there would be a lot of education involved in bringing V-Log to market,” he said. “I was impressed with ABCI’s marketing classes and I felt confident they could probably help us. That included educating ABCI about the product and why it is so important to collaborate. Paula and John were able to help us articulate our message, constantly coming up with really great ideas. I think if I had to describe ABCI, I’d say they are the idea people.”
Hinebaugh zeroed in on what he liked best about ABCI. “Their role is definitely one of creativity and that’s exactly what you want,” he said. “That was also what we needed. I’m not a marketing person and have never marketed a product. Before we started with ABCI, we were limited to word of mouth and that worked because VIP aviation is a very small industry. But I knew we needed something more and I was very happy with the ideas they developed.”
With a new product, he explained, success can’t be achieved solely by word of mouth because your prospective customers don’t know they need something like V-Log. In fact, prospective customers not only didn’t know about V-Log, they didn’t even know they needed to back up these records which are searchable so maintenance, compliance and sales become much more efficient.
“We had to get the message out but we didn’t know how to educate the industry and have it wrapped up in an marketing envelope,” he said. “But they always came up with good ideas and then it was just a matter of my refining it. We’ve gotten a lot of traction in the industry because of it. We spent 2015 experimenting with different things and finding out what worked and didn’t work. We have changed the program significantly for that reason and this year our program will be much more narrowly focused on what worked.”
Hinebaugh explained that at the beginning of his marketing efforts, V-Log hired a sales consultant who told him he wasn’t ready for a big marketing campaign. “This consultant said we were too small for a marketing company,” he said. “But Paula turned him around and he continually sang their praises the entire time he worked with us. That is a good testament of how ABCI works and we want to keep working with them.”
Some of the work developed by ABCI for (and with!) V-Log:
Logbook Best Practices Blog
Audience – DOMs, maintenance personnel, aircraft owners
Purpose – Provide articles, information and discussion on aircraft logbook related topics.
Printed book – the Plane Owner’s Guide
Audience – Aircraft owners
Purpose – Provide case studies and high-level information about how aircraft logbooks can impact airworthiness and resale value.
eBook – 12 Common Logbook Mistakes
Audience – DOMs, maintenance personnel, aircraft owners
Purpose – Provide more detailed information about aircraft logbook errors and how to avoid them.
Promo Video
Audience – Aircraft owners and brokers
Purpose – Promote the Plane Owner’s Guide
Printed Newsletter
Audience – DOMs, maintenance personnel, aircraft owners
Purpose – Provide articles, information and discussion on aircraft logbook related topics.
Orville & Wilbur In Charge Cartoon Series
Audience – DOMs, maintenance personnel, aircraft owners
Purpose – Simplify and explain complex technical information in a fun and easy format.
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