Yesterday I sat down with Jose Rodriguez, owner of Elite Tire Center here in Yakima, WA. We had a very productive conversation about digital marketing and how to measure what’s working. Jose knows his way around digital marketing and had a clear idea of where his major problems lay.
We will be putting together a proposal to solve the problems outlined below.
We talked about four core areas:
1. Call Tracking Tokens
The foundation of measurable marketing is knowing where your calls come from. When someone dials your business, did they find you through a Google ad? Organic search? Google Business Listing? Without tracking tokens tied to specific campaigns, you’re flying blind.
We discussed implementing proper call tracking so Jose can see exactly which marketing channels are generating actual customer inquiries. No guesswork, no “we think it’s working” – just data.
2. CTAs and Audience Targeting
Not all clicks are created equal. We dug into the importance of clear calls-to-action that speak to specific customer needs. Someone looking for emergency tire repair has different needs than someone shopping for lift kits. The messaging needs to reflect that, and the landing experience needs to deliver on the promise.
3. Problem Statements
This came up a lot in our conversation. Every good marketing message starts with the problem you’re solving, not the solution you’re selling.
People don’t wake up thinking “I need tires.” They wake up thinking “my tire pressure light won’t turn off” or “my truck rides like crap” or “I need to pass inspection next week and my tires are bald.”
The problem statement is what connects with people. Once they recognize you understand their problem, they’ll listen to your solution. Miss that connection, and your ad is just noise.
4. Local SEO Fundamentals
This is where we found some quick wins. Elite Tire isn’t registered with Bing Places. Now, Bing isn’t Google – the traffic is smaller. But when you’re a local business, you find customers by looking under every stone. Someone searching on Bing is still looking for tire services, and there’s no reason to give that business to competitors by default.
The Problem
Here’s what Jose told me: He’s spending money on Google AdWords but he doesn’t know what advertising channels are driving action. His competitors have bid on words related to his brand name forcing him to have to purchase his own branding. His friends over seas host his website and he’s happy with that. He wants more responsive local marketing. That’s the problem Elite Tire Center in Yakima was facing. Here’s how we plan to fixed it.
The Solution
Jose’s current site is hosted by friends overseas, and he wants to maintain that relationship. That is totally understandable. But he needs more control over his immediate marketing presence.
The plan: Build a WordPress site at ads.elitetireyakima.com that will serve as his marketing hub. This gives us the flexibility to:
- Create targeted landing pages for specific campaigns
- Implement proper tracking and analytics
- Test different messaging and offers
- Build out SEO-optimized content
- Maintain clear attribution for marketing spend
His main site stays where it is. His marketing operations move to a platform where we can measure, test, and improve.
Why This Matters
Elite Tire Center has been serving Yakima since 2009. They’re good at what they do – factory-direct tires, wheels, complete automotive repair, lift kits, financing options. The business fundamentals are solid.
But in 2026, being good at your trade isn’t enough. You need to be visible where customers are looking, and you need to know which marketing efforts are paying off and which ones are burning money.
This isn’t complicated stuff. It’s just rarely done right. Most businesses either:
- Don’t do marketing (and wonder why the phone doesn’t ring)
- Do marketing blindly (and wonder why they can’t tell what’s working)
- Hand everything to an agency that speaks in jargon and doesn’t show measurable results
We’re building something different for Elite Tire – a marketing operation that’s local, measurable, and focused on what actually matters: getting qualified customers through the door.
Jose runs a great business. Now we’re making sure people can find it, and making sure he knows exactly where his marketing dollars are going.
If you’re a local business owner in the Yakima area dealing with similar challenges, reach out. Let’s have a conversation about what’s actually working in your marketing and where you might be leaving money on the table.
Jeremy Bond
Bondbyte Inc.
Yakima, WA