3 Rules for Success Your Dealership Cannot Ignore
Marketing has changed so much with car dealerships today.
Just a few years ago, many marketing methods were considered “free” or “optional”.
Now they have their own budget. For time and money.
1. Define your marketing mission.
Your mission should not be something like “Sell my stuff.” No, no, NO! This is so 2005.
Here’s a great mission statement:
To engage, educate and entertain our customers and prospects by giving them extraordinary and unexpected value.
Before you pull the trigger on any marketing campaign, compare it with a clear purpose like this one.
Really ask and answer this question each time.
If it doesn’t fit, send it back to the drawing board.
And yes, this work will truly pay off in sales and happy customers.
2. Pick your people.
Social media, email, direct mail, TV, radio – especially if you control multiple dealerships – requires many good people.
If you think you can depend on just one “marketing” person per dealership these days, you’ll soon be broke.
Two can’t do it all either.
You need a team to handle it.
That’s why today in many dealerships you find Digital Marketing Managers, Graphic Designers, Community Managers and Social Ambassadors.
Or they simply hire a great agency to handle all these roles.
3. Be helpful, don’t just “do marketing”.
As Zig Ziglar often said, “If you help enough people get what they want, you’ll get what you want.”
Keep your focus on this.
The moment you set your marketing on cruise control and just do marketing, you’ll slowly start to lose your audience.
Yep. Guaranteed.
When the email leads come in, respond immediately. When someone calls your direct mail hotline, don’t let it go to voicemail – unless it’s 1AM.
Have you ever tagged an important person on social media and gotten an answer? Made you feel pretty special, right?
So respond! Every time. No exceptions.
If you’re not consistent, you’re nonexistent.
If you’re not mailing, emailing, posting and tweeting on a regular basis, you’re not going to reach your audience at all.
Notice that in all of this, there’s no mention of selling cars. Why?
That shouldn’t be your marketing goal. Really.
If you focus on selling, it won’t work. Lots of dealer experience proves this.
You must rather pay attention to connect with customers and impress your prospects. Build a value-based community.
That’s what works now.
Are you using all of these techniques to your advantage?
Contact National Auto Data for a free, no-strings-attached consultation.
We’ll examine every inch of your marketing goals, look at your competition and tell you something new.