In the past decade, the world of automotive marketing has experienced a drastic change in complexion. Several factors have led to the fundamental re-thinking of traditional marketing methods. These included increased competition, mega-mergers, fragmented audiences and new media-all combined for declining margins.
The result has been a shift in focus, placing greater emphasis on direct involvement with the end consumer, media partnerships, improved accountability and better customer relations.
Dealers who still advertise by the spray and pray method are left scratching their collective heads and watching their market share drop while their bottom line goes up.
Today’s market leaders are adopting a more strategic approach that reflects their multi-million dollar business plan and sales goals-a detailed road map of how they are going to hit annual numbers. Once they establish an annual plan, they back it down with a quarterly focus and monthly tactics. This is reviewed weekly with their agency and evaluated on a monthly basis-course adjustments are made as necessary.
In today’s marketing warfare, it is not about how much money you spend- it is about selling more cars—everyday. Top dealers know this and they are experts in managing the processes-marketing is just one of the processes.
Ask yourself: How many cars are you going to sell this year, this quarter, this month? Do you have a marketing plan that reflects your sales goals? Do you have specific tactics to implement your strategy? Does your creative talk to your customer with their best interest in mind and have a compelling offer to come do business with you today? Is your branding and offer consistent throughout all your marketing efforts?
If you can’t answer yes to all of these questions, don’t worry- you are not alone. There is a simple approach you can adopt to manage the marketing processes more efficiently.
Start by hiring an advertising agency that has a deep bench of automotive experience. An agency with a variety of automotive clients is more exposed to best practices and creative ideas. An automotive agency won’t ask you how much your budget is, rather how many cars you think you can sell. They will dig deep in your sales tower and BDC finding out about your sales team, management, floor plan (new and used) and lease penetration. They will want zip code analysis and customer profiles. They should think differently, plan meticulously, and evaluate a custom approach.
Be prepared to provide them with historical sales numbers, sales forecasts, investment criteria, seasonal pushes and fixed marketing expenses. Provide them a direct line of communication to decision makers in all departments. This will allow the agency to analyze the entire marketing mix against set criteria and develop a strategy that reflects your dealerships goals-not an off-the-shelf media and creative campaign that worked in another market.
This strategic approach allows the dealer and the agency to utilize all the disciplines of marketing (television, radio, print, direct mail, outdoor, Internet, customer database, in-store promotions, community events, cross-promotions, etc.) and construct a through-the-line consistent campaign. The end result is that the dealer and the agency work together to build consistent and seamless marketing bridges that all combine to complete the link between buyer and seller.
Therefore, with consistent and seamless marketing bridges you will have adopted a more strategic approach that efficiently achieves your sales goals and reduces your bottom line. Clear direction goes a long way when building a road map to selling more cars.
Thomas Hensey
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