Whether your auto dealership is a newcomer or has been established locally for decades, it's important to continuously review your position in the local market.
Even if you are the "top dog in the region," with all the advancements in marketing and technology, you need to constantly evaluate your marketing efforts and your target market and it's essential your marketing efforts reach that target market.
Furthermore, it becomes essential to your continued success to communicate your unique selling proposition to existing and potential customers.
If your marketing team is using a marketing strategy that is failing to differentiate your dealership from the competition, it is urgent that you define your unique selling proposition and grab viewers' attention or target viewers in the most effective ways.
If you are not currently offering something of unique value to your target market, it may be time to incorporate some of the following offers and messaging in your marketing:
Express pickup or delivery—A simple but effective way to make your dealership stand out is to provide pickup of trade-ins and delivery of new cars. Some dealerships utilize this tactic with their luxury brands in an effort to convey recognition that their customers’ time is precious.
Rigorous inspection and reconditioning—Many used car dealers employ a strong inspection and renovation routine, but fail to communicate how much effort they expend to customers. Emphasizing the care and expertise that goes into approving and fine tuning each vehicle can help convince wavering customers to take a chance.
Exchange policy—There are several national brands that have instituted exchange policies for their new vehicles. If your manufacturer does not have such a policy, you may wish to take the initiative; even if your car maker does have such a policy, highlighting it again can make your dealership appear unique.
Price matching—This offer is great at drawing in customers because it limits the shopping that customers have to perform.
There are numerous other creative offers that can be used to make your auto dealership really memorable, and many of these can be used in combination. A word of warning though; a simple, valuable offer is usually more effective than a list of features.
The second component of an effective marketing strategy is to match your target market’s unique offer with its ideal marketing channel.
Web design—Obviously, you should list all of your special offers on your website, but you should highlight your most important ones on a landing page. You should ask your marketing team to maximize SEO for the site so that your offers can help elevate search rankings.
Video—If you can produce videos about key offers that your auto dealership utilizes, it is important to post them on popular sites like YouTube and Pinterest. Authentic videos of satisfied customers can highlight your dealership’s key strengths. Caption these videos accordingly so that they draw visitors and publicize your dealership’s unique offers.
Email—Once your dealership has isolated its key offers, you should make them the centerpiece of your emails. Using a series of emails over several months can help cement your dealership in the minds of your customers.
Continuously evaluating your target market and how you communicate with them is essential to keeping your dealership looking fresh and attracting buyers’ attention.
At Palmer, we have found two proven marketing tactics for generating more automotive sales. Click the link below: