HOW TO MARKET YOUR AUTOMOTIVE DEALERSHIP IN 2014MarketingTorq.com

There are many ways to market a business online and offline. The problem is, not every marketing method will work for an automotive dealer, and there is no way to know exactly how competent your dealership’s marketing specialist is.

Your dealership might be unaware of all the different online and offline marketing strategies it can implement to maximize its profits. So we’ve decided to put it all under this one article for your convenience, read on to learn all the different ways you can market your dealership in 2014.

OFFLINE

WORD OF MOUTH

WOMM is as old as it is useful. It is the oldest and probably most trusted form of marketing known to man.

Don't be afraid to chat to your existing customers to ask them how they’re doing.

Take the opportunity to get to know them and answer their questions. If your dealership proves to be helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly, then people will start talking about it.

NEWSPAPERS & SHOPPING GUIDES

Advertise in the local newspapers. You can also write a press release about anything newsworthy going on in your dealership. Not sure how to write one?

Pick up the phone and call your local news station to see if they’d be interested in running a story about something going on at the dealership.

NEWSPAPERS & SHOPPING GUIDES

The news is thirsty for ratings so if you can think of something that will generate buzz and help them increase viewership, then do it.

Also, place advertisements in the local shopping guides. Your local area undoubtedly has them, and their very popular among consumers.

BUSINESS CARDS & FLYERS

Print out and distribute sharp looking business cards and flyers.

Leave them everywhere you go and post them to billboards at local shops and restaurants.

Give your sales force business cards as well so they can help with distribution.

DIRECT MAIL

Direct mail campaigns are simply pushing marketing leaflets through doors or sending out postcards to your existing customer database.

This might be old school but it shouldn't be underestimated.

Utilize the USPS’ every door direct program, in which they will distribute all your advertisements in the local area for a very affordable price.

SPONSORSHIP

There are always competitions at newspapers and radio shows. There are also many sports leagues, events, businesses, and other kinds of events going on in the local area.

Sponsoring these events will not only support these events and make them a reality, but it will also build awareness and goodwill for your dealership.

GIVEAWAYS

Consider hosting a giveaway or contest in which you do something fun and different for your customers. You could host a series of games where the winner is added to a pool for the giveaway.

You could do smaller games and giveaway smaller prizes. It’s important to follow through with your promises and deliver the prizes to the winners.

BUZZ AGENT

You could give away a branded car for absolutely free. The lucky customer would have to agree to leave the car as it is and drive it around using your branded design and advertisements.

They get a free car to use and you have a buzz agent spreading your advertising messages all over the local area.

TESTIMONIALS

ASK for written testimonials from every one of your customers.

Get a collection of them and utilize them in all of your promotions.

Make decorative posters or billboards for your dealership that display your customers’ love and appreciation. Social proof goes a long way.

TELEVISION

Good old fashioned television advertising works great as a marketing tool.

You can run with the old straight pitch commercials, but you also might consider creating public service announcement types of commercials and campaigns to build awareness and goodwill.

Before you know it, your dealership will become a household name in the local area.

ONLINE

EMAIL MARKETING

Ask customers to opt into your email list. Publish a regular e-newsletter and tell people about what you're doing and what’s going on in the auto world.

Send reminders for monthly maintenance and run promotions too. Don’t forget to send useful or entertaining material too, lest you become bothersome.

When done right, email marketing is extremely powerful for customer acquisition and retention.

CONTENT MARKETING & BLOGGING

Install and maintain a blog on your dealership’s website.

Post regular updates with quality content and both Google and web visitors will love you for it.

Use this as part of your content marketing strategy to build your email list and SEO results.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)

If your website ranks highly on Google, Bing, or Yahoo, you can receive hundreds or thousands of website visitors every day.

You’ll need a content marketing strategy in place such as blogging or podcasting or video streaming, but the return on investment can reap increased profit margins for your dealership.

PAY-PER-CLICK ADVERTISING (PPC)

Unlike traditional advertising, where you only pay for views or “eyeballs,” PPC ads only cost you money when they generate a response.

Many auto parts and accessories retailers use PPC to generate significant amounts of revenue.

Use this to compliment your S&P operations, or use it to acquire new customers.

PAY-PER-CLICK ADVERTISING (PPC)

Remarketing is a service provided by Google where you can run ads ONLY to people that have already seen your website before. Ad Networks like Facebook, Bing/Yahoo, AOL are also other alternatives to Google.

This can save you money and increase ROI.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

The automotive industry is starting to realize just how powerful and profitable social media is.

Using Facebook, Twitter, automotive forums, YouTube, and other social networks, will put you in touch with your target audience.

Do not underestimate the power of social media…it has started revolutions and transformed the way we do business.

MOBILE MARKETING

You can build a list of subscribers just using mobile advertisements.

You can also run promotions where you ask people to text a certain word to a certain number, this builds your list and allows you to send little text messages to promote your dealership.

Use this in conjunction with a contest or giveaway.

OUR PERSPECTIVE

This presentation isn’t all-encompassing! There are many ways to market your auto dealership in 2014 and beyond. Don’t be afraid to be creative in your marketing efforts!

Marketing Torq has been helping dealerships torque up their profits for over a decade.

Find out how your dealership can earn an extra $100,000 THIS year. Learn more!