How Dealers Can RISE Above the Marketing Noise

When dealership marketing challenges become more complex, it can be easy to forget some of the basic, but still important, obstacles facing your campaigns.

One of the earliest and still most significant marketing challenges is noise.

You’re probably thinking, “I’ve heard this lecture before.” But were you really paying attention?

Avoid joining the noise made by your competitors.

RISE above it instead.

Refine your goals – What do you want to do?

Your dealership should have refined, specific goals. Are you profit-focused or unit-focused? Do you want to clear out current year models to make way for the new models, or do you want to restock your pre-owned lot? What exactly do you need to move on or off your lot in order to reach those goals?

These goals should be driving your marketing efforts.

Insight derived from data – Who do you want to reach?

Structured data can be gathered from previous transactions a customer has made, while unstructured data can be gathered from their online shopping behaviors or social media accounts. Both are useful for formulating customer profiles, which can be used to identify certain buyer characteristics:

• What do they like?
• What do they need?
• What are they likely to purchase next?

With clean and analyzed data, you can better identify who you should be targeting.

Strategic communications – How can you reach them?

Your target audience determines the first communication channel your dealership should use, but that can’t be the only channel you rely on. People need to see a message multiple times in order for it to resonate. Utilizing multiple channels of communication is important when trying to gain consumers’ trust. Channels like social media and digital advertising help support and reinforce the messages sent via traditional channels like email and direct mail.

Your data can also tell you when to contact potential customers, potentially narrowing the window to the moment they are willing to purchase and preventing you from wasting resources.

Engage the customer – How do you get them to act?

If marketing was as simple as sending out a single email, cars would fly off the lot left and right. Marketing is a conversation meant to capture the attention of your potential buyers and entice them to act.

Customers need that final push to get them into your dealership. Provide a call to action that:

• Tells customers what’s in it for them.
• Drives toward your overall goals.

Noise will always be a factor when trying to attract customers. By collecting and analyzing data on the prospects that will best help you achieve your goals, you can formulate a message that will RISE above the noise, providing a custom experience for each car buyer and giving you the best possible chance of reaching your goals.