How Relevant Is Your Dealership Today?

Have you stopped and really asked: How relevant am I?  Not how relevant  you’re as an individual, but how relevant is your business to the shopping public.

This is a key statement!  You need to begin looking at customers and prospects  as the shopping public.

Prospects are no longer prospects.  Customers are no longer customers.  They have become educated, informed, shoppers.  

Always learning!

Always sharing!

Always shopping!

If you want to be relevant ask yourself:  Am I making it easier for people to shop?

• Are my messages relevant to the searches being made for information?  
• Are my methods of communication relevant to the media channels that people desire to access information? 

Communication Channels

We have  dealers who will only use the telephone to communicate with our agency.  I know other dealers who still like the fax machine.  And there are those who prefer to handle things through email.  My point is we have to communicate with our dealers in the manner they prefer. 

Your marketing message must be relevant to the market place.  You need to be integrating Social Media, digital and traditional media into your monthly plans.  You can no longer treat each media channel as an isolated silo.  The shopping public isn’t behaving this way, why should you?  

Message

The shopping public wants to get the information they desire from the media channel they  prefer.

They also expect your message to be more relevant to their search or inquiry.

A great example of how dealers are not making their message relevant is the use of Google Ad Words.

Do a search.  Type in any product you like and what you’ll find is two major mistakes.

1. The copy in the Google Ad does not specifically match the search.  It’s also so generic that it doesn’t relate to the time of year, the event in play or the product searched.
2. 90% of the time when  you click on this ad you’ll end up on the home page of the dealer’s web site!  These dealers are asking the consumer to work even harder to find the information they thought they  put into a search bar.

The solution is Relevant Content.  Try creating landing pages that match your key search terms.  Give the shopping public the information they want.  Update the copy in your ads. Try just adding Fall Specials into your copy, it will make your ad more relevant to the shopping public.  Make everyone else’s ad look stale and old.

If you start thinking Integration you’ll quickly see how easy it is to become relevant to the shopping public.  It doesn’t take more effort, just the willingness to look at the market from a different view point.

The shopping public’s eyes!  Take a look and you might realize you’re not very relevant.

Give me call if you have any thoughts on Integration!  We’re always thinking here.

Integration Of Automotive Marketing Is True Love!

Is it possible to have love and automotive marketing in the same sentence?

Yes it is….

Really it is.  We’ve been trained for years to think of each individual media as it’s own silo.  You don’t fall in love with any marketing plan if you’re constantly evaluating each effort on it’s own merit.

Did the mailer work?

Did the TV spot drive traffic?

Did my web site create leads?

Is Social Media driving any sales?

What’s this have to do with LOVE?

 

(Note:  There’s nothing wrong with tracking and holding your marketing effective.

 I highly recommend it.  See TDS Ad Tracker)

THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT!

I’m sure your spouse is good at  something, not so good with others, brilliant with some but when you put this all together you have someone you can’t live without.

 You could  find different  people whom are brilliant at certain things.  You could spend time with the good cook when your hungry.  Call the  good dancer when you’re ready to go dancing.  And you call the spiritual one when you’re ready to attend church on Sunday.  

The problem is  you won’t LOVE any of them.  You’ll change them out like pieces in a puzzle before you would ever know if they might be a good match for you.  

Marketing is the same way.  If you want to love your marketing you must integrate all aspects of your marketing into one great plan. A plan with everything rolled up into one incredible automotive marketing effort.

• Take your traditional advertising and integrate into digital and social.
• Take your digital marketing and integrate it into social and traditional advertising.  
• Integrate everything into one complete plan.

STOP… treating every marketing opportunities as  stand alone options.

The question you need to be asking is can I integrate this into other advertising channels and can it make something else more productive.  If you  answer yes…. add it to the mix.  Don’t let your automotive ad agency keep you from integrating!  So many do without even realizing it!  They maybe be too small and don’t have the resources or they just focus on one particular media.

If you want to learn more about effective integration go to We Integrate Everything.

If your ready to really love your marketing start integrating today!

 

 

How To Integrate Social Media Into Media Negotiations

Traditional negotiations of a television buy consisted of the number of spots you could get for your budget. You’d also look at reach and frequency in an effort to hit some minimum numbers. You’d look at the cost per thousand as you targeted a specific demographic. Finally, if you didn’t like the programming it was usually eliminated.

It’s time to now integrate social media into your television, radio or print negotiations.

Yes, social media is a high priority with most local media properties. The obstacle for most stations is how do they leverage thier media with advertisers most auto client don’t have a vibrant social program?

The answer is they can’t!

This is great news for you!  (You do have a social media program don’t you?)

If not check out Social.Motive.

There are two dynamics working here. The stations are looking for partnerships with dealers who have a social media program  and a media budget.  The stations have two strong motivating factors.

1) To get your ad dollars
2) To show some value in their social networks

For example WFAA here in Dallas Fort Worth has over 23,000 likes on facebook and over 18 twitter accounts.  About 16,000 on one account alone.

Here’s how you do it… ASK!  

Ask how can we tie  your social network into theirs. Can we do some joint social promotions? Can we tie into some events you have scheduled? Can we tie into your local programing? Can we offer your social networks something exclusive?

For no extra cost you’re  potentially connecting into another 40,000 targeted individuals simply by participating in social media.  Just ask!  You have a motivated partner.

Integration of social media into your media negotiations is a must. Leverage, leverage and more leverage!

Integration is the name of the game.

Look to integrate everything you do.  You really can’t afford not to!!!!

What’s The Cost Of Survival? The Good News Is It’s Not That Expensive!

It really is a matter of survival and you need to get your automotive ad agency on the ball.  If  they’re not prepared get some outside help fast.

Let me know your thoughts.  Give me  call if you’d  like to discuss further.

YouTube Has The Numbers Your Automotive Ad Agency Can’t Ignore!

If you’re wondering the impact YouTube has had on America take a look at these numbers.  

Remember, YouTube is just a tool and not a magic pill.  Posting a video, to just post a video will not help you obtain your marketing goals.   However,  put the right plan in place with the right videos…… WOW!  What an audience!

Make sure your Automotive Ad Agency  has a plan  to capitalize on the growth and power of YouTube.  

Let me know how you’re using YouTube.

Have Your Automotive Ad Agency Look At facebook Ads!

facebook ads are a good idea!

 

The value of any ad is based on the strategy and the intent of  the ad.

NOTE:  If you’re not engaged in social media with the right platform facebook ads will be on no value to you.

Here’s what you get straight from facebook. 

Connect with Real People

• Filter  your target audience from over 400,000,000 facebook userws
• Offer a relevant value to your target audience for increased success
• People respond to relevant content

Create Your Facebook Ad

• Ads are easy to create
• Advertise your own web page or something on Facebook like a Page or an Event.
• Choose to pay per click (CPC) or impression (CPM) in your local currency.

Optimize Your Ads

• Track your progress with real-time reporting.
• Gain insight about who’s clicking on your ad.
• Make modifications to maximize your results.

Here is the main reason i think this can work for you and your dealership!  Below are the list of filters you can use.  

Target Your Audience By:

• Location
• Age
• Sex

• Keywords
• Education
• Workplace

• Relationship Status
• Relationship Interests
• Languages

I have used this program with good success.  The costs are very reasonable.

But like any ad,  be sure your automotive ad agency has a well thought out plan before you spend any money.  It is not a silver bullet!   Just another good tool.

Online Advertising Driving Dealership Traffic – How to Buy Banner Advertising

Anyone that has spent time on the internet has noticed banner ads. Banner ads come in different sizes [generally 3 sizes] and vary in appearance and subject matter. But they share two basic functions: 

1) When you click on the banner ad, you will go the Dealership’s website.

2) Your advertising message and branding message will reach internet users in the form of ad views or ad impressions. It is these impressions that determine how much you will pay for banner ads.

Dealerships generally have three options if they want to purchase banner space from websites to place banner ads.    

• Approach the web sites yourself and negotiate a price – limited and time consuming. Because you don’t have bargaining power, you will generally pay higher prices.
• Employ an advertising agency – An automotive ad agency will seek suitable websites [called publishers], negotiate the price of banner space, and do most of the work of posting banner ads on your behalf.  They will also help with online advertising campaigns and supply creative artwork.  This comes with a cost and will increase your CPM.
• Utilize Ad Networks – Banner ad networks basically act as brokers between the advertisers/dealerships and publishers/websites.  Ad networks take care of placing ads, negotiating prices, tracking and can offer additional features important to automotive dealerships.
•  Features such as:

o      Behavioral Targeting – Determining an internet user’s behavior, psychographics and preferences based on what websites they visit. Then place ads in front of them as the browse the internet.

o      Contextual Targeting – Serving an ad to an internet user based on the content they are currently viewing.

o      Retargeting – Targeting internet users that have visited your website and then placing ads in front of them as they browse the internet in order to bring them back to your site.

o      Geographic Targeting – Serving ads based on the internet user’s physical location.

      Ad Networks give dealers a greater access to reach internet users, provide flexible payment models, offer low costs and provide targeting abilities.  Thus, Ad Networks are hard to beat for Dealerships.

I have found this to be the best path for dealers to take!

What have you found out?  What do you think of banner ads?

Try 15 Second Ads To Drive Dealership Traffic

Think about taking some TV:30’s and breaking them into TV:15’s.  The timing might be just right!

I don’t need to say it but here goes anyway.  The world of advertising is changing!   How you ask?  In more ways than I can count.  But if you can count to 15 you might have a media strategy at your finger tips that will drive dealership traffic.

Media operates on a supply and demand cost formula.  Back in the good old days it was more of a demand transaction.  What ever the media outlets demanded they got because the supply was so limited due to demand.  That’s why 15 second spots were often priced  at 75% of the value of a TV:30.

Strategically 15’s made sense when one was trying to raise frequency.  Economically, they didn’t.  It’s hard to justify spending 75% of the cost of a TV:30 in an attempt to raise frequency.  Today it’s a little different!

First, the internet has opened some doors for you.

We’ve found 15 second spots are a great way to encourage and promote people to visit a web page or to a promotional landing page.  The landing page can have coupons, discounts and other transactional items to drive traffic.

The internet allows us to extend that 15 second spot into an unlimited interaction between the customer and the dealership. (It’s also trackable!)

Your automotive ad agency needs to be looking at this next item right away.

Negotiating….. The demand at  stations or lack of demand is allowing for great negotiations if your willing to plan.  If you get your base strategy in place you’ll be able to really leverage some opportunities with local media.  Most automotive dealerships are still playing it too close to their vest. Don’t be the dealer  making every critical marketing decision at the last minute.  Your throwing out the leverage you may never see every again.

Here’s what you’ll gain taking action today!

You’ll be able to get TV:15’s  at about half the price of a thirty.  If you ask! .

You’ll increase you retail frequency which we know is critical to automotive advertising.

More frequency, less cost, and a message that is gateway to getting  consumers shopping you on the Internet!  

Let me know the kind of deals your getting from the media this year.  We’re finding some free weeks out there so be sure to look close.

Future Of Print And Dealership Traffic

Where is print going?  There are many opinions and  only time will tell.  However, newspapers can still provide a good ROI to dealerships.  Even with circulation numbers down.  

The cost to run an ad is much lower and  the competition for consumers eye balls is far less than just a year ago.  But, even so, many feel newspaper and print is dead.  

If you think print is dead you need to look at the video below.   Newspapers and others won’t be far behind.

Online resources such as Mashable help me stay ahead of the upcoming communication trends.  This excellent read and video that was posted by Mashable writer, Stan Schroeder, on the possibilities of Apple’s Tablet on the future of magazines.

This Sports Illustrated demo is very impressive and deserves your attention.  It’s amazing that magazines are already anticipating the possibilities of a Kindle version that could become mainstream.  Already 35% of Amazon sales are going to Kindle.

This should generate some ideas on how to  use this technology to promote your dealership.  Let me know what  you think or how you could see using it.

Search Strategies For Dealership Traffic

 

Contextual Campaigns sound like a no brainer but you could end up screaming at  your computer.  Contextual Campaigns match keywords in your ad to keywords in articles on the web.  When a key trigger word or phrase is identified, your ad pops up in the article being read.  On paper this sounds like a wonderful targeted web application.  If used properly it is.  

For example, let’s say you want to run a credit ad and you select credit as your trigger word.   Sounds like a good idea.  Someone is in need of credit and they’re reading an article on credit and boom your ad appears.

Your ad states very clearly you can get just about anyone approved.  You have credit sources and there’s no challenge too great for you and your dealership.

STOP!  Credit is way to broad.  Suppose an article was published on a famous murder.  One of the arresting officers was quoted as giving CREDIT to a store clerk who chased down the suspect.  The use of the word Credit is way too loose.  

• The design of a good contextual marketing program is that your ad is placed with a relevant article.

Next time you’re on the web see if the ad that pops up has relevancy to the article you’re reading.  If it doesn’t,  see if  you can figure out the trigger word that was used.  

Here’s a good  tip to keep this from happening to you and your automotive ad agency.  Locate sites you would like your ad to appear on and look for unique words and phrases that are used frequently on these sites.   After this process you might choose credit approval, credit restoration or car credit.    

If you target  Honda you run the risk of being up next to anyone who mentions Honda.  Your ad may run on an article about lawn mowers or someone that just happens to mention Honda in their copy.  This is not the targeted contextual marketing you signed up for.

Better solution is to mention Honda Accord.

 Most people won’t put both words together when casually referring to transportation.  Do a little research and  your ROI on contextual marketing will be much higher.  Yes, we want impressions but the more we can target the better.

Has this happened to you?  Let me know your war story.