ADS Auto Marketing | Car Dealer Marketing
Automotive Dealer Direct Mail Advertising Strategies
Spy on the Automotive Marketing Competition
If you haven’t already, start both a digital and a paper file right now to spy on your automotive marketing competition. Label it “Competitors”. Give your entire team access to the digital version of these files/the Competitor folder. Don’t delay in doing this. The summer is competitive in the automotive industry. If you’re not already taking a closer look at what your competitors are doing, now is the time. Many dealership marketers refrain from checking up on competitors because they simply don’t know where to start. Here are a … Continue Reading
Increased Auto Ad Spend: 14% is a Big Jump
This article at Adage reports that via economic recovery, ad spending in the automobile industry will increase by 14% this year. New car tax incentives for automobiles other than hybrids are now fading as a possible tax credit, which is another sign of a better economy. This is great news for dealerships – obviously, more people are going to want to buy your cars. One possible issue that might arise due to a better car economy is higher ad spending by your competitors. More money coming in without a doubt means more money to spend on ads. … Continue Reading
A Good Experience Can Equal Good Publicity
Publicity is everything – especially when you’re trying to sell something that costs thousands of dollars. A few negative comments put in the right place can cause your business a world of damage. As dealerships, how can we protect our reputation and make sure clients are getting the best experience possible? Print and Online These days, businesses must be careful to protect their reputations both on and offline. Ensuring that customers only have good things to say about your business can’t happen all the time, but encouraging … Continue Reading
Maintain Your Maintenance Advertising
When you’re selling to your audience, it’s not just about giving them a great car. Particularly for new car dealerships, selling a car doesn’t just stop at the customer driving one off your lot. You also need to think about selling extended warranties and service plans, and convincing your customer to come to you for future car maintenance. In many cases, people are hesitant to rely on dealerships for service/maintenance due to a few key points: Price Ultimate value Loss of the “mom and pop” feel On the other hand, customers … Continue Reading
Don’t Drop Automotive Direct Mailers!
Summer’s on its way – and if you’re not planning those summer automotive direct mail pieces yet, it’s a great time to start. One of the main issues with doing any kind of advertising during the summer is that a certain mindset comes with summertime – a large portion of sales that happen during the summer are, after all, made in someone’s garage. Many advertisers seem to think that the summer months are slim for people – that advertising in the summer doesn’t have the same effect, and budgets are best reserved for those … Continue Reading
Get Your Referral Program Into Full Swing
Clients tell us that a customer referral program is one of the most popular ways to get new business in the door. Referral business seems to hit certain dealerships hard around tax time, when folks are looking to get into a new vehicle, and their friends are looking to cash in on a referral fee. A promotional calendar should be part of your overall marketing calendar, and should include promotions such as referrals. Incentivizing customers for bringing in friends and family – and making them customers – is a great way to increase your … Continue Reading
Selling Cars to Generation Y
The New York Times recently published a great article about the shift from Baby Boomer car sales to pitching automobiles to younger generations. The article argues that the driving experience for a young person is vastly different from an older person’s perspective. Recently, General Motors has been working with Scratch to figure out how to better sell cars to a younger generation. MTV’s Scratch is a Viacom-based consulting company that helps brands connect with younger buyers. Cars are a Bummer. Think about it – teens and people … Continue Reading
