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 few handy tips to start monitoring the activities of your competitors’ marketing efforts throughout the summer months.

Save Their Automotive Direct Mailers

Your competitors’ mailers will tell you a lot about what they’re trying to accomplish. Are they trying to pull in recent grads? Are they doing summer promos that relate to the weather or community events? Are they having prize giveaways or parties to promote certain vehicles or sales? These are all things to keep track of.

Take stock of both the promotions and the design elements used, and enter that information in a spreadsheet for comparison. It’s a good idea to take note of the colors, the branding, and what basic imagery your competitors are using. How do these automotive direct mailers stack up to your own?

Useful Internet Tools

Take a look at sites such as Spyfu.com and Keywordspy.com to get an idea of what your automotive marketing competition might spend online, and how their search engine results are doing. Take this information into consideration alongside their automotive direct mail pieces and other forms of print marketing.

Watch TV and Read the Paper

Are your customers doing classified, TV or radio advertising? If so, how do their basic branding and promotional efforts fit in with their automotive direct mail campaigns? This information can give you a bigger-picture idea of what your competitors are up to, and how you can rise above their efforts with your own marketing.

Remember, summer is already super competitive, and there’s no better way to get an idea of what your competitors are doing other than to just look. If you have a great idea that your competitor steals next year, it’s pretty easy to guess why that’s happening. It’s best to use the information you have at your disposal this year to make standout marketing campaigns that will get clients talking about your dealership – then buying.

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. What does this mean for small to medium sized or used—only dealerships?

You May Need to Reevaluate

If a less-than-stellar Q4 in 2011 was part of your budget projection decisions for 2012, you may need to think again. The rapid pace of a healing economy means that your competitors could get louder than you – and you don’t want that. If the necessity to reevaluate and redetermine the budget is stopping you from considering a higher ad spend, you might want to think about that. Your competitors are coming after your customers – that’s not something to gloss over.

You May Need to Get Creative

New marketing techniques will prevail with higher budgets. This includes online techniques such as PPC or SEO targeting, as well as traditional automotive direct mail advertising. Neglecting one or both of these marketing areas with a decreased budget could have a negative impact on your overall sales.

Remember, dexterity in terms of how your marketing crosses offline and online platforms can ensure you more success.

Customer Service is King

The way you treat your customers will affect you in all areas. Prepare for bigger crowds by having more salespeople on hand during peak times and keep standards high for connecting authentically.

Prepare to use automotive direct mail services in larger bulk than you might have last year. Your marketing pieces can start your customers talking, and word of mouth will be a major way you can leverage cost-effective marketing power that brings people into your dealership. Understand now that you competitors may have larger summer marketing budgets that will launch them into a strong car-buying season during the fall and winter months. Don’t take your time when it comes to allotting more money to marketing if needed. Evaluate the budget now, and take a look at your overall numbers to see if a more expansive marketing campaign is needed.

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 customers to communicate feedback can save you some negative press.

Yelp

Social media sites have taken over content. How people share views about your dealership can dramatically change the way people look at your trustworthiness as a business. If you haven’t taken a look at Google or Yelp reviews for your business, now is a good time. You should know what customers are saying about you and use that data to influence future advertising campaigns.

For example, say you receive a number of positive testimonials on Yelp.com. It’s advantageous to publish these testimonials on your automotive direct mail pieces. It’s smart to publish print promotions using the good things customers say about you if you have their permission.

Rectifying Issues

Monitoring what your customers are saying about you is also important in terms of resolving situations that lead to negative press. This is where surveys come in handy. If your customers aren’t responding to email surveys, automotive direct mail pieces that customers can send in for a % off their next service bill may be the trick. While emails are likely to get deleted, mailers that include coupons can engage your customers in the way you’re looking for.

You can also ensure that if you’re using social media, your automotive direct mail pieces with coupons are set up as images that go out on Twitter and Facebook.

Don’t Take “I Don’t Know” For an Answer

Consumers will walk out of your dealership with a concrete idea about whether or not they’ve had a good, bad or mediocre experience. Ask them. You have to make sure that your customers are getting the experience they deserve when they’re in your dealership, and there’s no better way to do that than to get their opinions after an experience. Even if they don’t buy, getting a quick email or physical address can help you gauge whether or not the customer had a good experience, can stop bad press, and can possibly lead to a future sale.

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 may choose maintenance and after-purchase care with a dealership for these reasons:

• Trust
• Treatment
• A full record of service

There are other reasons, but these are some of the most common we hear.

Use Automotive Direct Mailers

Automotive direct mail pieces aren’t just about selling cars – you can also use them to let the customer know the value of after-purchase care and maintenance services. You may also want to let the customer know that an extended warranty package could save future time, hassle and money down the road. For you, the purchase of an extended warranty package could bring in more dollars a month for your dealership. For your customer, the protection is well worth the cost.

Consider creating automotive direct mail pieces for both scenarios. Hit up customers who’ve recently purchased and not signed up for a warranty plan. Let them know after-purchase coverage options, and how these can enhance your customer’s ownership experience.

The good thing about these types of mailers is that you can print off a few thousand and use them over time – you don’t need to make the same kind of financial investment you might in other promotional mail campaigns throughout the year.

Let Them Know

If you’re running specials or discounts, have coupons to advertise or feel as if maintenance promotions don’t get a lot of reach – remind your customers they exist. Emails easily get filed away or deleted, but automotive direct mail coupons can be cut out and used at a later date. Create clear wording that lets customers know they can redeem mailers for special, discount services at your dealership.

Not only does this give customers the opportunity to do further business with you at a discounted rate. You’ll also find many customers will hang the mailer up on a bulletin board or on the fridge – meaning they’re constantly seeing your discounts and branding until they redeem the automotive direct mail coupon.

If you haven’t considered running specials or deals for maintenance, consider it asap – and let your customers know what you decide!

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 end-of-year mailers during the big November car sales.

During summer, many advertisers seem to think it’s a good idea to stop direct mail marketing and go with online ads. The idea is that money saved during the summer time can be applied to that big November push. There are some very good reasons not to let up on advertising during the summer – so if you’re thinking about stopping your campaigns, you might want to listen up.

Yes, it’s Summer.

Even so, people are also spending a lot of money on things like vacations, graduations and the 4th of July parties. Wallets will be tightened and consumers may be less likely to purchase big-ticket items. Although it might not seem apparent now, you’re not the only dealership thinking this way. While consumerism for big ticket items may be less, the result may include your competitor’s marketing also thinning. This could be a gateway for you to blow the doors off the competition with some really great mailers.

Summer is not the time to pull back on your automotive direct mail marketing, but to push it harder and smarter.

Summer is the time to announce fire sales, or deals that your competitors aren’t announcing. You may very well make sales you didn’t expect simply because yours is the dealership with the most visibility.

Take Advantage of the Summer Heat

Because people are out of the house more often it’s also best to make sure that you keep up with your automotive direct mailers. People may not always be able to see your online marketing, but if they have something eye-catching to hold on to, the effectiveness of mailers may be a different story for your dealership.

Don’t Forget the Pictures.

Your dealership probably has that one perfect-for-summer car. Show it to people. Get it out there. Put it front and center on your mailers – along with your branding, of course – and get people excited about that summer deal. Don’t hold back on the best cars you have to offer your customers this summer.

What are you doing to make sure that your summer marketing is a success?

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 business and get extended groups engaged in your marketing.

What is a Decent Referral?

Think about it this way – every customer who walks through your door is going to invest tens of thousands of dollars. They often bring along friends or family who will help them make the decision to buy a car.

In many cases, this is someone who has previously had a great experience with your dealership. If a customer leaves in a new car, and the customer’s loved one leaves with a crisp hundred dollar bill, everyone’s happy. Incentivizing people who bring you more business doesn’t just reward friends or family of customers – it’s a process that rewards car buyers as well. When someone who just bought from you sees that you’re willing to reward friends and family for referrals, they’ll be on board. After all – who doesn’t want that free money?

Taking it to Automotive Direct Mailers

Many customers won’t know you have a referral program unless you bother to tell them. Automotive direct mail pieces are a great way to do this. You can get future customers on board by telling loved ones who have already purchased about the referral bonus.

Buying a car can be a long, tedious process, so it’s always a good idea to use automotive direct mail pieces to remind purchasing customers that a referral can translate into cash. Online or mailed surveys are also a great way to remind customers about your incentive program.

Try using large, blocky font in your mailers or on surveys with the words TELL A FRIEND and your general branding. Chances are many of your customers know someone who needs a new car, and if the opportunity is there to make a little extra cash, you could end up making a sale.

How will customers know you have a referral program unless you tell them? Use automotive direct mail and past/current customers to spread the word.

Cars are a Bummer.

Think about it – teens and people in their early 20s today are inundated with high gas prices, news about the oil wars, anti-drunk driving campaign messages, safety – driving doesn’t necessarily mean “freedom” for younger folks the way it did for teenagers 20-30 years ago.

What GM is starting to figure out is that the sales message has to be vastly different to address these changing trends. You can bet that dealerships won’t be far behind. Tomorrow’s buyers are already starting to make purchasing choices today.

If you want to appeal to younger buyers, you’ll have to gear your automotive direct mail messages to appeal to a new audience.

Food For Thought

The Times article reports that 46% of drivers would choose internet access over car ownership. While cars are still a huge part of our culture, and you can expect young people to buy, this metric shows what’s important. An interactive experience – including iPod docking, GPS, and other interactive services – can make the driving experience in your vehicle look more appealing to young people.

Use your automotive direct mail pieces to emphasize the importance of getting a driver’s license for younger people, and how you can help offer a reasonable next step in terms of financing responsible young drivers. Borrow imagery from popular shows that younger people relate to. Use colors and imagery that relate to a fresh, young contemporary look.

Knowing your audience is always going to be important when it comes to running a popular car advertising direct mail campaign with a high response rate. The “same-old” just isn’t going to work much longer.

There’s no better time than now to create materials that bring in both young and older buyers.

What has your dealership found to be successful in advertising to younger buyers?

Additionally, many people end up buying their newly-graduated children a new vehicle. Those purchases tend to happen between March and May, and collide with tax refund season, which makes sense. Any parent knows there’s a huge sense of panic when putting a teenager into a new or used car, particularly during a time of year when bad choices and a higher rate of accidents seem to be afloat all around.

We’ve talked so many times about how being in touch with what’s happening in your community is great for your automotive direct mail pieces – and for your marketing in general. So many buying decisions happen when the seller has a feel for what’s happening around the buyer.

If your buyers have teenagers who are getting into cars this season, it just makes sense to address some of your community’s parents in a way that lets them know you’re hearing concerns.

Start With Safety 

When it comes right down to it, kids want to be in a sleek looking car, and parents want their kids to be safe. It may not be your job to prevent sleepless nights, but it’s definitely your job to ensure that your buyers know their kids are safe in your vehicles.

Start by developing a value proposition that includes a high level of safety bullets. Put this list on your automotive direct mail pieces, and integrate talking to parents about your cars’ safety as part of your overall marketing plan. If you’re putting yourself out there as the safest game in town, parents are sure to listen.

Ultimate Value

When parents have kids who are graduating or turning 16, one big thought is college. Getting into a good school that parents can afford is a huge deal – and you can turn your sales proposition on automotive direct mailers into one that takes future college expenses into consideration.

Just a few simple lines of text can let parents hear that you are aware of both their financial and safety concerns when it comes to their teens.

Part of your responsibility when selling is to identify pain, and come up with a solution – and what’s more painful than your beloved child in a car that might not be safe? Alleviate parents’ fears, and get the sale this spring and summer.

The branding message of your dealership carries over even further than your automotive direct mail pieces or other print/online advertising materials. Your dealership consists of several marketing components that can all work together to accelerate your branding and lead to a positive message for your customers.

Selling the Brand

Your automotive direct mail pieces, banners, and signs around town aren’t the only source of branding info for potential customers. There are plenty of places you might not be looking. What about:

• Television commercials – including the way employees (or you) appear in the commercials in terms of dress or style
• Billboards – Do they match the color scheme and general information given on automotive direct mail pieces?
• Radio promos – Are there catch phrases used that match automotive direct mail pieces?

We all know that auto mailers are the best way to attract new customers to your business, but think about it this way – the overall strategy and message must be consistent across the board, or your mailers aren’t going to do you as much good. And why pay for mailers and other expensive marketing materials if you aren’t willing to go all the way with quality marketing materials?

Making Your Message Consistent

Start with your automotive direct mail pieces. What kind of message are you trying to convey? “Buy our car” is not good enough. “We have the best cars” is not good enough. What sets your dealership apart from other dealerships? What do you have to offer that your competitors simply can’t compete with? This message needs to not only go in your automotive direct mail copy – it needs to happen visually and conceptually throughout all your marketing materials.

There’s no better way to get your message consistent than to identify areas of glaring inconsistency within your marketing materials, and rectify these inconsistencies. That might include changing the overall look of your mailers, working on embroidered tshirts for your sales staff that reflect your marketing message and branding, and changing billboard or other advertising. When it comes down to getting your branding consistent, you can make it easier on yourself by taking stock of what you have and making appropriate changes in the future, rather than trying to do everything at once.

The next time a new employee asks, “What does a car salesman wear to work?”, you might have an easier answer. Custom t-shirts or branded, embroidered clothing can take care of this, and also serve as marketing/branding materials for your business.

Which areas could you start focusing on to move towards greater branding consistency?

Don’t get me wrong – you love what you do, and the service you provide to customers is one of the most fulfilling parts of your job. Don’t forget, however, you’re in this to make money – and now could be the best time possible to take a look at the value of the services you’re providing.

Don’t Waste Money on Automotive Marketing Promotions

We’re not saying don’t do promotions, but we are saying don’t waste money on them. It might be time to take stock in the way automotive direct mail promotions are paying off for your business. If you’re not really seeing a lot of added value coming from your promotions – whether they’re TV, radio, or automotive direct mail promotions – it’s time to rethink things.

Take a look at what your auto direct mail service company is charging you.When it comes to value, you’re the person in your dealership who needs to have the ability to examine the bottom line and make sure that dealer marketing is working out for you. The cost of paper, mailing lists, and bulk mail can add up – but if you’re paying exorbitant prices for mailers that don’t perform, you’re doing nothing in the long run other than wasting your time and missing out on the appropriate field of valued customers.

Look for the Value

Particularly if you’re in a financial pinch, you should also be looking for things that might be cheaper than in-house work. Many clients who work with us simply can’t afford the labor of assembling automotive direct mail campaigns themselves. Employee time, materials, and demographic targeting are often best accomplished by working with an outside company.

In many cases, the right automotive direct mail company can literally become part of your team. You can develop family-like, trusted relationships with an external company once you see they have your best interests in mind.

Don’t just rely on sharp-dressed car salesmen to help you meet your bottom line. Carefully determine if your current marketing plans are getting you the added value you need to succeed. If they’re not, it may be time to do a drastic reevaluation of your overall marketing plan.

How effective have your automotive marketing promotions been this year to date?