Should your dealership have a spokesperson? There are many factors to consider before answering this question. The spokesperson is the forefront of your company, and will represent your company to the public. Your chosen celebrity will most likely garner lots of publicity for your company, but the catch is that it might not always be good publicity. Simply put, there is a chance the face of your company could be embroiled in a public scandal.
Of course, most people emphatically believe that they would never hire a spokesperson with a questionable reputation, and would never hier someone they believe would garner negative publicity. The problem here is that you can’t see the future. You never know what could happen. Even the spokesperson with the most polished reputation could fall from grace for any reason, at any time. For unlimited examples of this, simply pick up this week’s celebrity gossip magazines. The public is liable to turn on America’s sweethearts unexpectedly, for a host of reasons. By no means will you automatically have problems if you enlist a spokesperson for your company, but it is a possibility that must be considered. You should also consider what actions will your company take should something of that nature transpire.
Additionally, it has become much more common for “celebrities” to endorse specific agendas. This can range from political candidates and platforms to personal causes like pet adoption or diabetes prevention. In this election year, many celebrities are endorsing a presidential candidate. You should ensure that your spokesperson doesn’t alienate a portion of your customer base and prevent you from making sales to certain demographics. From a political standpoint, many people believe a business should never endorse a campaign. Politics are for individuals to consider, not for a business to analyze.
Many of these potential problems that arise when hiring a spokesperson seem like they are only applicable to A-list, national celebrities, but that’s not always so. Every city has local influencers within the community, such as newscasters and radio DJs that could be enlisted to represent your brand publicly. Just because they aren’t easily recognized doesn’t mean their negative actions won’t make the news.
Overall, there are pros and cons to having a celebrity spokesperson. It is essential to have a public face associated with your brand, but it doesn’t always have to be a local influencer. The most important thing is to endorse your company through the dealership itself. Use your team to help promote you as a company. After all, they are truly the people who represent your company, as they are the most hands on with customers.
The secret to using Facebook to successfully promote your business is simple. Get your fans involved! One easy way to engage your followers is to run a contest. Experts agree contests are one of the best ways to increase fan engagement. The logic behind it is simple; people love free stuff.
There are many types of contests you can run on your Facebook page. One successful type of engagement practice is weekly trivia. Pose a question to your followers. It doesn’t even have to be car related. It’s actually important to occasionally provide content that doesn’t focus on cars so that your followers see you as more than just a dealership. Variety provides personality. The person with the correct answer to your questions receives a prize. As a dealership you can offer various types of redeemable gifts to potential winners, ranging from service offers to brand related merchandise. The benefit of weekly trivia is that your page becomes exposed to more people than just those who currently like your page. Friends of fans are able to see when one of your fans posts on your trivia question. This is true for most posts on your page. With trivia, however, the likelihood of receiving a response is greater.
Another way to increase engagement on your page is by running a promotion or sweepstakes. It is recommended that you provide a larger prize to fans in these promotions because it requires more for them to participate.
There are two different ways you can create a promotion:
- The person entering does simply fills out a short information form to enter and has a chance to win.
- The person entering has to provide some form of additional information in order to enter. There are many different avenues you can take for these promotions. Examples include caption this photo, the photo with the most amount of likes win, and more. Before launching the competition, you’ll need to decide which promotion you’ll run, and then develop a strategy as to how it will work. Next, create a Facebook app for your promotion and launch!
The benefit with the promotion is that not only can it help increase engagement on your page; it can also increase your likes (depending if you set the application up right or not). In a correctly designed app, a person must “Like” your page to be eligible to win.
Facebook engagement is important because social media is important. It’s a huge part of an individual’s life and it is a main avenue to reach potential customers. Additionally, people who win something from a dealership are much more likely to visit them the next time they need their vehicle serviced or are in the market for a new one. Not sure how to increase your Facebook engagement? Contact us now because, we CAN help!
The secret to using Facebook to successfully promote your business is simple. Get your fans involved! One easy way to engage your followers is to run a contest. Experts agree contests are one of the best ways to increase fan engagement. The logic behind it is simple; people love free stuff.
There are many types of contests you can run on your Facebook page. One successful type of engagement practice is weekly trivia. Pose a question to your followers. It doesn’t even have to be car related. It’s actually important to occasionally provide content that doesn’t focus on cars so that your followers see you as more than just a dealership. Variety provides personality. The person with the correct answer to your questions receives a prize. As a dealership you can offer various types of redeemable gifts to potential winners, ranging from service offers to brand related merchandise. The benefit of weekly trivia is that your page becomes exposed to more people than just those who currently like your page. Friends of fans are able to see when one of your fans posts on your trivia question. This is true for most posts on your page. With trivia, however, the likelihood of receiving a response is greater.
Another way to increase engagement on your page is by running a promotion or sweepstakes. It is recommended that you provide a larger prize to fans in these promotions because it requires more for them to participate.
There are two different ways you can create a promotion:
- The person entering does simply fills out a short information form to enter and has a chance to win.
- The person entering has to provide some form of additional information in order to enter. There are many different avenues you can take for these promotions. Examples include caption this photo, the photo with the most amount of likes win, and more. Before launching the competition, you’ll need to decide which promotion you’ll run, and then develop a strategy as to how it will work. Next, create a Facebook app for your promotion and launch!
The benefit with the promotion is that not only can it help increase engagement on your page; it can also increase your likes (depending if you set the application up right or not). In a correctly designed app, a person must “Like” your page to be eligible to win.
Facebook engagement is important because social media is important. It’s a huge part of an individual’s life and it is a main avenue to reach potential customers. Additionally, people who win something from a dealership are much more likely to visit them the next time they need their vehicle serviced or are in the market for a new one. Not sure how to increase your Facebook engagement? Contact us now because, we CAN help!
Pinterest has recently captured the attention of the masses, and the social media site is definitely gaining traction; it is now the seventh most popular social network, and keeps growing daily, so it’s vital to think about all that it has to offer in the means of social media. It’s important to consider the marketing potential Pinterest has. A popular image you post (which will link back to your business’s website) could theoretically get repinned on hundreds, or even thousands, of different users’ boards!
Using Pinterest For Your Business?
- Make sure your business makes sense with what Pinterest offers. You might be surprised at how many businesses can benefit from Pinterest.
- Use other social networks like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to direct more users to your Pinterest boards.
- Make sure you use Pinterest to feature all the different things your business can offer users.
- Follow popular names to build more awareness around your company.
- Spend a consistent amount of time on Pinterest so that stronger connections can be built.
- Keep your board clean, don’t pin too many different things onto it. Each board should have a clear theme.
- Users like to see boards that relay a lot of concise information, so promote your product as well as others.
What Not To Do On Pinterest?
- Don’t spam your product out.
- There is such a thing as too much promotion for your product. Keep it regular, but not constant.
- Don’t pin too much onto one board, make separate boards so you can keep them clean and easy to look at.
- Keep in mind Pinterest is all about images, so steer away from pinning too much text.
- Be consistent with the network.
The goal of Pinterest is to focus on consumer goods and products, which makes it an opportune social network for marketers to gain more clients and more attention, so don’t miss out! Not sure how to get started? Contact us now!
Pinterest has recently captured the attention of the masses, and the social media site is definitely gaining traction; it is now the seventh most popular social network, and keeps growing daily, so it’s vital to think about all that it has to offer in the means of social media. It’s important to consider the marketing potential Pinterest has. A popular image you post (which will link back to your business’s website) could theoretically get repinned on hundreds, or even thousands, of different users’ boards!
Using Pinterest For Your Business?
- Make sure your business makes sense with what Pinterest offers. You might be surprised at how many businesses can benefit from Pinterest.
- Use other social networks like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to direct more users to your Pinterest boards.
- Make sure you use Pinterest to feature all the different things your business can offer users.
- Follow popular names to build more awareness around your company.
- Spend a consistent amount of time on Pinterest so that stronger connections can be built.
- Keep your board clean, don’t pin too many different things onto it. Each board should have a clear theme.
- Users like to see boards that relay a lot of concise information, so promote your product as well as others.
What Not To Do On Pinterest?
- Don’t spam your product out.
- There is such a thing as too much promotion for your product. Keep it regular, but not constant.
- Don’t pin too much onto one board, make separate boards so you can keep them clean and easy to look at.
- Keep in mind Pinterest is all about images, so steer away from pinning too much text.
- Be consistent with the network.
The goal of Pinterest is to focus on consumer goods and products, which makes it an opportune social network for marketers to gain more clients and more attention, so don’t miss out! Not sure how to get started? Contact us now!
Warning: Everything you read below is not something in the future. It is available and taking place now. It is growing, and you need to embrace it and use it to your advantage.
Here we are once again in the midst of something that most of us never thought would happen! Let me begin with talking about our youth. Remember the days of racing home from school to watch the afternoon episode of Batman, or getting up early Saturday morning to watch a favorite cartoon? Well, those days are long gone and not just because we are older. You guessed it! The Internet has affected those habits and the way TV programming is consumed by everyone.
Fact: TV Viewership is On a Steep Decline
Well, that is not completely true. What I really mean is viewership for traditional TV programming is on a steep decline. Allow me to explain. Individuals are streaming TV via the Internet with platforms such as Apple TV, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon OnDemand, Roku and the 8,000-pound gorilla, YouTube Movies. Streaming on-demand subscriptions are exploding! Amazon just signed a deal that allows it to provide over 17,000 titles on demand, 24/7.
TV viewing is where newspaper readership was six years ago, when newspaper publishers knew they were in trouble and tried to fight it instead of changing their business model. I am not saying it will take six years for traditional TV programming to go the way of newspapers. That’s not how the Internet tidal wave works. I estimate it will take two to three years. Hulu has amassed over 20 million subscribers in just a short few years, and now people can watch news, sports and movies anywhere on a tablet or mobile device by streaming. Is streaming TV part of your media mix? If not, I caution you to think again.
What Will TV Networks Do?
Fortunately, networks have already embraced the Internet tidal wave and started programing for streaming channels. This switch provides some excellent opportunities for marketers, but the concern for both networks and marketers could be the plethora of programming that is becoming available if you were thinking traditional, old-school media buying. Programing is now available to viewers when they want it, where they want it, and how they want it. The programming and shows are often available online before they are available on the old-fashioned TV set.
There is an App For That
TV networks, shows and movies now have the opportunity to build apps! Yes, apps like an iPhone app, except for your TV. The use of these apps is proving to increase loyalty to the programmer and will also return insight into the viewers’ behaviors. The question is, when will a dealership have its own app for HD-streaming TV sets? It’s coming.
This Could Be Detrimental For Price-Point TV Ads
New technology offers new ways to market, or really new ways to tune out the unwanted noise. Viewers have options; YouTube is offering a personal preference called TrueView, and Hulu offers a similar tool called AdSwap. The viewer is going to see paid advertisements. However, they have the ability to choose which paid ads they will see, and all the others are blocked. This is detrimental if your ads are typical price-point automotive ads, AKA non-creative.
I am confident Geico and Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in The World will fair well. Let’s be honest and admit that 99 percent of people don’t care about price-point car commercials. If they want price, they will visit your website, so you need to be creative and make them want to visit your website. Telling them to visit your website is not going to cut it. Why not get a custom jingle and have them visit your site by using Shazam on their iPhone? You need to entice your viewer to choose your commercials, and you could also receive the benefit of the viewer clicking and being redirected to a long-form commercial for your dealership.
Spray-and-Pray Marketing is Over
In traditional TV advertising, we used to choose from standard demographic profiles, e.g., adults 25 to 54 or females 18 to 34. However, with online marketing and streaming TV advertising, we now have micro-profiling opportunities. The new technology allows us to use what is called a prizm, which represents 58 different segments with 12 different financial sectors. This is important since now we can target based on this demographic profiling and pinpoint individuals with a specific message. For instance, a male that is a DIY mechanic can be targeted with a message specific to him about your parts department. The old adage that tells us 50 percent of advertising is a waste is only accurate for the unsavvy marketer. Combine the prizm data with behavioral, remarketing, social media and marketing automation, and you now have a marketing strategy that would be turning profits like never before.
Warning: Everything you read below is not something in the future. It is available and taking place now. It is growing, and you need to embrace it and use it to your advantage.
Here we are once again in the midst of something that most of us never thought would happen! Let me begin with talking about our youth. Remember the days of racing home from school to watch the afternoon episode of Batman, or getting up early Saturday morning to watch a favorite cartoon? Well, those days are long gone and not just because we are older. You guessed it! The Internet has affected those habits and the way TV programming is consumed by everyone.
Fact: TV Viewership is On a Steep Decline
Well, that is not completely true. What I really mean is viewership for traditional TV programming is on a steep decline. Allow me to explain. Individuals are streaming TV via the Internet with platforms such as Apple TV, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon OnDemand, Roku and the 8,000-pound gorilla, YouTube Movies. Streaming on-demand subscriptions are exploding! Amazon just signed a deal that allows it to provide over 17,000 titles on demand, 24/7.
TV viewing is where newspaper readership was six years ago, when newspaper publishers knew they were in trouble and tried to fight it instead of changing their business model. I am not saying it will take six years for traditional TV programming to go the way of newspapers. That’s not how the Internet tidal wave works. I estimate it will take two to three years. Hulu has amassed over 20 million subscribers in just a short few years, and now people can watch news, sports and movies anywhere on a tablet or mobile device by streaming. Is streaming TV part of your media mix? If not, I caution you to think again.
What Will TV Networks Do?
Fortunately, networks have already embraced the Internet tidal wave and started programing for streaming channels. This switch provides some excellent opportunities for marketers, but the concern for both networks and marketers could be the plethora of programming that is becoming available if you were thinking traditional, old-school media buying. Programing is now available to viewers when they want it, where they want it, and how they want it. The programming and shows are often available online before they are available on the old-fashioned TV set.
There is an App For That
TV networks, shows and movies now have the opportunity to build apps! Yes, apps like an iPhone app, except for your TV. The use of these apps is proving to increase loyalty to the programmer and will also return insight into the viewers’ behaviors. The question is, when will a dealership have its own app for HD-streaming TV sets? It’s coming.
This Could Be Detrimental For Price-Point TV Ads
New technology offers new ways to market, or really new ways to tune out the unwanted noise. Viewers have options; YouTube is offering a personal preference called TrueView, and Hulu offers a similar tool called AdSwap. The viewer is going to see paid advertisements. However, they have the ability to choose which paid ads they will see, and all the others are blocked. This is detrimental if your ads are typical price-point automotive ads, AKA non-creative.
I am confident Geico and Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in The World will fair well. Let’s be honest and admit that 99 percent of people don’t care about price-point car commercials. If they want price, they will visit your website, so you need to be creative and make them want to visit your website. Telling them to visit your website is not going to cut it. Why not get a custom jingle and have them visit your site by using Shazam on their iPhone? You need to entice your viewer to choose your commercials, and you could also receive the benefit of the viewer clicking and being redirected to a long-form commercial for your dealership.
Spray-and-Pray Marketing is Over
In traditional TV advertising, we used to choose from standard demographic profiles, e.g., adults 25 to 54 or females 18 to 34. However, with online marketing and streaming TV advertising, we now have micro-profiling opportunities. The new technology allows us to use what is called a prizm, which represents 58 different segments with 12 different financial sectors. This is important since now we can target based on this demographic profiling and pinpoint individuals with a specific message. For instance, a male that is a DIY mechanic can be targeted with a message specific to him about your parts department. The old adage that tells us 50 percent of advertising is a waste is only accurate for the unsavvy marketer. Combine the prizm data with behavioral, remarketing, social media and marketing automation, and you now have a marketing strategy that would be turning profits like never before.
By: Hayley Berger
When we think of intros we usually think of the song a baseball player walks out to, or a little :10 second clip before a TV show starts, but what about for car dealerships? What can an intro do for your dealership?
People buy cars from friends, not dealerships
You’ve heard this saying before, but think about it. Would you be more comfortable buying an ipod from your friend that works at The Apple Store, or through an online electronics store? Regardless of price, people like buying from someone they can trust. The product is the same, but we want to feel like we are getting taken care of, cared for, and of course “hooked up” with a deal. With any big investment, we want to feel like we’re getting a good deal, and that any future problems will be addressed. So why should our advertising be any different?
Center your advertising around “who” a customer is buying a car from, not about the product. They know your dealership, they know the cars. A car is a need. What a customer wants to know is who they are buying from. Rather than portraying your dealership as a big scary dealership that has no face, personalize your advertisements. All your advertisements, from TV commercials to print ads to internet ads should feature people – your sales staff or General Manager, for example. Have your BDC department send personalized emails with videos talking about why customers should schedule a test drive with them.
Don’t let technology fool you
In this day and age, most people find it much more convenience to send an email or text message rather than pick up the phone and dial. But when it comes to making a decision about buying a car, something that the average consumer researches more than a home loan, face time is essential. It’s crucial to realize how putting your face on digital and traditional advertising brands your dealership and can earn someone’s trust. Make the customer feel like a friend, show them your goofy side, your excitement to give them what they want and make them feel like they know you. It’s amazing to see the difference when someone walks in a dealership and feels like they know they guy in charge. Price no longer matters, they trust you and want to buy from you not another company.
Potratz is a pioneer in advertising strategy and has created countless success stories by personalizing our client’s ad campaigns. Need help with your strategy? Give us a call!
How have your dealership’s sales been this year? If you said “better than expected”, you’re in the same boat as many dealerships in the country.
Industry experts predict that U.S. auto sales per dealership may climb to a record in 2012. Annual sales per dealer will increase to an estimated 805 vehicles from a previous estimate of 785, with an annual sales estimate of 14.3 million vehicles. The previous record was 784 per dealer in 2005.
What is the reason behind the numbers? One is that automakers have kept their networks relatively flat, meaning that existing dealerships have the opportunity to take advantage of increased sales volumes. Dealers are making a profit for the first time in more than three years without having to rely on their service departments to do so.
Another element that’s fueling sales is an increase in pickup truck sales. Experts believe that people who are buying trucks need them, and have put off buying them for a long time.
NADA points to new-vehicle incentives and rebates as well as declining prices on used vehicles as a couple factors that will contribute to this increase as the summer comes to an end. Reports show that August sales thus far matched July’s pace and could go even higher.
To make sure that your dealership is cashing in on the uptick in sales as much as your competition probably is, use your advertising to push not only manufacturer incentives, but also your used car inventory.
Having trouble getting your message out there? Contact us – we know exactly how to get the numbers you’re looking for!
“Branding” is a term heard all over the advertising industry, but what does it mean? Simply put, it’s the way you want others to view your dealership. It’s providing potential customers with the understanding of what you represent. Branding is important because it’s an opportunity to provide an image of your dealership; it’s what can help make you recognizable.
This sounds simple enough right? Not exactly. It’s not just enough to come up with an idea of what your brand means, it’s developing a complete campaign that resonates this brand image to viewers throughout everything you do. You must ensure that the image you provide remains a constant through all forms of media – traditional, digital, social, and so on.
Websites, especially social media sites, provide a great opportunity to tell your customers who you are. Provide these details in web panels, status updates, tweets, blogs, etc, keeping in mind that each of these elements should reflect your dealership’s “personality”. You might think that this is distracting from your efforts to sell cars, but in fact this a tried and true way to increase sales. It’s important to showcase more than just current vehicle specials. Show visitors how you helped the local school raise money in a food drive, or how you volunteered at the local humane society. This helps make you more than just another dealership to potential customers, and therefore makes you have a deeming quality that makes you more memorable. Why would you want to be memorable? I think the answer is obvious, don’t you? If you’re memorable, when someone thinks ‘I need to buy a new car’, they’ll think of your dealership, and possibly buy their next vehicle from you. If you don’t stand out, they might not remember you and might not go to your dealership for their next car.
Are you ready to stand out in your local community as more than just a dealership? Contact us now, to get the ball rolling on branding your dealership!
