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!
By: Kimberly Roselle
I don’t usually think of myself as a trendsetter, but a recent survey has convinced me otherwise. Recent numbers show that I am part of a growing number of people that no longer subscribe to traditional cable or satellite television. Almost two years ago, I cancelled my cable package and bought a digital TV antenna. Now, instead of having hundreds of stations to choose from, I have the four major networks, PBS, and a few local station. I have never seen Mad Man. Now, according to this survey, I am known as a cord-cutter.
According to an April 2012 report by The Convergence Consulting Group, 2.65 million people left behind their cable subscriptions in favor of alternative methods between the years of 2008 and 2011. This number continues to steadily grow. A Nielsen report shows that 4.5 percent of television-owning homes choose to stream entertainment via Netflix, Hulu, or some other internet service rather than through cable. This is in addition to people who view television entirely through the Internet and don’t own televisions. That same report noted a 22.8 percent increase in cord-cutters over the past year.
As the number of cord-cutters rise and alternative means of television viewing become more popular, the question arises – is your business reaching this growing number of consumers? Digital advertising is more than just Google AdWords. As an advertiser, it is important to know and understand where your audience is interacting with your message. Then, you must make sure you deliver that message consistently and meaningfully to that audience.
Are your commercials on YouTube? Are your commercials being shown when people stream a TV show over a local network’s website? If all of this research seems overwhelming, look to your advertising agency to help guide you in the right direction as these trends change and grow.
By: Felicia Mahabeer
Social media opportunities are everywhere these days, and they continue to soar in popularity. One social media trend that can benefit your dealership is location-based applications.
For anyone not familiar, location–based applications allow users to find and “check-in” at various spots and share that information with those in their network. For example, you could check in at a restaurant on Facebook. The people in your Facebook network could then see that you are there and “like” or “comment” on your activity. You could also include what you’re doing as part of your “check-in” (Dinner with family, for example) or post your opinion of the restaurant, i.e, “Appetizers were great”. In the case of your dealership, a user could check in when they are there shopping for a new vehicle, getting service, or ordering parts. Everyone in their network will see your dealership, and your customer could express how great their experience was for their entire network to see. When it comes to sharing your location information, there are many platforms equipped with built-in location features such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare.
Make sure your dealership is a part of the action by making it possible for customers to check in on their mobile devices from your location. For Facebook, that simply means claiming your Place page and others that users may have created.
You will also want to optimize your website to be easily explored on a mobile device, since that’s the tool visitors will be using for location-based social media interaction. The ease of navigating your mobile website can help to enhance the experience and boost participation rates. Another way to increase your interaction is to remind visitors to your dealership that they can check-in using strategically placed signs in and around your dealership. Create special offers to encourage your visitors to check-in at your dealership. For example, you can offer 10% off a service or a free car wash to anyone that checks in at your location. Special offers don’t necessarily have to be costly to work in your favor. It could be as minimal as offering a free key chain, baseball cap, or even a jelly doughnut. Research shows that the feeling of getting special treatment is more valuable to a customer than the actual worth of the freebie or experience. However, you can go with a bigger and more creative offer when trying to promote other areas such as your Service, Parts, and Collision departments or a big sales event.
The overall goal is to bring attention to your dealership. This can consist of feedback or comments about your business on your page, or extending your reach and brand awareness using your customers. To do this, you simply need to give your customers the tools they need to make their friends, family and other connections aware of your dealership. This allows you reach an “untapped” market of potential customers for virtually no cost by transferring a significant portion of your marketing burden directly to your customers. Is your dealership using location- based social media? If not call us here at Potratz, we can get you started in the right direction.
By: Nick Yocono
You may have heard that you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. But that may not be true, at least when it comes to your new car’s engine.
With gas prices continuing to rise, manufacturers have shifted away from the big engines in favor of smaller engines that produce improved mileage. At the same time, consumers don’t want to lose the power they were accustomed to getting from previous models. So, how do manufacturers give consumers the best of both worlds?
Ford has responded to this new demand with “Ecoboost”. These new engines boast the same specs in horsepower and torque as their bigger displacement opponents, but with much improved mileage and emissions. Ford is not the only one doing this either, other companies have also started utilizing this engine setup, under different names, for their new models. So what is the secret?
The answer is quite simple: turbochargers. A Turbocharger uses exhaust gasses to spin its turbine and suck more air into the engine. That, along with more fuel, will create bigger explosions in the cylinder and therefore more power will be generated. A Ford F-150 equipped with an “Ecoboost” engine has a twin-turbocharged V6 instead of the traditional V8. What the turbocharger allows the engine to do is act like a V6 and get mileage similar to one while driving around. Most of the time you don’t need full power from the engine, such as when you’re maintaining your speed or during deceleration. When you actually do need some power, the turbocharger can spool up and provide that extra boost in power to make the engine perform similarly to a V8. This equates to a engine that will get better mileage and perform the same as a bigger, naturally aspirated, competitor.
Engines similar to Ford’s “Ecoboost” are being used in various new cars. Dodge recently released its new Dart, which on certain models, comes equipped with a 1.4L MultiAir Turbo engine option. The Chevrolet Cruze is equipped with a 1.4L Turbo “Ecotec” engine option. Even luxury manufacturer BMW has switched out the inline six in their 3 series base models for 2.0L Turbo engines. These cars all boast similar performance with much improved mileage to their predecessors.
Fuel mileage is the name of the game when it comes to selling cars in today’s market. Each year more and more small engine turbos show up on the market. If you’re in the market for a new vehicle that gets better mileage than the one you drive now, be on the lookout for setups like these.
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!
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!
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.
By: Felicia Mahabeer
Social media opportunities are everywhere these days, and they continue to soar in popularity. One social media trend that can benefit your dealership is location-based applications.
For anyone not familiar, location–based applications allow users to find and “check-in” at various spots and share that information with those in their network. For example, you could check in at a restaurant on Facebook. The people in your Facebook network could then see that you are there and “like” or “comment” on your activity. You could also include what you’re doing as part of your “check-in” (Dinner with family, for example) or post your opinion of the restaurant, i.e, “Appetizers were great”. In the case of your dealership, a user could check in when they are there shopping for a new vehicle, getting service, or ordering parts. Everyone in their network will see your dealership, and your customer could express how great their experience was for their entire network to see. When it comes to sharing your location information, there are many platforms equipped with built-in location features such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare.
Make sure your dealership is a part of the action by making it possible for customers to check in on their mobile devices from your location. For Facebook, that simply means claiming your Place page and others that users may have created.
You will also want to optimize your website to be easily explored on a mobile device, since that’s the tool visitors will be using for location-based social media interaction. The ease of navigating your mobile website can help to enhance the experience and boost participation rates. Another way to increase your interaction is to remind visitors to your dealership that they can check-in using strategically placed signs in and around your dealership. Create special offers to encourage your visitors to check-in at your dealership. For example, you can offer 10% off a service or a free car wash to anyone that checks in at your location. Special offers don’t necessarily have to be costly to work in your favor. It could be as minimal as offering a free key chain, baseball cap, or even a jelly doughnut. Research shows that the feeling of getting special treatment is more valuable to a customer than the actual worth of the freebie or experience. However, you can go with a bigger and more creative offer when trying to promote other areas such as your Service, Parts, and Collision departments or a big sales event.
The overall goal is to bring attention to your dealership. This can consist of feedback or comments about your business on your page, or extending your reach and brand awareness using your customers. To do this, you simply need to give your customers the tools they need to make their friends, family and other connections aware of your dealership. This allows you reach an “untapped” market of potential customers for virtually no cost by transferring a significant portion of your marketing burden directly to your customers. Is your dealership using location- based social media? If not call us here at Potratz, we can get you started in the right direction.
By: Nick Yocono
You may have heard that you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. But that may not be true, at least when it comes to your new car’s engine.
With gas prices continuing to rise, manufacturers have shifted away from the big engines in favor of smaller engines that produce improved mileage. At the same time, consumers don’t want to lose the power they were accustomed to getting from previous models. So, how do manufacturers give consumers the best of both worlds?
Ford has responded to this new demand with “Ecoboost”. These new engines boast the same specs in horsepower and torque as their bigger displacement opponents, but with much improved mileage and emissions. Ford is not the only one doing this either, other companies have also started utilizing this engine setup, under different names, for their new models. So what is the secret?
The answer is quite simple: turbochargers. A Turbocharger uses exhaust gasses to spin its turbine and suck more air into the engine. That, along with more fuel, will create bigger explosions in the cylinder and therefore more power will be generated. A Ford F-150 equipped with an “Ecoboost” engine has a twin-turbocharged V6 instead of the traditional V8. What the turbocharger allows the engine to do is act like a V6 and get mileage similar to one while driving around. Most of the time you don’t need full power from the engine, such as when you’re maintaining your speed or during deceleration. When you actually do need some power, the turbocharger can spool up and provide that extra boost in power to make the engine perform similarly to a V8. This equates to a engine that will get better mileage and perform the same as a bigger, naturally aspirated, competitor.
Engines similar to Ford’s “Ecoboost” are being used in various new cars. Dodge recently released its new Dart, which on certain models, comes equipped with a 1.4L MultiAir Turbo engine option. The Chevrolet Cruze is equipped with a 1.4L Turbo “Ecotec” engine option. Even luxury manufacturer BMW has switched out the inline six in their 3 series base models for 2.0L Turbo engines. These cars all boast similar performance with much improved mileage to their predecessors.
Fuel mileage is the name of the game when it comes to selling cars in today’s market. Each year more and more small engine turbos show up on the market. If you’re in the market for a new vehicle that gets better mileage than the one you drive now, be on the lookout for setups like these.
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!
