For a special section feature, Auto Remarketing recently reached out to five of the industry's leading advertising and marketing experts to get their advice for dealers when it comes to advertising in 2013.

In the story — which appears in the Dec. 1–14 print edition of Auto Remarketing — they touched on everything from mobile engagement to traditional media to message consistency.

More specifically, here is how our five experts responded to the following questions: What advertising advice do you have for dealers in 2013? Where would they be wise to put their advertising dollars?

Paul Potratz of Potratz Advertising    

“2013 is the year of mobile engagement as more and more shoppers are becoming even more connected with iPhones, Androids and tablets. Dealerships and marketers must formulate a well-thought-out strategy for mobile phone, apps, tablets, social media, and retargeting. Those who spend the time and expense in developing a strategy will move way ahead in vehicle sales, parts and service opportunities by the end of 2013. The marketing community has never seen anything explode like mobile and social media, so no one can afford to wait and see where it goes. Dealerships and marketers must get involved now.”

Kathi Kruse of Kruse Control Inc.

“Customers are smart, well-informed and in control. The best course of action when marketing your store is to differentiate yourself from all the noise. Publish content to educate your customers on how to make the best purchase decision. Use social media to promote your content, not your company. Don’t waste time and money to reach thousands. Reach one while thousands watch.”

 Rob Mudd of Mudd Advertising

“I believe that dealers need to be looking at all media driver opportunities and have the ability to measure ROI. It is no longer just a digital strategy; traditional media is paramount to a successful digital plan. The two work together … traditional is used to tell in market buyers where to go on the Web.”

Dan Kissell of Zimmerman Advertising

“Be bullish. New-car sales continue to improve and exceed projections, so now isn’t the time to be conservative with your ad budget. The economy is improving, and the auto industry is leading the charge. In addition, there is still significant pent-up demand and orphan owners out there. Go get them. Make sure your media plan is integrated (digital and traditional). Digital is important, but TV and radio are still the most effective way to reach the most people.”

Al Carl of Naked Lime Marketing

“First, for any dealer, one size doesn’t fit all. To get noticed by today’s car shoppers, a dealer will need to use a number of complementary channels. Specifically, a dealer’s strategy should cover the continuum from consumers researching a vehicle online to consumers who are visiting the dealership. Ideally, a plan would include traditional media, such as TV, radio, and print ads, as well as digital methods that would cover paid search, display, and online video.

“At the same time, dealers should recognize how much more consumers will be tied to digital media in the year ahead.  That means dealer advertising also will need to shift more toward digital.  Two areas where we see high growth and high value for dealers are mobile ads and online video ads.

“The mobile space provides some of the best values today for digital advertisers. We’re seeing lower cost per clicks and cost per impressions combined with higher click through rates than standard digital ads. Secondly, dealers should consider using more online video ads. Studies have shown that online video ads deliver better message recall, brand recall, and likeability scores than TV ads. Plus, like most digital ad methods, online video ads provide trackability that allows advertisers to measure true performance.  It’s an underutilized channel.

“Most importantly, dealers need to be planning to sync their messaging and promotions across all the channels they’re using, whether that’s broadcast TV, radio, print, the Wweb, or a mobile phone. It’s dealers who can provide a consistent and pleasing overall experience to the consumer —– whether that interaction is inside or outside the four walls of the dealership —– that will see the best results from their marketing and advertising efforts.”