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Cracking The Code: Marketing Presence

What is it about marketing that has dealers so perplexed? It's not the act of marketing your brand, inventory, service panache, amazing staff, luxury facility, location, exclusive offerings and more that matters as much as how you do it and the completeness of your marketing.

It used to be enough to 'silo' advertise: one ad in the newspaper, one direct mail, one newsletter, one TV spot (over and over again…) and the like. The issue was that if the target didn't see/threw out/ignored/didn't fully read, etc your ad, you were done for. Remember: people want to consume content when they want, how they want, where they want, the amount they want and react to it the way they want.

So why are you content with a website and some email blast activities? That's not marketing as much as it is a band-aid. Think of it this way: how complete is your coverage? Would you buy insurance for two tires, a headlight, the drive shaft and tailpipe and not the rest of the car? Why are you partially marketing then?

Not only does your content need to be timely, contextual and relevant, it needs to be able to be seen by anyone, any time and anywhere.  Do you have a mobile site with inventory? Do you text message? Is your website dynamic? Are your eNewsletters actually engaging and do they drive results (traffic and sales)? How is your Facebook and Twitter volume in addition to your other social media efforts?

You wouldn't want to leave the house with one sock missing, half your collar sticking up, two different shoes and a jacket with a hole in the back (although I've seen some salespeople looking like this…) so don't leave your marketing undone or incomplete.

And another thing: you don't have to do everything you hear about. Do what you do well, learn news ways to market and effectively communicate, work with your vendors on new technology and push the envelope consistently. Every dealer tells me the same thing: "I just want to sell cars and not worry about the other stuff!". You have to worry about it and do something as well, but if you market the same way you did six months ago, how are your results going to be any different?

Build a presence that you're proud of and work it…or someone else will work you!

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Power Results

March 18, 2009 by Gary May 0
What Are You Doing About What Your Competition Is Not?

Everyone's worried about their bottom line, revenues, expenses, marketing,future and what's going to happen next. Worrying so much they have forgotten how to think forward and act intuitively. Better yet, they're not even paying attention to what is not being done by competitors (in and out-of-brand) that can easily be capitalized on.

Two years we were talking about 'an edge'. Now most every dealership is talking about falling off of it. Nothing has changed…nothing! Now, you may have to be more selective and conscience. But you have to market, you have to connect, you must communicate and you absolutely need to build.

Here's a little secret about what 80-90% of dealerships in your market are not doing (or doing effectively at all):

  • Online marketing: SEO, SEM (paid search/PPC, banner ads, etc)
    • Google Analytics (please!)
  • Customer Relationship Management: email, events, incentives
  • Social networking: Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, etc for increase engagement
    • And drives first two bullets!
  • Reputation management: DealerRater, CarFolks, MyDealerReport, Yelp, etc
    • And drives first three bullets!
  • Capitalize on resources for education
    • Automotive Digest, Digital Dealer, AutomotiveDigitalMarketing, Driving Sales
  • Capitalize on resources for training
    • Consultants, brand events, networking (chamber, local businesses, etc)

More often than not, 10% or less of the 'things that must get done' are and even when they do get done, they're not maintained. Some of the MOST fundamental activities are just not being done and for what?

  • The road to hell is paved with good intention
  • The road to debt is paved with discounts
  • The reason that 90% of people fail is the inability to deal with people
  • Nobody ever earned a dollar without spending one

These are the times when (as a good friend of mine in the industry put it) you can get a larger piece of a smaller pie or you can save yourself to death. Most everything listed here can be done for free to hundred of dollars per month.

One of IM@CS' clients has reduced their marketing expense by nearly 85%, increased their brand exposure, delivered more cars in the past month than they did over the past six, is driving over 25% more web traffic and nearly doubling their own website leads over the past three quarters. They're doing all of the above.

It's completely up to you. So what are you doing about what your competition is not? Someone has to wake up first and get going. It might as well be you!

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

February 19, 2009 by Gary May 0
Best Practice Consutling: How And Why Do It? Can’t I Just Watch An Online Video?

Why hire a consultant or contractor? Why pay someone for a little work when I can bring on a new employee for the same or less? Consultants only tell you what you already know but charge you for it! I don't want an idea or process person, I want a do-it person!

Yes, those are common comments (direct or indirect) that reflect some of the frustration that is typically borne out of paying for something that you believe you're getting versus what you actually get. Truth is the greatest benefits a business can ever receive is accurate 'outside' information.

Many people ask what 'best practices' are or why the term is used instead of just 'consulting'. Since there are many ways to interpret how a goal is set, course of action is drawn, possibilities determined and application is completed, it is important to ensure constant collaboration. Fact is, so many aspects can be viewed subjectively. Also consider that anyone can sell or buy what's in a book or what has already been done. More often than not in today's climate, what's necessary are customized or completely unique solutions that must be applied. The partnership between provider and client along with very specific goals are the glue.

The Wikipedia defines best practices as follows:

An idea that asserts that there is a technique,
method, process, activity, incentive or reward that is more effective
at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method,
process, etc. The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and
testing, a desired outcome can be delivered with fewer problems and
unforeseen complications. Best practices can also be defined as the
most efficient (least amount of effort) and effective (best results)
way of accomplishing a task, based on repeatable procedures that have
proven themselves over time for large numbers of people.

Despite the need to improve on processes as times change and things evolve, best-practice is considered by some as a business buzzword
used to describe the process of developing and following a standard way
of doing things that multiple organizations can use for management,
policy, and especially software systems.

As the term has become more popular, some organizations have begun
using "best practices" to refer to what are in fact 'rules', causing a linguistic drift in which a new term such as "good ideas" is needed to refer to what would previously have been called "best practices."

Simply put, it describes a concept of being dynamic and staying out front via perpetual process improvement. If the goals for your business include fundamental advancement, engagement, education and awareness, it may just be what you need.

There are some great consultants out there. Take the time to find one that works based on your needs, not theirs. Right now more dealerships than ever need help. Things are changing so rapidly and they won't stop. Get someone from outside your business to help things run better for your business. And listen…you'll thank me later.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

February 11, 2009 by Gary May 0
FREE WEBINAR: How Digital Signage Saves Money, Drives Sales & Builds Trust

Wireless_Ronin_Logo              
RoninCast_Logo

Time: February 11, 2009 from 3pm to 4pm CST
Location: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/228925417
Organized By: Karolyn Hart

Automotive Event Description:
According to research conducted by Ipsos-Reid consumers see car sales people as the least trust-worth profession only equal to that of politicians.

Let's face it – dealer's have major challenges to overcome and on top of that (especially in this economy) they also have to find a way to cut costs and drive sales.

Join us for a Free Webinar that will show you how digital signage is helping with all these challenges and discover why it it has become the fastest growing media sector in the world!

RoninCast for Automotive – Driving ROI with Digital Signage
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM CST
REGISTER: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/228925417

Join Alan Buterbaugh, Wireless Ronin’s SVP of Business Development as he reveals how digital signage can address challenges faced by the automotive retail industry during today’s tough economic landscape. Alan has over 20 years of digital signage consulting and sales experience working with the nation’s leading OEMs and dealers. He will draw upon this knowledge to demonstrate proven methods for leveraging digital signage to reduce traditional sales and marketing costs while positively impacting revenue and generating significant ROI.

Wireless Ronin’s ROI model is critical to addressing the difficult economic challenges being faced by today’s OEMs and dealers. Alan will demonstrate how, with RoninCast for Automotive, you can:

• Instantly build trust with today’s sophisticated consumer
• Positively impact sales and transform the automotive retail experience
• Simplify a typically complex in-dealership shopping experience
• Educate your shoppers while providing the ultimate sales tool for sales representatives

February 6, 2009 by Gary May 0
Chat Up Your Inventory: Leverage Chat to Reach In-Market Shoppers and Win the Sale

Dealer_Advantage_Image

Date: Friday, Feb. 13, 2009
Time: Noon to 1 p.m. (Eastern)
Location: Your Computer
Cost: FREE Click Here

Online advertising allows car buyers to connect with you in myriad ways: making a phone call, sending an email, visiting the store or clicking over to your store's website. The growing use of chat among online shoppers creates an additional channel to reach in-market shoppers and compete for their business. This webinar outlines the new communication strategies required to engage internet car buyers and stay with them throughout their shopping process.

In this session led by Kathy Kimmel, a Cars.com automotive consulting and dealer training manager, you'll learn how to:

  • Incorporate chat functionality into your online listings
  • Answer shoppers' questions and obtain their name and contact information
  • Encourage shoppers to set and keep an appointment
  • Follow up with prospects until they buy a car

Enroll_Now

February 5, 2009 by Gary May 0
Week At IM@CS: Chats With The Industry

We typically address vendors here for best practices and today will be a little different. When trying to tackle social media, especially as a support for specific marketing online, it is important to be equipped. Some of the most frequent questions heard relate to getting started and how to be effective.

1. Where?
    Twitter, Facebook, Plaxo, LinkedIn, CarFolks, Google, Yelp, DealerRater, MyDealerReport for starters

2. Why?
    People go there, trust them, read them, listen to them more than they do with you, period.

3. How?
    Register, watch others, prepare and create a plan. Don't just set up a Facebook page and leave it. Support it with content, staff and purpose. There are now tools to measure your impact, for example on Twitter:
http://www.webanalyticsdemystified.com/twitter
http://twitter.grader.com/

4. When?
    Now, or as soon as you decide that your brand awareness and people connecting with you are important.

5. Remember
    Nothing, not even the best process, is a silver bullet. If you're planning on inviting more people to come to you, give them a reason. Not a price, not a car, not a showroom, not espresso. Give them a reason that the rest of the 'things' absolutely support.

Nothing can build or kill your business like reputation. What are you doing to ensure that the good outweighs the bad, no matter how accurate? Almost every resource listed above is free, but worth money. You've been spending $3,000-$50,000 per month to get one, two, three customers at a time (at a ridiculously low ROI). Why not spend $0-$3,000 a month using those tools to make sure every customer has a reason to use you, can find you, can read what others say about you and stay connected with you, something they never did with your $20,000 ad that used to run every Saturday.

Stay in front, it's more important than ever today. Stay relevant, your future depends on it. Stay tuned, that way your customers can.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

February 2, 2009 by Gary May 0
CSI: A penny for your thoughts, $10,000 if you say that I suck

What is it about CSI, or through interpretation of what it means, that has had dealers begging for their life and coaching customers? Especially today when someone may be cordial enough to tell the factory that they were completely satisfied in the hand-written survey (when they may not have) only to have another customer completely lambaste you online…

More importantly, why does the focus on CSI happen at the end of the delivery? Because they'll remember? Hardly! Because if you coach them before they leave, they'll help you more? Not likely! Complete satisfaction happens from 'hello'. The foundation for a completely satisfied client is based on the 'completeness' of the experience. Many dealers believe that it still depends on that last smile and wink.

With the proliferation of the automotive Internet and anonymous customers, why in the world would you not want to start at the start? If a waiter took care of you for the last 5 minutes of your visit after ignoring you for the first hour and a half, are you going to leave a 25% tip?

Customer service and complete satisfaction need to take place:

1. when you first meet; regardless if in-person, phone or Internet
2. throughout your communication: set expectations, deliver on them and ask questions!
3. in your walk, drive and delivery: make sure the customer feels taken care of
4. before the customer leaves: check that everything has been handled via review, yes review
5. after they leave: send an email immediately to ensure their satisfaction and give yourself and your dealership the chance to handle any issues before anything becomes a problem

Too often customers feel cornered and pushed to provide a positive review but are actually neutral (or worse) on the whole experience. There is absolutely nothing wrong with checking, asking and making sure the customer is having a great experience throughout their time at the store.

Another thing, stop ignoring the customer when the rear left tire clears the driveway. And I don't mean a newsletter, a fancy Hallmark and/or their special VIP card. Complete satisfaction never ends people.

The best salespeople will typically ask (yes, ask!) their customers something along the lines of "how would you be able to feel that you were completely satisfied?". Not "what will it take…?" There is a difference. If you don't know what it is you need help that this blog typically doesn't cover.

Remember that CSI is someone else's interpretation of your customer's interpretation of your performance and how you interpret satisfying them. Don't spend three minutes on it, spend thirty days on it, every month. Oh, and ask all of your customers to write their reviews of you online (you've never heard that before!).

The pennies you get for people's positive thoughts will add to thousands of dollars over time…and you might just save your dealership $10,000 at a time.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

January 31, 2009 by Gary May 0
Admitted Adverholic? Here’s a Two-Step Recovery Program

If you've been a dealer for more than two years, face it: you're an adverholic. Anyone who has made it through the auto 'heydays' has spent 30, 70…even 100 thousand plus PER MONTH to get their name out to an unmeasured amount of eyeballs. Those days are gone (and soon many of the recipients of those ad dollars, if not already) but the pain and yearning may still be there.

When you stop advertising for the sake of advertising and start a conscience level of engagement with 'your public', paying attention to things outside of the dealership and spending more time getting to know who buys from you and why, things get a bit clearer. Understanding the components of today's market related to your brand existing comes in a two-step recovery program:

1. Stop doing what doesn't work
2. Start doing what does work

The biggest game change in media over the last 100 years: social media/consumer opt-in engagement. It's truly interesting when you sit down with a dealer or general manager and hear about what they want changed: more of their own website leads, to drop (costly) third party leads, to retain more clients, to spend less (sometimes blindly) and ultimately stay flat or grow in today's economy.

So, how can and where do you start? Short of choosing to disappear completely from people's conscientiousness, you have to be smarter about what you say, where you say it, how you say it and when you say it. Then you absolutely have to be spot on when a person consumes your media and wants to interact with you.

There are no better tools that I've ever seen than in social media, and dealers are starting to get it. Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, LinkedIn and more, let alone your website (done right, that is). You don't need to worry about your overhead or CPM if you have 735 fans of your dealership on Facebook. It's free. And get this: you can drive the most contextual messages to them and they'll get it automatically. Imagine this scenario:

Joe Blow likes your dealership, even has visited when the new models arrive and he ends up buddies with one of your sales staff from chit-chat. He sees a promotion in the reception area about your Facebook page and becomes a fan. He gets updates regularly about your dealership, special cars arriving, service specials and more. You also broadcast exclusive specials via Twitter so he follows you there. When he's in market, clicks the option on your Facebook page to get inventory sent directly to his cell phone. The unit he wants comes in, he IM's the salesperson that he'll be in the next day at 5:30 to buy the car.

No lead, no timer, no missed emails or communication. No cost. No competition. No guessing what drove him in (ie was it your $10,000 cable spot, $15,000 direct mail campaign or the $20,000 newspaper ad). This customer was always yours, which is the way most dealers I know like it.

Repeat after me: "I'm a recovering adverholic and I don't need to advertise just to advertise anymore. I will be relevant, timely and honest (ouch!). My website is a living, breathing entity, not a billboard. I'll go digital so my camera is not the only one in my office that is. And I'll meet my customers in the same place that I go for my sports scores, to book travel, to post pictures of my kids and do all my banking: ONLINE!"

Boom, you're healed. Go sell cars…

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

January 23, 2009 by Gary May 1
What Are You Waiting For? It’s Already Been Here And The Train Left The Station…

Many people that are concerned in all types of businesses talk the same talk today: waiting. Some have been waiting for a new administration, some for a car czar, some for banks to loosen up, some for 'the bottom' and some just for the fun of waiting.

When you're in business, you can't wait especially when it costs you money. In the car business, it's been about waiting for people 'to really go online' or for the 'next up', or even the holy grails of 'cheap gas', 'more hybrids' or 'better advertising'. You can wait as long as it takes you and your business to turn the lights off.

Or you can become the car czar, the new administration in your dealership, the VP of Internet sales or even the authority for your entire area. Why do reporters cover auto stories IN FRONT of the "fill in the brand" dealership WITHOUT interviewing staff? The point is you can't wait, you have to act!

When I was at CarsDirect.com nine years ago, I heard a lot of 'nobody will buy a car online!'. Now my memory is likely not spot on, but I believe sales hit over 12,000 units that year. Anyway, you can keep waiting for people to hit your showroom after visiting your (mostly) average websites or stop waiting, start changing and keep changing.

Waiting does not typically evolve into a leadership position, even if it does work in your benefit every now and then. Now there is inherent risk in not waiting and taking a position on the front lines. But now is the best time to make the move.

It sounds like NADA dealership attendance (via pre-registrations) is down around half, depending who you talk to. That means A LOT of people will save one, two, maybe three thousand dollars over the weekend. It will likely cost them tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars this year. What are you waiting for? I'll see whoever is going there to share ideas, meet vendors and start making more decisions that will grow business.

Oh, I'll be Twittering from NADA (@imacsweb on Twitter)

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

January 21, 2009 by Gary May 0
IM@CS Featured on BlogTalkRadio’s Lunch With Phil

This morning I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Philip Zelinger of AdAgencyOnline.net via his 'Lunch With Phil' show on BlogTalkRadio. With the impending NADA show in New Orleans and the issues, as well as opportunities, faced by dealers today, the timing was right to broadcast IM@CS' services to a wider audience. The opportunity to be featured today is greatly appreciated!

Whether it's being part of Auto Industry Insights kicking off this weekend, helping dealer and OEMs clients with their entire online presence and process or advising portals and third party solution providers, it is the time to do more and empower the industry to tackle what it's presently facing. Everything this blog shares is intended to not just tell you 'what to do', but to promote ideas, promote best practices, engage you in a dialog and challenge the market in the shift from 'comfortable and commonplace' to 'proactive and profitable'.

Follow the link  or click the logo to listen in on today's interview. Thank you for being part of what's next! http://tinyurl.com/78vpe3

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Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

January 21, 2009 by Gary May 0