Digital Dealer - August 2019 - 41

EVEN WITH THE BEST CREATIVE, A GREAT
MESSAGE HAS TO HIT ENOUGH OF THE TARGET
TO DRIVE YOUR 'SHARE OF MARKET' FOR THE
WEEKEND..."
will help define optimum
media mix.

AMBASSADORS ARE
THE EASIEST SUBSET TO
TRACK MEDIA HABITS.

Your very best customers,
your 'loyal ambassadors' will
give you the absolute best
feedback on both message
and media. Ambassadors
are part of your 'family' and
not only appreciate what you
do for them but want you to
succeed. (For a white paper
on ambassador surveys,
email me and I'll send it
along)
MAKE SURE YOUR
VIRTUAL SHOWROOM
IS IN THE MIX.

One of the best tactics
to maximize efficiency is
making your website a major part of the medium mix.
For related reading, check
out my recent article, Bring
Them to Your Website(1).
Whether you use a
linked ad on social media,
a link in an email or text, or
a teaser in your radio and
TV ads, there is no better
place for a customer to land
than on your website. Here
you have the opportunity to
inform, educate, excite, and
sell. One of my good friends,
a Midwest independent used
car dealer, has been enjoying five of the best (profitable) years in his business
since taking my suggestion
of morning radio ads that he
phones into a local station
talking about the day's

specials. He invites visitors
to his site to see the vehicle.
He does a 30-second walk
around and posts pictures.
He has held several 5 am
blockbuster sales offering an
extra discount to anyone visiting the dealership between
7 am and 8 am.
Make sure your website
has a 'self admin' feature
that allows you to post,
upload/change vehicle
pictures, videos, and text

than 10% of customers! But
it's what happens with the
customer's point of view on
arrival that is even more
important in a campaign or
promotion. Several years
ago, I visited a dealership
that was offering 'blockbuster specials on Dodge
Challengers.' When I drove
onto the lot there wasn't
a Challenger in sight. I
actually thought I had come
to the wrong place. When I

...MOST PEOPLE
SIMPLY DO NOT KNOW
'WHAT BROUGHT THEM
IN TODAY,' BUT ALMOST
EVERYONE CAN TELL
YOU WHAT MEDIA/
COMMUNICATIONS
INFLUENCE THEM."
on the home page. Don't
make new visitors search for
immediate offers even if you
have a link to a separate
page. Make it easy.
A telephone number and
address should be easily
visible on your home page.
Lots of folks go to the website just to get an address
to put in their GPS. Make it
easy for them!
MAKE SURE YOUR POP
SIGNAGE IS IN THE MIX.

Few realize how important signage is. Research
reveals location/direction
signage is the top reason
for an initial visit for more

asked a salesperson about
the 'blockbuster specials
on Challengers' he walked
to a remote area of the lot
with about six Challengers
that looked like they hadn't
been washed in a month.
Why didn't they have a few
of these on the front line
with 'Blockbuster Special'
signs on them? One of the
most successful dealers I
ever worked with would play
weekend ads for employees on Thursday morning,
letting the folks know what
we would be talking about
that weekend. Salespeople
would approach visitors with
D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

"Hey...thanks for coming in
for (the special) you must
have heard about our ad...
everyone is talking about
it."
MAKE SURE YOUR
PEOPLE ARE IN THE
MIX.

Instead of just having
the 'ad people' throw
something together to
create action, why not plan
your events, promotions,
campaigns, and let every
person in the organization
know what's going on this
weekend...this month?
Like my dealer friend who
gathers the sales staff on
Thursday to talk about the
upcoming weekend advertising, why not send an
email or a text to every employee on the payroll (with
their permission of course)
and make them part of
the excitement? You'll be
pleasantly amazed at how
often a service tech, office
worker or lot person will
'sell' a vehicle for you.
Source/Notes:
(1)
Digitaldealer.com/
bring-them-to-your-website/
JIM BOLDEBOOK is founder
of CBC Automotive Marketing, an advertising/marketing
agency working with some of
America's most successful
dealerships. He has been in the
broadcasting, advertising and
marketing fields for almost 50
years. EMAIL: jim@cbcads.
com

AUGUST 2019

41
https://www.digitaldealer.com/bring-them-to-your-website/ https://www.digitaldealer.com/bring-them-to-your-website/ http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM
Digital Dealer - August 2019

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