As a car dealer, you can no longer avoid the topic of marketing. Due to digitization and the intensive use of smartphones and other mobile devices, the competition has become tougher. The nearest competitor is often just a mouse click away. It is important that you position yourself sensibly in your region and are clearly visible to potential customers. This requires online and offline measures. To train your dealership staff you can check out Finance Manager Training. They provide dealership training for auto dealership staff.
First of all: analyze your initial situation. Do you already have a strategic plan or a marketing concept? What activities have you already done? In which region does your dealership offer the services? The following questions can help you with this.
- How do you rate your current marketing activities?
- Does your company have a strategic plan or even a marketing plan?
- Do you have a fixed marketing budget or do you decide on a case-by-case basis whether to implement an action?
- Which marketing activities have taken place in the last few months?
- In which region do you work?
- Which car manufacturers do you work with? Do you get support from there
- Do you specialize in a certain market segment?
- Does your car dealership have one location or several?
The next step is to define your target group. Answering the previous questions forms the basis for further marketing activities. The answers will help you engage with your customers, existing and potential. Based on this data, you can adapt marketing measures to your circumstances in a goal-oriented manner. This ensures that the measures are tailored precisely to the wishes and needs of your target group. If you have this overview, you can communicate profitably with your target group. In order to examine the target group and existing customers in more detail, you can ask yourself the following questions:
Who are your customers? Do you primarily have private customers or are they more corporate customers or freelancers?
- What target group are your services aimed at?
- Have you defined your target market?
- Do you know your desired target market?
- Have you identified the demands of your customers and the wishes of the target group?
- Do you regularly update the customer database?
Does your car dealership have basic guidelines for handling customer matters, such as standard reply letters?
Once you have the answers to these questions, you can launch the appropriate marketing activities for each target group. You should develop your own marketing concept for your company. This allows you to structure all activities and use them efficiently. The following tips will help you to reach your customers and address them effectively.
Do Your Homework
As a car dealer, you want to sell your cars. To do this, you need to know what appeals to your customers, what they like and why they like to buy their car from you. Convenience is essential for customers. Therefore, you should definitely meet some minimum requirements.
Offer your customers:
- Short and entertaining waiting times
- Nearby and convenient parking
- Registration service for vehicles they bought from you#
- Good availability by phone
If you already have that, perfect. If not, you should now make no excuses and set about meeting these minimum requirements in any case and always.
Be Present At Regional Events
The aim of marketing campaigns is for as many potential customers as possible to come to your dealership to present the latest models to them. Marketing also aims to sell additional services, such as the sale of spare parts, tire service or workshop services. But the frequency in many car dealerships is declining. Become active in your sales area and show your presence. A stand at a district festival is very suitable for this. There you can not only show vehicles, but also talk to potential customers in other ways, for example with a wheel of fortune or a raffle.
Invite The Customers Over To You
Are you in the process of preparing for the reopening? The presentation of a new model is pending? Are you planning a nice event? Regular invitations are a good way of getting in touch with customers and potential customers. Customers appreciate this, and a closer connection to the company develops. Events and events form an important pillar in marketing. Offer something out of the ordinary two to three times a year that attracts your customers:
Carnival in the car dealership: Invite to a nice carnival or carnival session.
Celebrate with families: throw a “satchel party”. Families with children are always a worthwhile target group for a car dealership. When the children start school and get their first satchel, it is a very emotional moment for the whole family. Celebrate this with your customers in spring.
Organize an Oktoberfest: The Oktoberfest in autumn is an important folk festival. Bring folk festival flair to your car dealership and celebrate Oktoberfest with your customers. Such a festival is quickly organized and offers a communication approach in autumn – for the tire change season.
Rely On Google MyBusiness
Business directories like the Yellow Pages are long dead. Don’t waste your money on them. Rather operate “local SEO”. That is, be present in local searches on the Internet. Be sure to register with Google MyBusiness, you will be found there. The entry is even free. This makes it much easier for potential customers in your region to find you. It’s best to try it out for yourself. Does your company appear when you enter the term car repair shop or car dealership in a Google search? With an entry in Google MyBusiness you are present in Google Maps. Optimize your entry by entering all important contact information. Supplement this with images of your dealership, the vehicles, the employees and possibly also of great events that took place.
Regular Customer Information Activates Your Customers
There are many opportunities to connect with customers throughout the year: Spring is coming. The winter is coming. Regularly send information to your customers about accessories and promotions that make the car a real experience. This works just as well via e-mail as via post. Dealer Genius comes up with the best dealership software for car dealership.
If your customers know that you can get everything they need to make driving more enjoyable, they have no reason to buy spare parts or accessories from the competition or online. Show your customers what you have. Give them incentives to spend your money with you. Such campaigns are often supported by the vehicle manufacturers. Plan such targeted campaigns about three to four years after buying a car. You will see that it works.
