Do you always feel behind in your marketing strategy? Are you pushing your employees to get on social media? To make their own posts? Do you have a dedicated marketing department or is it handled by the sales manager or sales people? Not only can that be dangerous, it can also leave your strategy sitting on the back burner. I know when I ran internet/marketing departments for dealers, I was not paid to "market". I was paid on sales , my sales or my teams' sales. I knew the impact of a good marketing strategy, but it takes time and commitment.
I did take over marketing for a boat dealer that employed me as a sales person. This was back in the day of print and yellow page ads. Most dealers did not yet understand the power of the internet or its importance.
I made an effort to get us online to cut costs by stopping avenues that did not bear fruit. That effort alone increased our sales revenue from $7.2 million to $10.6 million in one year and saved us $30,000. That's huge! A 40% increase while saving thousands.
Unfortunately for me it was only worth a $100 spiff on my check to them.
Do you think that marketing and growth were still my focus?
Currently dealers, especially small dealers no longer have anyone in place to manage social media. They are asking sales people or other staff to handle it.
I hear a big push for social media everywhere. They want to have team members create their own content like YouTube walkaround videos.
Do you realize that it takes hours to edit a 15 minute video? That's hours not prospecting or selling, while some employees may not even completely grasp how to create engaging content.
Are those staff members motivated to even do that? Taking time away from what pays them?
Are human beings motivated to step out of their comfort zone and do something uncomfortable? Something that makes them feel awkward? Probably not.
You may hear "Lets run FB ads", "make YouTube videos about our products", "get on TikTok people love that". Your new push for social media is already 10 years behind.
Something to think about... Business ad engagement on FB is down over 50%. FB ad engagement has been in decline since 2016. Down nearly 30% year over year.
TikTok is nearly gone. Why throw money and time at that? That would be like spending money on a phonebook ad 10 years ago.
Google's AI is missing a lot of resources in searches today. Did you know Google is paying Reddit for their content so they can train their AI to gather more relevant results? Google did this because the majority of google searches are "____ ___ reddit". Why you ask? Because people want to hear from real people, see real people and their take on a subject. How many of you even have a reddit account?
Even Trader apps are in decline. The average person under the age of 32 does not even know what Trader is.
Basically, if you were not old enough to grab the magazines from your local store when you were being dragged around the grocery store by your parents, you don't know those exist.
Network TV is also down. Simply put, people are tired of ads. People will gladly pay more for an ad free viewing experience. Radio?, same boat. Well now what? How do I reach my customers?
Become the local "social media". What? how? why? First off, why do people use social media? To connect, get entertainment, find things to do, and get advice. You can provide all of those right? Your staff knows the on water events, the dirt tracks, the racing events, which local businesses offer the best ____. Rank your local trails. This trail is best for rocks, this one is best for high speed, mud, ____, this one is best for family with young kids______. This one has an event coming up. Partner with parks. When I noticed over 50% of our customers were new to the sport and new to the area, I ran a campaign where I gave away free day passes to a growing park with the purchase of a _____. Bringing local folks together.
Your customer is tired of someone asking them for money every time they open their phone, turn on a TV or radio. Ads are in our face all the time now and people are over it. They know how to get past them or they don't engage at all. But why are people driving further away from home, further away from you to go do business with someone else? Why does that happen? How do we stop it? Simply put it is word of mouth. Someone they know told them to go there. They recognize the name from being out in the world and have searched for them.
What is the first thing you train sales people to do? What is the main thing that is always covered in every sales training? Notice, listen, slow down, and do not make it all about price. Why would your marketing be any different? If you know that hitting price right upfront, not sitting down, not getting to know the customer is a terrible practice then why would your marketing be geared that way? Why throw prices at people while they are standing, on the run, while they are go go go and be just like every other dealer?
People are looking for the old school experience now. Think 1950's America. A local dealer that knew you and your parents by name. They were the local expert. That is how they connected with their customers. You can remake that authentic experience now. You can be corporate and still deliver the mom and pop experience.
Your social media should be more about lifestyle and less about dollars. Keep social media social. Next, get in front of your customer. I mean really, in the real world. Build your brand. Be the local expert. Be THE dealer and not A dealer.
Offer something of value at no charge? "WHAT, free? how". Knowledge is free...... How did Myspace and Facebook stop dozens of other social media sites in their tracks? They were free when the others wanted a couple bucks a month. They brought people together with no charge.
Now, how can you do this? How can you implement this at your store? We have a detailed plan. A plan to get you in front of and start engaging customers on local level.
A plan to team with other local businesses and offer knowledge, excitement, and that old school connection that leads to free word of mouth, loyalty, and easier sales. For example "How to" seminars are free.
Don't just go to local festivals and display a couple items. Sign up to be a presenter and give a "how to" at that festival. Start by asking your staff what questions customers ask the most.
Here at Bald Cypress we can handle any of these issues. We can create the content or train you how to make your own.
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