Keeping It Real

There is no “bad” ad media. They all work. The secret sauce is how you use them.

You don't want to mess up the recipe.

Otherwise that radio station live remote might not bring many buyers to the dealership.

Or a big tent sale may induce more yawns than sales.

Or sending out direct mail pieces to 20,000 local homes may draw only a handful of people.

Here's the question: Is your advertising plan in “real time” with today's car buyer?

Case in point:

Twenty percent more time is spent by consumers researching and shopping for a car, although you can sell one faster than ever before.

Moreover, 66% of car buyer don't buy from the first car dealership they initially contacted, although customers say that they are very close to buying once they begin to contact dealerships.

Today, it takes 6.5 walk-ins to sell a car, 8.5 phone-ins and 13.5 e-mails, according to an AutoTrader.com study.

Get in real time with the buyer and reclaim the customer.

So what can you do to get started?

Market like a professional.

Examine when and where the buyer took the initial steps to buy your product.

Study which media they are using the most at that time and place.

Build a message that speaks to the buyer in their frame of mind at that time when they are most receptive.

Retool your ad budget to spend less per car and reach more of the market.

Then tell your sales team about what you are doing and what will most likely happen when the campaign breaks.

Here's to your dealership growth!

Adam Armbruster is a senior partner in the retail and broadcasting consulting firm Eckstein, Summers, Armbruster & Co. Contact him at [email protected] or 941-928-7192.