Marketing our products and services with today's "social media" couldn't be any easier AND at a much lower cost. If our "foundations" have been set with the right people, process and pricing structures, we can now prepare a marketing strategy that will give managers more exposure as well as keeping more customers coming back to your dealership.
Most, if not all dealerships have their own website that advertises their products and services, but once the website is set up, it really just becomes a newer, more modern form of the "yellow pages"! People only go there when they have a specific need or to find out some basic information. Some customers may use the website to schedule an appointment for service, but other than that?....how successful is the website?
Better yet...how are we measuring the success of that website as a marketing tool? I'm sure the website looks great, lots of nice pictures of the dealership and staff, pictures of vehicles, directions to the dealership, etc., but again...how effective is the website in YOUR overall marketing strategy.
In order to be successful in today's market, your "strategy" must begin with your customers email addresses. In most dealerships today, customer email addresses add up to less than 25% of the total customer base contact information.
Even though this may not be a surprise to most, but email is one of the most desired method of contact and provides one of the best forms of advertising at a very low cost. There are also many internet based companies that charge very reasonable monthly fees to market your products and services.
These social media websites allow dealers and managers to design their very own E-Newsletter to their customers on a regular basis, just as you are reading now in this "Smart Parts" E-Newsletter!
By designing your own marketing E-Newsletter, you are able to keep in touch with your customers on Service and Parts Specials, market accessories, dealership and community events, etc. Another direct benefit to the Parts Manager is it's another outlet to maintain active wholesale accounts as well as marketing obsolete inventory.
Most dealers today spend more time and money on gaining new customers instead of keeping the ones they have. The average dealer customer base is over 10,000 customer names, but only 20% - 30% remain "active" in a twelve month period.
With the combination of other social media outlets such as FaceBook and Twitter for example, along with designing your own "active" E-Newsletter, keeping in touch with your customers has never been so easy and affordable.
Dave Piecuch is the Vice President of Automotive Consultants Group Inc. and is the Head Coach for Smart PartsTM. Dave can be reached at Cell 786-521-1720 or E-mail at dsp0417@aol.com Vist our Website at www.smartpartstraining.com
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