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| *Ostroff, Fair and Company>>>Other - Advertising & Marketing |
What types of advertising have I not tapped? |
I am a salesman at a car dealership in a small town. We sell high end cars and have alot of different brands and models, so it's hard to keep a huge selection in stock. It's a blue collar town, and we sell the most expensive GM vehicles available, so we end up selling alot of used cars vs. new....... We are also right on a major interstate, so we get lots of highway traffic.... My question is..... Assuming that I have all the basics in place (longstanding dealership, good salespeople, good prices, etc...) What type of advertising have we not thought of? We have done all the silly mailers and the huge "purple gorilla on the roof" approach.... But we are looking for more reality based advertising. I was thinking of crazy ideas, but wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions.... Keep in touch with current customers. If someone bought a car 2 years ago, go ahead and give them a call, see if they are in the market again. Since most people have 2 cars, you may hit them at the right time or maybe just before they realize they want a new car. Do the mailers. You may not want to do this, but I thought is was a good idea once before. A car lot gives a customer who buys a new car a few coupons with their name on it. If they give these out to their friends and they come and test drive a car, you send them $10 if they buy a car you send them $50. They could give the cards to friends who just come buy to test drive a car, so they can get the money, but $10 isn't much, and it gives you chance to talk to them, put them on a mailing or call list. I hate big gimmick's myself, makes a company look worse then it is. Like you just want to get the money while selling junk. If you're selling higher end cars, huge purple gorillas just don't tell me your high end. You have to look and advertise on the higher market if you want their business. If the cars and trucks are pricey, higher class then you need to up promotion to be higher class. Target those who did buy the cars, and ask those people what sold them to your dealership and use that approach to sell more. Why not try a straightforward approach? Tell your audience the facts you told us, but maybe alter it a little. Maybe you can say in your ad that you have a good selection of used vehicles at good prices. For the expensive cars, you can say that you stock some very unique and special cars. I think the straightforward ads are more likely to get attention than the goofy ones. Car buying is a serious matter to people. It is a major financial decision for a majority of people. Don't insult your customers' intelligence. The only advertising that will get people into your place is to give them something for free. It doen't have to be much but FREE is the key to getting people in. Advertise in the paper with something like test drive a car and receive free tickets to a movie. You could also do something like receive a free TV or free IPOD with a car purchase. You have to remember that we are on the verge of inflation, so it's going to take a lot to get somebody to buy a car. Zero percent financing always gets me into dealerships. I would never buy a Korean car, but when Hyundai offered 100K mi, 10yr war. I paid 17.5 cash sight unseen (had to travel 2 states to pick it up) for a new sonata GLS. Best friggen car I have ever owned. What changed my mind ... well if they would warranty their cars so well and sell them 10K less than Toy I figured it was worth a shot. Now Dodge is offering lifetime, yet I would not touch a Dodge because every person I know that had a warranty problem that took 20 trips to get fixed was with a Dodge. So finally an answer to your question: Things that would make me buy from you rather than someone else: 1- Lifetime oil changes with car wash and polish. 2-100K miles of scheduled maintenance included.(Then I know I will not get side slapped with bogus repairs at your dealership).I really don't care if you jack the purchase price to cover it, it's in the loan. 3-Free gas for 3 years. Otherwise I'll just keep buying Hyundai's, my 2002 sonata gls is awesome! Internet advertising can target your high-end prospects. In fact Internet advert sing can target by zip code using a computer's unique IP. For the used car segment contact Dynagraphic Printing in Reno Nevada for the most innovative mailing campaign Ive ever seen. I used it at the beginning of this year got a 5.6% response rate and more than a 2% conversion rate. No, Im not an employee of Dynagraphic. They just do a good job. Advertise on free classifieds, relevant forums and social networking websites. From http://ad5.info |
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