In the 36 years I’ve worked in the retail car industry, one of the most profound advancements during that time has happened within marketing and advertising.
In the 1980s, newspapers, radio and TV ruled the day in our industry. Printed materials (flyers, brochures, direct-mail) were also a big part of how dealers communicated with customers and prospects.
Fast forward to 2019, and it’s a whole new world of communications.
In 2017, Ford (the brand that I represent) made the decision to eliminate printed brochures that feature new models. Ford made this move based on feedback from its customers, and for environmental reasons.
As the internet has evolved over the past 25 years, so, too, have the online marketing options and opportunities. Traditional media is still relevant, but the internet has allowed businesses to reach defined audiences in new and fascinating ways.
Google and Facebook are the new powerhouses in marketing, providing advertisers with opportunities to reach targeted audiences based on age, gender, income, hobbies, activities and location. These ad campaigns can be measured and modified by time to optimize results.
This type of targeting and flexibility was simply not available to advertisers prior to Google and Facebook, and both platforms have revolutionized the ad world not just for the car industry, but for all industries.
In its early days, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube) was considered a frivolous activity and generally ignored by businesses, but that thinking has changed in recent years, especially for new-car dealerships.
Today, savvy dealers (and businesses) regard social media as a critical part of their marketing strategies in creating customer engagement.
For car buyers, the journey to purchase a vehicle is a long and winding road, and no two paths are the same. The average car shopper experiences hundreds of digital interactions before making a buying decision, and social media plays a huge role in that process. It’s an interactive medium that adds a sense of immediacy and visibility to the car-shopping experience.
It is estimated that up to 90 per cent of all new-car buyers who used social media at some point in their car-buying journey believe that it influenced their decision.
If a business is active on social media, it can positively impact its rankings on Google. I remember a quote from a few years ago: “It’s not what you say about your business that counts, it’s what Google says about your business that counts.”
Another powerful form of digital marketing is the e-newsletter. A regular online newsletter featuring automotive-related and lifestyle content is a valuable tool for maintaining relationships with customers.
Online publishing platforms allow dealers to review web analytics related to their published content. Over time, a dealership gets to know what types of content customers enjoy receiving and can modify it accordingly.
Web analytics is something that previous generations did not have at their disposal, and which has allowed marketing to become something of a science; it is information gathered from Google and Facebook ads, search-engine optimization, instant messaging and content marketing, which allows advertisers to determine the online shopping and buying patterns of customers.
Many dealerships employ digital marketing experts in-house, or they hire an outside firm to manage that part of the business for them.
In this column, I have merely scratched the surface of digital advertising and marketing. It’s a discipline that is evolving all the time, with new tools, platforms and best practices.
For dealerships that get it right, digital marketing is an effective way to connect with customers and prospects.
This column represents the views and values of the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association. Write to [email protected] or go to tada.ca. Cliff Lafreniere is president of the TADA and is president of Pinewood Park Motors (Ford) in Kirkland Lake. For information about automotive trends and careers, visit carsandjobs.com.