Promotions to Position Your Dealership for
Recovery
by: Melissa Broadus
As dealers prepare for the projected increase in 2010 sales, many are
looking for ways to make their dealership stand out in their market.
With tighter advertising, promotions, and marketing budgets, dealers and
their agencies tell RVDA strategies need even more focus to pull in the
best customers possible.
RV Executive Today spoke with some dealers and some top
agencies to find out what they are doing to stay on top this year.
Direct Mail
Direct mail, both via e-mail and traditional mail, has always been a
large part of dealership promotion. Many dealers find that e-mail is one
the most cost-effective ways to advertise their dealerships. However,
traditional mail has not lost its place, because some dealers believe
that it still is effective at keeping in touch with customers on a
personal level. Regardless of the method, dealers and industry experts
agree that direct mail works well.
“People are starting to realize that they need to market
themselves again,” says Rick Richardson, president of OutPost RV
Direct Mail Marketing in St. Petersburg, FL. “One of the things
that has really helped some dealers is a combination of direct marketing
formats. They will do a mailer, and then follow it up with several
e-mail blasts. It’s about being high performance and high volume,
while staying low cost.”
“We use a follow up program to keep our dealership in front of
the customers,” adds Mike Noble owner of Noble RV, Inc. in
Blooming Prairie, MN. “We use a system called Pro Response that
helps us segment our prospects so we can send out different follow up
letters. For example, we send one letter to those who bought from us,
another letter to those who were just looking, and a different one to
those who bought from another dealer. It just helps customers remember
we are here in the future.”
“Using e-mail costs dealerships almost nothing,” says
Mike McKay of Keystone Automotive/RV, Towing and Lifestyle Group in
Smyrna, GA. “If the dealership has built a relationship with its
customers, then a monthly or quarterly eNewsletter will help keep
customers connected. The key to this is not only to let the customer
know what’s going on, but to also have a call to action to bring
them in.”
“One of the best tools dealers will use this year is a conquest
e-mail list of RV owners in their market,” added Ron Wheeler,
president of Wheeler Advertising in Arlington, TX. “This list and
a quality call to action video e-mail will bring big results for
dealers. The best place to start with this type of promotion is an after
the show promotion or a show goes on event.”
Special Events or Offers
Many dealers use shows and special events or offers to market their
dealerships and build a customer base. This is also effective in
bringing past customers to the dealership to purchase parts,
accessories, service, or new RVs.
“This year we have gotten more involved in community
events,” says Sheri Perkins, president of Tri-Am RV in Bulls Gap,
TN. “We have attended career days at schools, sporting events,
rodeos, and farm equipment shows to get our name out there and to show
people that RVs have many different uses.”
“Many manufacturers and suppliers will go to dealerships to
provide training for employees on their products,” says McKay.
“Dealerships can use this as a way to educate customers as well.
Try having staff training on installation or troubleshooting in the
morning, and then invite customers to the dealership in the afternoon
for a workshop on the product. After the workshop, the dealership can
offer the product at a discounted price if the customer buys that
day.”
“Since we are spending the money to send out follow up messages
to all our customers, we always include a flyer with a promotion for the
dealership or local campground that we think will benefit the
customer,” adds Noble.
“Including a giveaway in your marketing helps draw customers
in,” says Richardson. “By offering the possibility of
something free, it gets people to the dealership, and even if they
aren’t the big winner, they may look at a new RV, purchase
accessories, or schedule service. It really can benefit the entire
dealership.”
Sticking to the Basics
According to dealers and marketing experts, sticking to the
basics will help dealerships stay top of mind with customers without
costing too much money.
“We’ve had to cut back our advertising budget,”
says Perkins. “We are following a pattern that we know works, and
keeping a presence, because if people don’t know you are there,
they can’t come to you.”
“Having cut back our advertising budget, we realized that most
people were finding us on the internet or just from driving past our
dealership,” adds Noble. “The location is a key part to our
marketing, and keeping it looking nice and treating our customers well
has gone a long way.”
“The basic thing to remember when marketing your dealership is
to start by treating your customers right, as individuals, and creating
lifetime relationships,” says McKay. “Once you have loyal
customers, you can create a more focused marketing plan.”
How is your dealership marketing itself in 2010? E-mail info@rvda.org or call the
dealer services hotline to share your marketing tips and ideas.
