Your GM should be managing your dealership, not your marketing strategy. Managing a dealership’s marketing is a full time job, therefore your CEO must not be confused for a CMO. General Managers must be able to inspect the results of their marketing efforts, and a trusted partner is the key to this success.
This week on Auto Marketing Now, join Brian Pasch and Frank Lopes, VP of Forrest and Blake Marketing and Advertising, to discuss the benefits of a full service advertising agency.
At Forrest and Blake, clients are given a single point of contact who manages all of their marketing. This eliminates confusion and the pointing of fingers that comes along with several marketing vendors and places all accountability in one place.
Many times, dealers ask “what should I spend my money on?” When asking this question, they are often under the impression that it is better to invest everywhere than to focus on one area. Yet dabbling lightly in many different areas of marketing isn’t always profitable.
You’re spending all depends on your market, so a dedicated marketing team would ensure that your investments are the right fit for your dealership’s local market. With countless vendors comes countless agendas, therefore, the unique demands of your unique market may not always be prioritized.
Generally speaking, dealers should focus on search and their website. First off, you need to be found. Then, once you’re found, you need an impressive website to make the sale. But again, there is no key formula that can be applied to all dealerships. A truly competent, multi-channel marketing team will take the time to evaluate each dealership’s local market, and then choose the personalized investment quantities for optimal results.
For more information on the full service marketing and advertising agency, visit forrestandblake.com.
Marketing Strategy Session:
The average dealer receives over 20 different marketing reports each month. With all of the separate partners, analyzing data and determining which channels are creating the greatest revenue can become overwhelming and confusing. VistaDash is revolutionizing the way dealers interact with their agencies. By integrating AdWords, Analytics, Web Master Tools, SEO benchmarks, social media campaigns, phone calls, chat, CRM data, and third-party classified advertising platforms, dealer reports become a unified vision of all marketing data. So remember to choose a competent marketing partner(s) and ensure your data is organized to easily determine what is working and what is not.
Email Grab Bag Question:
“With so many different agencies out on the market place, is there a way to determine which agency is a good fit for my dealership?”
Choosing a partner can get confusing, but the best thing to do is ask your peers. Websites such as DealerRefresh.com allow you to post a question, and it is likely that you’ll get a response within minutes. Online review sites such as DrivingSales.com have plenty of vendor reviews, so you can get insights from other dealers who have used the product. When asking a peer, be sure to choose someone knowledgeable to avoid a “blind leading the blind” type of situation.
Executing and managing an effective marketing strategy can be a mind boggling task, so stop relying on your GM to manage it along with your dealership! A professional marketing agency will take the time to ensure you have a dominating marketing strategy, so you can focus on managing a dominating dealership.
For more on the fast-paced world of automotive marketing, tune into Auto Marketing Now weekly with industry leader, Brian Pasch.
About the Author
PCG Digital Marketing is an award winning digital agency headquartered in Eatontown, NJ. We help our clients get found online through innovative search, social and online advertising campaigns.