Auto Makers and Dealers Need to Make The Most of Marketing Dollars
February 14th, 2010
Through the years TKG has provided web services for several auto dealerships. I think many dealers caught on right away to the benefits that a web site could provide, and wanted to maximize that potential. Many auto dealerships say they have sales people solely to service web sales. A lot of them credit web sales with their survival of the recession. And a lot of them say they maximize the benefits of the web, but never really want to spend the time or money to make it feasible.
Because any vehicle purchase is a big deal, it means a lot for consumers to have the ability to shop, research and compare prices before they buy. Especially for an auto dealer, a web site has a very high ROI, especially when compared to more traditional marketing such as print, radio and television ads. Back at the beginning of the year,Mike Sachoff over at WebProNews had some good stats on auto dealers if you are interested.
As we are moving past mid 2010 and getting ready for 2011, TKG has implemented a new marketing budget, and of course ours has been and will continue to be heavy on the web, search and social media marketing. It just works. It’s cheaper than traditional media, and it’s focused – targeted right to the folks we know are looking for the services we provide. It appears that our country is just beginning to rebound. With the 2011 tax changes coming, now is the time to capitalize on whatever momentum we can find. That means making your marketing budget stretch as far as it can, while getting the best results possible.
I talked about marketing budgets a lot last year, and it continues to be a major factor in the success of any business. People won’t buy from you if they don’t know who you are, where you are or your products and/or service.
Consider your ROI for your current marketing budget. Are you getting everything you need out of it? If not, take note, especially if you are an auto dealer or maker. The changes in the auto industry, especially for Chevy and Chrysler (may as well throw Toyota in there), mean that letting your customers know you are doing everything you can to produce a quality vehicle and put people back to work, is vital. Paying off the American Tax Payer is vital, too. You know what the web has been able to do for you, and how desperately the auto industry, and the economy need it to happen now. Make the right choices with your marketing dollars, get the best ROI, make the web work for you!
