“How do I make my dealership successful?”This is one of the most frequently asked questions by those who just started their car dealership.
Neophyte car dealership managers, too, ask this question to themselves. We at Carketa provide the tools to help car dealerships become as successful as they should.
If you have a passion for all things automotive, then chances are you’re planning to have your own car dealership soon. And if you’re already mapping to set up one, then you need all the car sales and management knowledge you can gather. After all, a car dealership is still a business. Regardless of how passionate about cars or car sales you are, you still need to figure out how to keep your dealership alive. And with that in mind, you’re going to start to wonder and ask yourself, “how do I make my dealership successful?”
This question is also common to all those who are just starting their career in dealership management. Regardless of whether you’re newly promoted to a managerial position or relocated somewhere isolated, running a dealership with many obstacles can be a bit of a hurdle. But if you are one, you need not fret. You already have a load full of car dealership knowledge you can use to your advantage. Here, we will dispense some ways that are proven to be useful as they’ve been practiced by several car dealerships. Also, we include other car dealership tricks that not a lot apply but just as effective.
Please note that these tips are focused on the marketing aspects of the car dealership business. We’ll get through to the more technical ones next time.
“How do I Make My Dealership Successful?” Let’s answer that below.
Embrace The New Age
For decades, car dealerships have been enjoying raking in sales offline. This is because, for so long, car buyers love to have human to human interaction when purchasing a vehicle. And there’s nothing better than to see and touch the car for yourself before even taking it off from the dealership’s lot. But that landscape has changed gradually, thanks to technology. More and more people are inclined to look for vehicles online and just check it right before buying it. And expect that number to double up in a decade alone. With the “global health crisis” we’re in right now (as of writing), dealerships encourage buyers to do car shopping online instead.
So how can you make your dealership successful in this day and age? It’s obviously simple – take advantage of the new technology. There are a couple of ways the Internet can help you make your car dealership successful. Below is the list of what you can do.
Create A Bunch Of Social Media Accounts For Your Business
In fact, social media platforms encourage small to medium businesses to join their community. And why you shouldn’t say no to that? It’s virtually free to create an account, plus you’d be able to connect to your target market immediately. Not-so-known platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook provide tools to help your business grow within the corners of their realms. There are a couple of tools that you have to buy, though. But all in all, use social media and let your readers what’s new, what your business is up to, and other informational content.
Create A Website
Yep, we know that sounds really scary. For those who are non-techie, you may ask yourself, “How do I make my dealership successful… in another way?” We know that creating a website can be intimidating, but this is nothing to be scared about. Treat website creation as a weapon that can help you slay business obstacles and make your dealership successful at a much faster rate.
You have two viable options. You can create a website on free-to-use web platforms such as WordPress, Wix, and Blogger. When you have a free website, your options are limited, but it still as good as an actual website.
Speaking of, the other option you have is to create a real website for your business. Although a free website may be enough, an actual website can amp up your business with all its tools available. First, you can opt for more extensive or unlimited bandwidth. With massive storage, you’d be able to post more images and content. Second, you can design the website the way you want it. Third, some essential plugins and tools may benefit your website but aren’t available on free sites.
However, if you don’t have advanced knowledge of developing a website, you will have a hard time. When that’s the situation right now, you can hire a web developer who can bring your site to life online.
Share Your Expertise Pt. I
One of the mistakes that most car dealerships make is that they only focus on a social media platform or two. There are other social media platforms, apart from Facebook and Instagram. And some of these platforms are great places to impart info to the public and slightly market your business at the same time. Join forums such as Reddit or Quora, and join the discussions there while carrying your business’ name. By not limiting yourself to a few social media pages, you’d be able to maximize your business exposure online. Consequently, you’re boosting your chance of closing more car deals.
Think Outside Of The Box – Be More Creative!
You’ve probably visited a couple of marketing or auto websites before coming here. And you’ve probably read a lot of similar tips in making your car dealership successful. Although these standard tips are constructive, it won’t harm your business to take the extra mile. Below are some marketing tips that can make your dealership successful by standing out.
Know Your Customer And What They Want
In every business, it’s essential to know what your customer’s demographics are and their behaviors. According to this study reported by Hedges & Company, the number of adults in their mid-20s to mid-50s is rising. Their number is significantly higher compared to their younger counterparts for 2020. The study also suggests that more than half of the buyers in the US are looking for affordability. When you have these data at hand, you can determine how to make your car dealership stand out from your competitors. You can also do your own surveys. Knowing what your actual market wants by doing your own research is much better.
So how do you know what they want? By checking on the demographic studies, you already have a stepping stone on how you’re going to approach your market. For example, if studies show that most of your market is like black cars, you can include an image of a black car more in your ads, photos, and videos. Or when your local market buys more pick-ups than sedans, you can promote your trucks by having promotional campaigns from time to time. When you already know what they want, it would become much more apparent to distinguish and create your marketing strategies and make more sales in the process.
Know What They Don’t Know They Need
In addition, there is this is advertising trick that marketers use to upsell. But this trick requires further digging. After you’ve done your research on your market, you need to look beyond the data. It takes a little bit of creativity to discover the underlying wants of your customers. As Steve Jobs once said, “Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do.”
For example, a customer wants a pick-up truck, some dealers just hand the keys over and call it a day. However, you can tell them to add some accessories such as running boards, bed lights, and spray-in bed liner. Of course, you have to explain how these accessories work and the benefits you’re getting.
Make sure that you explain in a way that it would sound that they need it – because they do. But first, you have to talk to them about the car and what do they need it for, so you’d get a hint of what to upsell. That way, you’d be able to sell your accessories and create a rapport with your customers at the same time.
Create Better Marketing Campaign
Back in the day, advertising is costly. It would cost a fortune to just have that space in the news or the Yellow Pages. But ever since technology came over, you can now do your marketing from the comfort of your own home. And you can do all that at a fraction of the cost. However, we’ve noticed that many car dealerships don’t create better publicity campaigns online. As we mentioned, use it to your advantage but do it in a way that it’s effective. Don’t just post anything; post attractive images that can explain your business in a nutshell.
Make Them Come Back
Now that you know how to market your car dealership in the digital age and you know how to market your car dealership successful, there’s one more essential thing. And that is making customers root for your business. It’s hard to attract customers, but making your customers come back is much easier. But only if you’re going to give them reason to come back. By putting your customers first, your marketing efforts will not go futile. Here are some tips to make your customers think about your car dealership when they’re talking about car dealerships.
Create A Social Community
Facebook, among other social media giants out there, provide tools to promote your business. And one of the tools you can use there is Facebook Groups. You can use the Facebook Groups to create a sort of “online club” where fellow car buyers and “motorheads” can merge and interact. You can throw in a topic where everyone can discuss and encourage others to post topics, too. Apart from that, you can use the group to promote what’s new with your dealership. However, you should do this moderately, or else you’ll compromise your influence. Remember that the key here is consistency – give the group members a reason to come back from time to time.
Share Your Expertise Pt. II
You may be writing many factual blog posts that are proven helpful, but some people just don’t have time to read. So, what’s the solution? Set-up a podcast. Podcasts are one of the most effective ways to attract your market and keep them glued. Podcast Insights‘s study suggests that more than half of the US population has listened to a podcast before. According to the same study, 22% of podcast listeners prefer to listen inside their cars while driving. That said, this is an excellent way to reach out to your market while providing entertainment and creating brand awareness
Conclusion
So the next time you’re gonna ask, “how do I make my dealership successful?” Well, these are some of the effective ways on how to do it. When you utilize the technology around us, make your car dealership stand out, and provide inclusive services, you’re way ahead of your competitors. You can also use a recon tool app that can help you save time by streamlining each vehicle recon process. You’d be able to save money that way, too. Click here to know more about the recon tool app.
