This webinar, originally presented by C-4 Analytics on the Digital Dealer platform, tackles a crucial theme for the year ahead: breaking old habits and adopting new ones. As C-4 Analytics' Rob Stoesser and Laurie O'Brien explain, despite 20 years of digital marketing, many dealers are stuck in a "Groundhog Day" of repeating the same mistakes. It's time to put these ineffective practices behind you and embrace a new approach to win.
Playing to Not Lose: In times of market uncertainty, the natural instinct is to pull back and be conservative. However, this fear-based approach allows your competitors to pull ahead. As dealers who remained aggressive during the recent market challenges can attest, playing the long game and continuing to invest in your marketing is the way to win.
Relying on Dashboards: A dashboard is just numbers on a screen; it doesn't provide solutions. The data is only useful if you have a partner who can analyze it, align it with your business goals, and help you execute a plan. Dashboards should be a tool for a conversation, not a substitute for one.
Hiding Behind Profitability: The recent spike in dealer profitability was a "gift" from market conditions, not a new norm. Pulling back on marketing because profitability is down from a record-setting year is a mistake. The way to sustain profit is to remain aggressive and increase market share, which is a long-term asset.
Picking Up the Phone to Spend Co-op: Scrambling to spend co-op funds at the end of the year is a sign of an unmanaged, inefficient marketing plan. Co-op should be viewed as an extension of your bank account—part of a continuous, year-long strategy that is leveraged effectively to achieve your goals.
Paying Ad Agencies for Ad Spend: When you give a lump sum of money to an agency to pay for your ads, you lose transparency. This can lead to inflated costs, as the agency may be buying ad placements on one cost basis and selling them to you at a marked-up rate. To ensure accuracy and visibility, you should always pay publishers like Google and Facebook directly.
Playing the Long Game: The car buying cycle has stretched beyond 90 days. Your marketing must be a continuous effort that captures customers at every stage of their journey. Focusing on long-term assets like market share and customer loyalty will pay dividends for years through service revenue and future vehicle sales.
Supporting All Three Profit Centers: Don't just focus on new car sales. A successful strategy diversifies its efforts to support your new, used, and fixed ops departments. This ensures your dealership is continuously making money and building a larger customer base.
Creating an Integrated Media Mix: Break away from the siloed thinking of "traditional" vs. "digital" marketing. All media, from TV and radio to search and social, should be viewed as part of one integrated mix. When your agencies and campaigns are working together, your marketing becomes more consistent, efficient, and effective.
Preparing for EVs: The electrification of the auto industry is inevitable. Even if your brand doesn't have an EV on the lot today, you must start building a digital presence now. Creating organic content that ranks for EV and hybrid-related searches will establish your dealership as an authority and win mind share before the inventory even arrives.
Harnessing Your CRM Data: Your CRM is a gold mine of first-party data. By properly analyzing and using it, you can move beyond a 30-day sales cycle to cultivate long-term customer relationships. In a world heading toward a cookie-less future, this first-party data is your most valuable asset for targeted marketing.
For a deeper dive into these topics and to hear directly from Rob Stoesser, VP of OEM, and Laurie O'Brien, VP of Client Services, watch the full webinar below.