DEALERS LEARNED THE LATEST DIGITAL MARKETING TIPS AND TRICKS AT CANADIAN DIGITAL DEALER CONFERENCE 8
Alan Bird, President and Chief Executive Leader of SCI MarketView, and Canadian auto dealer columnist
THE TRILLIUM AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION (TADA) hosted its eighth Canadian Digital Dealer in Ottawa on Sept.23 and Toronto on Sept.24, 2015. Just as in the past, the latest instalment in the series was designed to help dealers navigate the ever-changing digital marketing world.
Dealers learned about a number of topics at the day-long event, including how to develop a brand and digital strategies to help bring traffic into the showroom, along with how to improve operations and communications within the dealership.
Jenn Dunstan, head of Branding & Communications for Ontario Motor Sales
GET COMFORTABLE
Alan Bird doesn’t see digital marketing as an instant change to a dealer’s operations. Instead, he sees it as an evolution.
The President and Chief Executive Leader at SCI MarketView, and regular Canadian auto dealer columnist, told dealers they need to start navigating through this complicated digital world to succeed.
Bird said customers are coming into the buying cycle through different avenues — not just through the front door. That’s especially true, given fewer customers are walking into more than one dealership.
“You have to start living in the digital world. And the only way to understand it is to do it,” said Bird. That means dealers need to connect to their online environment by immersing themselves in social media and other digital technologies.
He added it’s important that everyone at the dealership becomes an expert online. Encourage your team to look at the website periodically to check for discrepancies, like old data or outdated promotions.
“Think of the digital front door like the showroom front door,” said Bird. The website should get the same kind of care as the showroom does.
Todd Bourgon, Executive Director, Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA)
But ultimately, the responsibility to create a solid online brand lies with management, said Bird. Dealer principals need to know they are making the right investment in their digital marketing, Bird added.
He told the story of a friend who owns four Ford stores, which combined generate millions of dollars in revenue. When Bird asked how his digital marketing efforts were going, his friend replied that the team is “working really hard.”
Bird then asked him if he really knew what was going on. His friend paused and replied, “No.”
“All he did is write the cheque every month,” said Bird. Bird also shared some findings of a recent SCI MarketView whitepaper. The North America-wide survey analyzed 2,100 online responses from dealers, and then quantified them according to quality. The highest weighted attribute was that the dealership asked a quality question.
The average score was 21.6 of 100. For Bird, it was “kind of sad,” that only 5.5 per cent hit all of the key elements.
BRAND STORY
“It’s my job to convey much more than that we’re a GM dealership in Oshawa,” said Jenn Dunstan, who runs branding and communications at the Ontario Motor Sales dealership in Oshawa, Ont.
But brand building means “doing some soul searching to figure out what you stand for,” she said. Dunstan said some dealerships that are without brands are starting from scratch, while others may be evolving their brand through small changes.
Dunstan shared tips on how dealers can develop their personal brand. These included:
G.B. Outlaw motivates the
dealers
Working with professional designers. They understand colour theory, and can translate that into a brand that best represents you, said Dunstan.
Defining your voice. Figure out how you want to come across, especially on social media. Are you playful, formal or polished? Just make sure your tone reflects your OEM, said Dunstan.
Integrating your brand across all media. That’s all the way down to things like invoices with your newest logo, said Dunstan. Remain consistent to your consumer so they can adapt to your new look.
Choosing a brand ambassador. It doesn’t have to be one person at your dealership, said Dunstan. Vendors can help you get the message across with toolkits. Manufacturers can also provide pages for brand look and feel.
Christi Olson, Director of Search Engine Marketing at Point It
A SMART STRATEGY
Digital marketing can be confusing and daunting —but it doesn’t have to be, said Christi Olson, director of search engine marketing at Point It. Not if you have a strategy, she added.
“Strategy isn’t just a plan. It reflects your vision, it reflects your organization,” said Olson.
For dealers, it would be figuring out how digital marketing fits into their strategy of selling more vehicles.
A strategy doesn’t need to be completely in-depth, though. “You don’t have to have a perfect strategy before you move forward,” said Olson.
First, dealers should create goals according to the S.M.A.R.T. principle, said Olson. That stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.
A strategy also encompases key performance indicators. Some indicators are weak and others are stronger, but they need to be actionable in order to generate leads, said Olson.
She added you also need to figure out what marketing and measurement tools you want to use. “Marketing isn’t always free,” said Olson.
There’s also a number of channels to use, each of which has its own goals. Olson recommends focusing on search engine optimization (SEO) claiming local listings, search engine marketing (SEM) social media, remarketing and targeted communication through email.
“Be selective with what you choose and go after that,” Olson advised.
Working with a content calendar is a great way to know what’s coming and what might impact marketing efforts, said Olson. This is something the digital team can adopt.
There’s also the issue of who’s responsible internally, said Olson, whether that’s a marketing manager or a whole digital team. There might be resources at a dealership you’re not even aware of, she added.
Olson reminded dealers that digital marketing is an ongoing process as you are building up the channels.
Look at the performance data from one or two years, and identify the time of year when there needs to be more time devoted to propping up marketing, said Olson. Review and recalibrate your strategy every few months as needed, she added.
Brent Wees, event host
STAY ON PACE
Dealers who were unable to attend the recent TADA Annual General Meeting in the Bahamas had another chance to hear a motivational speech from G.B. Outlaw.
Outlaw is the president of GB Outlaw and Associates, a company that provides organizations with corporate training to help them succeed.
His interactive presentation encouraged dealers to sit with their key stakeholders and figure out how best to succeed in these changing times for the auto industry.
“You can have the best process in the world, best brand in the world, but if people don’t believe in it it’s going to fail,” said Outlaw. “You have to decide what kind of organization you want.”
