AUTOMOTIVE ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Make Sure You’re Advertising to Everyone

Make Sure You’re Advertising to Everyone

JKRAdvertising / Automotive Advertising Advice /

February 16, 2018

Are you advertising to everyone? Many automobile dealers make the mistake of advertising only to those immediately in the market for a vehicle. While this seems logical, there’s a flaw in that strategy: if your advertisements don’t make everyone take notice of them, your store will not be top of mind when the next month’s buyers are ready to make their purchases.

As the renowned book Making Ads Work so perfectly puts it: It’s what you say, not who you say it to, that will determine your success (in advertising). Most people are “the right people” when you say the right thing … and Few people will be convinced quickly, and few of those people who are convinced will have any immediate need for what you are selling. By the time their need arises, your “testing of the waters” will be over and they will have forgotten you.

So it’s up to you (or whoever handles your advertising) to be sure you’re advertising to everyone – with enough frequency to make you memorable long-term. If your dealership is overtargeting – making your advertisements only for your target audience, you lose the chance of picking up any ancillary customers along the way. Think about it; people in your target audience have spouses; they have siblings; they have parents; they have friends … and so forth. Everyone in these groups could be with the person in your target audience as they listen to, or view your ads. You’re making a big mistake if your ads alienate these folks … because you never know who might be in the market for a new or pre-owned car!

So remember, while you certainly want to leave a lasting impression and create a memorable advertisement, it must be able to reach anyone – not just those who need a car today.

Benefits of Advertising to Everyone

Do you know if your dealership is overtargeting? There is a way to find out. Contact JKR Advertising & Marketing, and we’ll provide you with a no-strings-attached, FREE Marketing Review. We’ll take a close look at what you (and your competition) are doing, and give you our expert feedback. Call Eric Tigner at (321) 397-0777 today to get things started.

JKR Automotive Advertising: We Move Cars.

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Post-Pandemic Dealer Gross Profits are Down – But They Don’t Have to Stay There!
March 13, 2024
It is no secret that dealer gross profits per vehicle are down sharply in the post-COVID automotive world. According to a recent article in Automotive News, gross profits of the six largest publicly traded dealership groups plunged significantly from Q4 2022 to Q4 2023. One of them was actually down 35% per vehicle!

The article explains: High interest rates, more expensive vehicles and a steadier post-pandemic supply chain continue to soften demand and bring it closer to pre-pandemic levels. Still, new-car buying has remained strong overall …

This means that, while sales volume is similar, overall bottom lines are lower for many dealers due to the reduced gross profits. What about your dealership?

Being Realistic
It’s time to turn the page! The time for dealers to simply be order takers for people willing to pay MSRP for a vehicle (and in some cases more) has passed and dealers have to work hard once again to achieve acceptable gross profits.

Selling a high volume of cars doesn’t control gross profits, no matter how much you wish this was the case. Correct processes and menu pricing – and strict adherence to them – do!

What kind of processes?
∙ Slow down the transaction! Your sales staff has to once again sell the customer on the features and benefits of every new and pre-owned vehicle on your lot.

∙ Your salespeople and managers should devalue the customers’ trade-in value (politely, of course) as much as possible. After all, if the customer expects you to lower your price, shouldn’t you be able to do the same on their trade? Remember, you’ll have to fix it up, put your name on it and resell it to someone else with all the tenacity you would a brand-new car. So make sure you buy it right … because the profit is made when you buy it, not when you sell it!

∙ To that end, management should be ready and willing to leave the desk and do thorough walk-arounds on each trade to ensure the best outcome for the dealership.

The Cure for Low Gross Profits
If you are like a lot of dealers these days, you could use some good news. Here it is: while you may not have the capability to achieve profit margins similar to those you enjoyed during the pandemic, they could likely be improved. JKR’s clients enjoy the benefit of attracting not only more customers, but better ones, too!

If meeting and exceeding your sales goals (and increasing gross profits at the same time) sounds great to you, you need to call us. Don’t settle for reduced gross profits when help is out there to get you closer to where you’d like to be.

Want to know how we do it? Reach out to Senior Partner Richard Brauns (407) 701-4233 or Partner/Vice President Jon Albert (407) 718-2494 today.

JKR Automotive Advertising: We Move Cars.

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