Adapt or Die: Digital Tactics to Compete with the Conglomerates

“Location, Location, Location!” Those may be the three most important things in real estate, but when it comes to promoting and building your brand, WHAT you say is more important than WHERE you say it.

With so many media and communication platforms and channels available for a dealer or marketer to utilize to spread their message, it’s easy to see why they might get lost. Think about all of the digital options such as SEO, SEM, PPC, Social, OTT, OLV, Streaming, AI … as well as traditional TV, radio, print outdoor and more. Even if you do figure out which ones, how many to use, when to use them and how much of your budget to spend on each, you still need the most important piece: your message.

The fact is, most customers don’t care about cost per click, impressions, conversion, or any of the details of how a message gets there. All they care about is what you can do to provide a product or service and save them time, money, and headache. Period.

How do you think Carvana, Vroom, Sonic, Lithia, Group 1 and AutoNation continue to win? Is it because of their media mix or how much they spend? Partly, but it’s more likely because they’ve gone center stage with a customer first message. They promote how quick, easy, and convenient their buying process is for the customer, then back it up with an experience that matches the promise.  

For example, they feature ALL of their inventory on their portal sites. Why? Because 34% of new car intenders are willing to switch to a pre-owned vehicle, as long their experience meets their expectations. Not having to bounce from site to site is easier for the customer.

So, a perfect media mix is worthless if your message isn’t something that anyone wants to hear. What do people want to hear? They want to hear what’s in it for them, how you make it easier, faster, cheaper, or better.

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and analyze your current processes. Is your inventory easy to access, priced, photographed, and well-presented? Do you alert customers about arriving inventory and specials in email? When customers surf social media is their news feed populated with the last car they shopped and a great deal? When they watch video on TV or online, do they see the ease of doing business with you? When they search for a car to buy, sell, or trade, is your search ad bold enough to win a click?

Intermark Automotive can tell you WHERE your customers are AND help forge WHAT to say to get them to buy. Contact us today!

Learn more about Brand Strategy

Learn more about Marketing Psychology

Learn more about Creative

Learn more about Video and Audio Production

Learn more about Print and Digital Production

Learn more about Digital Marketing

Learn more about Media Planning and Placement

Learn more about Social Media and Reputation Management