SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -

Unfortunately, more options for advertising and digital marketing also leaves more room for mistakes. In an effort to help dealers avoid what he calls the “common mistakes” of vehicle advertising, Potratz Partners Advertising chief marketing officer Dennis Galbraith covered this very topic in his latest “Hard Facts” video report.

Galbraith starts off by breaking advertising into two categories: branding and “traffic now” — both of which hold the potential for common mistakes in automotive retail, says Galbraith.

First up, branding, of course, is the type of advertising that shows the community what your business is all about; this is when Galbraith says your “unique selling proposition” comes into play.

“If you don’t’ have something that makes you stand out, your branding advertising won’t work nearly as well. And you have to repeat it over and over. Not having a unique selling proposition is a common mistake, as well as being inconsistent with promoting it,” said Galbraith.

He contends dealers need to “stand for the same thing year-after-year, not just month-after-month.

On the other hand, “traffic now” advertising includes things that reach out to people that are in market and brings them into the store, Galbraith said. This type of advertising can also spur those in the market for a new car to call, email, chat or text a dealership.

“Those are the outcomes we want from traffic now advertising,” Galbraith said.

And with the rise of online marketing, areas for “traffic now” advertising have grown, but with this growth comes traps to watch out for.

Galbraith contends that the biggest issue for dealers in this area is “not crunching the numbers.”

Not getting a full-picture view of the advertising results can lead dealers to continue to buy things that don’t work, or cut things that are working.

Another key to this type of advertising, Galbraith says, is participation.

“They (‘traffic now’ ads) don’t work so well if your inventory isn’t full merchandised,” says Galbraith, noting that dealers must make an effort to demonstrate the value of their products.

For the latest “Hard Facts” video report from Galbraith, see here. 
 

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