Have you ever asked yourself why a shopper should buy from your dealership rather than another? If not, take a moment to ponder that question.
Unless you explain how your dealership is different – shoppers usually make purchase decisions based on the lowest price. Some dealerships don’t mind being a low-cost leader – if that’s you, then you should absolutely promote that! For most dealerships though, they find their identity in being a “value dealer.” Value dealers win customers through showing the value they add to the sale. The good news is, it doesn’t take a lot to win in this way because so few dealerships actually put the effort into promoting what makes them different. Here are some high impact changes you can make to your marketing to separate from the pack.
Differentiate Your Dealership As A Value Provider, Not A Low Price Dealer
You win more sales when your customers better understand the value you provide. First impressions matter: if you do not inform shoppers that you deliver better value beyond just quality of products, then you put yourself into a world of tight margins and low profits. You have to help your customers understand your value so they clearly see why they should purchase from you and not the dealership in another city or state. This means you have to identify and promote the valuable benefits you deliver.
Create A “Differences List”
Take some time to write down a physical list of the benefits you provide to shoppers that makes your dealership better than others. You don’t even need to focus on comparing yourself to the competition – in many cases, your competitors may have the same abilities. Your advantage will be that you will promote those abilities – while they do not. So, start by making a “differences list” that details what value your dealership brings to shoppers. You can whittle down your list later. Right now, it’s important to thoroughly think through all the qualities where you shine and the value you deliver to prospects.
Leverage Digital Marketing
Digital marketing provides the opportunity to influence and communicate. You can get your value differences in front of shoppers early in their buying journey using your website – even before they select a particular model or unit. More pre-sales shopping is taking place digitally, so not every prospect will physically visit your dealership to find out why they should buy from you. This makes your website and other digital marketing channels more important than ever.
Promote
Next, start prioritizing your list and then make a plan to promote the value you deliver. You’ll want to feature these advantages prominently on your website home page and in your social posts. Continually get the message across about what advantages you bring to the table.
Remember, differentiated advantages and the value you possess are useless unless shoppers know about them. Your website visitors come to your site to find this information. According to Demand Metric, 70 percent of people would rather get information about a company or learn something about them from an article or blog post rather than from a traditional advertisement.
Differentiate Your Dealership By Delivering Value
By identifying what makes your dealership different, examining where you want to develop, understanding what your current place is in your market and most importantly communicating your value to potential customers, you can create a winning strategy to stand out from your competitors.
