Who Said Hiring RV Dealership Marketing Resources Was Easy?
Marketing these days has become more and more like the medical field. There is a range of specialists who do not understand other specialties. Finding an experienced marketer or agency is no guarantee of success as marketing for each industry can be quite unique.
Aside from business to business (B2B) there is also business to consumer (B2C) marketing in addition to marketing for differing verticals. It is also important to remember that small/mid-sized business (SMB) marketing varies greatly in all aspects (e.g. marketing plans, budgets, staffing, etc.). Another factor that effects successful marketing is the margin per sale which can have a huge impact in approach toward marketing and resources provided to deliver leads and messaging.
All of these factors, as well as many others, greatly impact the marketing success for any given business.
Yes, there are similarities in marketing across industries. However, even those experienced in closely related verticals, such as dealerships, there can be vast differences. In the RV industry, there are a limited number of marketing options when it comes to a marketing resource mix. But, the complexity quickly becomes apparent as we take a deeper look. The point? Getting experienced and qualified expertise as your marketing team is crucial.
So, let’s take a quick and easy way to examine Hiring RV Dealership Marketing Resources
Inside Only – this means you hire a marketing staff and do your own marketing.
There are upsides here such as control and cost containment. However, these days it’s beyond extremely difficult to hire qualified and expert marketers, especially at a reasonable price. Yes, someone can make a website (without any inventory integration) but that does not mean they know anything about the sector nor marketing. This is a common mistake among business owners. Don’t be fooled. Hiring real marketing expertise is not cheap.
In addition, there are different types of marketers. The field has become more specialized due to its complexity. Hiring an in house marketer will be costly. Internal hiring also means you will need to know the proper mix and blend of skill sets to bring on board. Assuming you can pull this off the next step is for them to figure out how to leverage your marketing funds effectively to drive new business. This is a very high bar for a mid-sized dealership (and in many cases even for larger dealerships).
Mixed model – if you wish to have someone do part of your marketing in-house it can be a good model.
Frequently, your marketing person focuses on certain things like content development and may even be the person who does your artwork. Normally, it is hard to find someone skilled graphically and with writing abilities. This goes to the challenges of finding the right mix of skills.
Often the inside staff person interfaces with the owner and may hold the title of marketing manager (but isn’t essential). Normally, they do things like maintain the website and manage the marketing and advertising budget. They interface with the agency and ensure that efforts are on track.
As a digital marketing agency, our preference is to work with someone inside that has authority and understanding of generalized marketing. They think about the big picture of goals and desires for marketing campaigns. This way they can work with us to achieve those objectives.
Outsourcing – We often work with clients that do not have anyone inside who knows or understands marketing in a comprehensive fashion.
Outsourcing 100% of marketing can be difficult for clients but it is very common. Owners and managers frequently have learned enough about marketing to know what they want. They understand that a trusted partner can provide solid guidance on marketing efforts.
There are various upsides to this model even though it can be rough on the individual interfacing with an agency partner because of their time and other priorities. This is where a really good relationship pays dividends. Yet, at the end of the day, there still must be time and priority placed upon marketing as approvals and connection to the brand is crucial. If not, the agency partner cannot provide maximum value to the customer. So, remember to allocate time and do not let anybody try to con you with insider terminology. They need to train you but this will come at a time price. Just go in with your eyes open as no one’s time is free no matter what they say.
The way marketing is done has changed significantly and it will continue to do so. Much of this is driven by the way individuals are shopping and technologies being utilized. The role of sales is also changing and even diminishing while digital marketing is becoming more and more crucial. Staying in tune with how buyers go through the sales process is one of the major advantages that our agency provides. We study and pay close attention to this in our messaging and approach to delivering messaging for our clients.
Remember, marketing is not responsible for sales conversion! This is a common misconception. Be realistic because marketers do not do sales. But stay on track because there is no way to run a dealership and have success without modern digital marketing.
No matter the model you utilize for marketing you definitely should interface with external resources
NetSource Media’s directory RVUSA is just one example of a valuable external resource (other than your website). We focus on data integration of your inventory to maximize your exposure. The close-knit relationship between directory, website, and inventory is just one example of how marketing is complex, advanced, and integrated. Our marketing efforts for clients rapidly extend beyond your directory and website so that the promotion of inventory can be effective.
There are many marketing service companies in the RV dealership marketing vertical that only provide niche offerings and do not deliver comprehensive and integrated marketing knowledge and capabilities as well as solutions. We highly discourage customers from moving in that direction due to the lack of synergy. In fact, NetSource Media was developed exactly to avoid this kind of fractionated marketing that is provided by limited offering providers.
If you want a more complete understanding of our comprehensive and integrated approach toward RV dealership marketing please reach out to us. Get a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your particular needs and situation. You can give us a call anytime at 800-709-3240 or email [email protected].
