New and used car dealer

  • July 9, 2012 8:00 AM PDT

    Hello everyone! New to the industry and to the Cafe'. Had a meeting this last week with a car dealer that is willing to work with the station if the promotion grows his email base. Thoughts??

    • 3 posts
    July 9, 2012 11:49 PM PDT

    Larry,

    The great news is that you have a client interested in making real connections with potential vehicle buyers!  Since 90%+ people start their search online, having an email connection will allow the dealership a chance to stay in contact thru the buying process.

    I have a solution that produced fantastic results for a large dealership in Atlanta.  After we did the first one, he told my AE, "Whenever you have another promotion like this, bring it to me.  I'll buy it."  We sold them 4 more promotions in the next 18 months.

    Here's the resource:  Call Henry Ferry at Million Dollar Media, [email protected] 732-726-0050.  Henry's company develops incredible online database gathering "insured contests", i.e. park the cars from ABC Ford in the right order and you win $10,000 and a new Mustang, etc.

    Now, plenty of your competitors will grab a promotion like this, pay the insurance fee (built into the cost charged the dealership) and run an on-air schedule with lots of hoopla.  You can create a repeat customer by doing much more than that and delivering the results the dealership needs.

    Here's how we delivered the results:

    Step 1:  Call Henry.  Describe your dealership...brands, size, etc. and their needs.  Also check with the client for any upcoming pushes they may have for models, etc. so that you can tie into a larger event.  He can review the types of contests he has available and ones they could customize for the specific dealership.  They can also limit the number of entries per person.

    Step 2:  Build a truly integrated advertising campaign.  Start with a solid on-air schedule.  Add to that customized streaming spots (don't use the same spot as on-air, direct the copy towards the person on the computer), add rotating banners on your station web site encouraging visitors to click to enter to win & if you have a mobile club, send an SMS message to your members.  Put a fixed link on the station web site contest page...you can also include a link on the dealership page.  You'll include the price of the contest in the overall cost to the dealership.  All of the above items are paid.

    Step 3:  DO NOT price the radio schedule in your proposal and then price the web elements.  The client has asked for a solution that will help him grow his email database.  That's what you're delivering for one price.

    Step 4:  Include a mock-up from Million Dollar Media of how the contest page will look.

    Step 5:  For the contest you should include some secondary prizes....free oil change for a year, AC Tune-up, etc.  Also include some prizes that fit his target from the station...maybe a limo, tickets to a concert and dinner out.

    Step 6:  The MDM contests allow you to ask 3 questions of the entrants.  Could be "What type of car to you currently drive?; Do you plan to buy a car in the next month, 3 months, 6 months, year?  (Mandatory one to include)--  Would you like someone from ABC Dealership to contact you about our new & used car specials?"  Work with the dealer to fine tune the questions that will help them accomplish their goals.  We saw 40-60% of entrants opt-in for contact from dealership.

    Step 7:  When the web site visitor enters they go to a thank you page and get a confirmation email.  Make sure that the dealer provides a service offer in that email.  I.E., "Thanks for entering to win a rock star's payday, $100,000, from ABC Ford & WWWW.  Count on ABC Ford for new & used cars, etc., etc., etc.  To thank you for your entry & to introduce you to the team at ABC Ford, use the coupon below for a $5 oil change, etc., etc.

    Step 8:  Get ready for the objections in advance...

    • A.  "Nobody goes to a radio station web site to shop for cars."  I agree.  What we're offering with this promotion is a chance to surround our audience with your message...on-air and online.  The people that visit our station web site are the most active and loyal listeners we have...our "super listeners".  These are the people that trust us and go where we direct them to go.  By driving listeners from on-air to our web site, and yours, we provide them the incentive of a prize.  Since it's on our station web site they know they can trust us.
    • B.  "OK, its a good idea, but I'm not paying for that web stuff.  Just leave it off".  I can understand your concern about making a wise advertising investment.  When we talked you asked for me to develop a solution to help you grow your email database.  Programs similar to this have delivered outstanding results for dealerships around the country (Henry can give you some success stories).  In looking at how we can deliver the best results I've combined several different ways to reach our audience.  When we surround them with your message it increases the likelihood that they'll remember your dealership and respond to the contest.  Plus, with the online assets, it's simple for people to enter by just clicking and providing their contact information.

    Step 9:  Present the solution and close the deal.  Contract with the client to determine in advance who at their business will follow up on the leads (you could have 100+ depending on the size of your market) and who to give the information to.  Check with Million Dollar Media and you may be able to get names & contact info of people who want to be contacted about a car throughout the contest so that the dealership responds in a timely manner.

    Step 10:  Follow up with Million Dollar Media to get the page built and ready for approval from the dealership.  Write and produce the on-air spots, the streaming spots and the web banners.  Present a timeline with all of the on-air and web elements to the client prior to the start.  During the contest, monitor the entries every several days.  If entries are slow, review with Million Dollar Media to see if there are any holes in your promotional coverage.

    Step 11:  At the conclusion of the contest (2-3 weeks is the optimum length), check for a grand prize winner and pick all secondary winners.  Within 2 business days provide the dealership with a complete list of entrants.  This will have name, address and email address.  Remember as you present the results that dealerships pay an average of $25 per name when they buy leads from online sources...use this as a value for what the station delivers.

     

    I'm sure there's more that I've left out.  If you have any questions, let me know here.

     

    Knock 'em dead!

     

    Craig

    • 7 posts
    July 12, 2012 11:08 AM PDT

    Give away a car - over 3 month period, schedule. Good Used Car value 5K

    • 455 posts
    July 13, 2012 6:29 AM PDT

    Great idea

    • 53 posts
    July 13, 2012 11:15 AM PDT

    If you have a radio website you can do a qualified lead generator for him. Point to it with the on-air spots, at the site encourage users to take survey with a substantial prize, (provided by client) as inducement. They are asked questions pertinent to the car dealer, and finally asked if they would allow the car dealer to contact them. If they say yes, (not everyone will obviously) he gets email capture. Done.