Marketing for dealerships with the help of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) - it can feel like a headache, it can feel cumbersome, it can feel challenging... it should feel like a partnership. Today, I spent my morning addressing a large OEM brand's Canadian dealerships. I started by listening to a discussion on their marketing plans, and I finished by addressing them as a group with high level marketing concepts that are actionable and they can implement as early as right now.
We work with a lot of larger brands at the OEM level and then also at the dealership level, and the best results happen when everyone in that equation is a partner. That is exactly what I had the pleasure of witnessing this morning. An organization committed to growth and innovation matched step by step with their dealers who are independently investing in their own strategies. The result of that, for one dealer in particular, is digital success that is measureable and exciting. My job today was to talk about how everyone can participate in that level of marketing and to showcase how this one dealer was making some magic happen. It was a real priviledge.
If I had to sum up the results of what we discussed I find myself considering the list below:I have included the slideshow that I used below with some omissions. I know that this will make it choppy but proprietary information is just that and I think you can still gather the point of the conversation.
So there you have it. Give the slides a peruse and see what you think. Be kind for what may seem out of order because if you had it all, it would be in order. And think about how you're tackling your own digital in these terms. Strategy matters, it is the map, the compass, the GPS, the only thing that tells you where you're going. Trying digital without one is a mistake.