Getting ‘Aggressive’ Means Investing in the Dealership’s Marketing Today for Tomorrow (and today), from Dealer Authority.
We’ve been told that our blog titles can be confusing. It’s my hope that the trend does not translate over to our products and services sounding confusing as well. They’re really not. In fact, they’re about as straightforward as it gets.
The automotive industry is currently experiencing an “up” era on the trend lines. This is great for those of us who promote aggressive product lines because it means that savvy dealers who really want to dominate usually have the funds to invest in their future. Thankfully, in the worlds of automotive content, search, and social, investing in tomorrow is also an investment into today.
Our industry is underserved on the premium side of advanced marketing packages, which is why we’ve opted for very hands-on digital marketing practices rather than automation or bulk methodologies. It’s why our average client pays close to $5000 per month for these products. It’s why we retain over 90% of our clients despite having month-to-month contracts. Unfortunately, it’s also why we’re not a good fit for most dealers. Thanks to industry averages, we’re often competing with vendors charging $1500-$3000 per month for the “same” products.
My goal isn’t to insult anyone. If you’re paying in that range right now for your content, search, and social, you’re not to blame. We are. The industry vendors have forced each other to define “aggressive” in much lower budgetary terms than what is really required. It has created parody in the car business; vendors drive down each others’ prices which forces them to cut corners on the products to manage profits, which eventually leads to “sales” that drive prices even lower, thus forcing further cuts in quality.
