Attention is the name of the game when it comes to advertising as an auto dealership. You don’t just want to market your dealership, you want to do it in a way that makes your customers stop in their tracks and pay close attention to what you have to say.
However, times are changing, especially in the world of auto dealership advertising. Traditional advertising tools that used to easily spark attention for your dealership in the past may not be as successful today. Should this be the case, it may be time to retire the large inflatables and classic sign twirlers and start thinking outside the box for a change.
We’ve found that the most effective attention-getters are the ones that (a) let customers see your personality as more than just a salesperson and (b) engage your audience. With these two main traits in mind, below you’ll find…
Four unconventional ways that will get and keep your customer’s attention.
Social Media Contests
A majority of your customers will be frequenters of social media platforms, so why not get their attention where they spend hours of their time? One way to actively engage them is through promoting a contest on your dealership’s social media platforms. Offer special deals if they fulfill certain requirements so your customers have the chance to win something.
A few years ago, Buick initiated a scavenger hunt contest for its followers on Facebook. Participants who uncovered the clues were put into a drawing to win $2,000, and those were put into another drawing for the chance to win a Buick of their choice. This contest greatly increased Buick’s brand exposure on Facebook, bringing in potential customers, some of whom had not previously expressed interest in Buick vehicles.
We’re not saying you need to offer a $2,000 cash prize, this is just one of many ways you can try to grab the attention of your followers online. Each social media platform has rules for promoting contests, so be sure you read up on the rules before getting going on a contest campaign.
Thank You Cards
Sounds a little outdated, but everyone likes to feel appreciated, and it doesn’t hurt to get something in return, too. Thank you emails and cards will let your potential customers know that you truly value them, especially when your card isn’t too generic or handed out to everyone.
One salesman says that the best advertising campaign his dealership did was to send personalized thank you letters to government employees within a 25-mile radius of their dealership. In the letters, not only would their dealership thank these employees, but they’d also include special offers and prices in the letter. From this, their dealership saw an increase in customers who worked in government, but also referrals from those government employees.
With simple thank you cards, your customers see your dealership as appreciative, and they feel important in the process. Adding that extra offer that they feel is specifically tailored to them is what is going to grab their attention.
Classes for Auto Maintenance
One interactive way to bring customers into your dealership is offering auto maintenance classes. Car maintenance is something most drivers wish they knew more about, but maybe never had the chance to learn. Give them that chance! Your customers can meet and interact with your service or sales team, and get to know you on a personal level. It can begin to break down those barriers between salesperson and client as they begin to trust you and your expertise.
While you have them at your dealership for the classes, make sure they feel at home. Offer refreshments, or even special discounts for people who attend a maintenance class. They may not have even considered buying from your dealership until they got to know who worked there and were given something in return for their time.
Interactive Website
Before ever coming into a dealership, most customers now do a little research online to see what’s the best fit for them. If you can’t capture their attention within ten seconds or less, you may lose that customer. The need for a visually appealing and attention-grabbing website is very real.
What people especially like to see on sites are videos and interactive features, where they can chat with a representative or explore what your dealership has to offer. Creating such a site doesn’t have to be such a pain, though. You can easily create something personalized and engaging for your customers with Quickpage.
Quickpage is the mobile sales app that can create a personalized webpage for a customer in just a few short minutes. If they reach out to your dealership online or in-store, possibly having some interest but wanting more information, your sales rep can quickly record themselves giving the customer some options and details, then upload it to the customer’s own Quickpage.
The sales rep can also provide more visuals and be available for live chat once the link has been sent to the customer. Basically, Quickpage operates as an interactive webpage for each individual customer.
This provides both of the two key traits we talked about earlier for effective attention-grabbing advertising: letting customers see and trust who you are while making it engaging for them. In our digital age, Quickpage is the perfect way to do both.
That personalized feel to Quickpage can quickly grab your audience’s attention in numerous ways. They feel valued by how unique it is to them, and for the effort it took to create the page. The customer begins to see how much they matter to you, and get the information they want in a way that doesn’t lose their attention. Quickpage also looks great on any device!
Customers will give you more attention and have more trust in you with a professional-looking webpage alone. Making a site so visually appealing and engaging for the customer definitely grabs and keeps their attention.
Test out Quickpage now for free and see why it is the perfect solution for unconventional advertising that customers will take notice of.
