About this time last year I wrote an article on ‘Cheapskate’ ideas and received quite a bit of positive response...and more ideas! In today’s marketplace, everyone is looking for ways to stretch their advertising dollars so I thought I’d share a few more ideas on getting more for less...
FREE TV
Okay, it’s not really TV and it’s not really free but with today’s streaming video technology you can get on the computer screen of potential customers relatively cheap. You can re-purpose existing film and video of your dealership and encode it for use on your own website or on third-party websites such as the popular YouTube. Why not do both? YouTube is actually free, both to upload your video and for customers to watch, and it is very easy to forward a Youtube link of your video in an email. There are several inexpensive high speed hosting sites where you can park your video products and customers can seamlessly link to them through your website or banner ads hosted elsewhere.
What is really neat about web video is the lack of structure needed for broadcast or cable TV. Your video message can be just about any length. This in itself can save a ton of dough in editing. It could take a video editor as much as a half-hour (at $300 an hour or more) to tweak the time of a spot so it fits broadcast requirements. With web video your message can be 16 seconds or 32 seconds or just whatever it takes to get the right message across.
Even though you don’t have to creatively structure your web video with the traditional phone number, directions, logo, etc., be sure you meet all legal disclosure requirements. Web sites are monitored and regulated the same as all other advertising venues. Of course you can do things like offer a link to the disclosure information on your own Web site rather than trying to cram the fine print onto the screen as you would on broadcast or cable. Just make sure it’s clear, easy to use and the link to information is accurate, updated and actually works.
If you are currently using a professional video company to tape and edit your commercials, you might also be able to cut some of those costs back by asking the production company to help you put together an in-house video system. With a relatively inexpensive consumer-pro digital camera system, a few lights and a little training, you could capture some spontaneous video from promotions, events, customer testimonials, etc. Then your production company could integrate this footage into your regular broadcast commercials and edit messages for your website as well. Yes, you can do it all in-house, but you risk looking bush-league if the final product is too amateurish and you may end up spending more on in-house production costs than you would having a professional assist you.
SIGNAGE
Last year I talked about putting action signage on your company vehicles, like “follow me for the best deals on the planet.” One enterprising dealer emailed me and shared a success story on how their dealership traded signage space on a fleet of trucks for a fuel oil company in exchange for discounted service work for the fuel trucks at the dealership. The dealer says it has been a highly effective campaign, both in terms of visibility and cost. They have renewed their contract for five years based on the experience. In order to test the effectiveness, the ad message on the fuel oil trucks contains a special telephone number only used in that campaign.
Another dealer shared with me how he had invested in a mobile billboard that is loaned to area charities for events. These lighted boards are placed in high traffic areas a week in advance of the charitable event. The dealer’s logo and website address are an integral part of the billboard border, regardless of the changeable ad message. In once instance, the dealer told me a local zoning board allowed the sign to be displayed despite stringent laws against such display, solely because the sign was being used to promote a popular charitable event. While the mobile billboard’s initial cost was approximately $10,000, the dealer feels he has received many times that amount in advertising return through repeated exposure in numerous high-traffic areas throughout his city. There is a three-month waiting list to use the board and some charities have reserved its use a year in advance.
FREE ADS IN YOUR OWN NEWSPAPER
Okay, so it’s not really a newspaper and nothing is really free, but think about it...if you’ve got a really nice Web site, isn’t it kind of like your own newspaper? Ask your Web site design company to create a small portion of your homepage as a self-administration area that can be used to talk about other businesses and charitable institutions. Then, in exchange for putting information about those entities on your Web site, ask them to email a link to your site to all of the people on their email list.
For instance, one of your customers, Joe Smith, has a popular restaurant. Joe and his wife are very web-savvy and have their own Web site. They also have a list of over 800 customer e-mails. Joe and his wife are your customers. Take a picture of them taking delivery of their new MKV7 and post it on your Web site with a story about Joe’s tremendous success in the restaurant business. Then, ask Joe to e-mail his customer base with a link to your Web site so they can read the story. You might even put in a link to Joe’s testimonial audio comments about how happy he and Sylvia are with their new MK. Each week, feature the stories of successful business people who do business with you...even vendors! Each time, ask them to e-mail a link to your site when their story is posted. Self-administration areas are very easy to use by someone with very little computer expertise. Upload a picture, type in the text and publish. It really is that easy!
PUBLICITY
After reading my last ‘Cheapskates’ article, one of our long-time clients reminded me of the terrific relationship his dealership has had with an automotive writer for a local newspaper. This writer is invited to take a week-long test drive of the newest models. Now here is the really important thing to consider. If you’re going to build a relationship with one of these writers, invest some time and do it right. Take them to lunch. Talk about your franchises, corporate strategies; new products. Give them an ‘inside track’ and put them on your e-mail list for ‘insider’ information. The idea is not to have them review one vehicle. The idea is to bait their interest for future products and their opportunity to be one of the first to drive and experience themt. I’m not saying you’ll be able to avoid any negative references in a specific review, but if you do it right, you’ll build a relationship with the writer, you’ll get more balanced, positive product reviews and your dealership will also get coverage. Writers outside of major metros don’t have much of a chance to test-drive factory demos. They appreciate the opportunity to be considered by a local dealer.
RADIO PERSONALITY ENDORSEMENTS
If you’re using radio in your marketplace, and you have stations with popular personalities, explore opportunities for those personalities to drive and review various vehicles you sell. Several dealers I’ve spoken with swear this is one of the most powerful ad tools they employ. It’s not as expensive as you might imagine and can often be negotiated as an ‘extra’ promotional consideration in your budget with the station. You may also consider having someone from the dealership do ‘live’ commercials with the personality over the phone as part of the review. One dealer told me he sold four vehicles in one week specifically attributed to the morning personality who bragged about the gas mileage he was getting on a full-size luxury car. If you do consider this type of promotion, give the personality somewhat of a free creative hand in crafting your message. The less scripted the better.
FREEBIES IN THE OFF-HOURS
Let’s face it, there are great challenges for many dealers in today’s marketplace. Profits have been squeezed. Many media outlets have seen portions of their previous budgets re-distributed to Internet-related activities. Now, more than ever, if you are a consistent advertiser who pays his or her bills on time, you are considered a great asset to any advertising medium.
Don’t hesitate to ask for ‘added value’ in consideration of your continuing relationship. Rather than asking for a rate cut, ask for no-charge add ons, higher value placement or promotional consideration. One of the most powerful negotiating techniques is to present a media partner with several options...one involving a cut in your overall spending with that outlet, the second choice of keeping your budget at current levels, and the third involving a slight increase in budget. What would that outlet offer for each of those options?
Thanks for the great e-mails, letters and conversations about your cost-cutting, value-maximizing ideas! If you’d like to suggest other low-cost, effective ways of advertising that have worked for you, please send them along and we’ll include them in a future article!
Do you have questions or comments about this or past AdTalk articles? Feel free to email them to CBC.
This issue of AdTalk is brought to you by Research Partners...helping dealers reduce advertising costs for nearly 20 years.
