Articles

I recently studied a compelling case study on an advanced Direct Marketing company called SunSetter who sells and installs awnings nationwide through its dealer network. To generate leads for the dealers, SunSetter airs national TV commercials and offers a free awning idea kit which includes a DVD. This free premium can be claimed by calling the 800# or mailing in a physical reply card.

In this day and age of electronic communication, websites, social media, and email, it raises the question of why SunSetter would rely on such a seemingly antiquated marketing process.  Are these guys dinosaurs, plain crazy, or are they just another big dumb company wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work?

Actually, these guys ain’t no dummies. They’re a professional direct response marketing outfit who carefully measures cost-per-lead (CPL) and cost-per-sale (CPS). They quantify the percentage of response and the quality of leads generated by media and by the campaign. They work with a MEGA budget and are constantly tweaking and testing their campaigns for maximum results. If they could eliminate the cost of the DVD, tangible idea kit which includes real paper, has a significant postage cost, and requires a costly staff to stuff it, stamp it, and send it, and instead drive traffic to a website to watch a video and download the brochure, then you better believe they’d jump all over it. Cheap and easy.

However, their target audience ranges in age from 38 to 62 and most of those folks aren’t Tweeting or playing on Instagram. They’re too busy working and making money to be full time device fiddlers. The test data clearly indicates that it is way too soon to abandon toll free numbers and printed sales materials. 

Does their target audience’s age range by chance remind you of yours? It should. As the Dealer Principal or Marketing Manager of your dealership you must be very careful about heeding the advice of young whipper snapper employees or your own personal likings. Failing to offer multiple methods of communication, both online and offline, to satisfy the preferences of your prospects and customers (not your personal biases, opinions, and beliefs) is a big mistake.

To be candid, we see this ignorant behavior cost dealers thousands of dollars, month in and month out. Using emotion to determine marketing decisions rather than logic is a costly mistake.

Using one-and-done media methods to deliver a single standalone message is a recipe for disappointment. Relying completely on digital is just as unwise and putting all of your eggs in the offline basket. As we often say, “Diversity Equals Stability,” and, “You have to go fishing with multiple poles in the water.”

It’s not uncommon for us to have a dealer tell us that Direct Mail is dead, despite a preponderance of proof that it is one of the most reliable and effective forms of marketing for motorcycle dealers without question (when executed properly). Heck, we even have some social media happy do-gooders claim that email is old and outdated. Customers don’t want to be called, etc. Silly.

So what media methods (still) work, what is a waste of time and money?  I’ll admit, to successfully implement a multi-channel integrated marketing campaign that is 100% quantifiable is complex. You can ruin your entire investment by marketing to the wrong list. You can butcher your message by not having a compelling offer, premiums, and call to action with a deadline, or you can simply mis-time your deployment and sabotage your results.
 
You can have a seemingly high performing Google Adwords (pay per click) campaign or even a compelling radio commercial, but if your online reputation is littered with negative reviews, your investment can be sabotaged when customers see or hear your ad and go online and search your dealership. 

So what works, and what doesn’t work? How can you quit wasting half of your advertising dollars, but not knowing which half? How can you discover what really works for your dealership? 

Clearly the pros and SunSetter are students of marketing that have mastered their craft, and if you want to sell more bikes, make more money, and have more fun then you should be one, too. 

So go right now to www.powersportsmarketing.com/bootcamp and sign up for our fast approaching live Fall Harvest Marketing Boot Camp in Atlanta Ga. from Oct. 26th through the 28th.  We’ll help you sift through the data (not just the emotion) of the many marketing options you have to spend your hard-earned money on.

And, you’ll leave with a plan that WORKS (and is quantifiable and profitable). You will not be disappointed. I look forward to seeing you in Atlanta.