Celebrate Spring – Use Event Marketing to Drive Sales
Posted August 29, 2011 by adminWhat do April fool’s day, National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, Good Friday, Easter, National Reading a Roadmap Day, World Health Day, National Cheese Fondue Day, Rubber Eraser Day, National Cheese Ball Day, Earth Day and Plumbers Day all have in common? If you guessed nothing, you’re almost right…
However, the one small thing they do have in common is being recognized by some culture or sub-culture during the month of April. So what does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Hang in there with me I’m going somewhere. We’re talking about marketing opportunities here.
Famous ad man, the late Robert Collier recognized the value of what he called “tapping into the conversation already going on in the head of your customers”. The previously mentioned list of events in April is just a sampling of the number of “ goins on” each and every month of the year. The Collier concept is about substantiating your marketing campaigns by explaining the “why”, rather than doing it “just because.” Holidays and themes both related and un-related to the Powersports industry are a great excuse to reach out and touch your customers with new information so they can make a new buying decision. It’s also a great way to make your ad copy interesting and personal, rather than boring and impersonal. Unfortunately, too many times dealers marketing message are as plain toast as “Hey there Mr. Prospect, nothing has changed down here at MotoSports, would you like to come in and spend some money?”
On the other hand, new relevant information related to the current time of year injected with a little personality and an attractive offer can be much more appealing to your prospects.
Depending on exactly when you’re reading this, Spring has likely sprung, the prime selling season is here, and in the Powersportss business you’ve gotta make hay while the sun shines! What better way to jump start your season then by planning a solid marketing campaign intended to deliver the right message, to the right target audience, via the right media, right now? But here’s the challenge. If you want your campaign to launch immediately and drive showroom traffic this coming Saturday you should ‘ve been working on it during the middle of February right?
Well maybe, it depends on which media methods you choose to promote your event. If you prescribe t o relationship style marketing rather than transaction style marketing you may be able to pull something together sooner than later.
I’m personally a big believer in open house style events as they are great customer affinity builders. Plus, when you drive traffic to the store to celebrate an event, it creates excitement and sales begin to happen as a byproduct of all of the enthusiasm in the air. With that in mind, it’s time to look at the calendar, and see what upcoming weekend you can find in the next 2 to 6 weeks to throw a nice size shin dig. Once you’ve identified something on the calendar you can then consider how your event theme will tie into the BIG day.
Next you should check your ad budget and see what you have available to promote your event. This will allow you to then consider which media methods you will choose. (and can afford) Here’s an important question to ask yourself when doing this exercise. “ Is this the absolute most effective media method I could use to get my message to my direct target audience?” Just to be clear, when I say media method, I’m referring to the overwhelming range of choices you have to deliver your marketing message including everything from mass media TV and Radio to new age media like web banners, email and texting.
Here’s something to consider. If only 3% of households own a motorcycle and you’re looking to target that 3% then you should first consider the media methods that will allow you to hit that niche directly. And obviously if you also prescribe to relationship style marketing (you should) , the first place to look is your customer data base. Hopefully you have a good one, as the people who have been into your dealership before are clearly the most likely to visit you again. Studies repeatedly show that it costs significantly more money to get a new customer in the door as opposed to those who’ve already shopped with you before. This data-base style marketing will get you more bang for the buck than anything else in terms of promoting your upcoming open house event. Perhaps a multi-step email, direct mail, and telemarketing campaign may be all you need to do to drive traffic to your store. If time or budget is a concern you could always drop the direct mail as it is likely going to be the most cost effective and require the most lead time and just do a 2 step drip email campaign with a follow up phone campaign.
Once you’ve determined your external media, it’s then time to look at all of the hidden marketing assets within your dealership that you can leverage to make your event a success. Internal signage in the restrooms, on the parts and service counters, event flyers stuffed in every merchandise bag, personal invitations from your staff to each and every customer, updated web-site, on hold message, etc.
Diversity equals stability in your marketing efforts and the more poles you have in the water the more fish you’re gonna catch.
Ok, so maybe you aren’t looking to celebrate national plumbers day this April, but perhaps a countdown to Spring, or riding season is here celebration will work just fine. One thing’s for sure, the selling season is short, and in this retail environment it’s time to walk fast and take big steps!
