As an RV dealer, you have to be everywhere all at once. That’s a lot to ask of any business, but if you want to win the competition for todays’ customers – who are always online, on social media, on your website, and on your competitors’ websites – you have to rise to the omnipresent, omnichannel occasion.
This strategy of being everywhere your customers are at once is even more important considering the countless challenges you face as a dealership. Lower discretionary income and record inflation have pushed many younger buyers out of the RV market, shrinking consumer demand. Ongoing staff shortages and more “big box” retailers with seemingly endless advertising budgets have also led to increased, intense competition for sales.
To play in the big leagues with today’s top dealers, you need smarter marketing. You have to be everywhere, all at once, for your customers in a cost-effective, business-efficient way.
Limitations of Traditional Marketing
Many RV dealers still rely on traditional media. They use TV, radio, even newspaper and print ads to build brand awareness and attract customers. This is the way it’s always been done, and the status quo can be stubbornly challenging to change – even when a particular marketing strategy might not be successful.
These dealers often don’t have the proper in-house expertise to assess their marketing needs and make adjustments to meet modern customers online. They’re in the dark on what’s driving results and what may be driving customers away. That’s why today’s top dealers use digital marketing to get their messages in front of targeted buyers.
Digital Marketing Best Practices
The RV industry is unique among other closely related industries. While RV shoppers search Google and other online search engines just like customers in other industries, they have a higher threshold for how far they’re willing to travel to make a purchase.
That means even a single rooftop dealership can reach a wide audience and cover a wide geographical radius through digital marketing. Today’s top RV dealers, regardless of size, are using the following digital marketing best practices to build their businesses and reach more customers with more personalized marketing messages.
Omnichannel Marketing
Omnichannel marketing refers to giving your customers a consistent experience across your dealership’s multiple media channels. It ensures a unified presence at all stages of the sales funnel:
- Top of Funnel: Potential prospects consistently discover your brand through Google search, Facebook ads and lifestyle blog posts.
- Middle of Funnel: More specific searches on Google and visits to your website confirm to shoppers that your dealership offers the unit models and financing offers that fit their needs.
- Bottom of Funnel: Retargeting ads and automated email nurturing bring shoppers back to your site when they’re ready to buy.
Pete’s RV, a top dealer in the New England area, uses a multi-tool, omnichannel marketing strategy to get a leg up on the competition in a fast-paced, competitive market.
“We need SEO, SEM and email marketing because everything works together holistically,” said Phil LeClair, the dealership’s marketing director. “If there’s a drop in results in one area, you’ll see the other marketing tools pull those numbers back up.”
Marketing Spend Forecast
A marketing strategy is only as effective as the tools used to build and monitor it. Today’s top RV dealers take advantage of the analytical tools offered by digital marketing services to deliver a comprehensive overview of key performance metrics, such as leads generated, conversion rates, and sales attributed that traditional marketing simply can’t provide.
These RV dealers also carefully review analytics on each tool every month to see how well their marketing dollars are engaging qualified buyers. They leverage the transparency of their marketing results to build a quarterly ad spend budget based on performance and seasonality.
Outsourcing Marketing Needs
Top dealers understand they can’t do it alone. Busy RV dealers, especially those without a dedicated marketing expert, rely on specialized marketing agencies to execute the right omnichannel strategy—one that scales to dealers of all sizes. This includes using technology to continuously manage and maintain advertising. These top dealers understand that products, inventory, and especially consumer demand can change rapidly, so they conserve their ad spend for existing inventory.
Pete’s RV relies on a team of marketing experts to leverage the right tools and implement the right marketing strategies, so that each team member can focus their efforts on what they do best—engaging ready-buy customers and closing sales. “The leads that we are getting are better qualified because I work with a marketing team to really focus on the audience and what we’re trying to sell,” said LeClair.
Final Thoughts
Being everywhere all at once is a big ask, but it’s what your customers expect. As you continue to face the challenges of today’s RV dealers, the right digital marketing strategy and best practices can help you connect with more customers, deliver targeted communications, and compete in the big leagues with today’s top dealers.
Want to learn more about the right digital marketing strategy for your dealership? Visit www.interactrv.com.
