Most auto dealers today know that the Internet offers opportunities to turn on your profit potential but they aren’t sure how to do it or whom to trust.

Automotive Marketing Online

The automotive industry is among the fastest growing internet business market places, requiring significant marketing expertise. Automotive marketing often employs the services of an automotive marketing group to develop and implement a successful automotive marketing campaign. Most conventional marketing and advertising firms do not have much expertise when it comes to the internet.

A successful automotive marketing effort starts with the development of a campaign focused on attracting new customers and/or retaining old ones. A savvy automotive marketing group will create a campaign that will enable the consumer to gain access to important reviews, consumer information, safety updates, and rebates.

A good?automotive marketing consultant will work with dealerships to design automotive marketing programs at a local level that appeals to consumers from the surrounding region. The goal of the automotive marketing consultant should be to have the dealership spend less time on their end of the automotive marketing efforts and more time closing deals.

Over 80% of today’s automotive customers begin their shopping online. They use the web to investigate, shop, and purchase their next vehicle. Today’s auto dealership must not only be proficient at responding to customer demands on the web, but also know how to attract more business from the internet. The increasing competitiveness of the internet market, volume of opportunities and speed which is required to be successful in Internet sales demands solid concepts and effective automotive marketing.

Dealers have no choice but to embrace the transition of shoppers from traditional sources to the internet. And with this transition, so must your automotive marketing techniques.

Automotive Marketing: Giving Customers What They Want.

Over the past two years, automotive marketing companies have seen a significant shift in consumer buying and service preferences. Today, more and more consumers prefer to start their sales and service process by going directly to the Web. These consumers are interested in finding out the answers for themselves - it is typically a way to educate themselves on finding the best vehicle to buy?and the best pricing and financing options available. The only way to win these types of consumers is to give them what they want. If you provide them with the answers to their questions without giving them a hassle, they will thank you with their wallets. The result of this incredible shift is that automotive marketing must be aimed at improving web-based self-service for their potential customers. Your automotive marketing campaign must know the answers to the following questions:

Who is considering my dealership, who is rejecting it?

Is my make high-loyalty /? low-conquest or vice versa?

Have I got my pricing right or am I selling too low?

Which of my automotive marketing dollars are working harder than others?

Which media, which sports, are my prime prospects frequenting?

What else are my customers spending money on, and where?

How is my brand perceived compared to my competitor?

What is my brand equity and how do I strengthen it?

About the Author

Bill Cook is the SEM Director for DealerOn, Inc - an Automotive Dealer Website Design Company providing Online Automotive Marketing Services to Auto Dealership nationwide.

The discipline of marketing can often be complex and confusing. As a marketing veteran, I have seen countless marketing professionals get hung up on various aspects of marketing which have little impact on actual marketing results.

Based on my experience, there are four critical elements to an effective marketing campaign. Whether you?re looking to improve your search engine marketing results, internet marketing, or marketing in general, be sure to follow these simple guidelines which I refer to as the A.T.O.M approach.

A.T.O.M ? Audience, Timing, Offer, Message

1. Know Your Audience. No one can effectively market, communicate, or sell without knowing their audience or what motivates them to buy. Is your potential customer male or female? Young or old? A first time buyer or frequent purchaser? Are they the final decision maker? Do they have preferences for a particular product, service, or delivery method? The more you know about your audience, the more targeted and relevant your marketing can be.

2. Timing is Everything. Even with the most convincing marketing campaign, prospects will have no interest in your product or service if you aren?t communicating to them at the right time. Be sure your marketing message is in front of prospects when they?re ready to buy. This could be at a particular time of year or perhaps prior to a life event.

3. Finding the Right Offer. In direct marketing, experts say that results are 40% dependant on your list, 40% on the offer, and 20% on your creative. The same is true for internet marketing, search engine marketing, and the like. Test your offers and find the one that out performs all the others. This offer should continually be tested and refined to improve your results.

4. Its all about the Messaging. If you know your audience well enough, you should be able to craft a message that addresses their needs and differentiates your product or service from the competition. Additionally, be sure to stress benefits over features. This will give your audience a reason to read, try, and buy.

The next time you are conducting a marketing campaign, use the A.T.O.M. approach. Knowing your audience, ensuring that you reach them when they?re ready to buy, experimenting to find the most productive offer, and communicating to them productively, are essential for any marketing campaign to deliver results.

About the Author: Michael Fleischner is a marketing, internet marketing, search engine optimization, and direct marketing specialist. He heads Marketing Scoop, LLC, and is a Marketing Vice President of a major publishing company. He can be contacted at mfleischner@marketingscoop.com. Visit http://www.MarketingScoop.com for further details, FREE Marketing resources, or more FREE reprint articles.