'Are Your Dealerships 'Market Ready' to Attract and Convert Local Business' at Mumbrella Automotive Marketing Summit 2022

1. Adrian Richards
Are Your Dealerships
Market Ready
To Win Local Business?

2. The Station Agency
Manufacturers
Dealer Groups
Dealerships

3. The Dealer Marketing
Landscape

4. Outsmart the
Competition
Dealer Marketing priorities
• Quality leads
• Maximise trade-ins
• Sales & service retention
• High finance penetration
• Positive community awareness
and reputation
Maximise
revenue
Ability to react
• Facilitate online sales
• Communicate new ownership
and financing options
• Help customers move into the
world of electric vehicles
Adapt to Market
Dynamics
Be strategic with your spend
• Develop in advance to be first to
market
• Tight targeting of most relevant
audiences
• Leverage the fast tracked use of
digital media
• Improve ROI through tracking
and measurement
Importance of Being Market Ready

5. Trends Impacting Dealers
Impact
New Vehicle
Delays & Spec
changes
Customer management
and communication
Spec changes causing
order cancellations
Talent
Shortages
Impact
Under resourced across
the business
Dealer Marketing staff
perform multiple roles
Struggling to manage
breadth of activities
Buyer Behaviour
Transformation
Impact
Change in needs, buying
behaviour and media
consumption
Emergence of new channels,
formats and content
Dealers need to quickly
adapt or strategies will be
ineffective
Refocus on
Other Revenue
Streams
Impact
Focus on other revenue
streams – used, service,
parts and finance.
Many manufacturers and
dealers have minimal
strategies and campaigns
in place

6. The Car Buying Journey

7. The Car Buying Journey
Trigger
1. Re-assess
automotive needs.
Rational driver (more
space, old car failing)
Emotional driver (new car
feeling, I deserve it)
Shortlist
Phase
3. Review what to buy and
where, compare and
shortlist most favoured
options.
Fill any remaining
knowledge gaps.
Research
Phase
2. Research, information
gathering and
comparisons.
Review and rationalise
hundreds of options.
Establish financial
parameters.
Final
Decision
4. Experience and test
drive the product, obtain a
final price and confirm
where to buy.
Stimulate a
Trigger
Inspire &
Engage
Educate &
Build Trust
Facilitate &
Convert

8. Online Video
Social media, Influencers, Blogs
Online car info, review and comparison sites
Where dealer marketing
plays an influential role
Friends & Family
Search
The Car Buying Journey
Manufacturer websites
Shortlist
Phase
Trigger
Research
Phase
Final
Decision
Dealer website & dealership visit

9. The Path to Purchase for New Car Buyers
Search Engines
Brand Websites
Online Video
Online car info, review
& comparison sites
Dealer Websites
Social Media
83%
61%
58%
43%
41%
19%
16%
Advertising
Touchpoints were dealers
have a key role to play
13%
11%
10%
Online Marketplace
Classified Directories
Vehicle Magazines

10. The Power of Video
Visited a Dealers Website
Located a Dealer
Requested a price
quote
Used a car
configurator
Scheduled a test drive
Researched financing
or lease offers
Actions inspired by online video and %
of consumers who took that action
of consumers who
watched an online
video did at least one
follow-up action.
73%
45%
36%
29%
28%
27%
18%

11. The Car Buying Journey - Key Dealer Activities
Stimulate a
Trigger
Inspire &
Engage
Educate &
Build Trust
Facilitate &
Convert
• Vehicle reviews & other
dealership video
• Dealership website content
& conversion activities
Final
Decision
• Search
• Retargeting campaigns
• Targeted digital and social
ads
• Video content inc. vehicle
reviews
• Website content &
conversion activities
Shortlist
Phase
• Search
• Organic & paid social
• Targeted digital ads
• Video content inc. vehicle
reviews
• Website content
• Local area advertising -
digital audio & Outdoor
Key Dealer
Marketing
Activities
Research
Phase
Trigger

12. Opportunity for Manufacturers and Dealers
Improving
Dealer
Marketing
Investment
Half of
dealership
marketing
spend could
be better
invested
Impact
compounded
across the
network.
Millions of
dollars of
opportunity to
better drive the
brand and
business
Lack of
capability,
reactive
approach, poor
targeting,
ineffective
execution
Impacts
effectiveness
and ROI,
reduces
confidence in
marketing

13. Actions for Manufacturers

14. 1. DEVELOP AN ALIGNED
DEALER MARKETING
STRATEGY FOR THE
NETWORK
Tackle the Key Dealership Marketing Challenges
Take a Partnership Approach
By working collaboratively manufacturers and dealers can create an actionable strategy that delivers a step
change in results for both parties
2. INVEST IN DEALER
CAPABILITY AND
KNOWLEDGE TO IMPROVE
OUTPUT AND RESULTS
3. PARTNER ON KEY
INITIATIVES THAT CAN LIFT
PERFORMANCE ACROSS
THE NETWORK

15. One: Develop An Aligned Strategy For The Network
Dealer Marketing Tracking
Network audit to identify capability
gaps and other issues
Tier dealerships by size and
competence
Audit your
network
Create a Long
Term Plan
Establish your network goals
Split by Awareness / Retail / Other
Department / Retention Activities
Working group align with dealers
on an achievable plan
Allocate a small % of your co-
op fund or network’s annual
spend
Clear roles and responsibilities
Ongoing assessment
Align On
Investment &
Action

16. Dealer Analysis
DEALER
LOCAL
AREA
Retail
Performance
Service
Performance
Marketing
Engagement
Resource &
Capability
Marketing
Investment
Activity:
Awareness
Activity:
Retail
Activity:
Other Depts
Activity:
Retention
Digital
Footprint
Results Tier
Actions: National
Actions: Dealer
1
1
3
2
1
3
2
1
Example: Dealer Capability Matrix

17. Two: Invest In Dealer Capability & Knowledge
Data and
insights on
their locals
Analysis covering population,
audience segments and insights
Leverage sales data
Deliver local media guidance
Regular Dealer
Collaboration
Regular communication direct to
dealer marketing teams
Run 6 monthly marketing sessions
covering key topics
Share ‘How To’ guides to key
activities
Dealer
Marketing
Training
Staff turnover = ongoing training
needs
Build dealer education covering
awareness/retail/other
departments/retention activities

18. EXAMPLE: LOCAL AREA ANALYSIS
Who are our buyers? (Adult population = 164,970)
31%
Blue Collar
59%
Professionals
10%
Executives
Vehicles
per household
Behaviour Summary
Average income
43.6%
International Infusion
36.3%
Knowledgeable Success
11.0%
Books and Boots
Under $20,799 13.4%
$20,800-$41,599 19.1%
$41,600-$64,999 15.8%
$65,000-$103,999 17.8%
$104,000-$155,999 15.8%
$156,000+ 15.8%
• Heavy online shoppers
• Highly price sensitive
• Value safety, trusted brands,
best value
36.1%
33.9%
10.4%

19. EXAMPLE: TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILING
“Apartment-dwelling young and maturing
professionals, and mature students in city
central locations. Well educated with high
dispensable income”
Demographic
Motivations
• Social Fame
• Status & Popularity
• Life Experiences
• Brand Me
Interests
• Travel
• Health & Wellbeing
• Arts & Culture
• Online shopping
Buyer Behaviour LAM strategies to target this group
Targeted
Digital & Social
Advertising Sponsorships
Cultural &
Local Media
Social
Participation
Media consumption
T.V.
Radio Press Digital Social media Outdoor
Light Medium Heavy
Poor reach &
frequency.
7 & 9 main
channels, 10 for
destination TV.
Target weekend
editions especially
lifestyle sections.
Consistent all
day, peaks for
commute & late
evening. Multi
screen use.
Facebook dominant
with Youtube &
Instagram growing.
Billboards costly
but transport,
street & shopping
centre media
strong.
HIGH
LOW
Online
research
Offline
research
Level of
category
knowledge
Price
sensitivity
Number of
Dealerships
visited
Number of
shortlisted cars
Adwords campaigns to
target local category,
brand or vehicle
search, and ads
overlaid with
geographic, mosaic
profile and lifestyle
targeting.
Tap into urban lifestyles
to identify partnerships
and add value to that
audiences experiences.
Leverage partner
communication
channels.
Deliver relevant,
localised content.
Engage by creating
relevant brand content
and unique brand
experiences.
Create initiatives that
encourage
participation and
sharing through social
channels.
INDEPENDENCE & CAREERS: 27% OF PMA

20. Three: Partner on Key Initiatives
Dealer Assets
& Campaigns
Visual assets that reflect their
business and localities
Campaigns for all departments
Customisation will drive usage
National
Campaigns
Executed
Locally
Create national campaigns and
execute at dealer level
Each dealer has a postcode specific
sub campaign
Ensures best in class execution
Provides template for dealers to
follow
Toolkits for
Major
Activities
Identify all dealer’ activities:
Sponsorships, CRM, Finance
Create a best in class executional
toolkit
Run a training session + test with
selected dealers and share results

21. Example: Digital Advertising Toolkit
High intent searches within
PMA focused on conversion
Sample Campaigns:
Dealer Brand
Models
Service
Demo / Used
Finance
Search
Targeting those on Carsales
via:
Cross enquiry
Competitors
Key models
Using A360 to target auto
intenders (last 30 days) via
display, social or digital audio
Carsales/Audience 360
Facebook & Instagram:
Targeting users within your
PMA via interests, custom/
look a like audiences &
retargeting.
Linked In:
Targeting those in executive &
upper management
occupations within the PMA
Social
Targeting users via display ads
who have visited competitor
dealers within the past 30-60
days.
A strong CTA & creative will
drive traffic to your landing page
Display

22. Strategic Pillars for Dealers

23. Dealer Strategic Pillars
2
Content &
communication on your
proposition, products
and services
3
Targeted
activities that
leverage 1st and
3rd party data
4
A well
managed
digital
footprint
5
A Retention Plan
that’s supported by
the whole business
1
A Marketing
Plan that’s
managed
effectively

24. 1. Well Managed Marketing Plan
Clear Objectives
• Marketing objectives across 4
pillars:
• Awareness
• Vehicle sales
(New/Demo/Used)
• Other Departments
• Retention
Internal Alignment
• Agree roles & responsibilities
- management, sales,
service and finance actions
have a direct impact on
success
Annual Plan & Monthly
Calendar
• Draft your annual plan -
monthly activity for each pillar
locked in
• Leave 25% of budget
available for tactical needs
Regular Reviews
• Fortnightly meetings to review
and plan ahead
• Monthly planning 10 days out
• Adapt to market dynamics as
you go
Manufacturer Role:
Provide dealers with working templates to make planning and management easy. Include enquiry
and ROI calculators to add measurement.
Support the network via Territory Managers and National Marketing

25. Example: Marketing Plan
VEHICLE
SALES
OTHER
DEPARTMENTS
RETENTION
(NEW/DEMO/USED) SERVICE/PARTS/FINANCE
BUDGET ALLOCATION 20 % 45 % 15 % 20 %
OBJECTIVE
Increase dealership brand awareness with
‘young family’ audiences in key suburbs in
PMA
Move excess volume of vehicles across
all segments to ensure aged stock levels
hit dealership target by September 30th
Increase finance adoption rate from 35%
to 45%
Drive service bookings up to 85% of
capacity by 1st September
ACTIVITY
Content introducing:
- Unique proposition
- Added value initiatives for families
- How we do business Post Covid-19
Partner with family centric org’s in key
suburbs & sponsor events that re-connect
families in the community
Create a unique dealer ‘Welcome Back’
winter sales event theme and then run 1 x
demonstrator event in July and 1 x used
vehicle sales event in August
Create an exclusive finance offer on Hilux
4x2 and 4x4 targeting tradies (small
business owners or individuals)
Develop a ‘How To Finance Your Car’
guide for guests & share across key
channels
Re-engage lapsed customers (12 months
plus) with a specific added value offer
e.g. Back on the Road express service.
Or fixed price servicing until end of 2023
CHANNELS
Press
Website, Social, Display, Youtube, Spotify
Sponsor partner comms channels
Radio / Spotify
Local Press
Digital - Search, Social, Display, Youtube
eDM/SMS to database
Social Ads (custom audiences)
Digital - Search, Social, Display, Youtube,
Spotify
eDM
SMS
Social (Custom Audience)
KPI’S
Increase in new customer enquiry
Increase in web/phone/foot traffic by 15%
Increase in social community
% Reduction in aged stock
Performance vs sales targets
Market share increase YoY
Finance adoption rate increase YoY
Clicks to ‘How To Finance’ content and
downloads of PDF guide
Responses from eDM & SMS
Service booking from segment
Service Retention YOY
Service department revenue
DEALERSHIP
AWARENESS

26. 2. Content & Communication
A Clear Proposition
• Identify what makes your
business unique
• Develop a clear proposition
built from your competitive
advantages
Dealership Initiatives
• Create initiatives that serve
as proof of your advantages
• Should cover buying,
servicing and owning a
vehicle, and your community
role
Dealership Content
• Build content that
communicates your
proposition and initiatives
• Bring to life through :
• Dealership hype reels
• Testimonials
• Explainer videos
• Vehicle reviews
Consistent
Communication
• Share your content on owned
and paid channels - ensure
locals can find it
• Make the dealership famous
with locals with consistent
communication and delivery
of your proposition
Manufacturer Role:
Support dealers in differentiating themselves via a clear proposition
Offer guidance on developing and communicating content via your marketing team

27. 3. Targeted Activities
Leveraging 1st
party data
• Get customer data in shape -
review, clean, append
• Build segments for use in
future targeting
• Create custom audiences for
social targeting
Generating 3rd
party data
• Identify 3rd party audience
sources for your postcodes
e.g. small business owners
• Prioritise sourcing in-market
intenders based on their
online or physical behaviour
1st Party Data -
Campaign Ideas
• Lapsed service customers -
communicate dealership
service benefits + offer VIP
booking slots
• +3yr owners of vehicle with
new variant - features and
benefits video plus reserve
your vehicle now
3rd Party Data -
Campaign Ideas
• Used Vehicles - visitors to
local used dealerships and
auction houses last 60 days
• Ute’s - target agricultural
business owners post harvest
Manufacturer Role:
Support dealers with data management and data based initiatives
Run national 3rd party targeted campaigns to build proof of the implement ROI from these
campaigns

28. Example: Targeted Activity
Owners of
2-4 vehicles
Looking to buy a used car
next 12 months
Visitors to own brand & competitor
used vehicle dealerships
Visitors to car
auctions
Visitors to own brand & other
service centres
Dealership Target Audience Pool
Primary Audience
Secondary Audience
Primary Audience
Primary Audience
Primary Audience

29. 4. Well Managed Digital Footprint
Website
• Clear proposition and
customer initiatives
• Bring the dealership’s
personality to life
• Prioritise UX - make it easy to
find information and take
action
• Review your analytics to drive
improved conversion
Google Business Profile
• Fully leverage your profile
and update regularly
• Add full product and service
suite
• Ensure always on
management
• Respond to all reviews in
24hrs
Social
• Plan and execute content
for dealership & team,
products & services, and
community
• Ensure always on
management esp. of
reviews
• Use a scheduling tool to
make it easy
Video
• Embrace video - it drives
significant engagement and is
now a dealership must have
• Keep it simple as you build
your skills
• Prioritise vehicle videos that
highlight features and benefits
Manufacturer Role:
Support dealers with ongoing training in these crucial channels and provide brand and vehicle
content they can leverage

30. 5. Dealership Retention Plan
Collaborate to Succeed
• Management, sales, service
and finance all play a crucial
role
• Ensure data management is
prioritised with data shared to
facilitate better customer
management
Build your Customer
Journey
• Document the process,
touchpoints and actions from
purchase approval
• Identify what is and isn’t
working
• Create an owner
management plan and align
on responsibilities
Prioritise Moments of
Truth
• Identify key retention risk
points
• Average finance content
duration
• End of capped price
servicing
• Develop your time sensitive
comms
Insert manufacture role here
Retention Strategies
• Ensure customer handover
from sales to service at pick up
• Create ‘at risk’ customer lists
monthly and prioritise
• Segment owner lists for more
personalised communication
Manufacturer Role:
Provide customer tools that dealers can leverage to improve retention performance, and collaborate
on ongoing challenges

31. ● Introduce Service
contacts
● Outline the ownership
journey
● Introduce Service
programs and
benefits
● Build rapport and
establish contact
preferences
Follow
Up
Call(s)
● Check in and offer
support with getting
to know vehicle
● Confirm
complimentary
service date
● Talk through digital
integration
CRM
● Minimum quarterly
updates to all
customers
● Include news, added
value, community
content
● Owners < 12 months
have new vehicle
offers removed
● Utilise video, content
& social channels
● Customer greeted by
Service consultant -
process and benefits
explained
● Answer further
questions re: vehicle
● Confirm service plan
CRM
● Communicate service
is due, why to choose
dealership service,
reinforce capped price
servicing commitment
● Use service reminder
process - elevate to
phone contact if
required
1st
Anniversary
Call
● Check customer is happy
with vehicle
● Tackle any issues
● Continue rapport, discuss
any lifestyle changes
● Communicate any loyalty
or referral rewards
Annual /
1st
Service
Vehicle
Delivery
Retention increases
with strong sales to
service handover
Significant decline in
retention at this point
Example: Retention Plan
Complimentary
Service

32. In Summary
Dealers are under-
resourced and struggling to
keep up with the
transformational nature of
automotive marketing
Only by partnering together
will manufacturers and
dealers create a step
change in output and
results
By investing in your network
and ensuring ongoing
capability improvements
manufacturers can ensure
their dealerships are market
ready at all times
In the battle for local
businesses this can be the
driver of long term
commercial success for
your brand and dealer
network

33. Thank You