In any industry, businesses strive to attract new clients. Car dealerships are no exception. To be successful, events and promotional strategies need to be concise, focused and well-coordinated. These are opportunities to bring in more traffic, keep current and loyal customers satisfied, raise brand awareness, and obtain new clients. Also, certain events can increase your local relationships and show how you like to give back to your community.
Social media and digital marketing are a commonplace part of any marketing strategy. It will help you spread your message efficiently and on many different platforms. Let’s take a closer look at what events and promotional ideas dealerships can do to engage customers, increase sales, stand out from the competition, and have a prosperous business in the end.
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Event Marketing for the Automotive Industry
Creating and pulling off memorable events and promotions allows for an extremely significant and immersive experience for the attendees. This personal contact between the company and the people can be more effective than online or print advertising. Along with the extensive research and planning you’ll need to do for event marketing, don’t be afraid to be unique. You want to surpass your competitors. Every dealership isn’t the same so tailor-make your events to your specific dealership.
Carnival
A fair or carnival is the kind of event that’s sure to bring droves of people to your dealership. Have face painters, artists, clowns, and games on your lot. Make a prize wheel and have people spin it for a variety of prizes. Creativity will come in handy for this type of promotion.
Car Show
Having a car exhibition is a fantastic way to appeal to car enthusiasts. Depending on what kind of dealership you run, you can display some of your cars amongst the other vehicles being shown. Car shows are always a happy occasion, and you can even tack on a fundraising component with a raffle full of prizes.
Charity
Shine your altruistic nature and do a toy, clothes, or food drive. This not only helps those in need but allows people to feel good when purchasing a vehicle at your dealership. Charitable drives can sometimes garner a lot of attention on social media or the local news. Utilize this and watch how foot traffic will increase exponentially.
Connect with the community by holding a charitable race at your dealership. The route can begin and end at your business. You can even get the runners to wear promotional gear with your dealership’s name on them.
Food Trucks and Pop-Ups
Who doesn’t love delicious food? Partner up with a local food truck or have a restaurant do a pop-up at your dealership location. This collaboration will help both parties involved. Depending on how popular the event is, it can become a monthly or even a weekly event. If you want to keep it fresh, diversify and team up with different restaurants and food trucks in your area.
Giveaways
Reward your customers with merchandise, gift cards to local businesses, and free services from your dealership. Marketing your dealership is key if you want to be successful. An economical way to advertise is by using Custom Printed Keychains. You can personalize them with your dealership’s logo, name, color, and other pertinent information.
This is an excellent way to keep the name of your dealership in the forefront of the customer’s mind. A Keychain is a practical giveaway since it has the sole purpose of holding your keys together. If you run a Car Dealership and require Custom Keychains, take a look at, MBR Marketing at: https://mbrmarketing.com/dealer-identification/custom-keychains.
Holiday Themed
Christmas, Easter, Halloween, or any other holiday can be used to bring people to your dealership. This is an excellent way to meet and greet with local families. Have photo ops available with Santa or the Easter Bunny (depending on the holiday). Let your imagination go wild and don’t forget to have some good old-fashioned fun.
Kids and Pets
Let the people know that your dealership is kid-friendly. While the children are being looked after at an arts and crafts table, the adults can look at the vehicles available. Parents can breathe a sigh of relief if their kids are involved with something fun and safe. Make the kids’ corner car-themed and hang their creations in the dealership.
Who doesn’t love cute animals? Host solo or coordinate an adoption event with a local animal shelter or humane society. Animal lovers will associate your dealership with kindness and generosity. Even if they don’t buy a car right away, your dealership will have made a lasting impression. When they are ready to buy, they’ll think of your business over others.
Patriotism
Be patriotic and support your community veterans. Whether it’s the Fourth of July or Veteran’s Day, create care packages to thank the former soldiers for their service. Many people have pride in their country and those who have served. You can even get your local American Legion involved with your event. Host a patriotic barbeque and have people look at new model vehicles while enjoying some music, drinks, and yummy food.
Sponsorship
Many businesses will sponsor community sports for both adults and kids. Have your dealership’s name on the team’s uniforms. You can also host a tournament and create a banner, take many photos, and post everything on social media.
In the End
Authenticity is key when holding an event or promotion at your dealership. People can feel when something isn’t right or genuine. Make sure these events align with your company’s goals and values. There are many opportunities to connect to your community, be charitable, build relationships, and gain a loyal clientele.
These are only some ideas that you can take advantage of; however, your imagination has no limits when it comes to event marketing. The more creative, the better the event. Making lasting impressions or emotional connections with the public guarantees you brand-loyal clients as well as new customers.
