We all know that our world today of multi-channel, instantly accessible information is very different than it was 20 years ago. As a car dealer, staying ahead of these changes can be a difficult and frustrating task. Today’s consumers seem to be increasingly harder to engage and understand than ever before. Nothing seems to work today. That ad in the newspaper didn’t get a single phone call. That radio spot sounded great, but it didn’t sell a car. More and more the marketing reality for dealers is that money goes out, but sales don’t come in.

In the early 90’s, advertising and marketing appeared to be much simpler then it is today. We had television (actual network television), radio, newspaper, magazine, billboards and direct mail. There may have been other media opportunities available, but you had a core toolkit at your hands that was proven, and you even knew how to use it. But as we moved past the Millennia, everything changed. Today, mass media is anything but mass, unless the word is followed immediately by extinction.

A known media toolkit has now been replaced by automated marketing solutions and intelligent context based advertising. Great. But few people seem to know what these things are or how they work, let alone the hundreds of other marketing buzz words that seem to be promoted as the next, next thing. The reality is there are no silver bullets, in spite of what the next vendor may try to sell you.

As a result, many dealerships are struggling. Struggling to remain relevant in a digital world where consumers are moving away from the traditional car buying process. Struggling to break through. Struggling to engage the consumer. Struggling to find budgets to manage the tools, media and events that seem to be required to stay competitive. This struggle to find the consumer has come to feel like a game of find the needle in the haystack, at a time when technology and media should be working like a metal detector aiding in your search. Finding exactly who is out there and who is ready to buy. Yes, there are lots of tools out there, but most of them are complicated, hard to implement and lacking true ROI.

Here at Octane, we believe the answer for dealers who want to deliver a more engaging experience through their dealership promotions and events, while spending less time on marketing tasks, is automated marketing solutions such as online apps, games, and marketing theme packs. Also called “gamification,” these are plug-and-play solutions that integrate game mechanics into your website. They use game techniques – like offering rewards or highlighting status – to generate more leads from your existing website traffic and to convert those leads into more sales. Most importantly, they are simple to launch and use. Some can even be customized and launched on your website in as little as 5 minutes. These types of marketing solutions deliver a powerful competitive edge that is fun, exciting and impactful.

The world today isn’t about impressions. It is about leads and it is about sales. A dealership needs to convert minds and win loyalty. It does this with great customer experiences that start with your advertising and your website. You need to provide something more than an offer, and it must tell your customer that you are different from everyone else. So, give automated marketing solutions such as games a try.  These solutions are your key to stop struggling, and start hitting your targets by bringing your own highly-qualified leads into your own dealership.

We all know that our world today of multi-channel, instantly accessible information is very different than it was 20 years ago. As a car dealer, staying ahead of these changes can be a difficult and frustrating task. Today’s consumers seem to be increasingly harder to engage and understand than ever before. Nothing seems to work today. That ad in the newspaper didn’t get a single phone call. That radio spot sounded great, but it didn’t sell a car. More and more the marketing reality for dealers is that money goes out, but sales don’t come in.

In the early 90’s, advertising and marketing appeared to be much simpler then it is today. We had television (actual network television), radio, newspaper, magazine, billboards and direct mail. There may have been other media opportunities available, but you had a core toolkit at your hands that was proven, and you even knew how to use it. But as we moved past the Millennia, everything changed. Today, mass media is anything but mass, unless the word is followed immediately by extinction.

A known media toolkit has now been replaced by automated marketing solutions and intelligent context based advertising. Great. But few people seem to know what these things are or how they work, let alone the hundreds of other marketing buzz words that seem to be promoted as the next, next thing. The reality is there are no silver bullets, in spite of what the next vendor may try to sell you.

As a result, many dealerships are struggling. Struggling to remain relevant in a digital world where consumers are moving away from the traditional car buying process. Struggling to break through. Struggling to engage the consumer. Struggling to find budgets to manage the tools, media and events that seem to be required to stay competitive. This struggle to find the consumer has come to feel like a game of find the needle in the haystack, at a time when technology and media should be working like a metal detector aiding in your search. Finding exactly who is out there and who is ready to buy. Yes, there are lots of tools out there, but most of them are complicated, hard to implement and lacking true ROI.

Here at Octane, we believe the answer for dealers who want to deliver a more engaging experience through their dealership promotions and events, while spending less time on marketing tasks, is automated marketing solutions such as online apps, games, and marketing theme packs. Also called “gamification,” these are plug-and-play solutions that integrate game mechanics into your website. They use game techniques – like offering rewards or highlighting status – to generate more leads from your existing website traffic and to convert those leads into more sales. Most importantly, they are simple to launch and use. Some can even be customized and launched on your website in as little as 5 minutes. These types of marketing solutions deliver a powerful competitive edge that is fun, exciting and impactful.

The world today isn’t about impressions. It is about leads and it is about sales. A dealership needs to convert minds and win loyalty. It does this with great customer experiences that start with your advertising and your website. You need to provide something more than an offer, and it must tell your customer that you are different from everyone else. So, give automated marketing solutions such as games a try.  These solutions are your key to stop struggling, and start hitting your targets by bringing your own highly-qualified leads into your own dealership.