Chip shortages and reduced vehicle inventory.  Here we are in 2021, facing a different season of industry disruption and once again recognizing the natural, reactive response of dealerships to hit pause on operations, on marketing or on both.  What's unnatural is to be proactive, keep the lights on and think about actions to take now with immediate and long-term benefits to your dealership.  And what we know is that customer relationships and the marketing which influences them are both a short-term and long-term game.

A year ago, we looked squarely at uncertainty asking if a long-term economic downturn was upon us.  We all know what actually happened.  Far from a long-term economic downturn, an extreme shift in the balance of supply and demand driving up transaction prices, gross profits and boosting bottom lines. So, why not just ride this thing out?  Historically in times of economic uncertainty, businesses who thrive do so by making balanced decisions that acknowledge their immediate circumstances and pivot quickly to re-imagine the future. 

Here are some key tips for your advertising strategy when supply is low to meet the demands of today’s market and best position your dealership to thrive when the scales of supply and demand stabilize. 

1. Prioritize getting to shoppers first and remaining present. 

In a marketplace where inventory is limited and shoppers are being advised to do even more research online to find their next vehicle, you need to make sure your dealership is part of the conversation.  That will not happen if you turn off your marketing waiting for someone to show up on your lot or if you blanket the market with ineffective tactics.  Limited inventory throws all types of wrenches into a typical buying journey.  Whether a shopper needs to replace a broken vehicle quickly, wants to order now and wait for their ideal vehicle to be in stock or is jumping in and out of the market to test the waters, your marketing strategy needs to prioritize two things:  getting to shoppers first and remaining present and relevant.

First things first, you need to be getting in front of shoppers as soon as they enter the market.  This requires powering your marketing with a data foundation incorporating behavior-based real-time algorithms, like the Active Shopper Network®.  Secondly, your marketing strategy must keep high-frequency, relevant messaging in front of a shopper regardless of which path they take to purchase.  After all, your marketing strategy builds your pipeline, and you can’t afford decisions now that swing the pendulum wildly in the other direction in a couple of months. A data-driven approach gives you an efficient and effective way to manage your pipeline as you monitor your inventory.  

2. Adjust your messaging: Promote trade-in, service specials and online ordering. 

The chip shortage is not a secret.  Consumers know it is a seller’s market.  So, use that to your advantage.  Pivoting your message to promote your dealership’s willingness to purchase their vehicle can drive inventory for your lot, even if it does not lead to an immediate sale.  I recently spoke with an independent dealer who applied this strategy in Q3 2020 and leveraged their marketing to Active Shoppers® to drive trade-ins, stabilize inventory levels and keep their sales pipeline full.  This led to three straight quarters of YoY sales gains of 23% and higher.  

And over my 18 years partnering with dealers, I have helped clients in recent years use this messaging approach which utilizes data-driven precision to strategically garner inventory.   On average, sales influenced by this approach has yielded 19% more trade-ins for our clients.  If you are not already considering this tactic, make the pivot. 

Not only can you promote your trade-in capabilities in your marketing, but also, this is an opportunity to promote other benefits of your dealership. For shoppers unwilling to “settle on just any vehicle” or those delaying their purchase, consider messages which feature service specials that can earn their business now or promote offerings that make their life easier for future purchases, such as online retailing, ease of financing or post-purchase service specials.

3. Invest in advertising which maximizes your current and future gross profit.

The longer inventory challenges last, the more likely it is that you will think limited supply is the ONLY reason your dealership is seeing higher gross profit.  Yes, it is the significant factor, but it is not the only factor.  Consumers are proving that price alone no longer sells cars - experience matters too.

How do I know?  The same reason you do.  Different types of advertising appeal to different types of shoppers.  And some shoppers, like the leads coming from 3rd party classifieds sites, tend to haggle about price no matter what.  But they are no longer the majority.  Many shoppers prioritize experience even more than price and increasingly, consumer polls show consumers will pay more to work with dealerships they trust and who offer transparency.  Perhaps this is why advertising approaches which put a consumer at the center (aka omni-channel strategies) deliver higher gross profits, even before inventory challenges lifted the tide for every dealership.  If you want to dig in to how much more, give me a shout, I’d be happy to share our numbers.

We've learned from history that those who go dark and/or take a passive approach in times of uncertainty, take longer to recover. Take intentional steps today to more fully adopt a consumer-centric marketing approach, serve relevant messages that help consumers AND strategically add value to your dealership by building experiences which bolster your bottom line now and in the future.

With the fourth-quarter in sight, now’s the time to be planning for ways to end the year strong and insure you maximize your dollars and their effectiveness.  One way is to make sure you evaluate how you maximize OEM reimbursements and move more inventory.  Co-op funds can substantially improve a dealer’s ROI by reimbursing up to 50% of your marketing spend.   Think about it, if you have a $50,000 budget and spend it in Co-op eligible ways, you’ve increased your budget to $75,000. 

But too many dealers are missing the opportunity to maximize Co-op.  Yes, keeping up with Co-op requirements and guidelines can be time-consuming and frustrating, but the potential payback is too big to brush aside.  Big dealerships may have the manpower to work through the process alone, but most dealerships need help to capitalize on Co-op opportunities and process the paperwork for payment.

Here are the most crucial questions to ask your third-party partner or OEM-approved vendor to ensure you’re not leaving Co-op dollars on the table.

1. What are the most up to date Co-op policies and submission guidelines?  And what was the most recent change?

Let’s face it, staying on top of OEM Co-op rules and guidelines is challenging because they change often.  For example, General Motors and FCA update their Co-op requirements every month based on logo and incentive requirements. Other OEMs update annually. 

Checking in monthly is a best-practice to stay compliant and verify submission deadlines.  Steps like adhering to logo and whitespace requirements, obtaining pre-approval, and submitting frame-by-frame screenshots of artwork, vary by OEM and must be rigorously followed.

Also, your vendors should be keeping an eye on paperwork deadlines. Most OEMs require Co-op paperwork be submitted within 60 days of campaign launch. Miss the deadline and all the time and money spent to accrue Co-op dollars goes right out the window.

Test your vendors to make sure they are up to speed on the most recent changes and well-equipped to secure the full funds you are counting on. 

2. Are there any special discounts or upcoming opportunities for additional Co-op dollars?

Throughout the year, OEMs may introduce special events or programs to help move more metal. This is a great way to get more bang for your buck. This is especially relevant for Q4.  For example, in the past Honda has offered additional Co-op dollars in the fourth-quarter to help move aging inventory.

Other OEMs offer seasonal promotions when they add more Co-op contributions to your advertising.  For example, FCA offers “Special Programs” made available by region.  Take a few minutes to call and find out what is available for your dealership and start the application process.  It is extra work on your part, but that call every few months has the potential to bring additional marketing dollars for your business at timely junctures.

Ask your partners to help you be a proactive about special events and programs.

3. How much of my Co-op money is available for digital?  

At the beginning of Q3, Ford changed its program to require 75-percent ad spend on digital.   Mazda, Hyundai, and Chrysler all have digital specifications that you must know to build marketing campaigns that earn you money back (some even include email in the mix which, as a bonus, is easily tracked for ROI).

As audiences for broadcast and print media continue to decline, you can expect to see OEMs continue to skew Co-op programs toward digital media. It pays to stay on top of changing requirements. Dealers who do it successfully, could get 100 percent of marketing reimbursed.

Strategize with your partners to evaluate if the marketing solutions offered maximize your digital spend.  Your best options are partners who have omni-channel solutions that work across devices and channels including display, social media, and email.

4. What tracking do you provide and how do you measure ROI for Co-op dollars?

As the digital requirement in Co-op continues to grow, so does the necessity for 100 percent transparency in ad spend and performance for your marketing dollars. The opportunity for digital waste and fraud has been well-documented.  Don’t be a victim of waste.  This requires you be diligent in holding your partners accountable in how they are investing these digital ad dollars. 

Make sure the partners you choose can track the dollars spent, create visual graphics of campaign performance, and provide meaningful reports detailing Co-op reimbursements.

Wrapping it up

Its estimated that only about 20 percent of dealers maximize Co-op opportunities. You don’t have to fall into the 80 percent who leave money on the table.  If you haven’t evaluated Co-op recently, now’s the time to do it.  Take inventory and challenge your vendor partners do their due diligence to be experts and turnkey providers on your behalf. These steps might uncover the push you need to end the year strong.