Television, Radio, Retargeting, Facebook Ads, PPC, SEO, Direct Mail, Reputation Management...so many places to put your marketing dollars how do you choose?  

Car dealers are always being told you have to have this and you have to have that.  The pressure can be overwhelming and sometimes you feel like a teenager at a party where everyone is drinking but you.  The fact is that now  a days media is more fragmented than ever and there are a lot of vendors out there for every media vehicle.

Every dealer and every market is different.  You ultimately have to decide how you are going to measure your marketing plans effectiveness.  However, here are some thoughts...

1. Start with the website

• Your website is the most affordable and best form of sales leads.  Maximize it with the best SEO, the right plugins and the right traffic drivers.

2. Don't leave your database behind

• Many dealers try to put something in place that will market to their database monthly but they don't take the time to make sure it is a targeted message.  Rotate your database communication around and mix it up.  Earning your customers back will pay off big in the long run.  Better gross and cheaper to acquire...BACK!

3. Do something else really well

• Don't get to fragmented.  Find something that you feel works and maximize it to the fullest.  Maybe its TV.  Don't just try to spend a little money in TV so that you can spend a little more in Radio.  Most local dealers don't have the funds to go real deep in a medium to have a big enough voice and then they make it even more difficult by trying to be everywhere.

4. Test

• Test other things.  Set up a test budget, a small one and define your parameters for success.  Then you can be ready to grow your budget with your sales.