People don’t buy cars every day. In fact, most people only buy cars to mark important milestones in their life or career. If you are able to convince them once to check your dealership, you can win them back again and again when they want to buy a second and third car.
However, they won’t be coming back if your dealership is just like every other one in the neighbourhood. They won’t think of you first if you don’t impress them with the uniqueness of your dealership. Here are 5 ways to make your dealership stand out from the crowd:
1. Plan
A dealership that wants to stand out cannot survive on autopilot. Standing out requires creating a niche for your dealership. The question here is what you want to be known for. The answer to this may involve segmenting your target customers and what they want. Some dealerships stand out for their affordable price while others are famous for their quality and reliability. Do you want to be known for luxury? The thing to remember here is that you can’t be everything in the market all at once. Choose a niche, create a business strategy around it and tie your marketing strategy around this.
2. Be Known For One Thing
Standing out from the crowd means being known for excellence at one thing. What customers are you targeting? If you want to focus on low to middle-income earners, then your dealership will have to be known for affordability. If your dealership’s target audience is the super-rich, then you may be looking to be famous for exclusivity.
There are many other dealers that are into these niches. How do you stand out here? You can sponsor a local car race, open car auction in Nigeria or create a partnership with all the mechanics in your local area and allow them to use your banner in their shops to advertise their business name.
3. Keep it Short and Simple
Your target audience is more likely to forget about you if your tagline is a long, winded sentence. To stand out, you should use a catchphrase that resonates what you are about in a short phrase. This should be able to capture your vision in concise words. Popular brands that stand out have been able to create compelling and powerful messages with the shortest possible phrases that their audience can remember. Words like ‘more than just a car’, ‘so much more’ and many others remind us of specific brands.
4. Anticipate Their Fears and Assure Them
This applies to every dealer, but mostly those dealing with used cars. Most customers are often sceptical about buying used cars for reasons such as the types of problems the vehicle may have had in the past, the car maintenance culture of previous owners as well as possible future troubles.
Always remind them of what you stand for. Make them feel comfortable by preparing the car in a way that it will appeal to the five senses of the customer. It should be visually appealing, having a great scent and well waxed. Allow them to take it for a driving test.
5. Use Social Media Strategically
Almost all serious businesses today are online; dealerships must also tap into this. Use social media to communicate with your target audience and potential clients. Place compelling ads on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and monitor the platform with the most engagements and conversion rates. This way, your dealership will not only be competitive but will also stand out.