Fixed Ops Journal - June 2019 - F16

FIXED OPS JOURNAL

SPECIAL REPORT

DIGITAL
continued from Page 15

they'd often say, 'Well, I'll think about it.' That usually means they're going to call someone else to see if they can get a better price. Texting
changes the whole dynamic."
McMahon notes that his service department posted record sales and
gross profits in seven months last year. "That wasn't totally from texting,
but it certainly had a big influence," he says.

Video value
The digital marketing push at Cable Dahmer Automotive Group,
which operates six new-vehicle stores in metropolitan Kansas City, Mo.,
includes posting dozens of online service videos, says Jeff Vaughn, the
group's chief marketing officer.
"A lot of dealerships try to be everywhere [in service marketing efforts]
and they do a poor job," Vaughn says. "We narrowed our focus to a larger
website presence and using YouTube and Facebook."
Cable Dahmer's YouTube channel features more than 30 service-related videos that are more educational than sales-oriented. Topics
range from the benefits of wheel alignments and cabin filter replacements to how to check tires for tread wear.
"The videos are effective, and there's no cost," Vaughn says. "They do
more than just advertise a cheap oil change. It all goes back to building
relationships with consumers."
Vaughn recommends selecting a service technician with a "goofy"

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personality who enjoys being on camera to star in a service department's videos.
At Cable Dahmer, the star is Marc Miller, shop foreman at Cable
Dahmer Buick-GMC of Kansas City.
"At first he was the only one brave enough to help us create this content," Vaughn says of Miller, who exudes a good-humored, high-energy
vibe in the videos. "Now other techs and advisers do it, too, thanks to his
example.
"Someone like that puts a better face on a dealership than a general
manager in a fancy suit, wearing a fancy watch." 

Mail marriage: Dealer
group melds digital,
print service pitches

able Dahmer Automotive Group has shifted heavily
into digital marketing, including for fixed operations,
over the past four years.
But it hasn't abandoned old-school marketing tools
such as direct mail.
To the contrary, the six-dealership group in Kansas City, Mo.,
spent about $500,000 last year to buy a print shop, enabling it to
produce direct-mail pieces in house, says chief marketing officer Jeff Vaughn.
"We've married our traditional direct-mail campaigns with
digital strategies," Vaughn says. As a result, he notes, mail pieces aimed at retaining service customers that used to get a 1 percent response now show response rates of 8 to 15 percent. He
adds: "Plus, we're saving about $50,000 a month in printing
costs."
About half of the group's marketing efforts are aimed at service customers who declined dealership-recommended maintenance and repair work.
Within 24 hours of a refusal, the dealership emails the customer a message with a link to a video that reminds them of the
importance of the declined service - replacing a dirty cabin
air filter, for example. The dealership follows up with a direct-mail piece including a coupon for the recommended service, Vaughn says.
If there's no response to that approach within two weeks,
those customers get another email with a video link and another mailing with a discount offer.
The group's dealerships use a decidedly low-tech system to
decide which of its service discounts work best.
"We put cardboard boxes behind all our service advisers, and
when customers present coupons, the advisers toss them into
their respective boxes," he says. "Then we count to see which
coupon got used the most.
"All those shiny [marketing] toys are fluff if they don't drive
additional traffic," Vaughn adds. "You just need to own the basics and do the basics."
- Ken Wysocky

http://www.slipngrip.com

Fixed Ops Journal - June 2019

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