Digital Dealer - October 2017 - 18

By Jim Boldebook
Founder,
Creative Broadcast
Concepts (CBC)

// Advertising
& Marketing

Tell Your Story!
First, a couple of
thoughts:
 If you don't have a
'brand', you are just a
retailer of a commodity.
 If you don't have a
brand, you have absolutely no marketplace distinction other than price.
 If you don't have a
brand, your only 'blue
sky' is your real estate
and assets.
 Almost every dealership has 'brand value' but
too many dealerships fail
to identify, promote and
market the perception of
that brand.
I've always believed
that I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world because, not only do I love
what I do, but I have been
so fortunate and blessed
to work with some of the
greatest retail 'brands' in
the automobile business
over the years. Dealerships that dominate their
marketplace and generate substantial profit
regardless of what the
market is doing. Dealerships that have a strong,
identifiable BRAND.
Last month I shared
thoughts on 'brand share
of mind.' Basically, you
are either building your
brand for share-of-mind
dominance, or you are
headed out to pasture.
But let me put it in more
18

OCTOBER 2017

every person on your
team knows it by heart.
Boil it down to one
paragraph. Boil it down
further to just a single
sentence. Every person
on your team should be
able to verbalize what
your brand value is.
Second, make sure
every bit of your marketing, advertising and
promotional material
reflects the basic tenants of your brand. This
is your STORY. This is
who you are. Why you
are in business. What
you stand for.

THE BEST TOOL
TO TELL YOUR
STORY IS A WELL
WRITTEN/PRODUCED
VIDEO. A video then

BOIL IT DOWN
FURTHER TO JUST A
SINGLE SENTENCE.
EVERY PERSON ON
YOUR TEAM SHOULD
BE ABLE TO VERBALIZE
WHAT YOUR BRAND
VALUE IS."
selfish terms for the
dealer principal. Building
your brand is building
your multiple potential
when you sell and/or
build your leverage for
future growth. If all you
do is spend money to
sell metal for the factory,
you're on the treadmill
that eventually slows
down.
In last month's Dealer

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

article, I shared some
thoughts on actually
figuring out what your
brand is. You can read
that article here: www.
digitaldealer.com/yourbrand-is-either-growing/.
Now let's talk about the
best way to convey that
brand perception to the
marketplace:
First, memorialize what
your brand is. Make sure

can be multi-purposed
for infomercials, instore digital signage,
emails, and commercial
messages for television
and the internet.
Interview. Rather than
trying to write a script,
let those who know
you best tell your story.
Start by interviewing on
camera the dealership
owners, including previous generations that
started the dealership.
Interview key personnel, especially longterm team members.
Interview customers,
especially those who
have purchased multiple
vehicles over the year
and those customers
that have referred others. Interview vendors
and suppliers. Interview
http://www.digitaldealer.com/your-brand-is-either-growing/ http://www.digitaldealer.com/your-brand-is-either-growing/ http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - October 2017
