Digital Dealer - June 2019 - 35

utilize our own database in CDK. Many
dealerships today forget that the single
most important source of revenue is their
own customers. You have inactive and
active customers in your backyard that
you must not forget. For targeting, we use
our pump in pump out reports, pull ahead
lists, active prospects, as well as maximize
our PMAs. We measure what we have
implemented in our go-to-market strategy
by using these reports with our OEM
partners. We also leverage press releases
extensively as an SEO advantage over other
dealerships in our market.
DEALER MAGAZINE: How do you
accomplish all the work you're doing? Are
there any tools you use?
MELANIE: In 2018, all marketing
and advertising efforts were brought
in-house, including creative, PR, vendor
management, co-op, content creation, etc.
All of our marketing has been streamlined,
and this has given the owners complete
control of their messaging.
Since starting our in-house agency, I
rely on a few different systems, which are
essential in my day-to-day. Box.com is
where we house and organize everything in
our content library. Within Box, we store all
content including, photos, creative, video,
etc. It is absolutely essential that every
dealership has a content library. Ease of use
to all assets helps with marketing efficiently.
Sprout Social is where my team manages
our day to day organic social. We have
dozens of social media profiles, and this
gives my team the ability to create a content
calendar, and a posting strategy - all in one
place. I use Cision's PR Newswire for all of
our PR needs. For my more administrative
responsibilities, such as my team's project
management workflow, co-op, media
buying and planning, I work out of google
docs and the various OEM portals.
DEALER MAGAZINE: What kind of
support do you have?
MELANIE:

Our marketing team consists of three
women including myself, our creative
director, and a social media intern.
Our business development center,
run by another mom, also centralized

all of the dealership's sales and service
department's BDCs. She has a staff of
16 and 14 are women. Although this
is a separate department, the BDC
director and I have partnered, working
hand in hand with our teams together.
We found that the dealership was over
communicating to customers, and there
was no real retention team following
up on the marketing (emails, mailers).
The BDC team now includes a retention
team that is responsible for following
up with our customers after they receive
marketing collateral from us. This has
helped us to improve profitability and
trackability. We have eliminated most
of our external direct mail and email
vendors.
Our teams, by working
together, bridge the
THE STRENGTH OF
gap between sales and
CELEBRITY MOTOR CARS IS
service and the outbound
marketing strategy
WE OPERATE AS A TEAM, AND
efficiencies.
DEALER MAGAZINE:

THIS IS WHAT SETS US APART

Any final thoughts or goals
FROM ANY OTHER AUTO
for the future?
MELANIE: One of
GROUP OR DEALERSHIP IN
our goals has been to
THE INDUSTRY."
build awareness for our
philanthropic efforts within
our community. We now
drive awareness throughout various
avenues, including internal Celebrity Auto
Group communications, email marketing
to our customer database, press, social
media, (paid and organic) websites,
television, and signage in the showroom
at the dealership.
Celebrity prides itself on making
a difference and supporting families
less fortunate in our community - all
year round. We focus on building
productive, mutually rewarding, longterm relationships with deserving
entities in our community, including The
Community Soup Kitchen of Morristown,
Rose Petals, Community Center of
Northern Westchester, and the Goodwill
Rescue Mission of Newark, thereby
building positive relationships within our
community. ■

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

JUNE 2019

35
http://www.Box.com http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM
Digital Dealer - June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - June 2019
