“Think different do different” with Heroleads “Be no.1 in the automotive” business
“I don’t think traditional marketing is bad, I just don’t believe it’s enough to keep you ahead of the competition.”
Khun Gun – Pachara Chinnawong, Senior Digital Consultant of Heroleads, started our conversation by talking about the future of the automotive industry in the digital era.
He asked a great question, “How can companies survive when customers prefer shopping online more than visiting a showroom?”
We’ve had a lot of consulting experience when it comes to the automotive industry. More than 30 automotive brands trust our insights and abilities, they’re all doing well this year. Gun has seen a changing customer pathway and advises that automotive businesses need to adapt and go online before it’s too late.
You might be asking – why does he think that?
We knew you’d be curious, so let’s have a discussion with our No. 1 automotive business consultant here at Heroleads.
The changing customer pathway
It was very popular in the past that every dealer reserves a big booth in a big exhibition and hopes they can sell a million cars.
Hoping that families (a potential target for automotive businesses) and their good reputation will bring them new prospects through word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM).
Of course, this old-fashioned strategy still works today, but if you’re a sales person you will surely see this strategy is becoming less and less effective when it comes to generating sales.
For WOMM, yes, in the past it might work. Thais were highly influenced by stars, and then they turned to believe their friends and now they are influenced by ordinary people on Pantip instead because they know that even stars can be hired.
“Audiences trust the internet influencer. They believe that reviewers on Pantip.com have no conflict of interest with automotive brands. What that means is you’re in big trouble if customers can’t find any good information about you online.”
How active are automotive businesses on digital platforms?
Most of them are inactive because they see results from traditional marketing and sales. They think to themselves, “Why should I learn something new and go online?”
But they should think again because when it comes to new tools and opportunities it’s always first come, first serve. There are opportunities waiting for anyone who takes the chance to grab them.
Some dealers don’t realize this, or choose to ignore the power of online marketing. They think they have been doing a good job and online marketing isn’t necessary for them.
However, it’s important to remember that a strong marketing campaign responds to each process in the sales funnel, from Consideration to Conversion.
Automotive Companies might be responsible for creating brand awareness, but dealers are the ones who are responsible for closing the sale
“I don’t think that sales techniques and strategies that are old-fashioned are bad, but when it comes to business it’s all about increasing profits. Customers are changing, you need to meet them where they are – online. Make plans around this and backup plans in case things don’t work the first time – not only plan A, but also B, C, D and etc.”
One of our clients hesitated at first to go online. So instead of paying 100% of his advertising budget, he decided to give 30% to our Heroleads Marketing team. When the end of the month came, online advertising generated him more sales than traditional marketing.
They paid less but profited more because online marketing connected them with real customers at the right moment. Starting from a tiny showroom in the suburbs, he has found a way to make his vision a success.
“We only have to think 1% differently from others in order to create drastic outcomes. So, you have an easy choice – do the same things and get the same results. Or think differently and find business success with a new approach and perspective.”
How online marketing boosts your automotive business
You might pay for a booth in the department store or exhibition to attract customers with a strong interest in buying a car right?
It’s the same when it comes to online marketing, but you can do it much cheaper. You spend 100,000 THB for a booth and get the space for only 7 days, but the same amount can give you space for 30 days with an online platform.
CPU (Cost per Unit) is very cheap. Not only cheaper and time-saving, but online marketing provides with a super power – Tracking Ability.
What do you mean by Tracking ability?
For example, you do a booth – have you ever count how many people walk through your booth? How much you have to spend for each lead?
No, you never do that but for online marketing, everything is tracked. It gives you information on how many people saw your ad, how many clicks you had, and how many leads that turned into paying customers. You can track everything and use all of that information to make your next campaign launch even more successful.
Which online marketing tools are best suited the automotive industry?
Google and Facebook have the most users and are the best platforms to use today.
They allow you to track very important customer behavior.
When utilizing Facebook and Google you should ask yourself these questions:
- Are they interested in buying?
- Are they searching for a car?
- Are they interested in a car?
People are constantly updating almost every step of their life on Facebook, whether they are holding a wedding ceremony or feeding their child. When they post on Facebook, Google can catch that keyword and show them your advertisement.
Can online marketing create instant results?
Any marketing campaign takes time, whether ads on TV or at a booth. We have to do trial and error in a period of time and find out how to control the variables that might change the results. If you’re having trouble with your revenue targets, I would always talk to your sales team first, they are a direct line to your customers.
Because no matter how many opportunities you have, if you don’t have someone that can close the deal nothing will change.
Online marketing is a powerful tool for bringing customers to your store but your salesperson will have to do their job to turn the customer into a paying customer.
At Heroleads, we have HeroBase which is a digital platform that can track individual sales performance as well as the quality of leads so you can adjust everything before it is too late.
Why you should to partner with Heroleads
Because we are online marketing experts who provide a one-stop service solution to automotive businesses. Not only do we have a wealth of experience in online marketing and the automotive industry. We also have innovative technology that utilizes tracking to improve campaign performance.
Our approach has made us #1 in Digital Marketing, get in touch with us and we’ll make you #1 in the Automotive Industry.
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