The Outdoor Power Equipment industry has been taken over by a formidable opponent: Amazon. The all-encompassing online marketplace has earned an estimated $2 billion in U.S. sales, causing even loyal, long term clients to consider switching over.
To make matters worse, their stake in the lawn and garden market doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
In order to combat this issue, dealers must embed a sense of flexibility within their current structures and be willing to implement one or more of the following tools and dealership marketing tips:
Reach Millennials
This requires a “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” mentality for business that’s well worth the compromise. As Millennials continue to age, they’ll soon be taking over as the primary consumer demographic with powerful market control across all industries.
Since Amazon is based online and Millennials are proven internet shoppers, dealers can either choose to partner with Amazon and distribute products through their platform or establish an online sales presence and improve dealership profit margins.
Make your company highly searchable on Google
One of the most important dealership marketing tips revolves around keeping your website easy to locate with the help of up-to-date SEO and digital marketing practices. Google Adwords also offer a convenient way to reach your target demographic. Ideally you’ll want your brand to appear on the first page of searches conducted with your primary key words.
If your website isn’t already #1 or #2 in search rankings, this will take some long term planning. The results, however, are worth the effort.
Clearly communicate products and offers with a highly responsive and skimmable website design
Did you know that it only takes prospects 0.05 seconds to form an opinion about your website? Slow loading sites might deter them altogether as the attention span of web surfers appears to be decreasing.
Furthermore, companies with vague or confusing website designs risk losing current clients who require convenient access to information. Ensuring your web presence is up-to-date and user friendly is a large step towards competing with online retail behemoths like Amazon.
Provide additional value to online customers
You can even go on step further and create content for new clients or first time customers that adds value to their purchasing experience without pressuring them to buy. This goes a long way towards establishing trust and converts one-time buyers into lifelong relationships.
While you’re looking at dealership marketing tips, you should also make sure your site is compatible on mobile platforms too as consumers may also be shopping on their phones.
For dealers looking to go above and beyond in online sales, consider choosing a business management solution that can easily integrate into digital marketing efforts (like email campaigns) or provide the kind of mobile accessibility that is in high demand these days. Charter’s ASPEN Business Management Software offers these competitive features and more.