The number one thing that ensures your business stays alive

Before I start off, I want to say that I am by no means trying to sell you something here. I am merely showing you what I have found to be the number one contributor of a thriving long lasting business. Think about some of the oldest organizations out there; Coke USA, Shell Oil, Brooks Brothers leather, Macys, WalMart, I could list more but you get the point. They all have one thing in common. Everyone knows who they are. You know who these companies are because they got out of obscurity and marketed their products to the public for years. This allowed them to stick around for years and years and straight up outlast the competition, all along the way getting bigger and bigger and bigger.  Now, they may not have the best products, or even the best services but the most well-known always beats the best products or services. You could have the best customer service in the industry but if no one knows who you are and not enough people buy from your store,  you eventually go out of business because someone else became better known than you and people started buying from them. The number one contributing factor to businesses going out of business is that they didn’t sell enough products at high enough prices at a fast enough rate. Think about it, how many dealerships went out of business during Covid? I’m sure a few, but they were already in trouble before Covid started and that gave them a good excuse to just go ahead and shut down. Now, how many dealerships went out of business between the years 2008-2010? My point here is that if you don’t market your business to your customers in relevant ways then someone else will and people will shop elsewhere. Just because you have control of a PMA doesn’t mean someone isn’t serving ads to your customers. You know just as well as I know that people will drive hours these days to go to other dealerships. They may do this for a multitude of reasons, but you don’t want them to drive by you because they forgot about you. I’m going to give you 3 reasons why it is so important to market your dealership online these days.

#1 Frequency Builds Trust

Frequency leads to trust, trust leads to sales, sales leads to profit. When customers see a brand or product repeatedly, it creates a sense of familiarity. People tend to trust what is familiar to them, and this is no different in the world of marketing. By consistently exposing customers to a brand or product, businesses can increase their likelihood of being remembered and recognized, which can ultimately lead to increased trust. Frequent marketing messages can help establish credibility. When customers see a brand or product advertised consistently over time, it can create a perception that the company is reliable and committed. This can be especially important for new or lesser-known brands trying to establish themselves in a market. By using frequency to showcase their product or service, businesses can signal that they are serious about what they do and committed to delivering value to their customers. When customers see a consistent message or image from a brand, it can create a sense of authenticity and trustworthiness. Frequency builds trust with marketing by creating familiarity, establishing credibility, and reinforcing a brand's message or values. By leveraging the power of frequency in their marketing efforts, businesses can establish a deeper connection with their customers and increase the likelihood of long-term success.

#2 Technology Advances and Shopping Trends

One of the most significant changes brought about by technology is the way powersports vehicles are marketed and sold. In the past, dealerships relied heavily on traditional advertising methods like TV, radio, and print ads to promote their products. However, the rise of the internet and social media has changed the game. Today, powersports dealerships can reach a wider audience by creating an online presence through social media platforms, websites, and online marketplaces. This has allowed dealerships to expand their customer base and reach potential buyers from all over the world. Nowadays, customers are only visiting between one and two dealerships before actually making a purchase. This means that we have to give that same experience that a customer would get in your dealership online. How well do you think your dealership would do if your staff didn’t greet them and be willing to help and show them around the dealership? Not very good. That’s basically what you're doing if you neglect your customer online or you don’t present your dealership and inventory online the correct way. You're basically saying we exist but we aren’t going to make an effort to show you what we have to offer. Instead of actually coming to your dealership to check you out they will just move on to the next one that is willing to show them what they got.   

I watched a show the other day called “Netflix vs The World” (on Amazon Prime LOL). A big part of this was the rise and fall of Blockbuster. You know the brick and mortar movie rental place. People had to actually leave their house, get in their car, drive to the store and then pick a movie out. Netflix saw an opportunity with the rise of the internet to have an online store where people could shop from the comfort of their own homes and get the movie delivered right to their door step. What a concept, huh? Blockbuster eventually folded and Netflix prevailed and is now one of the most dominating companies in the TV and entertainment space. My point in telling you this is that we are not going to get away from this trend. More and more are we getting to a point in society where people are going to shop online. We are not exempt from this phenomenon. In fact, I believe that in the future there will be less dealerships and you will actually have the capability to buy a motorcycle or ATV online and go to dealership and just pick it up or … have it delivered.

#3 Obscurity

In today's world, where we are constantly bombarded with information and advertisements, it can be challenging for a business to stand out in the crowd. The success of a business is heavily dependent on its reputation and visibility in the public eye. Businesses that are not known by the public are doomed to fail because they lack the necessary exposure and credibility to attract customers and establish a loyal following. Brand awareness refers to the level of familiarity consumers have with a particular brand. It is a crucial factor in determining a business's success because consumers are more likely to purchase products or services from a brand they are familiar with. If a business is not known to the public, it is unlikely to attract customers or generate sales, which can be detrimental to its survival. Brand awareness can be established through various marketing techniques, such as social media marketing. A business that invests in these strategies can increase its visibility and build its reputation in the eyes of the public. However, without these efforts, the business may struggle to gain traction and may eventually fail.

With an uncertain future ahead of us it’s more important now than ever to be aware of ways to maintain and grow your business. If you’re not growing in some form or fashion, you are going backwards. Marketing is a sure-fire way you are the choice the consumer makes when they make a decision to purchase. You have to get out of obscurity and start building your brand online. The internet and advancements in technology are not going away. Those that wait will be the ones that suffer the most. They will wake up a year or two or five from now and realize they lost critical business that’s crucial to their companies survival. Don’t be a Blockbuster, don’t be stuck in your ways so much that you cannibalize yourself and everyone around you. If we want the customer to come in the door we have to give them a reason to do so. Now, that means giving them that in-store experience online. Many will read the first paragraph and click off.  If you have read this far, you are probably one of the very few progressive minded individuals that has seen this trend coming and know you need to do something about it. Inaction is almost always caused by not understanding or knowing how to implement something. If you can’t quite figure this marketing thing out or just want someone you can trust to do it for you, reach out to me. I am always willing to help progressive minded individuals that want to improve themselves and their businesses.