We’ve been told that our blog titles can be confusing. It’s my hope that the trend does not translate over to our products and services sounding confusing as well. They’re really not. In fact, they’re about as straightforward as it gets.
The automotive industry is currently experiencing an “up” era on the trend lines. This is great for those of us who promote aggressive product lines because it means that savvy dealers who really want to dominate usually have the funds to invest in their future. Thankfully, in the worlds of automotive content, search, and social, investing in tomorrow is also an investment into today.
Our industry is underserved on the premium side of advanced marketing packages, which is why we’ve opted for very hands-on digital marketing practices rather than automation or bulk methodologies. It’s why our average client pays close to $5000 per month for these products. It’s why we retain over 90% of our clients despite having month-to-month contracts. Unfortunately, it’s also why we’re not a good fit for most dealers. Thanks to industry averages, we’re often competing with vendors charging $1500-$3000 per month for the “same” products.
My goal isn’t to insult anyone. If you’re paying in that range right now for your content, search, and social, you’re not to blame. We are. The industry vendors have forced each other to define “aggressive” in much lower budgetary terms than what is really required. It has created parody in the car business; vendors drive down each others’ prices which forces them to cut corners on the products to manage profits, which eventually leads to “sales” that drive prices even lower, thus forcing further cuts in quality.
True content marketing that lasts into tomorrow and still has the power to create immediate results comes with an investment that most dealers consider hefty. That’s okay. We aren’t running an exclusive club where only big groups can afford us. We have services that help dealers make the step to the next level that fall into the $1500-$3000 per month range, allowing us to make improvements while preparing for the next level, and then the next level, and culminating in complete domination within a market. Everyone has to start somewhere and if the lower level is the right place, we’re not going to hold anyone back from entering the game.
With all of that said, dealerships in metro areas that want to truly label their efforts as “aggressive” must stop thinking along the lines of spending a couple thousand dollars for extended periods of time on their content marketing and be willing to truly invest into the future.
There’s a reason that a dry aged prime cut ribeye costs 10X as much as a decent burger. Just because they’re both advertised as beef doesn’t mean that they’re created equal. Who’s ready for some steak?
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