Five ways dealerships can be community-minded

Who are your customers? They are the people living and working in the community around you. If your dealership isn’t willing to get out and be a part of that same community, you are missing out on the opportunity to market to your target audience. Simply having regular sales and events isn’t enough. You need to do more and show that your dealership is community-minded.

Here are five simple yet creative ways to appeal to your local customers.

Provide a Free Car Wash

Customers want something free, so what better way to get connected than by offering a free car wash? While you could provide a single event that offers car washes for the day, we recommend going a step further.

For example, Stone’s Automotive Group in Idaho provides free car washes for life to anyone that buys a vehicle. While that sure is generous and probably boosts business, Performance Lexus Rivercenter takes it a step further and offers the free car wash to anyone with a Lexus, no matter where it was purchased.

Not only are you making your customer’s life easier, but you are helping them care for their vehicle. When they bring it to you for trade-in, it will have a higher resale value which helps boost your bottom line.

Sponsor/Host Local Events

When you sponsor or host a local event, you can increase your interaction with the public, generate repeat business and create more brand awareness. Throughout the year, there are many opportunities to reach out.

During the summer, consider hosting a barbecue. Make sure you keep it family-friendly with a big bounce house and fun games. Sunrise Chevrolet creates a unique opportunity with a car show and barbecue to support local causes. However, you don’t need to raise money for any charity in particular to draw a crowd. Families will come out just to enjoy a free event.

Free Gas Incentive

Another way to give back to your local community is to offer free gas with every purchase. As fuel prices rise, customers are looking for ways they can cut costs. While it’s not technically an event, you could offer the promotion for a limited time, creating more hype.

You don’t even have to give away a lot to create excitement. For example, The Auto Plaza gives a $25 Wawa gift card for fuel and a free oil change. Another option is to offer free fuel to certain people, whether they purchase from you or not. Take a look at how the San Diego Honda Dealers provided free fuel for firefighters during Firefighter Appreciation Month.

However you choose to offer free fuel, remember this hot commodity is sure to draw some attention to your dealership while you boost your efforts in the community.

Free Car Seat Safety Clinic

Child safety is paramount to everyone and the dealership can be a beacon of hope for new parents. Not only can you showcase some of your vehicles, but you can teach local parents how to properly install their child’s seat.

Maple Toyota not only hosted a car seat clinic, but the dealership provides appointments to customers for help with car seat installation. This is just another way to show the community how much your dealership truly cares.

Food Pantry

There are people in your community that are struggling to make ends meet right now. Maybe they will never be in a position to buy a car from you, but there’s plenty you can do to help them and show you care.

As an example, Brandon Tomes Subaru started a food pantry. Not only can customers donate food when they visit, but people without food can swing in and get some cans without any judgment. Even better, the pantry they’ve designed is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What Will You Do For Your Community?

With endless options available to you, it’s simple to reach out to your dealership’s local community. Evaluate the needs in the area or take a customer survey to ask for guidance. With some ingenuity and compassion, you can serve the region while boosting your bottom line.

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