Today on CBT News, John Fitzpatrick, CEO of Force Marketing, joins the show to discuss the current state of automotive marketing. With marketing trends constantly changing, Fitzpatrick elaborates on current marketing initiatives, strategies, and predictions in the landscape of automotive marketing.
Fitzpatrick begins the conversation by discussing the inventory shortages across the industry. While many dealership lots are scarce because of the ongoing microchip shortage, car shoppers haven’t stopped buying cars. Force is working hard to provide consultation to their dealer clients to help them make difficult decisions regarding marketing budgets and ad spending.
When discussing whether dealers should or shouldn’t be spending marketing dollars, Fitzpatrick says that now is the perfect opportunity for dealers to take market share. Dealers across the country have an even playing field because of the shortage of inventory. With less supply of vehicles there is a much greater chance that only one dealer in any given market will have the exact trim that a customer is looking to buy.
Fitzpatrick says that the inventory shortage has drawn more car buyers to look at other options than one particular model. Customers are increasingly interested in walking off the lot with a vehicle, whether it was the initial vehicle they wanted to buy or not. Alternative options should be reaching those customers, in hopes of luring them away from the brands they are loyal to.
Fitzpatrick concludes the conversation by discussing the importance of social media interaction. In today’s competitive market, dealers must be willing to be omnipresent on all social channels. These include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google, and Youtube. These channels help dealers connect to specific audiences that can help grow their business.
