subject: All-in-ones Are Typically Experts At None - Getting Automotive Digital Media Right [print this page] Last year I had quite the fiasco with the tires/wheels on my car. I'll spare you the details but it took 7 trips to the dealer and tire shop to get it resolved. To avoid ever being stranded roadside again I looked for an all-in-one gadget that would jump start my car, inflate the tires, and check the tire pressure. As I read the reviews I learned all of these gadgets were indeed all-in-one, but great at nothing. I ended up with three individual purchases, each of which is best in class. My total purchase cost less than an all-in-one.
If you own a dealership you have a whole lot to worry about. Inventory, personnel, facility, and the list goes on. By the time you get to advertising, "just wanting it solved" is understandable and is reflected here in wanting a silver bullet for digital media. But just like dealers have separate machines to jump start cars and to inflate tires, digital media requires the same separation of expertise. It's not until you're a worldwide household brand name that you're working with an agency that truly has experts in every discipline. So, how do you get it right? The good news, it's not so hard.
- Let your agency know you don't expect them to have internal experts for every aspect of digital media. It's okay for them to assemble best-in-class partners in order to get the best product through one source. Managing your social media pages requires a completely different set of skills than managing a web site, or SEO/SEM, or buying display/video ads.
- Make sure you personally can connect the dots on what you're being told. "Facebook just doesn't show all posts to all of your users" is true, but there's a reason. Make sure you understand completely, or ask the agency to find a more complete explanation.
- If you're a group of dealerships, or a truly large dealership, consider working separately with an agency that is exclusively digital. Even within that agency they may not have every discipline in-house, it's more likely the jump-starter will know it's not an air compressor!
- Finally, track your ROI. No, that's not to say for every tweet you should sell 'x' number of cars. Just like TV where you can't track that one spot sold you 'x' number of cars, you valued the media exposure. If someone retweets you, count that media exposure. If people watch YouTube videos on your YouTube channel, count that is media exposure. Value it and make sure your efforts are paying off.
Digital media shouldn't be frustrating. It should be powerful and generate a return greater than the spend you put into it. If you can make that your silver bullet rather than wanting an all-in-one, you'll beat your competition with ease.
by: Jay Friedman
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
