CarmCast 067: What Needs to be In Your Marketing Plans, Right Now

In these unprecedented times – Rethink Your Marketing

Panel

  • Dori Eppstein, Automotive Coach & Consultant with ESi and Amazing Women in Automotive
  • Kim Walker, Five Stones Media, Automotive Marketing Company
  • Nannette Griffin, owner of Griffin Muffler and Brake Center, Fort Madison, IA

Discussion points:

Dori Eppstein

  1. Utilize what you already have in place. Hop on the phone with your Kukui rep or marketing agency and make sure that your marketing is targeted and that you are using the platforms available to you. 
  2. What are you doing to keep your employees and customers safe? Share that through social media. 
  3. Share useful information that you come across about what your area is doing to help in light of the current situation. 
  4. Humor. Don’t make everything so serious. Animals are one way to lighten up your social media feed.
  5. Encourage people to remain kind and thoughtful and to connect with gratitude.
  6. How are you reaching your customer base? Social media, blogs, emails, newsletters, texting. 
  7. Don’t ignore your reviews, even the negative ones.
  8. If you send out follow up emails or text messages, make sure to respond back if they have done so. 
  9. People want to hear your voice and see your face. Keep it simple. FB live is a great way to keep things simple and authentic. 
  10. Consider changing your ad-words to include COVID-19, Coronavirus, pandemic, as a way of getting it out there that you are, indeed, open during this time.

Kim Walker

  1. You are an essential service. Don’t feel bad about being open or marketing during this time. 
  2. But, adjust your marketing. Focus on retention instead of acquisition.
  3. Be compassionate. Be helpful. Be relevant. Be transparent.

Nannette Griffin

  • Social media post from groups I belong to like AskPatty, MWACA and Tech-net then with the help of my marketing gal, personalizing them to my business.
  • Staying in touch thru social media that we are here and open for business.
  • Auto Vitals post to my Facebook page a couple of times a week with funny bumper stickers and TBT. This way it’s not all gloom and doom and gives us something to smile about.
  • Mostly keeping a positive attitude knowing we are all in this together and this too shall pass.
  • I’m making a video today to reach out to our medical professionals, first responders and law enforcement to offer