Thinking Outside of the Box Helps Draw Customers to RV Dealerships

by: Melissa Broadus

RV dealers have always used promotions to encourage customers to visit their dealerships to purchase new units, service, and accessories. This year is no exception even though many dealers cut back due to the slower economy. However, those dealers speaking with RV Executive Today have come up with some new and creative ways to create traffic, while holding to their tighter budgets.

Internet Marketing
Internet marketing is one of the most affordable methods available, and it reaches large numbers of potential buyers. According to the dealers talking to RV Executive Today, many moved towards this cost effective approach, because it not only helps keep costs down, but it is just as effective, or more effective, than other forms of advertising.

“We have really focused on the internet this year,” says Rick Brooks, business manager at Susquehanna Valley RV in Selinsgrove, PA. “Keeping it fresh and exciting helps us promote all our products, both new and aged.We’ve also focused on optimization so that we are the first people that appear when someone is searching for a dealership.”

“We use our website to advertise our special events,” adds Steve Bell, owner of Bell Camper Sales in Bartlesville, OK. “The large banner ad we put up not only is a quick ad for the sale, but when someone clicks on it, it gives them the full flyer that we sent out by mail for them to view.”

“I had planned to do some cable TV advertising, but when I spoke to our local provider, they suggested a rotating banner ad on their website,” says Lindsey Reines, president of Reines RV Center, Inc. in Manassas, VA. “We went ahead and did that. Now, when Comcast users go to check their e-mail, they sometimes see a banner ad for our dealership.”

The ability to market on the internet has grown rapidly due to sites such as eBay, Craigslist, Facebook, and Twitter. Most of these sites are either free or have minimal costs associated with them, making them attractive options.

“We have used eBay and Craigslist to help us highlight a specific unit that we are trying to move off the lot,” says Helen Zag, general manager of Greeneway, Inc. in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. “Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Since Craigslist is free and eBay has just a small fee, it is worth it to try.”

Special Events
Participating in special events or having an open house always draws attention to the dealership. Though the cost may be higher than some other types of promotions, the return can also be much higher, according to some dealers.

“The Saturday before Father’s Day, my dealership participated in an event called, ‘Big Boys Toys’,’” says Reines. “There were a variety of recreation companies from boats, to motorcycles, to airplanes, displaying their products. It gave us a chance to showcase our products to people who understand the recreation lifestyle without them having to come to the dealership.We hope that we will see some of these people in the dealership soon.”

“Open houses have always been a part of our promotions,” adds Brooks. “We have changed how we’ve done them this year by teaming up with local fire stations, campgrounds, and the cancer society as fundraisers.We think that we have had more serious buyers come in that way, and been able to give them more of our time.”

“We did a ‘10 Day Summer Spectacular Sale’ from June 19 to the 29,” says Bell. “It was just your typical sale, and it brought in some business, even though it was a little slower than previous years.We also used the fact that one of our manufacturers, Gulf Stream, is running a promotion to give away a free travel trailer to encourage customers to come.”

Incentives to Visit the Dealership
Some dealers draw customers to their locations with raffles, coupons, or other special deals. Dealers speaking with RV Executive Today say this helps encourage repeat business from new customers, and brings previous customers back in to purchase accessories and service.

“At the end of each month, we hold a drawing for a $100 gift certificate,” says Zag. “Every customer that comes into the store, whether they purchase anything or not, can enter into the drawing. This really helps us track what the customer is there for, where they heard about us, and other general information about them. They must fill out the form completely to be eligible to win, and they can spend the money on anything in the store.”

“The flyer that Outpost Communications created for our sales event included coupons,” adds Bell. “It is just an extra incentive to come in, even if the customer isn’t there for a new unit, they can still save on service and accessories.”

“We teamed up with Pennsylvania Outdoor Life to give away a pop up camper,” adds Brooks. “It helped us reach out to new customers, and brought in some good traffic.”

Innovative Marketing Ideas
While some dealers are adding new twists to more common promotions, some dealers are trying entirely new ways to bring customers in.

“We sectioned off a portion of our sales lot, right near the highway, to set up displays showing how people may actually use specific RVs,” says Zag. “For example, we set up a Keystone Raptor toy hauler out there, and included a four-wheeler in the display to give a better idea of the potential of the unit. Plus, the highway location really broadens the audience.”

“We’ve also done a ‘Blue Light Special’ promotion. We have a spinning blue light out on the sales floor highlighting certain units that have great prices. It’s been an effective way to draw customers’ attention to the values,” adds Zag.

“We have done a couple of new things this year to draw attention to our dealership,” says Reines. “Early in the year, we participated in the DC Auto Show.We had done this probably 15 years before, and thought it was a good way to expose about 50,000 people to the RV lifestyle. We were extremely busy, because a lot of the people there had never been in an RV before, and were very curious.”

“Our other new idea this year has been, ‘Turn Your RV into Cash.’We haven’t really advertised that we would buy pre-owned RVs in the past, but now we are pushing it in all of our promotional pieces,” adds Reines.

Regardless of how dealers are promoting their dealerships, they are seeing some positive response. Those speaking with RV Executive Today are optimistic and plan to continue with their strategies to keep their dealerships profitable into the future.

Is your dealership doing a new and creative promotion? Share it with RVDA, e-mail info@rvda.org, or call the dealer services hotline.