How much would online marketing cost my auto dealership?

Sometimes it can be a real guessing game trying to figure out how much money your auto dealership should spend on marketing in order to generate more business.  There’s always the fear that you might not spend enough and would risk not reaching anyone.  Then again, you could spend too much and waste your money on unsuccessful tactics.  Deciding how to spend your marketing budget is a big deal for any business, regardless of whether you’re a tiny shop that is just starting out or a booming chain that is well-established.  If you invest your marketing budget carefully and in the smartest media outlets for your dealership, you have the opportunity to boost your profit dramatically.

Online marketing is a smart choice.
As a marketing agency that specializes in digital strategies, at Stratosphere Studio we naturally put a lot of stock in online marketing.  However, we didn’t just come to this conclusion arbitrarily.  Instead, we determined this after much time and experience with multiple media outlets while conducting research to find the most cost-effective platforms.  As the world approaches the year 2014, with our smartphones, tablets, countless social networks, Google Glass, terabytes, apps, online shopping, online banking, and basically online everything, the answer is very clear: digital marketing is the best, most cost-effective method of advertising any business, including car dealerships.

Online marketing is often cheaper and more versatile.
The cost of advertising using any type of media outlet depends on several factors, including which market you’re in, whether your focus is on a local or national level, how popular the outlet is, and how grand your advertising campaign might be.  But there are some ballpark figures to consider.  To run a TV spot, for instance, you’ll need to factor in the cost of producing the spot, which could be as little as $1,000 or well over that, depending on your budget.  The cost of running your ad will likely be over $10,000 if you’re targeting your local area for 4 weeks.  With radio, you’ll also have to pay to produce your spot, but production and the cost of running the ad will be slightly cheaper than TV.  To pay for an outdoor ad, you’re looking at maybe $2,500 a month.  For print, costs vary widely, but the bigger publications will charge you over $2,000 for just one 2c x 5” ad.

Online marketing has a very different pricing structure, because there are so many avenues to choose from.  For a full campaign, for instance, you might spend about the same as a TV spot every month.  For individual services, such as Google advertising, blogging, social networking, and so on, you might spend only $1,000 per month.  The cost depends on which services you need and what kind of marketing agency you choose.

Online marketing yields trackable results.
Perhaps the biggest benefit to investing your money in digital marketing is that it’s trackable.  You will be able to see very clearly how successful your campaign is.  You will be able to track how many people visit your website, as well as how many visitors convert into leads, become social networking followers, click on your ads, and so on.  With the other types of advertising, it’s impossible to know exactly how many people are listening to your radio spot or seeing your ad in the paper.  All you can base your progress on is a series of estimates.

Are you ready to take your auto dealership marketing online?
At Stratosphere Studio we can develop the perfect marketing strategy for your car dealership.  We can produce a comprehensive digital marketing proposal for you or provide individual services, such as website design, blogging, search engine optimization, and more.  We are currently offering low-cost trial packages that can match any budget.  We specialize in automotive marketing and work with some of the top shops across the country.  If you’re ready to bring more business to your dealership, then call us today.