Hello Jeff, et al! Here are some marketing ideas... from the UK (I have no idea about cars, but I'm OK at marketing, it's fun)
I'm Ling, some of you may know me
Hmm, I don't spend a penny on marketing or adverts, apart from the odd £25 on a FB post that goes viral. £zilch. I rely on referrals to my website and word of mouth. I don't buy any Google adwords or take part on any websites like Autotrader or What car or Contracthireandleasing. They are all like vampires in the UK, sucking cash. You can get hooked on them like heroin. All you do is compete with other dealers, a bit like the States competing with the Feds, driving the price of ventilators and masks, up.
So, I was getting a bit panicky last week, as it seemed impossible to break through the wall of news on Covid19 in the UK. The top 10 BBC items were all Covid. My Web traffic was dropping. No one was listening to posts about Citroen C3s and BMW Gran Coupes. WAH!
In a bid to stir up some web traffic and car orders, I thought: ...let's use the bloody virus, then!!
In the UK, as well as the NHS which means everyone gets the same great world-class healthcare (currently being used by Boris Johnson) totally free at the point of use (which must reduce massive stress for staff/everyone) , the UK Government has been really generous. For example, they paid £10,000 into my bank last week, tax free helicopter money. They also have a great scheme for staff, where any company can (is encouraged to) furlough workers. To avoid laying them off. They get 80% of their normal wage, entirely subsidised by the Gov, up to a max £2500 ($3100US) a month. Not massive, but very fine. Companies can top up the money if they want. Companies have to write staff a furlough letter. So I wrote my 80% furlough letter to staff in a slightly bonkers human way. (it's below)...
Well, it went a bit viral. It started on the Sunderland footy forum where it seems every fan will have a car from me in the future. that went to 9 pages. Link is here: https://www.readytogo.net/smb/threads/lings-cars-letter-to-staff.1512081/ One of the Mackems sent it to the Sun (biggest UK newspaper). ... then BOOM. So far, it's got Daily Mirror (another big paper), The Sun, Newcastle Chronicle (big local paper to me) and some foreign newspapers too, including a Spanish USA title. To buy this much advertising would cost £thousands. Loads of positive comments and shares on the UK newspaper sites, hundreds. Loads of backlinks. It went mental on Twitter and FB too when the newspapers went live, so many kind comments.
My web traffic went through the roof and loads of proposals on Monday, the first finance acceptance (BMW finance still working) and order (for a Mini, then a pre-reg LR Evokki, then a Golf R estate...that's still sat in Emden Germany, DRAT ) more to come I hope. I have loads in the pot, it's getting the fin cos to process them that's hard. Dealer fleet people mainly doing these from home. GDPR is out of the window.
(Albeit this is 20% of the rate of pre-virus when on average I was doing 5 car orders a day - about 100/mth).
It's a bleeding contest out there, and I think differentiation really helps. I'm really happy to be supporting struggling dealers by sending new car orders to them. I wish I could do more.
All this stuff is great Google juice, the newspaper links are worth a fortune in SEO.
Then, due to the American Spanish paper (biggest Spanish paper in the US), I got an invite to join in a Uni course in Florida State University, which is great for weblinks/google juice.
If only I were as nice to my staff as people think I am... all I was doing was giving my (few) staff a tickle in the dark days; here are some pics of the stuff (below) boyz, for those of you who struggle to read
I'm not trying to get "well done"s, just suggesting marketing opportunities still exist, even now.
Apologies for the odd sweary word in the letter, but you are all adults, eh?
- Ling
Sunderland Footy forum (and me proving to the Mackems it we REALLY me)
I'm Ling, some of you may know me
Hmm, I don't spend a penny on marketing or adverts, apart from the odd £25 on a FB post that goes viral. £zilch. I rely on referrals to my website and word of mouth. I don't buy any Google adwords or take part on any websites like Autotrader or What car or Contracthireandleasing. They are all like vampires in the UK, sucking cash. You can get hooked on them like heroin. All you do is compete with other dealers, a bit like the States competing with the Feds, driving the price of ventilators and masks, up.
So, I was getting a bit panicky last week, as it seemed impossible to break through the wall of news on Covid19 in the UK. The top 10 BBC items were all Covid. My Web traffic was dropping. No one was listening to posts about Citroen C3s and BMW Gran Coupes. WAH!
In a bid to stir up some web traffic and car orders, I thought: ...let's use the bloody virus, then!!
In the UK, as well as the NHS which means everyone gets the same great world-class healthcare (currently being used by Boris Johnson) totally free at the point of use (which must reduce massive stress for staff/everyone) , the UK Government has been really generous. For example, they paid £10,000 into my bank last week, tax free helicopter money. They also have a great scheme for staff, where any company can (is encouraged to) furlough workers. To avoid laying them off. They get 80% of their normal wage, entirely subsidised by the Gov, up to a max £2500 ($3100US) a month. Not massive, but very fine. Companies can top up the money if they want. Companies have to write staff a furlough letter. So I wrote my 80% furlough letter to staff in a slightly bonkers human way. (it's below)...
Well, it went a bit viral. It started on the Sunderland footy forum where it seems every fan will have a car from me in the future. that went to 9 pages. Link is here: https://www.readytogo.net/smb/threads/lings-cars-letter-to-staff.1512081/ One of the Mackems sent it to the Sun (biggest UK newspaper). ... then BOOM. So far, it's got Daily Mirror (another big paper), The Sun, Newcastle Chronicle (big local paper to me) and some foreign newspapers too, including a Spanish USA title. To buy this much advertising would cost £thousands. Loads of positive comments and shares on the UK newspaper sites, hundreds. Loads of backlinks. It went mental on Twitter and FB too when the newspapers went live, so many kind comments.
My web traffic went through the roof and loads of proposals on Monday, the first finance acceptance (BMW finance still working) and order (for a Mini, then a pre-reg LR Evokki, then a Golf R estate...that's still sat in Emden Germany, DRAT ) more to come I hope. I have loads in the pot, it's getting the fin cos to process them that's hard. Dealer fleet people mainly doing these from home. GDPR is out of the window.
(Albeit this is 20% of the rate of pre-virus when on average I was doing 5 car orders a day - about 100/mth).
It's a bleeding contest out there, and I think differentiation really helps. I'm really happy to be supporting struggling dealers by sending new car orders to them. I wish I could do more.
All this stuff is great Google juice, the newspaper links are worth a fortune in SEO.
Then, due to the American Spanish paper (biggest Spanish paper in the US), I got an invite to join in a Uni course in Florida State University, which is great for weblinks/google juice.
If only I were as nice to my staff as people think I am... all I was doing was giving my (few) staff a tickle in the dark days; here are some pics of the stuff (below) boyz, for those of you who struggle to read
Apologies for the odd sweary word in the letter, but you are all adults, eh?
- Ling
Sunderland Footy forum (and me proving to the Mackems it we REALLY me)
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this Ling! You're the best.
