Can you actually implement great marketing on a budget?

Definitely

Of course the over-priced marketing “gurus” or advertising reps won’t tell you this. These are the people who want you to believe “promoting” requires an huge investment over a extended period of your time–which can solely be done by the experts.

“Image,” “brand,” “awareness,” and “exposure” they cry… as they inch nearer and nearer to your wallet.

Then of course they mystify you with industry jargon simply so you have no way of understanding what’s being done and what kind of results you’ll actually expect with such a campaign.

That’s hard enough to stomach for a rich dealer, let alone a small, used car dealer who won’t fathom spending $3000 for a single ad merely to “get their name out there” and “hopefully” generate some leads.

But we’re here to inform you this whole marketing thing doesn’t need to be complicated or perhaps that expensive. Of course advertising and design companies want you to think it’s, because that’s how they make their cash – charging small businesses, like car dealers, a lot of cash to manage a process that appears very complex.

In truth, maintaining a quality image and building a strong brand is truly pretty easy…and we’re about to teach you some high-end marketing and publicizing tricks you’ll implement immediately-even on a budget.

Here’s the deal. A lot of what people think about branding and image doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you just sell cars. And from expertise, spending a lot of money on a high-end design business won’t necessarily achieve those goals either.

Don’t get me wrong– having a professional and polished image can make a big difference in developing trust with prospective customers. And a spiffy appearance can assist you look larger and better than you actually are (and more secure than your other used automotive competitors).

BUT, it doesn’t need a small wealth to get the job done.

With the info given in this article, you’ll learn the tools and ways necessary to freshen up your look and makeover your entire image – including your logo, business cards, stationary, website, and flyers – in about two weeks for not much more than a 99 Taurus at the auction.

Thus with that said, here are our best suggestions in beefing up your dealership’s marketing and branding efforts on a dime:

1. Don’t Waste Cash on “Perfect”- Good Enough is Good Enough

Nobody cares about your logo or site more than you do. So don’t get anxious and fanatical about the method and spend more money (and time) than needed on these things.

Simply shoot for a polished, professional and simple look. You don’t need funky, over the top or award winning designs.

Ideally, you‘ll need to work with a designer to ensure a clean and professional web site or logo, however just know from the start you won’t need the most expensive package or the unnecessary bells and whistles they have to offer.

2. Brandscending

Yes, we made this word up. It’s a cross of branding and transcend. What we mean by brandscend is to emerge on top of ancient branding strategy. Most people assume branding is something that is achieved over a long amount of your time with a ton of effort and money. That’s true.

But that’s not the only means to achieve a sturdy brand presence and a solid image (that of course no one within the business will ever tell you).

Therefore rather than listening to the marketing reps and taking out an expensive “branded” ad for 10 months straight just to “get your name out there”, you’d do just as well with your money developing and maintaining a polished image and steadily using it in all of your efforts –i.e. signs, commercials, mail, print ads, shirts, letters and website, to further promote the value of your brand.

3. Corporate Identity

The average worth for a company identity package (logo, letterhead, business cards and envelopes) from a reputable design firm is about $3,000. Ouch!

However did you know that many terribly gifted graphic designers moonlight as self-employed entrepreneurs? And without the costly overhead of running a firm, their rates are A LOT less. And by much less, we mean as much as 90% less.

Yes! Meaning you can get a complete and professional corporate ID package for as little as $300 by working with some on-line outlets. Merely search “corporate identity” on Google and you may find a long list of options.

Everything Else

Once armed with your new look and emblem, you can hire a local graphic designer (or one of the people you found online) to apply that logo to your signs and banners. You’ll visit an embroidery store and have your logo added to golf shirts and hats. You’ll be able to find the best site to get distinctive name tags with your new design.

The sky is the boundary. You’ll be stunned how proud you’ll be to display your new image in as many ways as you can. And you must – that’s how you make it pay off.

Who This Doesn’t Apply To

If you’re the type of individual who will need an executive board meeting to come to a decision on new logos and the headline for your website these ideas probably aren’t for you.

Simply like it’s not always convenient to shop around or clip coupons for the best deal, you’ll have to be ready to be flexible and somewhat tolerant when dealing with individuals via the internet. That’s the trade off to buy a brand new fancy look for your business for dimes on the dollar.

To get more traffic, sell more cars and make more net profit by making the car business fun again check out our FREE video training called The New Rules Of Automotive Marketing created especially for Car Dealers and Managers by visiting www.RichDealers.com