RV Industry News: Recent Highlights

Check out these top highlights from the latest RV industry news!

 

• RV Trader, Jellystone and National Wildlife Federation Will Give Away 2018 Bullet Colt RV during Great American Campout 

• Pledge to camp with the Great American Campout this year and you’ll be entered to win one of Keystone’s newest 2018 models. 

• Cruise Inn RV Park System Abruptly Ends Operations

• After a series of ups and downs, the organization made the announcement that it will be closing its doors permanently. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story. 

• First Comprehensive RV Video Library Launches

• The compilation of 1-3 minute videos showcases new model layouts and floorplans, and is designed specifically to keep an interested user on an RV dealer's website for a long enough period of time that it motivates them to take their first (or next) step in the buying process. 

• RVIA Announces RV Shipments at Record Level

• This year’s shipments have reached over 472,000, a nearly 10% increase since 2016, and the highest ever since analysis of these numbers began. 

• RVAA Executive Conference product showcase applications Deadline Approaching

• The RVAA Marketing Committee noted that there’s still time to apply for this showcase in August, with a final deadline on Monday, June 26th. 

• Exhibit Booths for RVDA Convention Limited for 2017

• As of the first week of the month, there were only 22 spots left at this leading industry convention, set to be held in early November. If you haven’t signed up, check for availability as soon as possible for the chance to secure a space! 

• June Proclaimed “Great Outdoors Month” by President Trump

• This is the 15th time in history that a president has formally proclaimed the importance of “The Great Outdoors.” 

• RVIA Publishes First Annual Report

• The 2016 report includes industry highlights, wins on Capitol Hill, educational updates, shipping trends, and more. 

• Escapees RV Celebrates the Life of Kay Peterson

• The committed and active co-founder of Escapees RV Club has reportedly passed away at the age of 90 years old. 

Image: RV Daily News

• Latest RV Recall List Released by National Highway Safety Association

• NHTSA has released the most recent list of RV recalls, including models from Forest River, VanLeigh, and Daimler Vans. 

• Book on RV Evolution to be Released by Famed RV Historian

• The book will tell the story of the evolution of the RV industry in the state of Indiana - the “RV Capital of the World.” 

• Construction Plans Initiated for $3.5M Indiana RV Storage Facility

• The nearly 130,000 square foot Guardian RV Storage Facility is set to open in late October in Greenfield, IN.
  

Image: Inside Indiana News

• House of Representatives Officially Passes CHOICE Act on Indirect Vehicle Financing

• The act will ease restrictions on dealer’s ability to offer financing options for RV customers. 

• Actress Jennie Garth Joins Go RVing Campaign

• The actress has agreed to join RVIA and RVDA’s Go RVing campaign after being a long-time RVer herself. 

• RVillage Connects Dealerships with Active RVers

• Noted as an ‘RVer-centric social network,’ RVillage hopes to serve as a connecting force between active member RVers and dealerships across the country. 

                                                                                       Image: RV Business 

The All Important Price

 Let’s talk about the elephant in the room — including a price on your listings. There. I said it.

Working at RV Trader, I’ve heard a million reasons as to why a dealer might not want to include a price on their listings…

It encourages consumers to call

We don’t want to show price on new units

We might be able to offer better deals in the dealership

I’m concerned my prices aren’t competitive in my market

…just to mention a few.

But I’m here to tell you what you may not want to hear — having a price is probably the most important thing on your listing. No matter what — and I do mean that — you should include a price on your inventory, even if it is MSRP.

Purchasing an RV is a big deal for a consumer. They dream about it for a long time before they pull the trigger. And, to make matters worse, they aren’t loyal to a particular dealer or manufacturer. They are scouring the Internet searching for the perfect unit to fit into their lifestyle and their budget. But it’s hard for them to imagine what RV will fit into their budget if the price isn’t listed. Plus, from a consumer’s perspective, if the dealer won’t list the price — then how do they know it’s not a bait and switch? Instant distrust.

These consumers are looking for guidance and help as they move through their path to purchase, but if they can’t get all the information they need from you — they can easily move on to another dealership that does have the information they are searching for. To further prove my point: listings with prices get 27 times more clicks than listings without a price.1 That’s 27 more times consumers are landing on your listings and considering your inventory compared to the dealership down the road who hasn’t included a price.

Let’s think about this a different way — would you withhold the price from a consumer who was on your lot?

Of course not! That would be an extremely frustrating experience. Can you imagine? They tour the unit you have for sale — they love it — and are ready to have a more serious conversation about buying, but you won’t tell them whether or not this unit fits into their price range? Talk about setting them up for heartbreak.

So if your listings are an online extension of your dealership - why would you withhold the price there? The experience you provide a consumer in your physical location should be mirrored in what you provide them online.

Building that trust with the consumer from their very first interaction will only make the process easier when they come into your physical location.

If you need help deciding how you should price your inventory based on the market — which can be the hardest part — we can help.  As a member of RV Trader, the Price Analysis Tool found in TraderTraxx will give you great insight on the median price of your specific inventory. Whether or not you include a price on your listings, you can see an accurate snapshot of the prices in both the local and nationwide market, helping you better cater to customer expectations.

So please…

please….

please…

include a price on your listings.

Consumers will love you for it.

Social Media, Simplified: Tips for Promoting Your Dealership on Twitter

While you’ve probably used Twitter before — are you truly taking advantage of how this social channel could boost your company’s success with consumers? Check out our top suggestions for ways to grow your business’ digital footprint by developing a high-quality, participative Twitter page.

Use visuals to really boost engagement. 

Twitter’s business suggestion pages offer the point that tweets containing pictorial content obtain about 35% more interaction than those without pictures. Particularly in the motorhome business, providing visual content in terms of resources, tools and inventory can boost your engagement levels exponentially.

Keep it short.

Messages on twitter are meant to be written in short, succinct ‘bursts, so there’s a limit on the number of characters you can use. The goal here is to avoid users from becoming overwhelmed by hefty, wordy content. You can certainly provide links that direct back to content like this, but you should always aim for your messages to be under the 140 character limit - and even under 100 characters, if possible. Short posts with added images are the most successful on Twitter.

Stay tuned to audience participation with your content.

If someone interacts with your post by commenting or liking it, be sure to show that you’ve noticed! Communicate to your consumers that they are your number one priority by always responding to their comments, concerns, or even just their willingness to show approval of your content in the first place. The more prompt and responsive you are on Twitter, the more your potential customers will see you as reliable and ready to serve them.

Use a scheduling tool to plan posts ahead of time, and be sure to tweet at least once a day - even if it’s just a re-share of someone else’s content.

Consistency is key when it comes to Twitter. You want to be sure you’re placing your brand content in front of consumers on a regular basis, and only doing so every other week won’t prove effective in the long run. Using a tool like Hootsuite to plan tweets ahead of time will save you time and energy, so you can use your daily Twitter check up time to like, share, and comment to build community on this social platform.

Develop your business through a hashtag collection.

Put together at least 15 hashtags related to your company, industry and key demographics. Then, for each tweet you write, alternate using approximately 3-5 per post. This way, you help others on Twitter find your content through similar topics and tags in the digital atmosphere.

Keep your cover photo and profile picture clear. 

It is important to use the correct dimensions and photo sizes to keep excess pixelation from occurring. Use these guidelines to ensure your sizing aligns with the recommended dimensions.

Post your Twitter handle and a link
to your profile in other content that you
decide to post in the digital sphere. 

For example, if your business sends out a newsletter or regular email campaigns online, always be sure to include a link to your Twitter account towards the very top or bottom. If your business has a blog, link your Twitter profile so users regularly see that you have a social media presence there.

Only follow users who are likely to follow you back, or those who will provide you with valuable content to share. 

Following reliable resources in your industry that already have healthy Twitter accounts will ensure that even when you feel you’ve “run out of ideas” when it comes to types of content to share, you’ll always have a refreshed flow of new, unique posts. From cool photos to breaking news, they help boost engagement by ensuring consistent quality.

Don’t succumb to the temptation to just follow anyone and everyone on Twitter - more is not less! For the best prospects, visit the ‘follower’ section of one of your already bookmarked content sources, such as RV Trader. Sort through the list and examine the profiles; those with an active profile and cover photo, full bio, and public profile are far more likely to give you a follow back.

Use a link shortening tool like bit.ly 
to shrink the amount of characters 
a link takes up in a certain post. 

Shorten your shared links using a resource like bit.ly to minimize the number of characters taken up by a URL in your post. This practice will save more tweets for the actual message in your content, as opposed to a large hyperlink swallowing up ¾ of your Tweetspace. 

We are certain that these tips and tricks will help your business flourish on Twitter! 

Is your company active on Twitter right now? If you aren’t, what is it keeping you from doing so? Has your group seen an increase in foot traffic or digital visits based on social media activity? Comment and let us know!