Investing in Your Employees

Your employees are the lifeblood of your business and finding the right team members for your dealership isn’t always easy. On top of that, according to Human Resources Today, turnover can cost your dealership anywhere from 16% to 213% of your past employee’s salary. That’s why it’s increasingly important to let your employees know you value their work by investing in them both personally and professionally. We’ll dive into four different ways you can strategically nurture your employee relationships to avoid turnover and increase overall productivity and success in the workplace.

Increase Training - Onboard training is pretty standard - but are you offering additional training to current team members? It’s important to continually provide opportunities for training and educational workshops to show employees that you value their current expertise and want to help them grow and expand their skill set. There are always new and improved techniques to try - especially in the sales world - and the more you equip your employees with the latest and greatest, the more they can help your dealership thrive. We’d recommend hosting the trainings specific to your dealership yourself, but then leveraging an online solution for more general training. There are even some free options - like these from RAIN Group. No matter how you choose to source this information - we’d suggest developing a library that your reps can reference as needed, in addition to continually adding new programming for them to leverage.

Invest in Technology and Tools - Help your employees help you by offering them the tools and technology they need to better do their jobs. According to the Staples Business Advantage Workplace Index, “3 out of 4 respondents say their employers don’t give them access to the latest technology to do their job efficiently.” When employees are not equipped with proper technology and tools, they can become discouraged and unmotivated to do their best work. Not sure what your employees might need? Start an honest and open conversation. It will help you in the future - trust us. A few top resources that we recommend would be:

• Tableau makes it easy for your sales team to see and understand your dealership’s data by automatically turning numbers into visual charts and graphs.
• Wistia gives you the power to record your webcam or screen so you can conduct an online demo or record an online presentation to share with your team.
• FullStory gives you a better understanding of what potential buyers are doing on your site by recording every visitor’s session on your website.

Encourage and Allow Feedback - Feedback, both good and bad, can help make a business stronger in the long run. That’s why it’s crucial to give your employees the opportunity to make their voices heard. This could be in the form of an anonymous survey or an open forum at a dealership meeting - though you will most likely get the most honest feedback if you let the employee maintain their anonymity. No matter how you receive the feedback, avoid getting defensive when suggestions or issues come in and be sure to hear your employees out fully before responding. By eliciting feedback, you’re giving your team members the opportunity to share their feelings, shed light on problems, and make the workplace better all around. We recommend doing these surveys on a quarterly basis so you are keeping a pulse on morale throughout the year. These don’t need to be extensive surveys - just enough to let your employees know you care about their experience with your company.

There’s No I in Team - It’s easy to have a lone wolf mentality when working in sales. But it’s still crucial to make sure your employees feel like a team and that’s why giving your employees the opportunity to come together is so important. A study by the Kenexa Research Institute found that companies with highly engaged employees achieve twice the net annual income of companies whose employees aren’t engaged. Team building activities are so important to businesses - both large and small. They help to engage and retain employees by improving communication and encouraging collaboration. Host a happy hour, set up a scavenger hunt, or participate in a community service project as a team - the opportunities are endless - and keep in mind, you don’t have to do something overly extravagant. No matter what you choose your employees will appreciate your efforts.

We hope these tips have encouraged you to find new ways to invest in your employees. After all, they are the ones who have helped make your dealership what it is today. If you’re looking for more employee-focused tips, check out our previous blog covering the importance of Employee Appreciation. Do you have any tried and true methods of investing in your employees? Let us know your suggestions in the comments below.

How to Deal With Negative Reviews or Complaints

Online reviews are not only important, but they are crucial to the success of just about any small business today. Consumers value the opinions of their peers and while we hope you receive 100% positive reviews, there are times when customers leave less than flattering comments. How you respond and handle these reviews has the ability to either make or break your business, especially considering:

• 67% of consumers are influenced by online reviews (1)
• 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (1)
• 74% of people who see customer reviews on a business website say they would contact the business (2)

And as much as you might want to, you can’t brush negative reviews under the rug. We’ll give you a few tips on how to deal with these kinds of messages and comments head-on.

Read the Review Thoroughly - Seeing the first sentence of a negative review can be surprising, and can even spark a moment of anger or frustration. But before you make it personal or start getting defensive, it’s important to put yourself in your customer's shoes. Read the entirety of their review and take a few moments to understand it, and reflect on it so you can understand where your customer is coming from right off the bat.

Understand What Happened - Hold off on responding until you get all the facts - but get those facts quickly. Immediately consult anyone within your dealership who might have worked with this specific customer. Get their side of the story and see where the issue might have occurred.

Respond Quickly - Wishing away a bad review is impossible - as much as you might want to. We encourage you to quickly deal with reviews head-on, whether they are good OR bad. Consumers want a response, and they want it fast. In fact, according to the Local Search Association, most consumers expect a brand or business to respond within 24 hours - so make sure to avoid passing that mark at if all possible. We suggest responding as soon as you see the comment, especially when dealing with negative reviews. It’s important to keep in mind that you aren’t just responding to one unsatisfied customer, you are catering to anyone and everyone who reads that online review.

Take the Conversation Offline - After you have crafted your response, we recommend adding a closing sentence that offers to take the conversation offline if needed. Try something like this, “If you’d like to chat about this concern further, my name is XXXX. Please feel free to reach me at (insert phone number, email, or both).” Adding this simple sentence shows customers that you care enough to take additional time and effort to solve their problem quickly.

Stay Calm, Cool, Collective, AND Professional - Never get heated in a response to a customer. It’s crucial to stay professional at all times when dealing with negative reviews. Start by addressing the customer by name and apologizing for their less than satisfactory experience. As we mentioned earlier, if a specific comment warrants a phone call, offer that option to the customer as well.

Put a Positive Spin on the Situation - We aren’t going to sugar-coat it - responding to negative reviews isn’t fun, but try looking on the bright side of things. Look at responding to reviews as not only an opportunity to right a wrong but also as an opportunity to promote the best parts of your business. Try promoting what your business does well while addressing the consumer’s issues at the same time. For example, “Our dealership is widely known for our excellent customer service and we apologize for missing the mark.”

Look at it as a Learning Experience - Negative reviews give your dealership and employees the opportunity to grow. We suggest going over these types of reviews with your entire staff to make sure they are all on the same page and know exactly what types of issues might spark negative feedback. Customer service is #1 so give your employees the opportunity to take action in the future to eliminate issues before they even occur.

Remember, if you respond to reviews the right way and address a customer’s complaint, you could always receive an updated review from the same customer praising how you handled the situation. Reputation is everything in the business world and we want to make sure you are always looking your best online. So, good or bad - make sure you’re responding to your online reviews and tackling any issues head-on and professionally.

1 - Moz

2- Stat Labs

Using Facebook For Your Business

We covered the importance of social media as a whole in our last post, but this month, we wanted to touch on a specific platform that you should be using to your advantage - Facebook. Let’s dive into what Facebook can offer your business and how you can use it to take your dealership to the next level.

Facebook continues to be one of the largest growing social media platforms available with 2.32 billion monthly active users worldwide (1). That number is jaw-dropping and continues to grow as consumers crave more connection, not only with their peers, but with businesses. They rely on social media as part of their path to purchase - and businesses are seeing the result; particularly considering that 78% of American consumers have discovered retail products to buy on Facebook (2) and 77% of B2C companies said they have acquired new customers through the social media platform (3).

But if you’re going to put the time and effort into your Facebook presence, you need to have a clear understanding of what it can really offer your business.

Let’s briefly break it down.

Facebook gives you the opportunity to grow awareness for your dealership’s brand, it allows you to connect with your customers in a new, organic way, and lets you reach an untapped market of people who might be interested in what you’re selling.

If you’re not sure where to start - or are just looking for some overall guidance around Facebook - we’ve got some best practices for you to consider.

Take the First Step - Joining Facebook and setting up a business page is fairly simple, but if you need assistance - keep reading - we’ve got a great product for you. There are thousands of small businesses utilizing the platform, so if you want to stay competitive in your market, we definitely suggest taking the first step and creating a page of your own. 

Have Up-to-Date Information on Your Page - Consumers search for anything and everything on the Internet and they often browse Facebook for business information like hours, phone numbers, websites, etc. So whether you’re just starting a Facebook page, or if you’ve been on the site for years, it’s crucial to make sure your page information is updated. We’ve seen a lot of businesses with bare “About Us” sections even though this is a place to tell potential customers what you offer. We recommend including a few sentences highlighting your dealership’s mission, expertise, or anything that might make you stand out from the competition. 

Have Eye-Catching Profile & Cover Photos - In this day and age, first impressions are everything - especially when it comes to social media. You’ll want to make sure both your profile photo and your cover photo stand out considering they are the first things consumers will see when they visit your Facebook page. We recommend staying consistent with your photo choices so you can build brand awareness and stay recognizable as users scroll through their feed - but don’t forget to include your branding on the imagery. 

Post Regularly (but not too much) - It can be hard to determine how often to post on social media, but according to Inc., posting once a day on Facebook is the ideal amount. It’s important to avoid over-saturating consumers with content so that when you do post, they are ready to react and engage with it. The best time to post on Facebook, according to Hootsuite, is between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on the weekends - keep these days and times in mind when posting your content for optimal engagement. 

Share a Variety of Content - Facebook is an awesome way to show off your inventory, and we recommend using it for that purpose, but it’s important to keep in mind consumers want to see more than just what’s on your lot. We’ve said it time and time again, but you are an industry expert and consumers crave the information you have to offer, especially when they are thinking about making a big purchase. That’s why we encourage you to post a variety of content. For example, creating/posting videos or blog posts on “What All New RVers Need to Know”, “Tips for Finding Your Perfect RV”, etc. can be useful information that your customers want to engage with. We encourage you to be a resource for your potential customers.f you don’t have time to create this type of content on your own, you can always share it from other industry sources. For example, the RV Trader consumer blog has lots of this content that you can easily re-post. 

Respond to Consumers in a Timely Fashion - We have grown accustomed to instant gratification, especially when it comes to social media. That’s why it’s crucial to respond to your customers as soon as you see their message or comment on Facebook. Think of each inquiry as an opportunity to grow your relationship with this customer. Check your notifications regularly or, better yet, have push notifications set up on your mobile device so you know exactly when you have a comment or message that you need to respond to. Keep in mind that Facebook shows how quickly you respond directly on your business page - and like we said earlier, first impressions are everything on social media. 

Utilize Facebook Stories - Facebook Stories allow you to share content that showcases your business directly from your mobile device. Facebook Stories were designed so you can engage with your audience in a more frequent and casual way. You can share short videos and photos and they’ll appear at the top of the News Feed in a highly visible area. We recommend experimenting with Stories as it can help humanize your brand and show off your business’ personality. Learn more about stories, here.

There you have it. The tips you need to know on using Facebook for your business. Are you interested in having a presence on social media, but just don’t have the time or resources to make it happen? RV Trader can help. Our GoSocial product can kickstart, or supplement, your existing social media efforts by managing your Facebook for you. GoSocial includes weekly posting and management for Facebook, a dedicated monthly advertising spend, and in-depth monthly reporting - saving you valuable time and costing a fraction of what it would take to hire a team. And if you don’t already have a page, we’ll even help you set one up. If you’re interested in learning more, contact your RV Trader representative today at 1.888.543.0101. They’ll walk you through all the details.

1 https://zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/
2 https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-statistics/
3 https://www.adriennerichardson.com/facts-and-stats-about-facebook-and-your-business/

It’s Time to Get Social

The importance of social media is steadily growing as more and more people join these platforms on a daily basis. We don’t see this trend dying out anytime soon - and we’ve got the numbers to prove it

• There are currently 3.4 billion active social media users1
• There’s a new social media user approximately every 10 seconds1
• The average daily time spent on social is 116 minutes a day2
• 21% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that they can reach on social media3

Those numbers are undeniably impressive, so even if your current marketing strategies are working, it might be time to consider jumping on the social media bandwagon. It’s important to stay competitive and to reach your customers where they are - and they’re on social media. Let’s dive into exactly why you should be including social media as a part of your overall business strategy. 

Builds Brand Awareness -

Building awareness is so important when promoting any brand or business. That’s why 44% of local businesses said they depend on social media to generate brand awareness. And we’ll let you in on a little secret, your competitors are most likely included in that 44%. So, the time to get ahead of your competition is now - start having a social media presence of your own. Being on social media allows you to stay visible and relevant to both returning and new customers. By posting consistently on social media, you have the opportunity to be a voice in your industry and the local community - keeping consumers coming back for more. 

Allows You to Engage With Your Customers -

As we briefly mentioned, your customers are already on social media, so use that to your advantage. If you haven’t entered the social media space, the opportunities are endless - you have the power to reach a completely untapped market of people who could potentially be interested in either buying an RV or looking for advice from a trusted source just like you. It’s also important to realize consumers love authentic engagement, and social media lets you interact and build relationships with potential customers in an organic way. 

Helps Show Your Brand’s Personality and Expertise -

Social media lets you show off a bit, and there’s no harm in that. It’s important to remember you are an expert in your field - there’s no need to be modest. Social media gives you the opportunity to share your expertise and advice with your customers and position your dealership not only as a place where someone can make a purchase, but a place where interested buyers can come to gain knowledge about the RV industry as a whole. Don’t forget that social media usage can be fun. When posting on various social channels, you have the opportunity to show off your dealership’s personality through the different content that you post. Another thing to keep in mind is that consumers love brands with personality - and it’s crucial to humanize your business so potential buyers feel a true connection with your brand, even before visiting your dealership in person. It’s important to put the focus on the conversation you are having on social media rather than just the inventory you’re trying to sell. Posting inventory can be great, but sharing advice, tips, and tricks can also go a long way in building more of a relationship with your potential buyer. 

Can Help Drive Leads and Increase Traffic -

If new information or content is just sitting on your website, it’s going to take a lot longer for consumers to find it. That’s where social media comes in handy. When you are consistently posting (and linking your site) on social media, you are giving consumers more of an opportunity to find this valuable content on your website, in turn, boosting your traffic. 

Don’t forget that social media can be used as a tool - make sure you are using it to your advantage. And if you want to have a presence on social media, but just don’t have the time or resources to make it happen - we get it. That’s where RV Trader can help. Our GoSocial product can kickstart, or supplement, your existing social media efforts by managing your Facebook for you. GoSocial includes weekly posting and management for Facebook, a dedicated monthly advertising spend, and monthly in-depth reporting - saving you valuable time and costing a fraction of what it would take to hire a team. And if you don’t already have a page, we’ll even help you set one up. If you’re interested in learning more, contact your RV Trader representative today at 887-872-3373 - they’d love to walk you through it.

If you’re craving more social media content, you’re in luck. We’ll cover specific social media channels and tips on how to use them in future posts - stay tuned. To hold you over until then, check out our tips on using Instagram for your business here.

1 https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/amazing-social-media-statistics-and-facts/
2 https://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/how-much-time-do-people-spend-social-media-infographic
3 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-statistics/

2019 Marketing Trends You Need to Know

The need for, and use of, digital marketing has been on the rise for years - and it’s no surprise that the digital landscape consistently changes and evolves as new technologies are introduced and others lose relevance and popularity. We know it can be hard to keep up with the trends at the rate they are moving - but that’s why we’re here to help. We’ll catch you up on the marketing changes, updates, and trends that are on the rise in 2019. Check out our findings below.

Content Still Matters -

As Bill Gates says, content is king - and we couldn’t agree more. We love content around here (clearly), and so do consumers. Content marketing is on the rise and providing general content is great, but more and more businesses are creating specialized and personalized content specific to their industries and they are seeing significant results. According to HubSpot, 55% of marketers say blog content creation is their top inbound marketing priority. Have you thought about creating a blog or resource center on your website? If not, it might be something to consider. The blog/resource center could house helpful information like “What to Know Before You Buy”, an article covering information on “Picking the Right Type of RV for You”, or even a guide on the best local destinations near your dealership - the possibilities are endless. Don’t forget that you are an expert in your field and potential buyers will be looking to you for information. You want to market your business as not only a dealership, but as a true resource center for potential buyers.

Time to Up Your Video Game -

We weren’t surprised to hear that, according to Forbes, YouTube is America’s most popular social media platform. YouTube’s following has been growing like crazy over the past couple of year and we expect that to continue to rise because consumers LOVE video content. Videos are a great tool for businesses because they give you the opportunity to share important information quickly and clearly. When it comes to the RV business specifically, potential buyers want to see units before they even step on a dealership’s lot, and video is an amazing way to showcase an RV in its entirety. Check out our additional tips on incorporating video into your business strategy here.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on the Rise - 

AI is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.1 Computers are getting smarter by the minute and AI can actually be used for marketing purposes and we expect to see those use cases rise in 2019. So what is AI marketing, exactly? AI marketing is a method of leveraging customer data and AI concepts, like machine learning, to anticipate your customer’s next move and improve the customer journey.2 By gathering this big data, AI marketing can help businesses better target consumers by boosting campaign performances, and increasing ROI in the long run. We are going to keep a close eye on AI marketing this year, and we’ll take a look at how RV Trader actually uses this technology in a future post - stay tuned.

Voice Search - 

Do you hear the phrases “Alexa do this”, “Siri do that”, and “Ok, Google” being used on a daily basis? You’re not alone. Voice search is becoming increasingly popular and we can predict that this trend will grow as smart speakers get more advanced. In fact, according to research conducted by NPR and Edison Research, 39 million Americans use smart speakers and 65% of them say they wouldn’t want to go back to life without their voice-controlled assistant. Consumers are searching for anything and everything with voice search, so if they search for your dealership’s hours or directions to your dealership - will they find up-to-date content? It’s important to make sure all of your information is current so consumers can find it when using voice search. We expect to see advertisements make their way into the smart speaker world sooner rather than later, which means buying voice ad space could be a new marketing tactic in the future - we’ll keep you posted.

Social Media Stories - 

Social media is here to stay, and if you’ve been avoiding it for your business, we recommend jumping on the bandwagon ASAP. Social media usage is consistently growing and we are seeing particular interest in not only posting regular content but participating in social media stories. From Instagram, to Snapchat, to Facebook - there are a ton of new ways to get your stories out there. So what is a ‘story’ exactly? Stories enable users (like you) to create photo and video collections that can be viewed only a few times before disappearing after 24 hours. You can add to your stories throughout the day and add fun text, GIFs, and graphics to your posts to tell your brand story, highlight an event you have coming up, or poll customers on questions you’re eager to ask. We suggest experimenting with this feature as it will no doubt become more and more popular in 2019.

There you have it. The top 5 marketing trends you need to be aware of in 2019. As always, we’ll continue to keep you aware of any marketing trends, changes, and updates we see throughout the year.

1 TechTarget
2 Emarsys

The Top Searched Makes and Classes for Q4

Now that we’ve had some time to settle into the new year - it seems like as good a time as any to take a quick look back at Q4 2018 to see what consumers were searching for on RV Trader. We’ve seen a few consistencies, as well as a few changes, we think you’ll find interesting and informative. So, the wait is officially over - your Q4 roundup is here.

Top 5 searched classes of Q4 2018:

• Class A
• Travel Trailer
• Class C
• Fifth Wheel
• Class B

We saw a slight shake up this quarter when it came to travel trailer searches. While they took the top spot in most searched classes throughout 2018, this quarter Class A’s came out on top by just 0.1%. Travel trailers fell to second place as a result with 21% of total searches, seeing a slight decline of 1% Y.O.Y. Class C units came in third with 14% of searches (up 1% Y.O.Y.) and fifth wheels came in fourth with 12% of searches. Class B models rounded out fifth place with 10% of total searches - down 1% from last quarter, and up 2.5% Y.OY. We’re eager to see how these numbers shift as we move further into 2019 - only time will tell. Now, let’s dive into the top makes of Q4 2018.

Top 5 searched makes of Q4 2018:

• Forest River
• Winnebago
• Keystone
• Jayco
• Airstream

Standings and percentages remain consistent Y.O.Y. when it comes to the most searched makes, but we have seen a few changes since last quarter - let’s fill you in. Forest River took the top spot yet again with 11% of searches, down 2% since last quarter. Winnebago secured second place, rising in the ranks since Q3 2018 with 7% of searches. Keystone rounded out third with 6% of total searches and Jayco took fourth with 5%. Airstream worked their way up to fifth place this quarter with 5% of total searches - this is a big win for the manufacturer considering they didn’t make the top 5 in Q3. We’re curious to see if they will remain in fifth place in Q1 2019, or if they will get pushed down by another manufacturer.

Stay tuned for our Q1 2019 report coming this April and let us know how your dealership compares with our findings in the comments below.

An Ode to Branding

Marketing teams are often viewed like the right side of this image.

Creative. Colorful. Qualitative. 

Brands that truly know who they are - and can communicate it - harness these traits to connect with their audience in an emotional way, subconsciously instilling value and trust for their products. With so many options to choose from, brands - and the experience they provide - is what drives loyalty, growth, and advocation.

Before consumers had a multitude of choices, marketers could get by with distinguishing their product using facts -- our brand has 50% less sugar, helps you sell 75% more units, makes you 100% faster. But as consumers became more savvy, they realized numbers can be manipulated and their loyalty came at a higher cost. Now - they want brands that are not only superior, but also understand their perspective.

Powerful brands - like Yeti - have done such a great job tapping into the experience of their consumer that people follow along with them solely because of the story they tell. They have a great product - but spend more time focusing on lifestyle and emotion-invoking imagery than they do truly pushing their product. And even if the majority of their 1 million+ Instagram followers haven’t purchased a cooler - they might - and either way, they provide invaluable organic marketing and brand awareness for Yeti.

So how do you get some of that for your dealership?

Thankfully, RVing is a passion-based industries. You don’t have to convince your followers - like toilet paper or detergent brands - to be excited about what you have to offer. They’re going to be passionate whether you’re involved or not. So their loyalty is yours for the taking.

The more you get to know your consumers - the more likely you are to develop campaigns that resonate long beyond buying and selling - keeping them coming back to you no matter where they are in the lifecycle or what their needs are.

Branding is certainly not only for big, national brands. Some of the most successful brands are small, local organizations that are rallying a geo-targeted audience for support. So all the same things you see these brands trying - you should consider too.

Remember - buyers are looking for something to follow along with, so push yourself to use imagery beyond the literal - showing your buyers more than just what’s for sale. Include images of units being used, pictures without units at all - focusing more on the lifecycle - or giving consumers an inside peek at your dealership and all the goofiness and work that happens there. Give them something to connect with. Something that resonates with them and makes them want to follow along. Mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery - so encourage check out other companies - in your area and nationwide, in your industry and outside - to see what’s working for other businesses and then adapt that strategy for yourself.

Brands have staying power. It’s why they are so important. There will always be someone else who comes along that can do what you do - but it’s the brand, and the emotional connection you’re working to develop with your followers, that is designed to withstand the competition. The stronger you make your brand - the stronger you are.