For decades, automotive marketing has focused primarily on vehicle sales. Dealership advertising budgets, creative messaging, and technology investments have historically been centered on generating leads and moving inventory. But the economics of the dealership business have shifted—and the smartest operators are adjusting their marketing strategy accordingly.

For the last 35 years, GSM has been a house hold name to thousands of dealerships nationwide when it comes to fixed-ops marketing. In 2021, GSM was acquired by Force Marketing and since then has looked to add the brightest and best onboard to their client success and performance teams. 

Their latest edition is a game-changer for GSM clients, with mountains of experience and a completely unique perspective. 

In the highly competitive automotive industry, diversifying revenue streams is crucial for dealership success. While new vehicle sales are often the main focus, fixed operations (Fixed Ops) can be a key revenue source that dealerships can leverage to create a stable and consistent income stream.

In the aftermath of a big purchase, customers want to feel confident about the value they’re getting. This means they still need service, support, information and more from the dealership.

For many dealerships like Hillsboro, Oregon’s Royal Moore Toyota, embracing innovations in marketing is extremely important. Dealerships are seeing that today’s auto shopping experience ‘overlaps’—from the technology consumers use to shop—to the personalized engagement they now prefer. Consumers demand a faster and more helpful customer experience—from start to finish.

Big news from GSM
The automotive industry is a niche market, making it extremely competitive for marketing providers like GSM. This means these companies must quickly and continually adapt to any change in order to provide clients with innovative and effective solutions. To continue helping our Toyota clients look like rock stars, GSM has launched a new Life Cycle Marketing solution called OCP+ at the most competitive price. 

To learn more about OCP+, please follow the link below:

Learn More about OCP+

Keep your customers safe--
Declined service marketing should never be overlooked. It is a protective measure for consumers and dealerships alike. Failure to recommend a declined service repair could cost your dealership millions, or worse, it could cost a customer’s life. Informing customers of declined service repairs not only protects their safety, but it also prevents further damage to their vehicle and establishes trust with your dealership.

To remain competitive, dealers need to align their marketing with the way buyers think, research, and purchase. You attract people to your dealership by being helpful, relevant, and personal(ized). These are the cornerstones to relationship marketing and to providing consumer value.

There’s no doubt that the automotive consumer journey has changed as a result of emerging technologies and changing consumer preferences. Every generation is picking up new buying habits as digital and online tools make for a quicker and easier car shopping experience. From browse to buy, the pressure is on to meet the high expectations and high standards at each point in the automotive consumer journey.