RV Dealership Advertising

RV Dealership Advertising. When You are hot, you're hot. The industry hasn't slowed with the rising gas prices, and the majority of buyers are now in their 30s and 40s. How do you market to a demographic that includes very young families, middle aged executives, and retired baby boomers? "Just make them an offer", says Dan Ball, RV Advertising expert, "Direct Response marketing is the only way to entice a market such as this one. They have to know the benefits before they even set foot on the lot."

Dan Ball has been working within the RV Dealership Advertising Industry for over 22 years. He has seen companies come and go, making huge promises to RV Dealers, who did not see much return on their investment. "Since the infancy of advertising, there have been millions of advertising ideas tested and tried with various media vehicles. Only a select few of these ideas have proven to be effective time after time and pay off huge returns. Very few people actually know what these formulas are. Not even the big, successful advertising agencies that are courting you for your business," states D. P. Ball. He continues, "If RV Dealers only realized the inflated prices they are paying when an advertising agency puts on their 'dog and pony show,' which means - putting on a big presentation with all the glitz, making it look like the advertising is going to work because of pretty pictures and some clever lingo. It's not the dealer's fault. It's not his job to know these successful advertising formulas inside and out. Believe me, it took me years of research, study and experimentation to completely understand the intricacies of response driven advertising."

With the RV industry poised to break records in overall sales, most of Dan's clients are breaking sales records as well. And, more importantly, when the market was sluggish, they were still breaking records. "You have to be ready for sales slumps, the ebb and flow of the industry is not consistent. But, you need your bottom line to be." states Ball. "Most RV Dealerships approach me when sales are slow. Not realizing the fantastic leap they can make in hitting impressive sales records if we use the same tactics in a good economy."

To read more about Daniel Ball and his niche market techniques that are taking his clients to soaring heights while other dealerships are looking up, visit his website at DPBallAdvertising.com or call 888-273-7763.

There's always more room at the top!

"Our RV service goals are to make sure we provide RV service 'done right'. Our goal is to have extremely satisfied customers. In fact, we will help them find the right RV even if we don't have it here. If a customer finds an RV from a private owner, they can come to us for an RV Service Inspection.This includes advising our customers on potential service issues before the sale, assuring truthful assessment during their purchase experience, as well as providing attention to detail and prompt service, based in technical excellence, after the sale." says Mark Tuggle, newly appointed RV sales manager at Apalachee RV Center in Auburn, Georgia. "Our RV Service Inspection Team is the first in the industry, and is a perfect fit with our other innovative service capabilities like our 'RV triage' for immediate evaluation, and emailing invoices prior to pickup. Our intention is to also establish one of the industry's best RV sales departments, along with RV finance and RV insurance. We know we have to walk before we can run. And, we also know we already have a good foundation based in providing the best RV service available."

Tuggle has a great deal of experience in the RV industry, and started out in RV service. His philosophy regarding customer care and the provision of an honest and dedicated team effort to meet every aspect of the RV consumer's needs has been well received by the "excellence oriented" Apalachee RV team. Tuggle has 14 years of RV service management experience as well as 2 years as a service writer and 7 years as a service tech. Most recently he has spent the last 13 years in RV sales management.

"I am pleased to be connected with a company who really places the customer first," continues Mark. "This is the real deal. They provide real excellence in service instead of just talking about it. They realize that the RV lifestyle is an important aspect of their customer's lives, and give them not only a fair deal, but peace of mind. What other RV dealers provide in 4-5 weeks, Apalachee RV provides in a matter of hours or days. Our intent is to continue building the RV sales department with the same laid back, no pressure atmosphere, yet dedication to quality that the RV service department has established. This will be an RV dealership where people will know from day one, that they are getting the best deal, the best service, and best treatment, because we want them to be a customer for life. Our goal isn't to be the biggest, it's to be the best."

You can find out more about Apalachee RV Center by visiting their website at ApalacheeRV.com or visiting their Georgia location at 1364 Duncan Lane in Auburn. You can contact them by phone or schedule an appointment by calling 770-868-0999.

Internet savvy RV consumers are rapidly becoming aware of the most comprehensive RV information and resource website available online at MyRVLink.com. Connecting RV consumers with RV lifestyle information and RVing interests, including products and services, MyRVLink.com is a vast resource for the RVing community.

Whether looking for nationwide campgrounds, RV clubs to join, reach other RVers in forums, or simply researching the RV lifestyle this website has it. The largest and most highly recognized RV dealers are presenting their inventory. Containing photos, specs and floorplans from RV manufacturers as well as the latest and greatest in the newest models of motorized and towable recreational vehicles, extensive product research can be done. RV financing and loan information, insurance companies, publications, resorts, parts manufacturers, accessory distributors are represented on the site for a look into every aspect of owning an RV.

Extensive resources allow the consumer to research RV products, service centers, NADA RV values, new and used RVs, product reviews, travel destinations, RV manufacturers and RV dealers, as well as touch base with others who share the RV lifestyle.

Determine which destinations are RV friendly, and where to venture at your own risk with your motorhome. RVers index "What's Hot" in RVs, read RV industry news, RV reviews and find new and used RVs for sale.

Do you need to sell your RV? You can do post your listing at MyRVlink.com. Do you want to find out the value of your used RV? Use the NADA lookup on the site.

Would you like to find an RV rental company to try before you buy? Check the nationwide RV Rental directory.

RV dealers and RV consumers alike are amazed that this "one stop shop" can meet so many needs of both avid RVers and those new to RVing. For more information visit MyRVLink.com.

Search Engine Optimization Questions and Answers

Q: What are backlinks and why are they important?

A: Backlinks, or external links are important for search engine optimization (SEO) because some search engines, especially Google, will give more credit to websites that have a good number of quality backlinks, and consider those websites more relevant than others in their results pages for a search query. Each link to your site from another quality website with similar or relevant content is considered as a 'vote' for your website. In essence it is indicating that relevant sites feel yours is important enough to link to.

Q: Why is a sitemap so important for my site?

A: Sitemaps make navigating your site easier and having an updated sitemap on your site is good both for your users and for search engines. If your site is new, or if you have a significant number of new (or recently updated pages), then using a sitemap can be vital to your success. It is likely that soon sitemaps will become the standard way of submitting a site to search engines. Though it is certain that spiders will continue to index the Web and sitemaps will not make the standard crawling procedures obsolete, it is logical to say that the importance of sitemaps will continue to increase. There are different manners in which sitemaps are generated. Google has specific requirements. For maximum exposure you need a sitemap for search engines (in .xml format) and one for visitors.

Q: What kind of information should I have on my homepage?

A: Many companies have websites that tell who they are, what they do, speak on product lines, and current sales information. All of these things are fine, but in website ranking, there additional things that count and content is still king.

The reason content is king is it's relevance to what the visitor is searching for. The more content that is original, informative and rich that resides on your site, the more likely the visitor will find what they are looking for. Good, informative titles and links to direct visitors, a lot of copy to explain your business, and anchor text links within copy to drive traffic deeper into your site, are necessary.

Most important is that your home page is organized and not confusing. They should clearly see the direction to take. Develop "compartments" for information. If they came for RV Lifestyle information, make sure they find it easily. If they came only to compare prices, lead them directly to your products and services. Funnel them to 'sell pages' where sell copy converts them to customers. If they are there for information about your dealership, exploring the possibilities of buying form you, make sure to direct them to appropriate pages. These may proclaim awards, talk about the history of your business, list your memberships in civic groups, RVIA, FMCA. This is where you blow your horn so make sure they don't have a difficult time getting there.

Whether you make offers on your homepage and direct them to details on subsequent pages, or let them print a coupon directly from go, you must make an offer, you must tell them of the benefit. In essence you need to define the 'problem' and offer the 'solution'. Turn features into benefits as you write your copy. Craft words carefully. Give your customer what they are seeking and you will give the search engines something to work with to send them your way. If you are not a wordsmith, by all means, hire someone who is. The days of treating content lightly are over. Content reigns supreme.

Q: What types of realistic goals should I set for my site?

A: The obvious answer would be the reason you have a website, which is to sell. Realistic goals are goals which are attainable. Make sure you evaluate your expectations realistically. Separate your wants from your needs. Logic prevails.

SEO that focuses on rankings for the most highly sought-after keywords in any given industry is most definitely not going to help you reach your "realistic" goals unless you have a budget that is unlimited. This doesn't mean that you have to settle for keywords that receive few searches. It just means that you have to broaden your horizons and see the big picture.

No SEO company in the world will be able to help you reach your goals unless you are ready to forget about what you think you want, and learn more about what you really need. It isn't about bragging rights to #1 spots for hot terms. It's about selling RVs. It's about bringing new customers in who become loyal, repeat, service, parts and accessories, and sales customers. It's about introducing new RVers to a lifestyle, upgrading existing RVers to more luxurious coaches, and even downgrading empty nesters to accommodate their simpler and less crowded lifestyle.

Your goal should be to make your site the best site it can be for your visitors. Apply smart search engine optimization for RV dealerships, giving the RV customer what they are seeking. Use these techniques on your website and keep your eye on what search engines are doing. This ensures that people looking for what you have to offer, find it. After all, you do have what they need. Don't be shy in saying so. Help your to visitors find what they are looking for. Once they arrive, direct them.

Determine what you need your site to do for your dealership. Line up some realistic goals. Set out to accomplish those things by enlisting the help of a qualified website development company with SEO capabilities, and RV advertising knowledge who is willing to hear you, and work on a plan to accomplish what you NEED.

There are plenty of companies that will say they can do whatever you want them to do. You want to be #1 for Recreational Vehicles out of 2,387,595 global search results? Not a problem . . . show me the money. Uninformed SEOs will happily take your money, do some work, and promptly get no results. You'll be disappointed when this happens. But, you have to remember, they were just telling you what you wanted to hear, not what you needed to hear

George M. Sutton RV is currently the number one West coast Airstream RV dealership. A top four dealer for the last three years out of roughly 100 RV dealers nationwide who carry Airstream travel trailer products, they proudly represent what is considered to be an American icon. "Airstream is the Grand Daddy of all the RVs on the market," says George M Sutton III, owner of the dealership. "We are very proud of Erica's success and dedication to the Airstream product line. We have all caught the 'Airstream bug' since taking on the line in 2001. Erica is one of our dealership experts on the products, but it is good to note that our entire staff is very knowledgeable. My wife, Martha and I have been Airstream dealer council representatives for the past two years. Our RV technicians know the products inside and out."

The Eugene RV dealership has a Western style showroom, and a two-year-old 12,000 square foot service facility. Customers come back again and again for what is considered one of the best dealerships in RV sales, customer care and RV service in the Pacific Northwest.

"Airstream has been in business for 76 years and no other RV company comes close to that time in business. We consider it the best of all trailers and on the leading edge of technology and comfort. No other trailer is as air tight or balanced as an Airstream. It has been said that the average RV takes 45 hours to produce. It takes 10 times that long to make an Airstream trailer, and it is all done by hand," adds Sutton. "And, it is important to note that in order to sell Airstream products, an RV dealership has to have a commitment to excellence and focus heavily on customer care. The Airstream buyer is typically a very well educated person who does a great deal of research before making a decision to buy. These Airstream trailers are iconic, and make a statement like no other travel trailer on the market."

For more information about finding your perfect Airstream trailer, whether searching for the Airstream Classic, International, Bambi, Safari, Safari Sport or Basecamp towable trailers, or the motorized Airstream Interstate touring coach, deal with folks who have expert knowledge of Airstream products. Visit the George M Sutton RV dealership in Eugene, Oregon or browse their online inventory on their website at George M Sutton RV. You can also call 800-256-9832 to speak with a representative.

Lately I have been creating and optimizing a series of small websites for RV dealers that are gaining a great deal of traffic. These sites feature new RVs that absolutely have to be moved off of their lots because they are at the point that they are costing the dealer more than they can make in profit. It's cut your losses and move it time! And, this results in a great opportunity for buyers.

So if you are looking to move RVS, or if you are looking to find a rock bottom price on the RV of your dreams be sure those two goals can merge on a mini-website.

Here are a couple of examples. If you want to move your inventory give Dan Ball a call at 440-285-8164 and talk to him about this new opportunity.

Astorial Diesel Coaches by Damon website
SuperNova Class C Diesel Motorhome by Gulf Stream

or visit DP Ball Advertising for contact information and information about RV Dealership Advertising.

Thanks!
Deb