As farming, the farm equipment business and consumers in general have changed and become more sophisticated, the old ways of attracting customers don’t cut it anymore. Dealers are confronted with more demanding customers and better (and more) competition. Today, using data to drive your marketing efforts is a must. The customer experience begins long before a customer steps foot inside your dealership. Prospective customers be nurtured along through the whole process for the sales team to have a chance for the close.

Through the use of data and analytics — derived from a variety of sources including your website, emails, social media pages and other points of contact — and content, you can now target your customers and move them through the marketing funnel to bring qualified leads to the sales team. “We’re managing an entire demand funnel here, and we’ve got to help customers from even before they interact with us. And then managing the very first engagement we have with them,” says Jeff Bowman, chief experience officer for Titan Machinery.

He contends that the dealership’s very future is in the hands of the marketing department. “Either marketing steps up and does its job, or the dealership fails. Customers loyal to the relationship or brand may hang on longer than others, but everything the Dealership Minds Summit is covering will be essential to the future success of your dealership. And the dealers who get it and go after it will separate from the competition. Dealers who think that they can just continue to do posters, parties and traditional marketing, are already falling behind. And their traditional sales model is beginning to falter.”

Farm Equipment’s editors picked the brains of some of the top marketing minds in the ag equipment dealership world and asked them to share their experiences with marketing’s changing landscape. The pages — and 8 in-depth articles — that follow highlight just some the best advice and insights shared during the 2018 Dealership Minds Summit with the theme of “Intelligence Driven Marketing.”

As Tyler Musson, marketing director of Washington Tractor, says, “Transformational growth is realized when opportunity meets potential and is fearlessly pursued with purpose.”

Titan Machinery’s Jeff Bowman: 7 Key Changes to Transform Dealership Marketing

The Importance of Improving Your Marketing ROI & How to Do It

Target Customer Interactions Using Content Marketing

How YouTube Fits in the Marketing Mix & Making It More Effective

Getting Results with Do-It-Yourself Marketing

Leveraging CRM for Farm Equipment Leads and Sales

How to effectively use digital marketing for ag equipment dealers

Good Data Takes Digital Marketing Further for Farm Equipment Dealerships