This is a tough one. On one hand, there may be small media markets where your dealers insist they are best reached by a small newspaper. Rural markets would be one example. While that may be true to some extent, those rural markets have also seen a tremendous growth in online usage, while all data point to a decrease in newspaper readership over the same time period. Should those facts be hidden from your channel?
Should all newspaper ads be pulled from your Adbuilder? No.
Should you make the exact same decisions as you might have 10 years ago? No.
Consumers and the media they use have changed dramatically in the last 10 years. It would “marketing malpractice” to not have open conversations with your channel about the pros and cons of different options. Realize that dealers will have many questions about new media terms and approaches. They’re looking to you and your team as a trusted resource. They are in the trenches every day with customers while you have the ability to access to learn about new media, understand best practices and see the trends.
That perspective gives you a leadership platform should you choose to use it.
Leading companies do three things:
First of all, they support experimentation and small pilots to learn how different tactics work in their industry. We’re not talking about a single shot. We’re talking about a consistent program of experimentation and learning with several small pilots running throughout the year.
Second: they implement successful tactics, but realize that not every dealer will use it. 20% of your dealers will jump in and try it, 20% are still using fax machines. The other 60% will respond to different tactics over time to increase adoption. That’s okay. You’ve done your part by making it available and easy to understand.
Lastly, they level the playing field. Supporting these new options equally with your co-op policy will help increase usage.