In this deep-dive discussion with Farm Equipment, Lowe & Young’s Marketing Director Shila Shreve shares the key components that drive Lowe & Young to generate strong growth and loyalty
What are the core components to Lowe & Young’s marketing program?
Shila Shreve: Most of the marketing we do is done digitally. We did a big shift in focus from print to more online advertising, which makes a big difference because we can see ROI, track interactions and overall get solid feedback.
Another component to that marketing shift is our demographic age is changing generations. Our customers are now the generations on social media platforms — Facebook or Instagram ‚ but they still listen to traditional radio, etc. We still market to the general public of agriculture, but we are seeing the ones who run the farms are looking on Facebook, the ones who run the equipment are watching 30 second videos on Instagram. So it helps to be involved in those areas and get our name and brand out to people.
Some of the marketing tactics we utilize are Google responsive displays, paid search and social, etc. We also have digital billboard advertisements that change monthly, traditional radio ads and organic social postings. I work closely with our manufacturer marketing teams to advertise their brands which we sell, but also make sure that the story they tell matches who we are as a dealership. With their help, we are able to track impressions, click thru rates, and see how these campaigns and tactics are working.
Do you work with any advertising or marketing agencies, or handle it in-house?
Shreve: A lot of marketing is done in-house, and that has been a joy to do. It’s been fun to be able to highlight the brand of Lowe & Young, the core of who and what L&Y is.
We are farmers helping farmers, lending a hand, being that trustworthy local dealership there to help. We want our customers to have full coverage, to find the right equipment to fit their needs but also we can support them with parts and service needs.
We provide sponsorship for events locally. We like to support the next generations, so we support and donate to local FFA chaptersand support the Wayne County Fair by having a booth/setup and also providing monetary donations to the young students who work hard raising their animals for the fair.
How has the marketing program changed as both the dealership and its clientele has expanded? How would you characterize the impact of marketing communications on customers?
Shreve: The past few years have been a period of change for us at the dealership as we have grown. We expanded our building to better fit the needs of our customers — more space for parts, a new shop (which we filled up almost immediately) and an interactive showroom. Along with expanding our building, we really wanted our customers to have a space they could interact, including an area for parts, an area for sales, an area for service, etc.
Within the showroom you’ll hear our in-store radio which plays a variety of music each day with commercials every 5-6 songs. These commercials we create for people to hear while they are shopping so they know what’s going on. We advertise sales deals, parts deals, as well as updates happening or upcoming events.
This expansion was an investment made by the company so we can continue to be here for another 75+ years and to adhere to the needs of our customers. We have also grown in “clientele.” Our region where we sell equipment/cover service has expanded, meaning we need to and want to reach more people. This is where digital marketing is huge. We can find these farmers and let them know we are here. Can’t make it out to Wooster for your parts? No problem. Do you want them delivered to a parts drop box or shipped to you? This has been a great way to reach out to new customers to let them know we are here to lend a hand and be there for them.
Another piece to our customer experience is where the role of communications comes into play. One of my favorite things about this job is getting to work with our customers, talk with them, get to know them and show them that we care. Every year we have a big Customer Appreciation Day where we invite our customers out, feed them, set up equipment displays, opportunities to talk with our team and our manufacturer teams. We have different hands-on displays and fun events for the kids. This is our way of saying “Thank you, we couldn’t do what we do without each and everyone of you!” We also host customer clinics throughout the year to provide educational opportunities for our farmers and operators. These clinics are brand specific, so we can bring in specialists from the manufacturer and we have our service technicians who are trained on the machines, as well as sales reps available — going the extra mile so our customers feel comfortable and confident when they head to the fields.
“Your Ag Destination Dealer” is our slogan/tagline. It’s important to showcase and highlight who we are, and marketing is what sets us apart from other dealers or the competition. Quite honestly, it’s the genuine love and enjoyment for what we get to do and who we help. We serve the Lord by serving others and through that we get to glorify Him. We are very humbled to get to do what we do, and we have the best customers in the world. We have farmers that have been in business with L&Y for generations. We want to go that extra mile to be there for them. We are like a family here and we truly appreciate our customers — who become like family to us. Our roots are deep into farming, in the legacy that came before us. And that legacy is reliable service, going that extra mile and serving the Lord.
What are the primary reasons you feel ag equipment dealers should have full-time in-house marketing professionals on staff?
Shreve: No one knows your company and organization better than someone who works there everyday, who knows the people and who really knows the business. We see first hand how hard our team works, we see just how great our equipment is, but we also see what it takes for our customers to keep their operations going. When you are really passionate about your team culture, your products and what you do, story telling just flows. Marketing and communications go far beyond social media and ads in newspapers. It’s sharing with people who you are, and it’s also sharing their stories, too.
My job entails keeping up on our marketing campaigns, staying up-to-date on website publications, as well as our used equipment on the lot. I get to create graphics and advertisements for billboards, social media, invitations, and so much more. Also, I keep up with deals/sales going on through our OEMs, radio ads, equipment listings, and making sure our dealership meets and exceeds the standard needed by each of our manufacturers. I really get the opportunity to dive into storytelling, to help be and share the voice of Lowe & Young with our customers and community and beyond, as well as share the stories of our customers…always planning ahead — the next season of farming, events, clinics throughout the year and more. It’s about taking your brand to the next level and sharing that with the world…sharing what sets us apart and why we are “your ag destination dealer."
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