When it comes to RV marketing during COVID-19, we’ve seen success.

The $140-billion-dollar RV industry provides paychecks for hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. But despite its staggering size, the RV industry is not immune to economic fluctuations.

Just a few months before coronavirus hit the U.S., the industry was expecting double-digit declines in sales.

As we’re all aware, the first five months of 2020 were anything but predictable. That’s precisely why we’re happy to report an uptick in online shopping activity for Bullyan RV in Duluth, Minnesota.

Adapting to Change

Unprecedented times certainly called for adaptation. That’s why we worked with Bullyan to craft Facebook ads and emails that would be as helpful as possible for their contacts during COVID-19. These pieces of content mirrored the core messaging on their website:

• The dealership’s COVID-19 precautions
• Special hours during the lockdown
• Online shopping tools
• Options for in-person service

Because Minnesota was put on lockdown for all of April 2020, in-person visits to all businesses all but vanished. But because RV dealers have been declared essential, Bullyan RV has been able to provide service and sales for people who need it most.

Plus, during the pandemic, many Americans working on the front lines chose to isolate themselves by living in — you guessed it — RVs.

The RV Dealer’s COVID-19 Marketing Strategy

Digital marketing is challenging — especially during a pandemic. That’s why 9 Clouds carefully formulated a multi-step Facebook advertising funnel that coordinated with periodic marketing emails.

Because of the harsh winters in Duluth and its relatively remote location, Bullyan RV creates walk-around videos of every model it sells so people can get as much information as possible before an in-person visit. For that reason, it made perfect sense to leverage these videos for its top-of-funnel Facebook ads.

At the top of the advertising funnel, Bullyan’s Facebook ads from 9 Clouds reached more than 35,000 prospects in the dealer’s market.

These top-of-funnel campaigns drove shopping activity on bullyanrvs.com which, in turn, contributed to a dynamic retargeting campaign that retained the attention of about 2,500 engaged shoppers.

We’ve seen longterm success utilizing the inventory catalog on Facebook to promote RVs.

Meanwhile, 9 Clouds helped Bullyan RV send carefully worded emails to its database at important times. These emails contained simple messages regarding the store’s response to COVID-19, its new operating hours, and protocol for getting service on-site.

RV Marketing

The Results from Digital Marketing During COVID-19

Unusual market factors contributed to a spike in online shopping activity. In the second half of March and throughout April 2020, we observed a remarkable increase in digital lead conversions for the RV dealer.

After an uncertain first half of March, traffic to the dealership’s website began to accelerate as Minnesotans were ordered to stay at home.

With the help of 9 Clouds, Bullyan RV brought in 16% more website visitors in April, and page views increased by 31%. Unlike most spikes in traffic, quality metrics such as pages per session and time on site also improved.

The RV dealer’s CRM data also reflected this surge in shopping activity. In April, Bullyan RV’s Facebook ads contributed to 88 leads. That’s up from 84 in March, and up from 63 in April 2019.

Sales attributed to Facebook ads also doubled month-over-month. Bullyan was able to sell 12 RVs to people who saw their Facebook ads, compared to six in March.

Meanwhile, traffic from email rose more than 400% compared to March. The messages informed contacts of the store’s situation and prompted to browse the dealer’s inventory from the comfort of their own homes.

Roughly 80% of the people who clicked on the marketing emails and browsed RVs were also retargeted with dynamic Facebook ads.

Turning the Page

The RV industry will continue to have ups and downs, which makes agile digital marketing more important than ever.

If your RV dealership needs help, 9 Clouds is here to lend a hand. We recently launched a downloadable resource for dealerships of all stripes to stay in touch with their contacts during and after the epidemic.

We also offer free digital marketing consultations — the kind that doesn’t come with a belabored sales pitch. Sign up for yours today.

ATTRACT AND CONVERT RV SHOPPERS WITH 9 CLOUDS »