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Internet Marketing Case Study Harley Davidson/Buell of Ocean County
Company Background
Harley Davidson/Buell of Ocean County, located in Lakewood, NJ, is one of New Jersey's most prominent Harley-Davidson® dealerships and the premier Harley® dealership in the New Jersey shore area. “HD of OC” is owned and operated by Asa and Sandy Murray with the help of a dedicated staff of talented people, all of which are either Harley® riders or Harley® enthusiasts. The Murray's consider their dealership an extension of themselves and thus operate under the doctrine, “Our Motorcycles have the Attitude, Not Our People.”
In addition to carrying one of the largest in-store stocks of Harley-Davidson® motorcycles, authorized motor parts, Harley-Davidson® accessories, and Harley-Davidson® MotorClothes® in New Jersey, the dealership also offers Harley-Davidson® rentals and is an authorized dealer for Buell® motorcycles, Buell® accessories, and Buell® parts. The Murray's also operate a satellite store located on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ, where visitors can browse through a large selection of seasonal and tourist items, t-shirts, bathing suits, towels, coolers, and more.
The Challenge
Although business was steady, Asa and Sandy Murray knew it could be better. They decided a key to more business lay in finding a way to let the public know that there is something in their store for everyone, not just motorcycle riders. Their objectives included finding a way to attract new potential customers as well as a way to create a better experience for Harley-Davidson/Buell's existing customers through improved relations and communications. It was apparent to the Murray's that the solution to their desire for increased sales hinged upon revamping their website and finding a way to attract more potential buyers to it. This realization came with a challenge in-of-itself, however, because of restrictions imposed by the corporate offices of Harley-Davidson® as to what could be done with a Harley® site.
The Solution
At a board of directors meeting for the Brick, NJ, Chamber of Commerce, Asa Murray spoke at length with Larry Bailin, CEO of Single Throw, Inc., an Internet marketing company located in Wall Township, NJ. After Bailin detailed the importance of Internet marketing and Single Throw's methodology for targeting customers with purchase intent, it was clear to the Asa what steps he needed to take in order to reach his goals.
They contracted Single Throw and assigned them the task of completely revising and enhancing the website for Harley-Davidson/Buell of Ocean County, including the development of a highly targeted online marketing campaign and email marketing solution. For Asa Murray, the decision to award Single Throw the contract was an easy one. Besides already being familiar with Single Throw's incredible reputation for implementing successful Internet marketing solutions for area companies like the Lakewood BlueClaws and CentraState HealthCare, he received assurances from Bailin that the project would work entirely within the parameters of Harley-Davidson's® corporate guidelines for website content and design.
The Strategy
To achieve the goals that were detailed between Larry Bailin and the Murray's for their Harley-Davidson/Buell dealership, Single Throw's talented team of Internet Marketing consultants, technologists, marketers, industry experts, and business process professionals implemented their patented “From Search to Success”® methodology, a process for identifying and targeting potential customers and delivering them the right message at the right time.
Once the “From Search to Success”® process was integrated into a reengineered website for Harley-Davidson/Buell of Ocean County, the Murray's business would benefit by having a site that would be specifically optimized for potential customers with purchase intent, user friendly, easy to navigate, and would provide up-to-date information to new and existing customers on store specials and events through a targeted e-mail marketing campaign. The website would also be transformed to properly portray the personality of the dealership and the knowledgeable people that work there.
The Results
As a direct result of Single Throw's Internet marketing strategy, the reengineered website for Harley-Davidson/Buell of Ocean County (www.HDofOC.com) has been extremely effective in creating awareness of the many products and services offered by the dealership. The site also realizes phenomenal results in the major search engines, consistently holding the top positions for phrases such as “Harley Davidson dealers in New Jersey,” “used Harleys in New Jersey,” “Harley rental new jersey,” ”Harley accessories,” “Used Buell,” and “Buell accessories.”
The Wrap-Up
Harley-Davidson/Buell of Ocean County has enjoyed a tremendous upswing in business as a direct result of their partnering with Single Throw, Inc. By means of tools used by Single Throw for tracking website activity, the dealership's new website has realized the following milestones:
- During 2005, the website was averaging 10,000 visitors per month. To date in 2006, subsequent to Single Throw's redesign, the website averages 20,000 visitors per month—a 100% increase!
- National averages for e-mail marketing campaigns realize a 39.2% open rate and 8.9% click-through. Subsequent to Single Throw's integration of a targeted e-mail marketing strategy, Harley-Davidson ® of Ocean County enjoys an average open rate of 58.1% and an average click-through of 18.9%.
For more information on Single Throw services, call them at 732.451.0820, or visit their website at www.singlethrow.com.
For more information about Harley-Davidson/Buell of Ocean County, visit their website at www.harleydavidsonofoceancounty.com.
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