6 – 8 minutes
If you run an automotive business and you’ve reached a point where your marketing is inconsistent or unclear, it’s a common challenge. Many dealerships, garages and suppliers start with good intentions but quickly find themselves reacting to quieter weeks, unsure which marketing activity is actually working. This is where a well-planned marketing strategy can help.
But an important question to take into consideration is: how long does it take to create and implement one?
The short answer is longer than you might expect, but faster than continuing without one.
For the strategies I produce, the creation process takes a minimum of eight weeks. This involves a structured series of sessions, each designed to build a picture of your business, your customers, your goals, and what kind of marketing will support all of it.
What follows is an implementation and execution phase. That’s where the actions are delivered, the campaigns are run, and the results are measured. It’s not about a burst of activity, but steady work that builds momentum over time.
Why a Marketing Strategy Takes Time to Create
Many business owners have had marketing plans or campaigns created quickly, sometimes in a single meeting or after a short discovery call. The problem is, these rarely last. They tend to be filled with guesswork or follow the same template used for the last business the agency or consultant worked with.
A proper marketing strategy is based on more than surface-level information. It needs to reflect the business, not just the industry. For example, two independent garages might offer the same core services, but one might focus on fleet contracts, while the other wants to attract more EV servicing. Those differences affect everything from messaging to budget.
This is why the strategy process is spread over eight weeks. Each week builds on the last. I take time to understand your goals, your numbers, your current position, and your customers, and the end result is a document and plan that matches your business, not just what’s trending.
Eight-Week Marketing Strategy Process
The first few weeks are spent understanding what’s already in place. This might include your current marketing activity, how your team handles enquiries, what tools or platforms you’re using, and where your best customers come from.
We also look at what’s getting in the way. That could be inconsistent messaging, lack of follow-up, no clear process for lead management, or marketing that’s been passed around with no one owning it.
From there, we start shaping the direction. That includes refining your target audience, defining your positioning, and setting priorities. Each session moves the work forward and by the end of the eight weeks, you have a complete strategy, a 12-month marketing plan, and clear recommendations for what to stop, start or fix.
This isn’t a document to be stored in a drawer and never referred to again. It’s a live, working tool that helps you run your business more efficiently and it means you can brief suppliers more clearly, manage marketing spend with more confidence, and make decisions that align with your wider goals.
How to Implement a Marketing Strategy After It’s Created
Once the strategy has been created, the focus shifts to implementation. For many automotive businesses, this is where the real change happens.
The implementation stage involves putting the recommendations into practice. That could mean:
- Updating your website to match the strategy
- Creating regular email or content campaigns
- Improving how leads are tracked and followed up
- Training your team on how to communicate with customers more consistently
- Shifting focus to the channels that actually bring results
The speed of implementation depends on the business. Some clients want to move quickly and have resources to do so. Others need a slower approach, especially if they have limited time or need support to manage the work.
What matters is consistency. Small steps taken regularly are more effective than trying to do everything in one go. The strategy makes it easier to focus on the right steps in the right order.
How Long Before a Marketing Strategy Delivers Results?
Most business owners want to know when they’ll see a return. And that depends on the type of activity. Some changes, like improving lead response times or updating messaging on the website, can lead to better results within weeks. Others, like building local visibility and brand awareness or improving customer retention, take longer.
Typically, clients start seeing meaningful change within three to six months of starting implementation. That could be in the form of better enquiries, more repeat business, or fewer wasted leads. Longer-term changes, like growing market share take more time but are built on a solid foundation.
It’s important to remember that the strategy is the starting point. It gives you clarity. What you do with it (and how consistently you apply it) determines how fast you see progress.
Why a Marketing Strategy Supports Long-Term Business Growth
For many business owners, the day-to-day pressure of running the business leaves little time for structured marketing. You may be dealing with staff shortages, rising costs, or unreliable suppliers. Marketing often becomes reactive (a quick post on Facebook, a paid META ad, or a last-minute leaflet drop)
With a strategy in place, this changes. You stop reacting and start directing. You have a clear plan. You know what each part of the marketing activity is supposed to do. You know who you’re targeting and what matters to them. You’re no longer starting from scratch every month.
And that pays off over time. You build better brand recognition. You improve customer loyalty. You spend less time chasing leads that were never right to begin with. And if your long-term plan is to grow, expand, or sell, having a clear marketing strategy adds measurable value.
Benefits of Developing a Marketing Strategy Step by Step
You might wonder why the strategy isn’t just delivered after a long briefing or discovery session. The simple answer is that it wouldn’t be good enough.
By working together over eight weeks, we catch things that would otherwise be missed. You notice patterns in your business. We review and adjust the thinking as we go. There’s time to reflect, to bring in other team members if needed, and to check that what we’re building is right.
This approach also makes the strategy easier to implement. You’ve been part of the process. You understand why each decision was made. You’re not left with a document full of tasks you don’t agree with or can’t explain.
What’s Included in a Completed Marketing Strategy
By the end of the process, you don’t just get a marketing strategy. You get clarity. You know where your business is going and how marketing will help get it there. You also get a plan for what to do next, who should do it, and when it needs to happen.
This includes:
- A written strategy tailored to your business
- Defined customer profiles and clear messaging
- A 12-month marketing plan
- Suggestions on tools, processes, and improvements
- Campaign ideas aligned with your goals
Everything is built to be practical. If you want to manage marketing in-house, this gives your team structure or if you prefer to outsource, it makes briefing much easier. You avoid wasted time and get better results.
Start Creating Your Marketing Strategy
If your marketing activity is disjointed, unclear, or it’s not quite getting results, it may be time to stop guessing and start planning.
I create bespoke marketing strategies for owners of automotive businesses across the UK. Each one is built to reflect your business, your customers, and your goals.
To find out more or discuss how this could work for you, get in touch.
You can also read more practical advice in the Knowledge Hub.
