🎙️ Episode 8 – Steve Schmith, Director of Marketing & Strategy at Travers Automotive & RV Group

Podcast: The 100 Marketers Project

Hosts: Andrew Street (DealerOMG), Matthew Davis (TradePending)

In this episode, Andrew sits down with Steve Schmith, Director of Marketing & Strategy for Travers Automotive & RV Group in St. Louis. With more than 25 years in automotive marketing and data strategy—but only months on the dealer side—Steve shares a unique perspective on what it takes to balance brand, data, and day-to-day dealership demands.

Steve talks about:

• Moving from the vendor/consulting side to the dealer side and how that shift changes decision-making
• Building a clean data foundation before unleashing AI and marketing automation
• Managing a martech stack of 10+ partners and creating cross-partner “town halls” to unify efforts
• The importance of walking in the customer’s shoes when evaluating ads and user experience
• Balancing brand building vs. lead generation when you’re a marketing team of one
• Using reviews and reputation management to drive search visibility and customer trust
• Creative marketing channels like Saturday Night Drive, their long-running local TV inventory show
• Experimenting with AI for segmentation and content while protecting customer data

Steve’s blend of big-data insight, hands-on dealership experience, and purpose-driven leadership offers actionable ideas for marketers navigating today’s automotive landscape.

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