The automotive market has always been incredibly competitive, and sometimes it can even be called cutthroat. It’s one of the first adaptors of new technology because any advantage that can be leveraged is positive.
Since people tend to expect their cars to last for years, the pool of potential sales is limited. To bring more people to your dealership, you want to optimise your marketing strategies.
This guide is designed to help you develop effective marketing strategies that connect with your target audience.
Setting the Stage: Building Your Online Presence
With most people starting their car hunt online, you have to have a website that will get their attention. Your site needs to show them that you likely have the solution for their vehicular needs.
Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to develop a good website in the automotive industry, mostly because it was one of the first industries to recognize how important the Internet was for reaching a wider audience. That means that we know what works.
- The website should be simple, clean, and easy to read.
- Navigation should be very user-friendly.
- It should feel like a virtual showroom, so there should be plenty of interactive elements and car specs so that visitors can get most of the answers to their questions.
Once your website is nearly perfected, you need to make sure that it gets the traffic you need. You need to be easily found to make the most of your fantastic website.
One of the few things that has been consistent about the internet is the need to master SEO to drive traffic to your site. When you follow best practices for SEO, you will start to see improvements in the amount of traffic your site gets.
The higher in the search results your dealership appears, the more likely people are to click on your website. Most people don’t go past the first page of a search, so making it to the first page of local search results is crucial.
When it comes to the automotive industry, the focus needs to be on local keywords. You want to know what words people in the area around your dealership are using when searching for a place to buy their next car.
Some areas are more environmentally aware, so they look for vehicles that are more environmentally friendly. Other locations are more likely to have a lot of families, so they are looking for vehicles that are family-friendly.
It’s likely that the area around you will have numerous keywords that are relevant to the people looking for vehicles. And those words are going to change over time.
Make sure to keep your keywords current so that you are always reaching your target audience.
Using Digital Tools to Connect with Customers
With a great website bringing in people actively looking for cars, you can start to target people who may be thinking about a new car. There are two ways to draw in people who are thinking about buying a vehicle but haven’t really started their search.
Social media is probably the best way to attract people who are considering a new vehicle. To get the most out of your social media presence, you have to know what platforms are going to reach people who are likely to be interested in a new car.
- YouTube and Instagram are good for providing more traditional types of ads that show off your cars.
- Facebook and more static platforms are good for reaching target demographics and engaging with people online.
- Blogs on your website are a good way to engage people on your website and link to other pages on your site.
Videos can also be used as a Sales tool that gets more people to engage with your business. You can make them in a way that is similar to how realtors take people through virtual tours of properties.
With the right video, you can highlight features and the differences between similar models. You can even provide virtual test drives so that people can get an idea of what it’s like to be inside the vehicle (even if it doesn’t give them the actual driving experience).
The goal of videos is to help people determine if a vehicle is the right solution for them. When done correctly, it can help potential customers to narrow down their options before they even come into the dealership.
Content That Attracts Buyers
Developing the right content is going to be the hardest aspect because it is something that you are going to have to keep doing. Content needs to be regularly refreshed to ensure that you continue to attract visitors to your site.
There are two things to keep in mind when you develop your content.
First, you need to develop a content plan. This should be a guide that can be shared within Sales and Marketing for creating a blog post cadence, buying guides, and maintenance tips for different vehicles. The purpose of the content is to generate trust and show that you are an expert when it comes to what you have to offer.
Second, keep in mind that the content should be fun, helpful, and engaging.
- Add quizzes that help people to remember what they read. This can help them feel that they better understand the vehicles and their features.
- Create interactive comparisons so that potential customers can get a better idea of their options. This can also help them to narrow their focus. The more they can figure out before they come in, the quicker they are likely to be to reach their final decision.
The more positive reactions people have to your website, the more likely it is they will send their friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances to your website. This can be gold when it comes to getting a bump in traffic.
Boosting Your Brand with Promotional Products
Promotional products are a must-have for any dealership. There are so many low-cost, easy-to-use items that can help remind people about your business.
You have to choose useful items:
- Keychains
- Custom air fresheners
- Pens for them to keep for those unexpected needs
- Water bottles for when they are on the go
- Chargers and accessories
These are things that you can offer to customers, at trade fairs, conventions, or just people who stop by to ask questions. Custom-branded items give you visibility even when people aren’t actively looking for a car. They can act as a reminder if someone has been considering a new vehicle, or as a way of getting someone to ask about a person’s experience with your business.
You should also have customised products for your business events. Have nicer items, like coolers and custom hats for giveaways or your loyalty program. You can even have items that are given away when people come in for service.
Direct Ways to Engage: Email and Ads
Traditional marketing is always a good way to reach people. Sure, emails and flyers may end up in the trash, but if someone has been considering getting a car, this can also get them to stop and think.
To make it more likely that people actually open the emails, make sure to personalise them. If someone came into your business with questions but didn’t buy a car, send a follow-up email. Send emails to previous customers to thank them for their business and let them know you are here when they need another vehicle.
Use smart advertising to reach a target audience. Since you will probably have several target audiences, you can create different campaigns that appeal to each audience. Then you have to consider how best to reach each of those audiences.
Building Trust: Reviews and Local Connections
Encourage people to leave positive reviews. Since people are far more likely to leave negative reviews than positive reviews, if you build a good rapport with your customers, they are more likely to want to encourage others to visit you.
That means that you want to create a positive experience that really stands out in their minds.
When you see positive reviews, you can use those in your marketing. This shows how people genuinely feel about your business.
Reach out to other local businesses to host or join local events. By being a bigger part of the community – instead of a standalone dealership with no interaction off of the site – you can attract more attention within the community.
People like to feel like they are supporting their community. If you are an active part of your community, people are much more likely to make your dealership their first stop when they need a new vehicle.
Checking Your Progress: Tracking and Tweaking
You can never get complacent. You need to constantly track and tweak your approaches across different platforms, campaigns, and approaches.
There are many tracking tools for your online presence that can help you better understand how your website and social media presence are helping or hurting traffic to your site.
You should be tracking campaign performance as well, including all components of each campaign. As you see how they are performing, you can start to implement improvements.
- Review the metrics and determine what has worked and what hasn’t.
- Change strategies to take another approach that aligns with methods that have proven to be successful.
- Pay attention to what is working well for different target audiences, then make sure that you follow a similar approach for that same audience in the future.
Over the years, things will change, and something that didn’t used to work may end up being very successful in 5 years. People change, so your approach to sales, marketing, and content is going to need constant tweaking to be effective.
Final Thoughts
A successful marketing strategy needs to be well-rounded. It needs to be adaptable to changes in technology, interests, and needs. There are so many factors, you can never put your sales and marketing approach on autopilot.
It may take some time to find the right approach, but ultimately, it is well worth the effort. If you distribute promotional products, that can help to get your name out there while you build your online presence and find your marketing footing.
