One of the foundational rules of marketing is that you can never just assume your audience will know what you want them to do; you can’t take for granted that they understand the next steps in their consumer journey. You’ve got to spell it out for them, explaining very clearly and directly what you want them to do: Call now. Buy today. Make an appointment. LIKE our page. Subscribe to our email newsletter. Reach out to learn more.
This is what’s known as the call to action (CTA), and it’s a critical component in your marketing toolbox. Indeed, for independent auto dealers, well-placed and carefully composed CTAs are essential. Today, we’re going to outline a few important points about dealership CTAs.
5 Tips for Independent Auto Dealers
- You need a CTA on every page of your dealer website. The CTA isn’t just for the home page; you should have at least one clear CTA on every page of your website. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that you don’t actually know how your buyers will enter the site; some may come in through the “front door” of your home page, but others may come in through a secondary page, never seeing the home page CTA at all. Also, you don’t know which page will finally convince your buyer to take the next step. Make sure you always have a CTA present to nudge them forward.
- The best CTAs tend to be the simplest. A good CTA will offer the reader just one choice: Call us today to get more information. Or, use the form below to schedule a test drive. Presenting multiple options just muddies the waters and makes it less likely your buyer will do anything.
- Your CTAs should be short, too. CTAs tend to be one or two sentences. There’s really nothing else needed. A strong action word, a specific offer, perhaps a brief summary of why your buyer should take action… that’s pretty much it!
- Make sure you include contact information. Simple but important: If you’re asking people to call you, provide a phone number. If you prefer emails, make sure there’s a link or a contact form.
- You can (and should) test your CTAs. Aim for continuous improvement! Test different versions of your CTAs… different messaging, different placements on the page, different fonts/colors, etc. Make sure you track results and study which variants seem to be more effective. There’s always room to further hone your CTAs.
The Bottom Line About CTAs
The bottom line is that a carefully crafted CTA can be just the thing that pushes your buyer to pick up the phone, shoot you an email, or simply head down to your dealership. Yes, it may be a relatively small part of your overall website package, but that doesn’t make it any less mission critical.
Take some time to learn more about how to perfect your dealer marketing. Keep tabs on the Get My Auto blog for further updates!