Consumer shopping habits have changed substantially. For your auto dealership to succeed, it’s imperative to take note of these evolving habits. Specifically, consumers no longer head to their friendly neighborhood dealership to begin their browsing process. Instead, they do their homework online, assessing not only different makes and models but also different dealerships where they can complete their transaction. For your dealership to thrive, you’ll need to have a strong online presence, conveying your trustworthiness, breadth of inventory, and quality of service to local buyers.
Developing a robust online presence isn’t something that any dealership can do overnight. Instead, it requires the execution of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. As you create an auto dealership marketing strategy, here are a few critical points to keep in mind.
Car Dealership Marketing Strategies: 10 Ways to Get Noticed Online
1) Be sure you have a responsive website.
Study after study shows that online browsing is increasingly mobile dominated. In other words, you can assume that a majority of your shoppers are seeking information about your dealership via their phone or tablet, as opposed to a desktop computer.
What does this mean for your car dealership marketing? Simply put, you need a website that accommodates mobile users. Responsive website design means the site looks good from any device or browser type, and that the content can be read and navigated without the need for too much scrolling or zooming.
If your dealer website isn’t already responsive, it’s crucial to redesign and relaunch it ASAP, allowing you to capture that all-important mobile market.
2) Ensure your website is speedy, too.
Today’s online shoppers don’t have the patience for slow-loading websites. In fact, studies have shown that if your website takes longer than three or four seconds to load, it will likely result in a significant loss of traffic.
Be certain that your dealer website loads quickly across all device types and browsers. To assess the speediness of your site, simply verify that it passes Google Core Web Vitals.
3) Focus on SEO.
For car dealerships, local search engine optimization is the name of the game. This means including localized content, judiciously employing keywords, and getting your dealership listed in local business directories.
Local SEO is a pretty big topic, and it’s worth exploring it in greater detail as you fine-tune your auto dealership marketing strategy.
4) Remember that content is king.
For years, SEO gurus and digital marketing experts have been extolling the importance of content, to the point that “content has king” has become something of a cliché.
It’s cliché for a reason, though: Compelling content can not only power your SEO efforts, but they also engage readers with your website, potentially assisting you with lead generation and conversions.
So, what kind of content do you need on your dealer website? You’ll definitely need transactional content, including pages detailing different vehicles. But also include some strictly informational content, in the form of a dealership blog. Demonstrate your expertise within the automotive space.
5) Combine organic and paid social media reach.
An engaging social media presence can also boost your dealership’s visibility. As you consider your social media activity, remember that organic engagement and paid social media promotion are both valuable. In particular, Facebook and Instagram Ads can be great ways for car dealerships to expand their reach.
Make sure you educate yourself on the ins and outs of Facebook Ads before you get going. And you can always start out with a smaller ad budget until you get the hang of things.
6) Use a customer relationship management (CRM) platform.
The hope is that, through a robust car dealership marketing strategy, you’ll facilitate a number of interactions and touchpoints with potential buyers.
At each of those touchpoints, it’s imperative that you gather as much information as you can from the buyer in question. From there, you can build out individual buyer histories, using the information you gather to create a more personalized, bespoke sales experience.
Doing this will require you to have a CRM platform. Get My Auto’s all-in-one software solutions integrate CRM with a range of other features, from marketing to desking, making GMA the best bet for facilitating meaningful customer relationships.
(If you don’t already know all about the benefits of CRM, now’s a good time to find out.)
(If you don’t already know all about the benefits of CRM, now’s a good time to find out.)
7) Make use of third-party sites, like Craigslist.
Craigslist may not be particularly exciting, sophisticated, or flashy, but it remains essential for any effective auto dealership marketing strategy.
Indeed, there are a number of ways in which you can use Craigslist to generate leads for your independent auto dealership. As you do so, just keep these important pointers in mind:
● Always cover the basics, including plenty of detail in each ad.
● Don’t just talk about how great the car is—brand your dealership, as well.
● Choose photos that grab attention!
● Make sure everything is formatted with readability in mind.
● Don’t just talk about how great the car is—brand your dealership, as well.
● Choose photos that grab attention!
● Make sure everything is formatted with readability in mind.
8) Start an email newsletter.
Email marketing is one of the best ways to keep your dealership top-of-mind, not just among leads but previous customers, too.
A good email newsletter should mix informational content with details about new makes/models, announcements of upcoming promotions, and some exclusive offers to help your subscribers feel truly special.
9) Don’t forget about online reputation management.
It’s crucial to remember that, before they ever set foot on your lot, most consumers are going to vet your dealership on the Web. As such, it’s important that you be mindful of your online reputation, including your portfolio of online reviews.
Your reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp, and other platforms can have a direct impact on your bottom line. Thankfully, there are some simple steps you can take to organically manage your reviews and improve your online reputation. Some tips for online reputation management include:
● Use Google Alerts to monitor online review activity.
● Respond to reviews with kindness and professionalism.
● Remember, bad reviews provide an especially good opportunity to show off your customer service skills.
● Ask buyers to leave you positive reviews. Be proactive!
● Use Google Alerts to monitor online review activity.
● Respond to reviews with kindness and professionalism.
● Remember, bad reviews provide an especially good opportunity to show off your customer service skills.
● Ask buyers to leave you positive reviews. Be proactive!
10) Choose the right marketing vendor.
Finally, be sure you work with a company that can provide you with the tools and technologies you need for truly empowered auto dealership marketing.
Get My Auto stands apart from the competition. More than just a SaaS provider, Get My Auto is a one-stop-shop for everything your auto dealership needs, from inventory management to CRM to DMS.
Move Forward with Your Car Dealership Marketing
Ready to learn more about how Get My Auto can enhance your dealership marketing? Request a free demo today.