Irma D. Rutherford It’s not the same as it used to be. You could rely on a steady stream of car buyers in the past after placing some ads on the radio or in print. Customers are more involved in the purchasing process today. They do their research online instead of going to the dealership. It’s essential to have a strategy, especially a digital one, to guide consumers to your dealership.
This guide will explain digital marketing, why it is essential, and give you several digital marketing techniques to reach more customers and increase sales.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is an approach that uses electronic and internet media to promote products, services, and brands. Digital marketing relies on various channels to increase customer engagement, including mobile apps, social media platforms, and instant messaging.
Digital marketing is a term that describes a campaign that involves electronic or online communication.
Why is digital marketing so important for auto dealerships?
Implementing a digital strategy for your auto dealership has many benefits. Here are a few of the help:
Online visibility
Google Search’s first organic result (unpaid) has a click-through rate of 28%. If your website is at the top of Google Search, it will likely attract more customers.
It’s time for your dealership to change if it relies solely on conventional marketing methods. Radio, TV, and billboards still play a role in sales and marketing, but their influence has decreased in the current environment. Engaging with consumers online will increase your sales.
Personalize your experience
Digital marketing allows you to target the right customers with the right products. You can also tailor your actions to provide more value to your target audience. Letting car buyer customize their experience on your website will allow you to meet their needs better. You can do this by using a chatbot, registering for a newsletter, or publishing relevant, browsable material so viewers can easily find the answers and solutions they need.
Directly engage with your customers.
Social media can be a powerful tool to engage with potential buyers and your target audience. Social media can be a great way to engage with potential buyers, create a community, and allow them to voice their concerns and ask questions.
Your car dealership will be seen as an expert and trusted leader in the market if you answer specific questions. It can make potential customers more inclined to purchase a vehicle from you as they have a sense of trust. This is something that your competitors may have yet to have.
You can get valuable feedback from potential buyers by engaging directly and immediately with them. You can continuously improve your digital strategies as your audience changes.
Digital Marketing Strategies for Your Auto Dealership
Here are the top digital marketing strategies that will help you to attract and retain connected car buyers today:
Email marketing
Email marketing is still one of the best digital marketing strategies. It has the highest ROI of any marketing strategy, with an average of $42 for every dollar spent.
Personalized emails are more effective. G/O Digital’s research revealed that 35% of car buyers preferred emails tailored to their preferences. 28% of respondents said they would click a dealership email with a model, color, or style in question.
You can segment your prospective customers based on the data you have today. This includes their car model and Black Book value. It also consists of those most likely to be “in the market” for new cars and other demographics such as hobbies, income, and more.
Social Media Marketing
According to a study by the CMO Council, 23%of buyers discuss buying a new vehicle on social media. And 38% of respondents said they would consult social sites before purchasing. If you are not advertising and posting on social media sites like Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter, you may miss out on great opportunities.
A social media marketing campaign that is effective will include sharing relevant and valuable content several times per week on different social channels. This includes participating in discussions on your pages, posting photos of happy customers and inventory, responding to reviews, and making your dealership’s contact information easily accessible.
Search engine optimization
SEO is a process that improves the visibility and viability of your website via online searches. In time, implementing good SEO strategies increases the chances of your website being shown to people looking for car dealerships. Google reports that 95% of car buyers use digital research to find information. Two times as many car buyers begin their research online rather than visiting a dealer. If your website doesn’t perform well or isn’t displayed on the first page of search engine results, you lose 95% of potential business.
Link building and publishing high-quality content with keywords are two essential strategies for a successful SEO. It may take some time for a search engine to favor your website, but you’ll improve your site traffic and increase the chances of people searching for new cars finding your website.
You must know your audience to create relevant content that uses the correct keywords if you’re looking to attract buyers who are searching for California car dealers, including terms such as “automotive car dealerships in California,” “auto car dealer in California,” or “car showrooms near me” in your blog posts or website pages. To improve the quality of your content, you can use a keyword tool to discover and identify new keywords related to your industry. Spyfu, WordStream, and other free tools can help you find the right keywords.
Mobile Optimization
Mobile devices have changed how buyers find new and different cars or research their desired vehicles. Facebook commissioned a study that revealed 71% of consumers use their phones to research cars. About 58% of respondents said they would only use smartphones in the future for vehicle research.
Having a responsive mobile dealer website is now more critical than ever. Google and other search engine rank websites based on the overall experience of the page. The usability of the website on a mobile phone and the time it takes to load the page are among the many factors that go into this. Your SEO ranking and chances of gaining customers will increase if your website is mobile-friendly.
Video Marketing
Video marketing is using video to inform and promote services and product inventories and increase engagement on digital channels.
66% say they will either increase their video spending or maintain it this year. Video marketing is more engaging because of its nature. Video is also more interesting than images and text. According to a Google study, 64% of people who used YouTube when purchasing a vehicle were influenced. This is more than magazines or newspapers.
Now is the time to accelerate your dealership operations
Understanding your customers is the most essential and first step to developing successful digital strategies. You can increase your dealership’s online visibility through social media, video, email, and website marketing.
Consider using AutoPoint Marketing to improve your digital strategy. This comprehensive suite of solutions ties together all the pieces of the customer’s vehicle lifecycle. This complete suite of solutions provides all the tools you need to increase sales, launch effective digital marketing campaigns, provide proper documentation, offer maintenance support, and improve customer retention. We can help you create a digital strategy to ensure you can rise above your competition.
