Automotive Dealership Marketing Guide: Modern Ideas & Best Practices

In the digital age, most people research the online market before buying a car. So, it is quite beneficial for a car dealer to focus on the right marketing tactics to survive in this industry. Consequently, car dealership marketing strategies implemented by DealersGear draw buyers near. We hold extensive experience in this area and will share some of the best tactics that work.

What Is The Difference Between Traditional And Digital Marketing For Auto Dealers?

Digital marketing consists of online methods such as emails, websites, and social media platforms to reach consumers. Digital marketing is unique from its offline predecessor. In that, it stimulates interaction with the customer and focuses more on them.

Without being able to focus a TV commercial on one specific customer demographic, car dealerships cannot know how effectively their ads draw people into the dealership.

Digital marketing allows dealers to target potential buyers through different channels specifically. Dealers can then measure the marketing campaign's performance and see how many people are interested.

Automotive Digital Marketing: Why It's Important In The Era Of Technology

Automotive digital marketing is essential because customers nowadays purchase automobiles in a variety of ways than they did ten or fifteen years ago. Before visiting a showroom, most consumers spend hours online looking for their next car.

Here are some statistics on how much the internet has taken over vehicle buying:

1. According to car dealership marketing, 86 percent of vehicle purchasers conduct online research before visiting a local dealership assisted by automotive sales training. 
2. According to a study, customers who bought cars spent about 15 hours total on their journey from start to finish. This process included research, shopping around, visiting dealerships, and negotiation. Another study mentioned that a staggering 70% of car buyers' dealership decisions are impacted by reading online reviews.
3. This means dealerships must have a robust online presence and interact with potential customers. They must know how to direct marketing toward specific categories of purchasers and provide them with the necessary information. This must occur before the buyer visits a dealership or even makes a phone call.

Automotive Digital Marketing Channels

Automotive dealers should use various digital marketing tools to reach potential consumers.

Omnichannel marketing is the term for this approach. Channels include pay-per-click advertising, a well-designed website, and internet videos.

The most opt for digital marketing channels for the automotive industry are:

• Pay-Per-Click Online Advertising

Pay-per-click advertising is one of the cost-effective ways to boost your marketing efforts. A car dealership may bid on terms that end in the number of their store's location. Just click through for advertisements with those keywords. This led to paying Google each time the ads were clicked.

You can structure your ads to include text, links, images, and videos. Research the best words to use to attract your target customer base. In addition, pay attention to negative comments that may result in irrelevant searches.

Another area of pay-for-placement advertising is "programmatic display."

This allows you to target a particular audience based on what they are reading on another site. They may be reading an article about purchasing automobiles, for example, or small SUVs.

• Website Designed to Aid Your SEO

Your prospects can and should find you without the help of paid search engine advertising. Enter: Search engine optimization is a fancy term for well-optimized content on your website. This helps search engines and searchers find you.

A recent study discovered that most customers starting researching cars do so with a search engine. There are benefits to your site appearing high up on a search engine results page. People tend to consider them more reliable than PPC ads.

Your website should be designed to attract car buyers and provide detailed information on individual automobiles. Online car shoppers want to find all the information they need to purchase online. This should be without flashy gimmicks that will turn them away.

The use of voice search on the devices is essential to ensure that your content is optimized to answer questions in a simple, conversational way. This will ensure that potential customers are directed to your auto dealership through these popular searches.

• Blogs

A blog that explains basic consumer information about automobiles and vehicle purchasing may also improve your search engine rankings.

Consumers will not only look for a specific vehicle when they begin their search. They'll also want to gain general knowledge about automobiles and purchasing. Many customers will seek information on the benefits and drawbacks of leasing versus purchasing a vehicle from search engines.

If you've published an article on the subject, your business is more likely to appear at the top of the results page. That is if you do internet research.

• Local SEO

You can't simply optimize your website for SEO. You must also improve it for local SEO, ensuring that people looking for automobiles in your metropolitan region find you.

Local search has grown even more essential as mobile users increase. People are on the go and want to know where they can get a pizza or buy a Ford 150. When consumers look for a car, you want to be one of the top results.

Google My Business is a free service that allows you to create a profile and promote your business. This is done in Google search results, AdWords, and Maps. Create an account and include your address and geolocation data on Google My Business. You'll also want to have local information on your website.

• Social Media

Using social media marketing for auto dealers to implement strategies is essential. According to specific data, 38% of vehicle purchasers consult social networking sites before purchasing. Create an account on each social media network, from Facebook to Twitter to Instagram. 

Then, have employees update those accounts and frequently post about your dealership, vehicle purchases, and cars.

An advantage of social media advertising is that you can target specific groups of customers. These are people living in your city who have been searching for SUVs. 

Social media also easily tracks your return on investment from purchasing ads. Platforms like Facebook provide metrics showing how many people clicked through to your website from an ad.

• Online Videos

The number of people watching online automotive videos is increasing rapidly. These videos significantly influence people considering buying a car. The Google study showed that they influenced 64 percent of people who watched YouTube videos while looking to buy a car. This is more than the number of consumers affected by TV, newspapers, magazine, or automobile reviews combined.

You might create short videos that show:

1. A car that is being test driven
2. Customers' testimonials
3. New vehicles often boast innovative features that differ from older models.
4. Tips on repairing and maintaining your car

The videos may help you get more clicks on your social media and internet advertising. This helps in drawing people more profoundly to your website. They assist in dragging more visitors to your website by improving how well you rank in search engine results.

• Online Reviews

Reviews from your customers are critical to your success. According to a recent survey, seven in 10 automobile buyers feel that online reviews influence where they will purchase a vehicle. 

Provide methods on your website or elsewhere for consumers to provide you with evaluations. Keep an eye on those reviews and respond to them (both good and bad) helpfully with automotive CRM.

This is only one of the steps you should take toward improving your dealership's internet reputation. Including a link to your website on external review, sites is a must.

In Conclusion

The automotive dealership industry is evolving, and so must your marketing strategy. Keep up with the latest trends and best practices by consulting DealersGear for all of your marketing needs. 

We can help you create a comprehensive marketing plan for website design or social media management. This will let you reach new customers and increase sales. Don't miss out on the opportunity to stay ahead of the competition - contact us today!