Most of car sales happen at dealerships, but the journey often begins with an online search. So digital marketing comes in to bring potential buyers to the showroom. However, this strategy isn’t without its challenges and costs.
One major hurdle for automotive marketers is building trust with potential customers. Marketers need to attract leads so that the sales team has people to sell to. In the competitive car industry, where consumers are making significant financial decisions, earning this trust is no small feat.
So, you can ask what to do to overcome these obstacles. The answer lies in smarter digital marketing. With most of people starting their car-buying journey online, here are five strategies to boost your marketing efforts.
1. Build Trust with Customer Reviews
Think about when you leased your first car. You probably spent months researching, calling dealerships, and reading customer reviews on platforms like Yelp and Google. Reviews are incredibly influential in the car-buying process.
As a marketer, ensure you have positive reviews everywhere – Yelp, Google, social media, and your website. Go further by creating customer success stories and videos, and use these in ads, on your website, and in newsletters. Let your customers’ positive experiences build trust for you.
With the theme for car dealers and dealerships, you can build a site where customers can leave reviews for vehicles and the dealer.
2. Optimize Your Digital Marketing Efforts
Effective digital marketing requires following best practices, especially in the automotive industry. Here are key elements to focus on:
SEO Basics
- Keywords: Identify and use terms that potential customers are searching for. Tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner can help you research and choose the right keywords.
- Meta Tags: Ensure your page titles and descriptions include your chosen keywords and stay within character limits (55 for titles and 155 for descriptions).
- Content: High-quality content is crucial. Aim for at least 500 words per page and create engaging, informative content that holds the reader’s attention. Focus on local SEO if you’re targeting specific regions.
Multi-Channel Strategy
Use a multi-channel approach to reach potential customers wherever they are online. This broadens your brand’s reach and ensures you don’t miss any opportunities to capture interest. If you traditionally use newspapers or radio, consider diversifying with online channels.
3. Adjust Campaign Budgets Based on Trends
Car-buying trends vary throughout the year. For instance, Black Friday and Memorial Day Weekend are popular times for car purchases. Analyze these trends and adjust your advertising budget accordingly. Use ad scheduling to focus your budget on peak times when customers are most likely to visit your dealership.
You can add special badges like Featured to show your top cars during these campaigns with Motors.
4. Offer Unique Incentives
Why should someone choose your dealership over another? Stand out by offering unique incentives, such as a discount for new car buyers or free oil changes for the first two years. These incentives can create a sense of urgency and persuade potential customers to choose you.
You can even offer test drives to make car buyers experience the driving of the car. With the theme for automotive businesses, you can add a button to schedule a test drive for the car.
5. Use Call Features
Phone calls are a critical part of the car-buying process. Use Google Ads features like call-only campaigns, call extensions, mobile bid adjustments, and call tracking to increase call volume. These tools can help turn phone leads into sales more effectively.
By implementing these strategies, automotive marketers can navigate the challenges of online advertising and drive more sales.