Do you feel like your automotive dealership is being ignored? You don’t have to feel that way any longer!
At RevLocal, we have three digital marketing strategies to help rev up your digital marketing and get your inventory seen by more prospective customers.
Help your customers find you by making it easier for them. It’s time for your auto dealership to be found, be chosen and be easy to work with. Keep reading to learn how!
1. Local Search
A foundational portion of your online strategy is all about being found.
As an auto dealership, how will people see your inventory if they cannot find it or if that potential customer sees another dealership first?
If you do not constantly focus on informational consistency, your rival down the road will most likely appear in more search results when people are searching for new or used cars in your community.
The easier it is for the customer to find you the more willing they will be to look at your inventory.
With a local search strategy, you will always be adapting to the ever-changing land of digital marketing!
However, local search is not something you can do half-heartedly.
With any foundation, the dependability of this piece is integral to your digital presence. Over time, the foundation will continue to grow; if you depend on just doing paid ads, your growth over time will be stunted.
If you want your inventory to be seen by the masses, you have to have a local search strategy (organic SEO is not enough anymore).
2. Review Marketing
For either a new car or used car, it is a big purchase for most people, so the buying cycle tends to be a bit longer and more in-depth.
Customers look at two things when trying to decide where they want to purchase their vehicle from - inventory and reviews.
After looking through the inventory and finding the vehicle they like, it’s time to make sure the place they are buying the vehicle from is reputable and trustworthy.
To do this, they go look at reviews from past customers.
Customers are trying to see what people think of the salesmen, the buying process of the car and how dependable the car is after it was purchased.
Not only do reviews help your Google presence but they can also be that driving factor to help a customer make that final decision to buy a vehicle from you.
Does a good review really help that much? Yes, it does!
Reviews, in general, are extremely useful for car dealerships so they can fight against the “shady car dealer” stereotype.
Not only does this potential customer see that someone else was happy with their purchase but it positions you as a legitimate and trusted business.
3. Paid Ads
Paid advertising is always a great way to get immediate returns on your initial investment.
This part of the strategy reaches customers who have started looking for a vehicle but haven’t decided where they want to purchase from.
With paid ads, we reach potential customers by using specific keywords that they search for.
We can set specific demographics to hit that target audience so you can show up in front of the people who are likely to purchase a vehicle but also the people who are currently searching for that new ride.
Branded targeted search ads and retargeting ads will also capture customers near the end of their buying cycle.
Retargeting ads will keep your business top of mind during a customer’s search for a vehicle as well as staying ahead of your competition.
Also, by using display and retargeting ads, you can create a geofencing area where you want people to see your ads that would not have seen them by just driving by the dealership.
Facebook and Instagram ads can create demand and spread awareness about your business to an audience that you would not have been able to reach with traditional marketing.
It may be tough for a smaller dealership to compete with big dealerships, so you must adapt your strategy on an ongoing basis to stay ahead of the big guys.
Final Thoughts
Digital marketing strategies can vary depending on your goals, needs and budget.
With the local search, review marketing and paid ads, you'll be able to work toward any goal that you would like to hit for your business.
Having an integrated approach for your auto dealerships is the best option, and we will work with you to create the best strategy for your needs.
We would love to be your partners in the age of digital marketing! Click here to request a demo with one of our marketing experts near you.
See how we've helped other small automotive-related businesses with their digital marketing, too: