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Fresh Automotive Marketing Tips for Outdated Dealerships

Have you been selling cars since brick phones and Jimmy Carter’s presidency (or even longer)? 

Your dealership has likely seen every change from the United States president to the rapid changes in technology, and yet you still haven’t updated your marketing strategy. 

The days of clients just walking in your doors are long gone, so what are you doing to adapt?

You have to do just one TERRIFYING thing. Change. 

We’ve spared you the horror film of change by providing you with some tips. Update your marketing strategy and reach new customers with these fresh automotive marketing tips!

1. Social Media

If social media hasn’t been generating leads for your dealership, then you’re doing it all wrong. Maybe you aren’t even doing it all. Either way, social media is a powerful tool that should be part of your overall marketing strategy. 

You can use these 3 social media strategies to get started. 

Video Marketing

Did you know more than 50% of consumers prefer video content over other forms of content like emails, social, and blogs?

In fact, product videos can increase purchases by 144%.

Create videos featuring your sales consultants doing vehicle walkarounds and product demos to boost your sales. You can get creative with this and do comparisons and how-to videos for service. 

Video also drives a 157% increase in organic traffic from SERPs (search engine page results). 

With video marketing, you will attract more visitors to your website, establish trust, and ultimately drive sales. 

Influencer Marketing

49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations. 

Related Reading:  Taking ASE Tests

Find a local influencer in your community and establish a partnership. 

Invite them to events, allow them to test-drive products, and share information about your business. 

You could create a campaign where you allow them to test drive a product for an extended period of time in exchange for a review posted to their socials. 

Have fun with this one. 

Ads

Algorithms are making it much harder to reach users organically, so be sure to ad paid and sponsored social media ads to your strategy. 

Facebook ads are great for this, as you can narrow down your audience to geographic areas near your dealership, vehicle type, gender, consumer interests, and more. 

This allows you to specifically target your ideal customer. 

2. Blogging

Websites with a blog have tend to have 434% more indexed pages.

What does this mean for your business? Better search page results. 

An important factor of SEO is having a lot of content for search engines to crawl and index. This helps search engines more easily recognize that your website is a resource with tons of information for people to consume.

You can create a blog to discuss your brand’s latest models, service advice, or events within your store and community. 

Infographics are a great way to share information in a captivating way. 

Blogging establishes authority and builds trust with users

SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads (such as direct mail or print advertising) have a 1.7% close rate. It’s worth the investment. 

3. Internet Sales

If you don’t have an internet sales department, you’re already behind. 

If you do, make sure to monitor metrics, such as lead response times and the quality of responses. 

Related Reading:  Online Auto Repair Manuals

Are your sales consultants responding quickly and providing the requested information?

Refresh Your Automotive Marketing Strategy Today

Don’t wait around for customers to knock on your door any longer. Adjust your automotive marketing strategy to meet your customers where they are. 

Today’s consumers have plenty of options, make sure they choose you. 

Looking for automotive information? Explore some of our other posts to learn more.