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Digital marketing is one of the most dynamic fields in the business world. You cannot reuse the same strategy every year and anticipate the same results. As a digital marketer, you need to constantly change your approach by updating it with trending marketing tactics.
Many businesses today have replaced traditional marketing strategies with digital ones. Companies in the automotive industry, for instance, are reaping huge benefits from digital marketing. Previous research projected that 230.5 million people in the US would be shopping for cars online by 2021.
There is no doubt that digital marketing is changing business in the automotive industry. Thus, it is time to learn and embrace some of its best practices. This article is a car dealership’s ultimate guide to attracting and retaining car buyers.
Here are the six key automotive digital marketing tips to keep in mind.
- Build Trust with Customer Reviews
Ecommerce success never comes easy as many people think. Different factors contribute to the success of every online business. Customers take a lot of time before making online purchase decisions. They spend most of this time researching products and potential sellers.
Background research helps them find a seller they can trust. Sellers in different industries need to take advantage of this by being featured positively in customer research. One of the best ways to do this is by using customer reviews on websites and social media platforms.
Your customers can speak for you best when looking to attract automotive customers. You only need to ensure all the positive customer reviews appear in the right places. If used well, reviews will provide free advertising and boost trust and confidence in your car dealership business.
- Target the Right Audience
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Another way to boost your digital marketing is by focusing on the right audience. Not everyone wants to buy a car at a particular time, so you cannot market to the whole market. The best thing to do is research and understand the prospective customers of the type of cars you sell.
Defining your target audience has a lot of benefits. For instance, you can easily customize your messages to focus more on the target customer’s pain points. By sending the right message to the right person, you increase your chances of making a car sale from your effort.
You can put your audience into different sets of people with similar interests. This will help you reduce the number of messages you create, as every message will target a group rather than an individual. No doubt, targeting your campaigns to the right audience will boost your digital marketing strategy.
- Top the Google SERPs
You also need to be visible on the internet to conduct digital marketing successfully. According to research, up to 70% of car buyers turn to search engines first in their purchase process. Every car dealership that wants to make profits needs to take advantage of this massive number of online buyers.
If you run a car dealership, the first thing you should think of is owning a website. Establishing a robust online presence without a website isn’t possible. However, you will have to put in some effort for the website to become profitable. One of the most vital things to do is search engine optimization.
Good SEO makes your website appear on relevant searches. For instance, a customer may type ‘Kia dealership near me‘ into Google. The search engine looks for the Kia car dealerships in their location and shows them in the results. Your website will appear if well-optimized and if you operate in that location.
- Use Competitive Keywords
Content is a very critical part of every digital marketing strategy. You need to ensure that every piece of content posted on your website is relevant to your audience. For SEO purposes, you need to ensure that it also matches your ideal customer’s search and also provides answers to their questions.
It would be best if you focused on the right keywords when looking to meet customer content needs. Focusing on the right set of keywords will make your content appear on the first page of SERPs. The vital role that keywords play in content marketing makes it crucial to invest enough in keyword research.
Besides, it is vital to analyze the keywords in your content constantly. Analysis helps you discover keywords that do not add value to your content. This enables you to get back to research again and use a different set of keywords to boost your search engine visibility.
- Exploit Every Call Feature Available
There are different call features that you can use to boost your digital marketing. You can use either call-only campaigns, which require you to bid and pay so that a customer calls and visits your website. You can use call extensions that work like call-only campaigns but with a call extension in the end.
Another vital call feature is mobile bid adjustments. With this feature, you can adjust your traffic to attract more mobile traffic and increase conversions. Call tracking is also a feature that’s worth every car dealership’s digital marketing strategy. This helps you track every call that comes into your dealership.
Many people find setting up these call features daunting. However, the best thing about these features is the ROI that a business can draw from them once the phones start ringing.
- Attract Shoppers with Unique Offers
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Another way to attract online shoppers is by providing unique offers. As a business owner, you need to convince your target audience to choose you over your competitors. Offers and discounts can give prospective customers a reason to walk into your dealership and purchase a car.
There are different offers that a car dealership can offer its customers. It can be either a 5% discount on the car’s price for first-time buyers or two years of free oil changes for every purchase. These are some of the things that would interest a buyer and convince them to purchase.
It is also vital to mention the need for urgency in your offers. The best way to have more people taking advantage of offers is by creating a sense of urgency. Saying things such as ‘special limited offer’ makes people want to buy before you close, boosting business for your dealership.
Conclusion
Digital marketing is one of the best ways any business can use to generate more sales. But then, it is not the most straightforward method out there as there is a lot to do before you start to enjoy its benefits. It would help to understand your market and the different strategies that may work for you.
The automotive sales industry is benefiting greatly from digital marketing. With digital marketing, a dealership expands its market by reaching customers on the internet. Digital marketing also helps businesses remain competitive as competitors are using the internet to generate sales too.
This article has explored some of the best digital marketing tactics that a car dealership can use to remain profitable. We have mentioned how a dealership can market its cars to a broad audience and generate more sales. Keep these tips in mind if you want to do digital marketing for your car dealership.