Did you know 72% of buyers nowadays decide on both brand and model before ever setting foot in a dealership? Customers now look beyond the flashy ads and conditional discounts or promotions. So, dealerships now have to present more compelling solutions and polish their marketing strategies.
So, what are the best marketing strategies for car dealers?
The best marketing strategies include both digital and traditional strategies. For better brand visibility, increase your online presence, engage in social media platforms, and make video content. Also, focus on the customer experience, promotional marketing, and remarketing every now and then.
This is just the gist of what we have coming up for you. We will be sharing more about the best marketing strategies. We will also give you additional strategies to leverage the latest tools to boost your sales. So, stay tuned!
Another crucial strategy is to focus on search engine optimization. Try to target location-based landing pages and keywords, as it will help you stay relevant among buyers. More importantly, stay on top of your client reviews and manage them actively.
Also, if possible, reach out to local websites or businesses for backlinks. This will increase your visibility.
Neglecting social media engagement in this digital era is an alarming marketing mistake. So, make the best out of social media platforms to connect with your audience. Introduce your brand on different platforms, create appealing content, and showcase what you have to offer.
While digital marketing is essential, it is also crucial to provide your clients with genuine experiences. Customer experience marketing doesn’t just influence clients to buy the product; it also creates lasting brand loyalty.
To elevate your customer’s experience, train your employees to be helpful and responsive. Think of how you can provide a smooth digital and in-person experience. Maybe you can work on ensuring easy online booking or providing clients with consistent follow-up consultations.
To take it a step ahead, you can offer test drives to potential buyers. Car enthusiasts rarely say no to such opportunities.
Understanding Car Dealership Marketing And Its Importance
Car dealership marketing is now more important than ever. The process isn’t just about promoting and selling vehicles. There is so much more going on behind the scenes. Moreover, with today’s rapid rise in online inventory, clients have begun to explore beyond traditional advertising. This is why companies have to tackle their marketing strategies with a modern, digital approach. More importantly, the strategies you utilize as a car dealer will reflect entirely on your brand. Well-executed marketing helps you stand out in a saturated competition, allowing your company to thrive. Take a more detailed look at what the right marketing strategies can do for you.- Increase brand visibility.
- Boost sales significantly.
- Enhance the brand’s credibility and authority.
- Generate qualified leads and expand your client base.
- Build better rapport with clients.
- Helps your company adapt to market changes quickly.
- Allows you to build a strong online presence.
Traditional Marketing vs. Digital Marketing for Car Dealers
To identify the best marketing strategies for your dealership, you must first understand the two primary types of marketing. These include traditional marketing and digital marketing. While the world is increasingly becoming tech-driven, we still can’t overlook the traditional approaches. Both type of marketing has their strengths and weaknesses. So, let’s take a look at them.Traditional Marketing
Traditional marketing is essentially the backbone of customer outreach and engagement. It includes all the methods of marketing that can be done without the internet. Billboards, fliers, directly mailed postcards, printed media ads, television commercials, and local events are all old-school marketing methods. Now you might wonder what these are all still relevant in this era. Traditional marketing allows you to build visibility and a connection with your local audience. Even more so with those who prefer offline mediums. While you may not be able to reach a wider audience, traditional marketing will strengthen your dealership’s presence. It will help reach local buyers who are actually likely to rely on your brand.Digital Marketing
Moving on to digital marketing, which has revolutionized how you connect with buyers. Needless to say, this marketing method has utilized the quick access to the internet and smartphones we have today. Digital marketing includes website content, email campaigns, SEO, social media posts, clickable ads, affiliate marketing, and so much more. The options are endless. Such digital tactics allow you to target a more precise audience with consistency and ease. Moreover, these digital methods evolve continuously, giving you the opportunity to stay updated with market trends. Altogether, digital marketing offers you a higher ROI while targeting the right buyers at the right time.What Are The Best Marketing Strategies For Car Dealers? – 12 Guaranteed Strategies
Let’s now dive right into the main discussion: what are the best marketing strategies for car dealers? While there are many approaches, we have listed the seven best strategies you can utilize to get the best results.1. Craft A Comprehensive Content Marketing Plan
You need to craft a proper content marketing plan for your brand. The primary goal is to develop a comprehensive long-term plan catered to your target audience. You must address all their queries while also keeping up with the automobile industry trends. Additionally, focus on the quality of the content. It will reflect the reliability of the information you’re providing and drive organic traffic.2. Optimize Local SEO For Better Visibility
Another crucial strategy is to focus on search engine optimization. Try to target location-based landing pages and keywords, as it will help you stay relevant among buyers. More importantly, stay on top of your client reviews and manage them actively.
Also, if possible, reach out to local websites or businesses for backlinks. This will increase your visibility.
3. Earn And Show Customer Reviews
Buying a car is undoubtedly a high-investment decision. So, your clients will definitely require reassurance before they can trust you. Hence, you need to show reviews that will persuade them to commit to your brand. We recommend that you be as transparent as possible. Don’t just embellish the reviews with positive notes. Try including what your clients didn’t like and what you did to satisfy them. This will build long-term trust with your clients.4. Focus On Social Media Engagement
Neglecting social media engagement in this digital era is an alarming marketing mistake. So, make the best out of social media platforms to connect with your audience. Introduce your brand on different platforms, create appealing content, and showcase what you have to offer.
5. Utilize Video Marketing And Virtual Tours
Video marketing is a key strategy for success nowadays. Whether you opt for long or short-form content, the main incentive is to provide interactive and informative videos. You can go for 360-degree virtual car tours for an elaborate product description video. Other great options include storytelling videos to introduce your brand, explainer videos for car-related solutions, or even client testimonial videos.6. Invest In Paid Ads
Next, we recommend you try your hand at yet another digital marketing technique. This technique is to invest in paid ads. This is not just to help you target a broad audience, but also to aid your finances. Paid ads go hand-in-hand with social media and video marketing. You can collaborate with people who have established a certain recognition on platforms like Facebook or Instagram. Get them to promote your brand and showcase your vehicles. This is guaranteed to drive more engagement.7. Improve Customer Experience
While digital marketing is essential, it is also crucial to provide your clients with genuine experiences. Customer experience marketing doesn’t just influence clients to buy the product; it also creates lasting brand loyalty.
To elevate your customer’s experience, train your employees to be helpful and responsive. Think of how you can provide a smooth digital and in-person experience. Maybe you can work on ensuring easy online booking or providing clients with consistent follow-up consultations.
To take it a step ahead, you can offer test drives to potential buyers. Car enthusiasts rarely say no to such opportunities.
8. Virtual Showroom Experience
Provide clients with a virtual showroom experience. This works like a charm since clients get the visuals before stepping into the showroom. This helps with decision-making as well, since they will be aware of what they’re getting themselves into. You must efficiently work on displaying your dealership and showroom. So, we recommend using apps like C-AR to provide clients with visuals that truly represent the beauty of your vehicles. C-AR allows you to professionally capture and modify car images including their backgrounds.9. Promotional Marketing
Another crucial marketing strategy is to randomly offer exclusive promotions, sales, or limited offers. This is a great method to attract buyers to your dealership. After all, clients gravitate towards dealerships that give them a valuable offer. So, opt for promotions specific to your dealership. Many companies provide sales, limited offers, or exclusive discounts. Alternatively, some companies like to go all out when launching new models. They offer discounts or bundled add-ons such as extended warranties or complimentary accessories. These are all old but trustworthy methods to capture a buyer’s attention.10. Seasonal Or Festive Campaigns
Buyers are more likely to commit to your brand when you give them special incentives. You need to leverage seasonal holidays, festivities, or cultural events. This is also a type of promotional marketing. However, the main goal here is to utilize the cultural buying trends. This is because buyers align high-investment purchases with special occasions, even more so when the rate is discounted. Thus, try arranging such campaigns during Christmas, New Year, Black Friday, or any cultural holidays. Such limited-time events create a sense of urgency among buyers, pushing them to make the purchase.11. Implement Remarketing Campaigns
The next marketing strategy we have to offer for your dealership is remarketing. Most clients won’t buy at first glance. They have to be persuaded to choose your dealership. Remarketing helps keep clients in the loop. The main purpose is to re-engage your prospective buyers. This can be done through ads, emails, or incomplete lead follow-ups. Thus, you’re slowly making your way back to these prospective clients while they continue to research.12. After-Sales Service Marketing
Lastly, you need to understand that marketing doesn’t just end once you’ve sold the product. After-sales service is what brings back the buyers. Such services include service reminders, loyalty programs, value-added service appointments, and more. These services make your buyers feel valued, encouraging them to trust your brand again and again. Thus, you will be fostering a long-lasting relationship and repeat revenue streams.Leveraging Additional Tools and Technology for Better Sales
Well, you might think we’ve given you everything on what are the best marketing strategies for car dealers. However, in today’s tech-driven world, there are endless ways to boost your sales. So, here are some additional technical options that you can utilize as a marketing strategy.1. CRM System For Better Management
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is not to be taken lightly. Such systems help dealerships to track new leads and communicate and follow up with clients effectively. Moreover, the sales team can analyze the buyers’ preferences and act accordingly.2. Chatbots And Instant Messaging
Another way to keep up with digital marketing is to utilize chatbots and instant messaging. These tools will allow your dealership to communicate with clients outside regular business hours. These tools will not only answer questions but also book consultations or test drives. Additionally, they can be useful to capture leads anytime.3. C-AR APP
Next, we have a premium-grade tool that will boost your dealership’s sales significantly. C-AR is an AI-powered mobile app, specifically designed for car dealerships. With this app, users can easily capture and create customizable images with a professional touch.
Take a look at what C-AR can do for your dealership
- Visual alignment and positioning guidelines for capturing the image.
- Smart framing options with crop presets.
- Adjusts reflections.
- Offers adjustable blur for license plates.
- Edits the backgrounds.
- Rim polishing.
- Processes images to add your personalized logo.
- Provides an overall polished look to your car.