Tips for Dealerships to Drive More Online Traffic
Before shopping for a new vehicle, 92% of car buyers research online before making the big purchase. That is a huge number of potential customers already knowing what they want before stepping foot into a dealership. So, how can a dealership bring in those potential new customers? Utilizing these car dealership marketing tips will help increase online traffic and potentially bring those customers knocking on your door.
Establish a Social Media Presence
Over 79% of the U.S. population has a social media presence. If your business isn't active on social media, the time is now. The key to social media is to tell a story that resonates with your audience. Figure out which social media platform works best for your business. Albeit Twitter with the 280-character limit or Instagram with the compelling video or photo and short caption? Maybe Facebook for the older crowd, but the ability to share a longer post? The key is to draw in customers and keep them hooked. Overall, YouTube might be the best option as it was found that 70% of car buyers go to YouTube to decide on their next vehicle. Create a short series about how your brand is the most trustworthy in the industry and it could help in exponential ways.
SEO-Friendly Website
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a key factor for any sized business. Increasing SEO ensures your business' visibility is good enough to show up on the first pages of Google, Bing or any other search engine site.
Making sure your website is easy to navigate should be a priority. Shopping for a car is already at the bottom of everyone's list, so making sure the website is easy to use is vital. Fill the website with useful information beyond the address and contact information. Write blogs about different topics pertaining to vehicles, like the 'best car for families' or 'how to get the best deal on a new vehicle.'
Wisely Use Your Email Database
Having a smart email marketing strategy for a car dealership is a valuable tool. There are multiple ways to make this work by not bombarding customers with emails upon emails. It's one thing to send an email along with a new blog post, but another great email strategy is to send incentives. Sending a 20% coupon on their next oil change or free car washes for a year if they purchase their next car from you are great ideas for incentives.
Another idea for email marketing is to get customer feedback. Send out a survey to all customers to figure out what they really want. This will help in future campaigns to get more online or in-store traffic.
Source: Google Business Profiles
Creating a free business profile on Google might be the best way for a car dealership to gain traffic online. If your business can be found with a simple Google search, then it's all uphill from there.
Additionally, a new feature is currently in beta that will benefit car dealerships in better ways than none: Cars for Sale on Business Profiles. This feature will allow Google users to search and easily learn more about vehicles for sale, potentially directing customers to your dealership. The cars for sale inventory information would be provided by your car dealership or similar business. If you are a dealer and are interested in participating in this feature, fill out the interest form.
However your brand decides to increase its online traffic, it's important to realize that many car buyers are opting to begin the search online before diving into face-to-face. Read more tips on the Sid Savage blog. You can also check out our advertising and sales merchandise to start turning service visits into new car sales.