The car dealership market is a highly competitive industry, and standing out from the competition can be a significant challenge. Almost every dealer you know yells "Best price, lowest rates, largest inventory and #1 in customer service!"
This makes the unique selling proposition that most dealers stand by, normal and expected by the customer.
These are all great things, but what does it take to separate yourself?
With the right marketing strategies and tactics, car dealerships can differentiate themselves and attract more customers. In this blog post, we'll explore some of the ways that car dealerships can navigate the competition and stand out in the marketplace using marketing.
Leverage Social Media:
Social media is an effective tool for engaging with potential customers and building brand awareness. Use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share photos and videos of your cars, customer testimonials, and special promotions.
It's not good enough to post random content and hope it will resonate with your audience. Ensure you test post types to see which performs best, and stay consistent.
Content that builds your brand is far more important than your inventory. Showing your culture, team, and bringing your customer experience online, is how you win.
Remember, followers mean very little when it comes to reputation. Focus on tracking metrics that actually lead to growth.
Reviews, web traffic and engagement are a priority here.
Optimize Your Website:
Your dealership's website is a critical component of your marketing strategy. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and optimized for search engines.
Use high-quality images and videos to showcase your inventory, and include customer reviews and testimonials.
When your team is uploading cars onto your online inventory, make sure they're clean, lit properly, and that they stand out from the background. Consistency is key!
Invest in Search Engine Marketing:
Search engine marketing (SEM) is a form of digital advertising that allows you to target customers who are actively searching for cars online. Use SEM to bid on keywords related to your products and services, and create targeted ads that drive traffic to your website.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is also key, allowing you to rank higher online with searches, organically.
Offer Incentives and Promotions:
Incentives and promotions can be a powerful marketing tool for car dealerships. Offer discounts, free maintenance services, or other incentives to entice customers to visit your dealership. Test drives for charity is also another popular option.
Creating an offer that shows insane value to the customer is key. Not everyone values saving a small percentage on windshield wipers or an oil change, and may prefer something else.
Partner with Other Businesses:
Partner with other businesses in your community to cross-promote each other's products and services. For example, you could partner with a local car wash or gas station to offer customers discounts on their services.
When it comes to creating online content, filming a car in front of a nearby landmark or business, allows locals to recognize the video location and relate to it more easily. It also shows a little more community support.
Tagging the businesses you include in your content will also help cross promotion and drive massive amounts of engagement if done correctly.
Personalize Your Marketing:
Use data to personalize your marketing efforts for individual customers. Send targeted emails based on a customer's previous purchases or browsing history on your website.
Leveraging your CRM data will allow your sales team to automate email capgains to prospective buyers or past clients.
Since the average buying cycle of a car is 48 months, leveraging this on their purchase anniversaries is a great way to add another touch point, and get them into a newer vehicle.
Conclusion:
By implementing these marketing strategies, car dealerships can differentiate themselves from competitors and attract more customers. Remember to continually evaluate and refine your marketing strategies to stay ahead of the curve and meet the evolving needs of your customers.
P.S. Here's How To Convert Your Followers Into Leads
We put together this "Lead Gen Made Simple" E-book, to help you convert more social followers, into leads. Sell more cars, more efficiently, all while building your brand.
