The automobile dealership industry is a fast-paced environment. With inventory changing daily and the “pushy salesmen” stereotypes, customers can be a nervous wreck when it comes to car shopping. This is why more and more people are taking the virtual route. Some new dealerships like Carvana have even gone entirely online. Customers use search engines, like Google, to research different dealerships and prices before even stepping onto the lot.
Traditional in-person dealerships need to step up their digital marketing game. Ensuring a positive online presence and routinely tuning-up digital marketing is needed to attract online customers.
Reviews can be the ultimate deciding factor for potential customers. You don’t want to have too few or too many negative ones. Instead, take control of your online reputation by regularly reading and replying to reviews. Designate an employee with the task of checking Google, Facebook, Dealer Rater, and Yelp for new reviews often.
Keep in mind, not all reviews will be positive. However, a timely reply to a negative review can prevent further damage and can correct misunderstandings in the original review.
Encourage all customers to leave a review. The more details, the better! A review with pictures and specific employee names offers more reliability. The more positive reviews there are for the dealership then the better the credibility and trustworthiness will appear to potential customers.
Is your website mobile-friendly? It needs to be. According to a 2019 Pew Research study, around 46% of smartphone owners say when they access the internet, they mostly do so on their phone. If your website is not optimized for mobile viewers, then important pictures and text can appear distorted and frustrate potential customers.
You can test how your website looks on different mobile devices with online tools such as the Responsive Web Design Testing Tool. We always recommend partnering with a professional web design company, like our team at 3D Digital, to ensure your website works great for viewers on all devices.
Feel like you’ve got your website and online presence right where you want it? Great! Now let’s direct customers to your website and boost views with some pay-per-click advertising, or PPC. These are digital advertisements that only charge you when a user clicks on them.
When you search on Google it shows a total of seven PPC ads per result page- four at the very top and three at the bottom. This specific ad type is called a search network ad and appears when users search for specific keywords you have selected for your ad campaign. Research the best keywords to use for your target audience with tools like Google Ads keyword planner.
Using specific keywords, like car brands and models, can match interested buyers with specific cars you have available. Overall, avoid using generic keywords that might make your ads appear in unrelated searches.
Creating a digital marketing campaign is a full-time job. To earn the best results, we recommend teaming up with professionals who have the knowledge and expertise to ensure your dealership is miles ahead of the competition.
