What are Automotive Marketers or Car Dealers?

Traditionally, automotive marketers focus on people looking for a new car in the market. It may seem logical since most people who walk into a car dealership already know what vehicle they want. The dealership is simply helping them get it.

Automotive marketing can be particularly challenging. It is a high-risk and highly competitive industry; Consumers typically do their research carefully, often looking up pricing and model information online from multiple dealers before making a purchase.

Because you’re working with customers who shop relatively infrequently, do more research. And make high-cost purchases, having the correct marketing strategies in place to help your dealership compete is essential.

Automotive Marketing Strategies Car Dealers 

1. Always reach out to your standing customers
2. Use referral marketing
3. Use the Google Ads feature set
4. Use automation for lead nurturing
5. Collect as many reviews as possible

 Automotive Digital Marketing Trends

1. Mobile optimization

More and more people are revolving around their mobile devices to research their car purchases. Mobile devices have changed the way consumers search and shop. Therefore, placing mobile ads can be very beneficial as it can lead to up to a 45% increase in conversions.

2. Customer journey mapping

The journey of purchase can last between 5 and 12 weeks. The customer’s buying journey begins when the buyer starts looking for models online. They then narrowed down their selection based on opinions and reviews. They then visit the dealership to test drive the vehicle. Publish that the consumer makes the final decision on which model to buy. Therefore, keeping the customer on the right channel, at the right time, and in the right place is essential.

3. Focus on customer service

There is increasing competition among car companies based solely on customer service. One study said most consumers were willing to pay dealers higher prices because of their customer service. Consequently, streamlined processes and improved experiences will lead to higher customer retention.

4. Video Personalization

Personalized videos are interactive and can be tailored to the user. These videos are designed to focus on the personality of the audience they will serve. Many car buyers watch YouTube videos to make a purchase decision. For this reason, brands are exploiting this means of communication to the fullest, personalizing the experience.

5. Use of messaging applications

The main messaging applications would be WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Snapchat. The car dealer should keep up with the messaging trend and consider communicating with their audience through these platforms. These apps are more effective than emails because they have a higher response rate. The user experience is much better compared to emails. However, companies must adhere to GDPR compliance while using them.

6. Voice search optimization

More than 100 million people use speech search, which is expected to increase by 2022. Dealers can improve the customer experience by integrating paid search, websites and blogs for voice search. Google’s algorithms will receive a lower rating not optimized for voice search.

Dealerships can optimize their content for voice search using long-tail keywords and answering questions. The tone should be conversational for all of your key phrases.