Auto marketers know that the average research timeline for a new auto purchase can span months. Within that buying window, customers turn to digital devices to search for vital information about their future automotive purchase. On their phone or on their laptop, buyers are looking for answers to their questions, ranging from vehicle safety to loan payments.
Your dealership’s online presence may be the first interaction with your business. Delaware, Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania auto dealerships need to make a good first impression online and offline to beat out the competition.
According to the New York Times, by March 2015, there were close to 18,000 dealerships in the US. How will your business beat out the competition?
Here are a few secrets for attracting prospects to your lot:
Secret #1: SEO Can Boost Awareness
The auto dealership that comes up first on search engine results has a big advantage – they’re much more likely to leave a lasting impression on vehicle buyers. To reach buyers, auto dealerships must actively work on getting their dealership to appear ahead of competitors on online platforms. Search engine optimization, or SEO, determines where your website shows up in search results.
Another powerful way to get attention on search engines is through Dynamic PPC, or pay-per-click ads. Dynamic PPC allows you to buy search engine ads, paying based on the number of clicks to your site instead of relying on the search engine to rank your site listing. Using Dynamic PPC, your dealership can be super targeted about which ads show up on search engines. FMDi can help dealerships upload inventory daily, so when prospects in your area search for a specific car model, like “2014 Honda Accord,” your dealership’s inventory appears first.
Secret #2: Use Email Marketing to Drive Sales
Email marketing has always been a smart way for auto dealers to attract, retain, and grow loyal customer bases. But did you know that certain types of email marketing have also been proven to be exceptionally successful at boosting sales, generating new leads, and drive increased sales? Done right, email marketing one of the most powerful ways to attract the targeted customers when they’re in the market for vehicles.
In fact, targeted emails have been so successful for auto dealers that FMDi has a program that guarantees 10% or more of a dealer’s sales will come from our emails over a three-month or more period.
FMDi can help you create dynamic, interactive emails, listing specials, models, prices and availability, and then send those emails only to the people in your area already pre-disposed to buy your makes and models. FMDi can show you how your dealership can use the power of targeted opt-in emails to attract auto buyers.
Secret #3: It’s All About Location with Geo-Fencing
How can your dealership attract new consumers exactly when they want to purchase a car? Say hello to geo-fencing. Geo-fencing sends a message to consumers’ mobile devices once they enter a predefined geographic area. When a prospect enters the chosen area, your dealership can deliver promotions, advertisements, coupons, and more to the consumer’s mobile phone. By creating a geographic “fence” around the prospect’s mobile device, you ensure that your message is at the right time and place for when they are searching your lot. Geo-fencing can help your dealership clear out less interested auto buyers and focus on the most relevant buyers.
Being able to fence your dealerships’ major competitors, as well as lifestyle locations, makes relevant message delivery to the right audience in the right place more effective than ‘regular’ display advertising. To make your dealership’s geo-fencing campaign more effective. FMDi also offers retargeting. Even after your prospects leave your geo-targeted area, we can send ads to their mobile devices for days or even weeks.
Secret #4: Leverage Website Visits with Retargeting
Getting people to your website is difficult, so make sure you leverage each visit with a retargeting strategy. Retargeting keeps your dealership’s advertisements in front of buyers after they leave your website, sending ads for days or even weeks after they visit your website. With retargeting, your dealership can reach interested customers more often. However, it can annoy potential clients if done poorly.
After all, CBS reports that the average person can see as many as 5,000 ads a day today. So here are some tricks to ensure your retargeting stands out:
• Segmentation— Auto buyers have brand loyalty and specific needs, so segment your visitors based on the brand, color, and size of vehicles they have searched. Send ads based on their preferences. This will help you create more targeted and relevant ads.
• Set a Time Limit— Set a time limit to your retargeting ads. Keep in mind the limited shopping period for auto purchases. After all, you don’t want to spend money sending ads to people who have already completed their auto purchase.
• Highlight a Call-to-Action— Want people to visit your dealership? Add a call-to-action to your retargeted ad, such as a rebate or limited-time financing offers. With a call-to-action on your retargeted ad, you’ll guide prospects to the next logical step in their purchase journey.
Drive automotive buyers to your lot!
At FMDi, our team can show you the secrets to grow your auto dealership through digital marketing tools. We are skilled at Dynamic PPC, email marketing and retargeting. We can help drive auto buyers to your lot and leave with new ride. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
To read more tips for your automotive business, check out our blog post about digital marketing here.
