Auto dealer marketing plays such an important role in the purchase cycle, and while the actual transaction occurs at the dealership, it’s the initial search and discovery that kicks it off online. The majority of consumers always begin their search for a new car online. Therefore, marketing car dealerships online is the way to drive warm buyer leads into dealership doors that can then be converted into new car sales.
Automotive dealer marketing is extremely competitive and it can be very costly. Dealerships are competing head-to-head for sales, and with thinning margins and rising costs for paid ads, it requires an incredibly effective marketing strategy to stay in the green.
With so many options online from local dealers to national car superstores, Like AutoNation, Carvana, and CarMax, it makes building immediate trust the tipping point. If a dealership can make an instant impression that lead might give them the chance to close a deal. If not, it’s on to the next option – and there is no shortage of auto dealerships to select from.
So, how can dealerships overcome these challenges? First, there must be total commitment when it comes to auto dealer marketing. With more than 9 out of 10 consumers starting their search for a new car online it’s become the most important part of a dealership’s marketing and advertising overall strategy.
Second, with so many options available and with competition so high, a dealership must be smart about where they allocate their marketing budget. The campaigns need to deliver an ROI in the form of leads that convert into sales and cars rolling off the showroom floor.
While car dealer marketing can seem overwhelming, some proven strategies deliver outstanding results. Let’s look at five car dealership marketing tips that can help push more units of your dealership’s inventory.
1. Dominate the Top of Google’s Search Results
It doesn’t matter what make or model car is searched for online, Google’s results are going to be packed with options. From paid ads on top – generally four of them – to the Maps and then the organic results below them, there is no shortage of options available.
To truly dominate Google, a dealership needs to have a presence – and a healthy one – in every area. This includes:
Top Page PPC Results: These reside at the very top. Bidding can be extremely expensive but for special offers, this is where a large amount of attention can be captured. Your bidding needs to be aggressive and your ad copy must be stellar.
Google Maps: Ranking on the top of the Maps results is a great way to make a solid first impression. You are seen as the top local choice and if you have a substantial amount of five-star reviews it can result in the consumer committing to visiting your website.
Organic Results: Your auto dealership’s website homepage should be optimized for your location and the manufacturers you sell. For example, “BMW dealer in Dallas.”
Bottom Page PPC Results: There are also typically three paid ads on the very bottom of the page.
A dealership cannot only participate in select Google strategies and expect to dominate. While Facebook ads are good, there isn’t a better source for leads that want to buy a new car than Google. Plan and budget accordingly so you can go all-in on Google search marketing.
2. Targeting Needs to Be Tailored to Each Customer’s Needs and Wants
You cannot use the same targeting for pay-per-click or SEO keywords across the board. Every make and model has a unique customer base and different needs and wants that the campaign needs to correctly target for it to be successful.
While a luxury sports car buyer is going to be searching for very specific terms like “Lamborghini dealership in [location],” someone looking for an affordable family car is going to be searching for terms related to money saving offers and specials, like “largest new car rebate” and “special financing offers for new car purchases.”
Knowing your target market and what value propositions trigger interest is key. If your dealership sells high-end cars then you will want to target your marketing efforts at those specific makes and models. That customer base knows exactly what they want and will be searching for it by name.
The entry-level manufacturers, like Hyundai and Kia, will want to focus more on broad keyword targeting with value, affordability, and special money-saving offers and specials in mind.
3. Improve Consumer Trust with Online Reviews
Reviews are looked at with more scrutiny in the automotive industry than any other, and this has to do with two things. First, there is a preconceived notion that car dealerships are out to get the consumer. For some reason, everyone goes into the deal thinking this, so having a large number of five-star reviews can quickly remove that off the table.
A consumer is going to look at your reviews, so make an effort to get one from every customer that leaves your dealership – whether it’s a new car purchase or a repair. These reviews are a vital part of your automotive marketing effort.
They help move your car dealership’s listing up in the Google Maps results and they help drive more phone calls, website traffic, and walk-ins at your dealership. Set up a process to automatically ask for and collect online reviews.
You can also incorporate a simple yet effective thank you, such as a premium coffee bar and snack station available to VIP customers. Put in the effort to accumulate as many Google reviews as possible.
4. Understand Negative Keyword Management to Succeed with Google PPC
With pay-per-click costs so high it’s important to fully understand how to manage negative keywords. These are terms that you do not want your PPC ads to show up for. There is such a large volume of automotive-related searches that are not related to purchasing a new vehicle.
These can be related to looking for car pictures, reading performance reviews, etc. The last thing you want to do is deplete your daily PPC budget on expensive clicks from non-buyers. Your negative keyword list is something that you should always be adding to.
Keywords related to pictures, performance reviews, safety reviews, etc. can be added to start, and then you will want to always analyze your data and see what keywords are receiving a lot of clicks but not converting into sales, phone calls, or leads.
Data doesn’t lie. While you might think a particular keyword should be included in the automotive dealership marketing campaign if it doesn’t convert add it to your negative keyword list so you stop paying for those clicks.
5. Focus on Driving and Tracking Phone Calls
In the automotive industry, the phone is still one of the most effective ways to close a sale. It’s the easiest form of communication to get a prospect to come to the dealership and look at and test drive a potential new vehicle purchase.
While other industries move away from phone sales and attempt to conduct a majority of their business online, car sales still thrive with the phone. A large portion of your auto dealer marketing effort should be applied to driving phone calls – specifically via PPC ads.
Some things to consider when mapping out a call generating pay-per-click campaign:
- Mobile Bid Adjustments: You will want to increase the mobile bids for keywords with high close rates over the phone. You are essentially paying a premium for clicks on mobile devices to increase the probability of that user converting immediately into a phone call.
- Call Extensions: Include a click-to-call option on your mobile PPC ads to entice the user to call your auto dealership.
- Call-Only Campaigns: This is a great PPC format, as you are only paying for “calls” – which are counted as clicks. This results in a 100% click-to-call conversion rate. With a strong phone closer on the other end, this can drive leads directly to your dealership the same day.
- Call Tracking: There are many different ways to monitor your PPC success on the phone. From recording the calls and listening to your sales team to learning what ads generate the highest quality phone lead. You can also use multiple numbers to track specific ad copy, targeting, and advertising networks.
As with all online marketing campaigns, track and analyze your data and make changes accordingly. When you master this it leads to large-scale growth opportunities for your business.
Final Thoughts
Marketing a car dealership requires a very aggressive strategy and a healthy budget to deliver the kind of results that move the needle in terms of sales volume that leads to large-scale growth. It’s a very competitive industry online, with multiple local and national businesses all vying for the same attention.
In such a cut-throat environment you must partner with an automotive dealership marketing agency that understands the industry inside and out and can deliver results right out of the gate. There is very little to no room for error, making it important that the campaign stays on track, remains focused on its goals, and delivers a strong ROI.
If you would like to learn more about our car dealership marketing services please contact us for a complimentary consultation and online assessment. Our team of automotive marketing experts will be more than happy to explain the strategies that we use while also addressing any questions that you might have.
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