Components of a Strong Auto Dealership Digital Marketing Campaign

the fronts of lined up cars

Find Out How to Craft the Best Marketing Campaign for Today’s Economy

There was a time when auto dealers could regularly rely on making a few television commercials, placing color ads in the newspaper, and parking some nice new vehicles in front of the dealership to get customers in the door.

However, if you’ve been in the car business for a while, you know that this is no longer enough. These tactics are especially ineffective in today’s market due to slower manufacturing speeds, inflation, and high auto loan interest rates. Many dealerships are desperate for new ways to reach customers.

Fortunately, there’s a far more important location for advertising than TV, the newspaper, and your storefront – and it reliably brings buying customers directly right to you: the Internet.

More and more, people are searching online for the best deals on new or used vehicles, and that trend isn’t likely to stop. According to Google’s marketing insights on the auto industry, online searches for the keyword “car sales” have grown 60% year over year and searches for “best car under” have grown 80%.

Find out below how your dealership can position itself in front of interested customers with the right marketing tools, including a paid search campaign and targeted advertising.

How to Create a Winning Digital Marketing Strategy

In today’s competitive environment, dealerships can’t expect that just one or even two digital campaigns will supply the leads you need to be successful. As more and more dealerships master the digital space, an omnichannel approach is the strongest way to ensure your target audience recognizes your brand, knows your core message, and thinks of you first when they’re in the market for a new or used vehicle.

Let’s review the top four components of a successful strategy to ensure you have a winning plan in place:

  • Targeted Campaigns: This strategy targets your potential customers when they’re browsing their favorite websites, watching YouTube videos, or even when they’re streaming their favorite shows in their living room. This powerful digital marketing tool allows you to serve and re-serve ads to the right customers in certain demographics including location, age, whether they’ve demonstrated interest in the vehicles you sell, or if they’ve looked elsewhere online for information about new or used vehicles. These ads can even be personalized to show customers the exact kind of cars they’re looking for – and how they can find them at your dealership for the best price.
  • Paid Search Campaigns: This campaign allows you to create an ad that appears at the top of Google search results when customers are researching vehicles, dealerships, car maintenance shops, and more. You can get your ad in front of interested audiences before they even think about wading through all those search results. Paid search ads are only shown when a user enters a relevant term into the search bar, seemingly appearing organic and encouraging clicks to visit your website.
  • Social Media Ads and Management: Put your ads in front of social media users when they’re scrolling on their favorite social app. You can also use your social media accounts to post content about your business and inventory to generate brand interest and share the most up-to-date information about your dealership and special promotions.
  • Optimized Website Content: The content you include on your website communicates your values, your skills, the quality of your vehicles, your approach to customer service, and more. Investing in strong content ensures your site is inviting and helpful. Strong content also helps drive traffic to your site in the first place. Google’s search engine ranks website content higher in their search results when it includes the keywords that users are searching for, such as “new cars near me.” However, Google prefers more than just added-in keywords. Your site must be fully optimized for search engines by including content that demonstrates expertise, authority, and trustworthiness, as well as an exceptional, user-friendly experience. Search engine optimization (SEO) ensures you get the website visits and customer leads you’re looking for.
  • These four key components ensure you’ve activated the best marketing campaign available in today’s digital advertising space. With this plan in place, your business will reach and engage interested audiences throughout their decision-making process. These tactics also ensure that traffic to your website is filled with engaged, interested users, instead of poor-quality site visits that don’t lead to conversions.

    How to Get Started with Powerful Digital Marketing Campaign Tactics

    One of the most important features of any digital marketing campaign is that you can rely on experts to choose the strategies that work well for you. Certain types, like a paid search campaign and targeted advertising make the most sense right now based on your business goals. As those goals change, experts may recommend different tactics to invest in to drive optimal results.

    Get in touch with a digital marketing agency that specializes in helping auto dealerships experience significant growth. The very best marketing campaigns typically come from experienced agencies that already represent dealerships across the nation. These agencies offer a full stable of marketing talent to implement the right strategies, track their performance, and optimize these tools for a maximum return on investment.

    You, too, can get started with an excellent digital marketing agency and partner with them to earn the sales numbers you want to see. Learn more about the marketing solutions available to you, and discover how they can help you grow your business today.

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