ABC’s of Dealership Marketing Pt. 2

In the first part of this series, we covered everything from dealership advertising to the importance of establishing customer loyalty.

Here, we’ll cover the rest of the alphabet—ensuring that your dealership’s marketing plan has all the tools it needs to create a comprehensive marketing strategy.

M is for Mobile

When it comes to web content today, it’s mobile-friendly or bust. Make sure your website and emails can be properly viewed on a smartphone, as 71% of people are currently using their mobile device in their purchase process.

N is for Newsletter

Having a newsletter is a great addition to any dealership’s marketing plan for multiple reasons:

• It gives you a chance to show your dealership’s personality.
• It’s a great way to share any important deals, news, and updates with your customers.
• It creates another touch point for establishing brand awareness and interest in your dealership.

O is for Organic

It’s easy for dealerships to put lots of focus on their paid advertising, but organic content is just as important. The simple act of publishing a new webpage, a new blog post, or a quick pic on your social media accounts can do a lot to help your SEO ranking and keep your name in front of potential customers.

P is for Profile Segmentation

Applying behavioral and demographic data to your customer base can provide a good estimate for what kind of services or deals your customers are interested in. Gaining a better understanding of your target market increases the relevancy of your message—a win-win for you and your customers.

Q is for Quality

Most dealerships make it a goal to provide their customers with a quality experience and welcoming atmosphere. If you are providing the top-notch quality that your customers are looking for, make sure it’s easy for them to share their experience with others, whether that be through sending out surveys or asking them to complete an online review.

R is for Reputation

Your dealership’s online reputation is highly visible, but it’s also highly influential. Reputation management is essential in knowing what your customers have to say about you and providing the opportunity to assess, respond, and react.

S is for Social

Social Media advertising is huge for dealerships—in fact auto ads have 2x greater click through rates than other markets on Facebook. Placing ads on social media, as well as keeping updated business pages and posting regularly, can help your dealership find profitable leads and generate sales.

T is for Targeting

It’s one thing to have your messaging reach customers, but another to have it reach the right customers. Make sure that your marketing plan takes a more personalized approach than mass sending messages to every email address you have on file. This will not only improve your response rates, but ensure customers only see the content that is relevant to them.

U is for Updates

Having inaccurate or outdated information online about your business is one of the easiest ways to push away customers. After all, it would be frustrating to find out only after you arrive at the dealership that the car you wanted to test drive was sold days ago. Keep up with any changes to your dealership’s essential info – phone number, address, hours, website, and current vehicle inventory.

V is for Video

People are twice as likely to share videos than any other type of digital content, and 86% of marketers report that video content has helped them generate more leads. These numbers speak for themselves—having professional quality video content can help your dealership support its goals and drive dealership engagement.

W is for Web

70% of consumers reported that they are more likely to buy a car if they can start the purchasing process online—does your website have this kind of capability? How mobile friendly is it? Assess your website and ask yourself if it is functional and customer focused.

X is for Experience

Ok, this one’s a bit of a stretch, but what dealership marketing term actually starts with X? Customer expectations about the car buying experience are changing—don’t lose your audience by standing firm in what the car buying approach should look like. Integrating digital outlets with the in-person shopping experience is all but a requirement today.

Y is for YouTube

With over 2.5 billion users, advertising your business on YouTube has become an essential aspect of almost any marketing plan. Get the most of your marketing efforts with a YouTube campaign that not only drives your specific dealership goals but inspires customer engagement.

Z is for Gen Z

The number of Gen Z car shoppers rises as this generation (born from 1997 to 2012) reaches early adulthood. How is your dealership marketing to them? As the first generation born into a web-integrated world, Gen Zs are looking for a smooth living room-to-showroom buying experience. Ensuring that your dealership is active on web and media platforms and providing updated information and inventory online is a great start to targeting this growing buying segment.

Marketing trends are constantly changing, but these elements to a good marketing plan have stood the test of time. In the same way that we combine letters of the alphabet to form words, these basic marketing elements can form a marketing strategy when combined. From A to Z, what elements you incorporate will more or less depend on your specific goals, but finding and utilizing the right combination can benefit your dealership, both now and in the future.

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