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Automotive Digital Marketing Strategies to Uplift Your Sales
June 23, 2023
11 min
As 95% of automotive industry customers rely on digital platforms as their primary source of information when considering a purchase, traditional advertising methods alone are no longer sufficient to uplift sales and engage potential customers. Automotive digital marketing has become a vital component for dealerships, vehicle manufacturers, car repair services, and other automotive businesses to thrive in the digital landscape.
In a highly competitive automotive sector, marketers can now connect with customers regardless of their geographical location due to automotive digital marketing. The barriers of distance and time have been overcome, allowing automotive businesses to expand their reach and engage with potential buyers on a global scale.
As the automotive landscape continues to evolve rapidly, lead generation has become a top priority for businesses. The tactics employed to generate leads are also evolving, demanding marketers to stay agile and adapt to the changing trends and preferences of consumers. It's a race where you must be prepared to chase after potential customers with innovative strategies and captivating campaigns.
Consumers' expectations have also undergone a significant shift. Digital serves as an information source for the majority of vehicle buyers, with approximately 95% relying on digital channels for their research and decision-making. It is during this crucial research phase that they seek an easy, enjoyable, and seamless buying experience. After all, they are about to make a substantial investment, both financially and emotionally.
How can automotive businesses effectively reach their target market and convert them into buyers? The answer is simple—through digital marketing.
Google has identified five micro-moments that occur during the process of auto purchase. You definitely need to consider them, developing your automotive digital marketing strategy.
During the "Which-car-is-best" moment, approximately six out of 10 car shoppers enter the market without a clear idea of which car to purchase. To aid in their decision-making process, many turn to trusted sources for guidance. At this point, it's critical for your car dealer's blog or retail website to become a trusted and reliable source of information.
Take a look at different blog posts themes that may cover customers’ informational inquiries during the consumer buying journey.
At a certain stage, car shoppers require a reality check to determine if a particular car will meet their needs and fit into their lifestyle. During this phase, practical considerations become paramount, such as evaluating seating accommodations, and safety features including the number of airbags, cargo space, fuel efficiency, and other relevant factors. This stage focuses on ensuring that the chosen vehicle aligns with the shopper's specific requirements, ensuring a practical and functional fit for their lifestyle.
During this stage, car dealers’ websites play a vital role in assisting shoppers. They provide valuable information that helps shoppers decide about the vehicle specifications and features that best suit their preferences and requirements.
Once consumers can envision themselves owning a specific vehicle, the next critical consideration is whether they can afford it. Affordability plays a crucial role in the decision-making process, and car shoppers seek information about pricing, financing options, lease terms, and incentives.
Even as most of the car shopping process moves online, visiting the nearby car dealership remains a crucial step in the journey. According to the research, 89% of car buyers choose to visit a dealership to test-drive a car and 82% of them want to interact with a salesman in person.
During this stage, consumers aim to secure the best possible price for the vehicle they desire. They may employ negotiation tactics, compare offers from multiple dealerships, and leverage their research on pricing and incentives to ensure they are getting a fair deal.
Market research plays a crucial role in digital marketing strategy for automotive industry. Here are some reasons why it is important:
Market research helps automotive digital marketers gain insights into customer preferences, needs, and expectations. By understanding their target audience, marketers can tailor their strategies and campaigns to resonate with customers and drive engagement.
Automotive market research allows marketers to stay updated with the latest automobile industry trends. It helps them identify emerging technologies, shifting consumer behaviors, and market dynamics. This knowledge enables marketers to adapt their digital marketing strategies accordingly and stay ahead of the competition.
For example, the 2023 Tire Market Trends Research developed by Promodo helped businesses to develop their automotive digital strategies properly.
Effective digital marketing strategy requires precise targeting. Market research helps identify the most relevant customer segments for automotive products and services. This allows marketers to focus their efforts on reaching the right audience with personalized and relevant messages, resulting in higher conversion rates and improved ROI.
Market research provides valuable insights into competitors' strategies, strengths, weaknesses, and market positioning. By analyzing competitors, automotive digital marketers can identify gaps in the market, differentiate their offerings, and develop unique selling propositions that resonate with customers.
At Promodo, we usually perform competitor analysis with Censydiam Marketing Tool to analyze consumer motivation, reveal best-fit communication channels, and make strategic decisions about product positioning. Iryna Pikalova, Lead Strategist at Promodo
Market research helps automotive companies understand customer needs and preferences, which in turn drives product development and innovation. By gathering feedback and insights from customers, companies can enhance their products and services, anticipate future trends, and stay ahead in the market. As a result, your marketing strategy for cars segment would be up-to-date and effective.
At Promodo, we have remarkable experience in automotive marketing strategy development. Take a look at the stages of developing a comprehensive digital marketing strategy and the results reached in the case study.
In today's fast-paced and digitally-driven world, businesses across industries are harnessing the power of digital marketing to expand their reach and connect with a wider audience. The automotive industry is no exception, and dealership owners have recognized the immense benefits that digital marketing brings to their businesses. By leveraging car sales marketing strategies, your dealership can significantly enhance its visibility and attract more potential customers than ever before.
At Promodo, we have considerable experience in boosting the online visibility of car dealerships through car dealership marketing strategies. For example, for the US used car dealer we successfully implemented a powerful combination of SEO and PPC strategies, resulting in a +175% increase in completed forms on the website and +11% growth in sales. Find more marketing strategies for selling cars in our case study.
The automotive industry is continuously evolving, and digital marketing has become an indispensable tool for automotive companies to succeed in today's competitive landscape. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive overview of digital marketing strategies specifically tailored to the automotive industry. By implementing these car marketing ideas effectively, automotive businesses can enhance their online visibility, engage with potential customers, and drive sales growth.
SEO is one of the main digital marketing strategies for the automotive industry. Optimizing your automotive website for search engines is crucial for improving its visibility and driving organic traffic. Conduct keyword research to identify relevant and high-volume keywords related to your dealership and incorporate them naturally throughout your website's content, meta tags, headings, and URLs. Focus on creating informative and engaging content that satisfies user intent, as search engines prioritize user experience. Improve your website's loading speed, optimize for mobile devices, and build high-quality backlinks from reputable automotive websites to enhance your SEO efforts.
Find more tips on SEO for car dealerships in the article.
As 66% of automotive calls are generated by search engines, the marketing strategy of automobile industry requires SEM. Search engine marketing (SEM) involves paid advertising on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. With SEM, your automotive business can strategically target potential customers by displaying ads when they search for specific keywords related to cars, models, or services you offer. By placing your automotive business at the top of search results, SEM increases your visibility and drives qualified traffic to your website.
PPC advertising is an effective way to drive targeted traffic to your dealership's website. Platforms like Google Ads and Bing Ads allow you to create and manage automotive PPC campaigns by bidding on keywords relevant to your business. Craft compelling ad copies that highlight your unique selling points, promotions, and inventory. Use ad extensions to provide additional information and improve the visibility of your ads. Set a budget and monitor your automotive PPC campaigns regularly to optimize performance, adjust bids, and improve conversion rates.
Launching automotive digital marketing, you may maintain a strong relationship with your existing customer base and nurture leads through effective automotive email marketing. Segment your email list based on customer preferences and behaviors to send targeted and personalized messages. Send updates about new vehicle arrivals, special promotions, service reminders, and exclusive offers to keep your dealership, auto parts store, or automobile repair service top of mind.
Developing digital marketing strategies for the automotive industry, don’t neglect the importance of social media. Harness the power of social media platforms to engage with your target audience, build brand awareness, and generate leads. Identify the most relevant platforms for your dealership, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and create engaging content that showcases your inventory, promotes special offers, and encourages interaction with your audience. Leverage social media advertising options to reach a wider audience and drive conversions as part of your automotive digital marketing.
One of the essential components of the automotive digital marketing strategy is creating valuable and informative automotive content. It helps position your dealership as a thought leader and build trust with potential customers. Develop a blog section on your website and regularly publish articles on car buying tips, maintenance advice, industry trends, and vehicle comparisons. Share this content across your social media channels and leverage email marketing to distribute it to your subscriber base.
Team Lead of Content for promodo.com
Content marketing manager at Promodo with 7+ years of writing.
When creating valuable business content, I always seek fresh data, interesting facts, the expertise of professionals, and meaningful insights to bring relevant ideas to the audience. I believe that good content can enrich the experience of marketers, empower business owners to make data-driven decisions, and enhance companies in growth.
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