In this competitive market, car dealerships face numerous challenges. Maintaining steady sales and profits can be challenging with fluctuating consumer demands, high vehicle prices, and low inventory.
As market conditions and consumer expectations shift toward digital, one-size-fits-all marketing strategies will no longer work. Consumers nowadays want personalization, and dealerships should work to provide the experiences consumers expect.
This article will discuss the top 5 marketing strategies car dealers should adopt to boost their sales and profits.
Top 5 Strategies to Boost Automatic Marketing
In the race to improve customer engagement and rev up sales, dealerships need to adopt advanced marketing strategies that capture the audience’s attention and turn interest into action.
Here are the top 5 strategies all forward-thinking dealerships should consider for a more profitable future.
1. Over the Top (OTT) Advertising
As more people switch from regular TV to streaming, advertising dollars are following suit. Over-the-top (OTT) advertising is becoming a top choice for many advertisers.
According to one report, about 254.2 million people in the US – 74.4% of the population – will watch OTT video services every month.
This shift is crucial for car dealerships. OTT advertising will play a major role in selling cars in the digital age. It’s an effective marketing strategy to show off your vehicles to potential buyers who binge-watch their favorite shows.
Imagine displaying your latest models to people deeply into a series—they’re relaxed, focused, and dreaming about that new car’s smell.
OTT platforms can help you precisely target these ready-to-buy consumers. Your dealership can stand out by placing eye-catching ads among cutting-edge content, sparking interest without interrupting.
With OTT ads in the toolkit, you can enhance brand awareness and guide high-intent customers straight to your inventory – moving them from browsing to buying faster than ever.
2. Use PPC Ads
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can help drive immediate traffic to your car dealership’s website. Don’t believe us; believe the stat:
According to one report, 33% of people click on paid search ads because they directly answer their search query.
With PPC, you can show your inventory to people who actively search for cars, such as buyers searching for ‘latest SUV models’ or ‘best sedan prices.’
Bidding on relevant keywords can help your ads appear exactly when your target customers are ready. You can even use platforms like Bing Ads and Google Ads to monitor success with detailed analytics and even modify campaigns to get maximum returns.
Smart sellers also use remarketing to bring back visitors who didn’t buy initially, showing tailored ads to remind them of cars they liked.
PPC isn’t just about clicks; it’s about smart spending, where each click could lead to sales. With automation and AI, PPC makes advertising efficient and personalized – essential for modern car sales growth.
3. Leverage Consumer Data to Attract Buyers
Every customer is different, and so are their customer journeys. They have their own opinions, preferences, and interests.
The quicker you understand what makes each customer unique, the better you can create a personalized buying experience.
This is important to close sales; however, it’s increasingly challenging in the digital world. Your sales team needs to know shoppers’ interests without meeting them in person.
To customize experiences, use technology that provides insights into shoppers based on their online browsing behavior. This tech allows you to proactively find and engage shoppers and even guide them through their unique purchase paths.
While other dealers wait for customers to come to them, you can use first-party data to see insights about your consumers in your CRM and offer them personalized deals.
4. Embrace Digital Transformation
Want to make more dealership profits? Embrace digital transformation. In this modern age, a robust online presence is more than necessary.
Here’s how dealerships can leverage digital tools:
- Develop a User-Friendly Website: A dealership’s website should be easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and fast-loading. It should feature detailed information about available vehicles, pricing, and financing options. Including high-quality images and videos can also enhance the customer experience.
- Utilize Social Media: Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are powerful tools for engaging with potential customers. Regularly posting updates, promotions, and customer testimonials can help build a loyal following. Live streams and virtual tours of the showroom can also attract online visitors.
- Implement SEO: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can help attract organic traffic to your dealership’s website. Optimizing for relevant keywords can help reach a wider audience, especially a local audience if you focus on local SEO.
5. Technologies That Help Optimize Service Capacity
Every dealership can diagnose and fix a vehicle, but those that use time and technicians wisely to service more cars quickly are more profitable.
If you want to grow your dealership revenue, you should use technology that maximizes every minute in your service department.
Start with scheduling software to balance workloads and avoid busy and slow times. Look for software that helps your team manage service capacity efficiently – providing a smoother experience for both your team and customers.
Features such as text reminders and easy access to vehicle history can keep cars moving smoothly and without interruptions through the service lane.
Conclusion
No matter what type of dealership you run today, you can prepare for future challenges in ways that benefit you now.
Follow the strategies of innovative dealers we outlined, such as using customer data, PPC ads, or social media to adapt to modern consumers and tackle every marketing and sales challenge you face.
