Drawing in leads to close a sale is more complicated today than the pre-internet selling days.
Dealer Spike continues our conversation on omnichannelplatforms by focusing on your opportunities to expand your digital touchpoints.
Today, it’s highly unlikely that your prospects will view a TV commercial or printed ad for your dealership and drive straight to your store to make a purchase. Due to consumers now spending most of the shopping process online, combined with the wide range of digital channels, it’s difficult to predict how a lead will discover your dealership. That’s why it’s important to integrate several digital interactions into your online marketing strategy so that shoppers can connect with your brand on the platform(s) they use the most.
Online Search
The foundation of a successful digital marketing strategy is the search engine. The average person performs 3-4 online searches each day. Research estimates that Google processes about 63,000 online searches per second, which translates to 5.6 billion searches per day and about 2 TRILLION global searches per year (1)!
These stats really drive home the importance of optimizing your dealership website to perform well on search engines. In addition to driving organic traffic, here are some ways you can boost your online search presence:
Search Engine Marketing
It’s smart to launch digital ads on search engines through SEM. Due to the saturation of local businesses on platforms like Google, it can be difficult to make your dealership stand out – especially if you’re still building your organic presence. To ensure your brand makes a good first impression with the right audience, craft strategic ad messages to engage relevant leads at the top of search engines.
Business Listings & Reviews
Another significant aspect of your online presence that influences search engine clicks is your dealership’s business listings and your online reviews. Why are these relevant to your online presence? Well, there are two reasons:
- Zero-click search: This refers to the growing phenomenon of shoppers answering their search queries on the search engine results page, without clicking on any links. Claiming and updating your business listings allows you to control the information shoppers see about your business – namely, your correct contact information and hours of operation.
- Reputation: Your customers’ ratings and reviews of your business are visible and could appear on results pages. By actively responding to and mitigating your customers’ reviews, you can influence the opinion that prospects form of your brand.
Alternative Digital Avenues
While search engines are a crucial highway for shoppers to discover and connect with your dealership, they aren’t the only road that leads to your brand. While your website could appear prominently in search results, some shoppers are looking to perform more research on a unit before they are ready to visit a dealership website.
Industry Blogs
One such way for you to get in front of shoppers who are still in the research stage is to participate in an industry-related blog or newsletter. For example, manufacturers and industry groups often provide digital platforms for dealers to advertise their inventory or share educational tips and insights. The audience for these sites is clearly interested in inventory like yours, so getting in front of them through advertisements or creative content is a smart way to direct them to your website.
Website Retargeting
Once a lead lands on your website, the battle is only partially won – many leads bounce because they need more time before they’re ready to make a purchase. Website Retargeting makes sure these leads don’t forget your dealership by following them from platform to platform with relevant, timely ads related to their website visit. In this way, your dealership stays top of mind while they consider their options.
Automated Email Marketing
Another way to stay connected with website visitors is to launch automated marketing emails customized to their interests. An automated email marketing tool tracks each visitor’s website actions and generates personalized follow-up messages that match their needs and preferences. Automated email marketing launches each lead on an individual shopping journey to increase their likelihood to convert.
Geofence Targeting
Geofence Targeting is a powerful digital marketing strategy that helps you connect with likely prospects in your area. This tool delivers mobile digital ads to shoppers who are visiting or have visited a certain location, such as your local competitor. You can get in front of prospects who are looking at similar units and even offer discount incentives to draw them over to your store. You can even go further with Event Geofence Targeting to connect with prospects who registered for an upcoming trade show in your industry.
All in all, you have multiple digital options to connect with your shoppers. Considering the market will only continue to shift toward digital avenues, now is the time to get active on the channels your prospects use. Adding a variety of digital strategies to your marketing plan allows you to expand your online presence so that your future customers can find you – wherever they are searching online.
Interested in learning more about omnichannel marketing? Connect with Dealer Spike today!
(1) HubSpot