Happy New Year, dealers! As we find ourselves in the first full week of 2019, it’s time to get serious about our New Year’s resolutions. Whether personal or career-related, committing to improvements is important – it gives us purpose, holds us accountable, and helps us on the never-ending quest to become the best possible version of ourselves. We have a suggestion for a 2019 resolution when it comes to your dealership’s online presence: Maximize every lead opportunity. How can you accomplish that in the new year? Let’s break it down.
Website
- As a Dealer Spike client, you can rest assured that your custom-designed, responsive website is up to date with built-in optimization that gives your customers a positive online experience. The layout and design for your site is on-trend and easy for visitors to navigate. Your inventory is easily managed and regularly updated, and lead-enhancing tools built into your site ensure that you are accelerating results for your business online.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- With the vast majority of shoppers conducting an online search before visiting a business website, it’s crucial for your dealership to appear in a high position in search engine listings. *With 60% of organic search engine traffic going to the first three listings, there is even more reason to invest in SEO. Using high-quality, well-written content filled with relevant keywords as well as a positive digital reputation and clean citation profile, Dealer Spike SEO clients increase online visibility for target customers. SEO also helps increase the amount of time users spend on your site, making it more likely that they will submit a lead that converts to a sale. As search engine favorability builds up over time, SEO helps increase traffic to your website year after year.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Above organic listings, you can implement paid ads for your dealership on search engines. These sponsored ads appear as top choices for search engine users and, specifically, online users who match your target audience. This means that they match specific profile attributes such as location, demographics, and interests. In addition, they are actively searching for specific keywords that match what you sell at your dealership. Promoting your dealership through SEM allows you to show up above your competitors, capturing the attention of perfect prospects, and drive instant traffic to your site.
Targeted Digital Advertising
- Through Geofence Targeting, Behavior Targeting, Website Re-Targeting, and Video & OTT/CTV Advertising, Dealer Spike clients who utilize Targeted Digital Advertising packages go beyond the search engine to reach prospects. This unique approach to advertising – reaching people through different avenues by tracking what they actually do both online and offline – brings your dealership’s digital strategy to another level.
Marketing Automation
- This tool allows dealers to deliver a personalized experience to every potential customer who visits your site. After someone fills out a lead form, Marketing Automation software tracks every move they make, contributing to a lead score that will indicate when it’s time for a member of your sales team to reach out. This helps your sales team sort through online leads to identify which are highest priority and in need of the quickest response. Sales team members know exactly how to start a conversation and initiate a sales pitch to a lead through Marketing Automation’s tracking abilities. Website visitors only receive communication efforts that match their interests, based on their activity on your site, increasing the likelihood that they will purchase.
When implemented together, Dealer Spike’s add-on services provide an end-to-end digital marketing suite. SEO, SEM, and Targeted Digital Advertising cover online ad strategy – in organic listings, sponsored listings, and beyond the search engine. Once a prospect reaches your site, Marketing Automation begins to track online visitors’ actions and behaviors to best reach them with personalized follow-up. These four tools can take prospects through the entirety of the customer journey, from initial awareness of your dealership all the way to post-sale. Even better, adding these services with your website provider ensures that all digital marketing efforts are implemented correctly to align with your website platform. Make your suite of digital marketing tools work for you to maximize every opportunity that arises for an online lead.