Are you creating the connection and experience customers are looking for? If not, you need to improve how you promote your dealership online.
It’s pretty easy to put the standard forms of marketing together for your location but are you making it easy for your local community to think about your dealership when it’s time for a vehicle. There’s more to this process than meets the eye.
Bring Your Community Together
How often do you host community events? Are there organizations in your area that could benefit from a fundraiser at your dealership? Do you host awareness events that can improve community safety and togetherness? Have you hosted a cookout for your town? Are you involved in holiday giving and events? These are easy, relatively affordable ways for you to get your name in front of your community family.
Review Your Reviews
While it’s not an in-your-face way to promote your dealership online, most of your customers are looking at the reviews left by other shoppers. If your reviews are excellent and tell the story of a welcoming and relaxing place to buy a car, you’re going to see more shoppers visit your website and location. Check your reviews, respond to them, and add comments to show that you’re engaged with customers who have left these reviews.
Tell Stories With Your Blog
Blogs are great, you can share them on your social media accounts, you can direct customers to them when shopping online, and you can show more of your personality with them. This is a great place for you to tell stories, offer advice, give how-to experiences, and talk about what’s going on in the community. The more you keep your blog focused on local events and what your customers are telling you they need, the more this tool will connect to your audience.
Employ Multichannel Strategies
Shoppers use several different devices to look for the products and services they want to enjoy. You can easily engage with your shoppers by employing strategies across several platforms. Promote your dealership online with a website that’s made for mobile, with several social media accounts, and with advertising that will capture the attention of your shoppers.
Offer Special Discounts
You might not want to offer discounts for the prices of the cars you sell, but you could offer free oil change coupons, a free inspection of the drivetrain, or another service item. This can add value to the customer experience and help you promote your location to your audience. This would be a great way to utilize your email marketing list and reengage with customers that have connected with your dealership online.
Create a Package Deal with a Partner
Are there local car washes in town? Do you know of a detailing shop? Partner with these businesses to offer a few free or discounted washes with the purchase of a vehicle. This can be a great way to help your customers gain more value and promote your dealership online with the partnership you create. Your website should promote your partner and theirs should promote your dealership to create a win-win formula.
Create More Ads that Appeal to Subsets of Your Community
Your local community is made of people of various ages, incomes, races, and desires. The person who loves to take an SUV out on the trails might not want a sedan, but they could be looking for a new truck or SUV. The person starting out in life with a tight budget may be looking for value and not a high-priced luxury car. Create ads that appeal to each subset of your community and target them online.
Don’t Lose Those Leads
Remarketing is a process of advertising to users that connected with your site but did not either create a lead or complete a purchase. This is a list of people that have shown some interest in what you have to offer but have not followed the path to a sale. Don’t lose those people in the mix and create advertising that will increase the likelihood they will buy from you with added benefits and an invitation to your dealership.
Promote Your Dealership Online with Customer Connections
No matter the process you use to get your dealership name into the minds of your local customers, you need to keep them in mind. How can you reach shoppers and give them what they want? How can you make your dealership be the first one they think of? Answer these questions and win over your community.
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