While the automotive industry has evolved in the last two decades, generating viable leads is still critical to a successful dealership.
Consumers in today’s age don’t have to rely on in-person visits to a dealership to get information. With a simple internet search, today’s potential customers can browse vehicle brands and models with a few clicks of a mouse. This means most consumers have already decided which car to buy before even setting foot in a car dealership or speaking to a salesman.
Because today’s consumers would rather get all the information they need to make an informed purchase online, car dealerships have to work harder than ever before to get their attention among a sea of competitors.
The only way to increase sales in your dealership is to reach out to more potential customers to generate more leads. Read on to learn seven ways you can use modern digital tools to do just that.
Top Lead-Generation Tactics
There are three common tactics to generate more leads in the automotive industry.
You can contact an auto lead-generation company like Cyberlead Inc. to do all the legwork for you, employ an SEO strategy for your website, or develop a targeted marketing strategy. The best approach is to use all three of these lead-generation tactics.
1. SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) entails optimizing your website to help it appear prominently in online search engine results. When SEO is implemented effectively, you’ll see a surge of organic visitors who searched for topics that are relevant to your website. These potential customers can be converted into sales for your dealership.
Search engines prioritize high-quality websites that are genuinely helpful for users. Although there are many SEO strategies, increasing your website’s trust index and authority is the best way to get your website to rank higher.
A way to improve your site’s rankings is to implement a content marketing strategy. To do this, consider creating a car-related blog with valuable educational content. A blog with helpful content that’s been optimized for search engines (SEO) is an excellent way to increase web traffic, boost your business reputation, and generate more leads.
2. Targeted Marketing
Another effective lead generation tactic is having your sales team contact your past customers regularly. Past customers are one of the best sources of leads because there is potential for repeat business. If some of your past customers want to buy their child their first car or trade in their own vehicle, contacting them is an easy way to make a sale.
Other targeted marketing campaigns include sending out personalized emails with special offers based on customers’ needs, sending out texts with service or maintenance tips, or creating a targeted advertising campaign based on demographics.
Top Lead-Generation Platforms
The best platforms to generate more leads are Google ads and social media. Use them in conjunction with SEO practices and a solid targeted marketing strategy to maximize their effectiveness.
3. Google Ads
When used alongside an effective SEO strategy, Google Ads can help amplify your reach, drive traffic to your website, and generate more leads – which will translate into more sales for your dealership. Processing more than 3.5 billion searches per day, Google is the most popular search engine in the world. To harness the enormous reach of Google, consider running Google Ad campaigns.
Something to remember, though: Google Ads takes time to master, and running a one-time advertising campaign is not recommended. To run a successful campaign, you’ll need to monitor your Ads and optimize them constantly.
4. Facebook
Surveys have revealed that 75% of potential automobile buyers want automobile companies to personally engage with them on their smartphones. This is because today’s tech-savvy consumer wants direct communication with the companies they support, as well as a quick, frictionless purchasing experience.
As a car dealership, you need to think of ways to engage your potential customers and provide user-friendly, secure transactions. You should also provide instant support and continuous communication.
By implementing an instant support feature into your sales strategy with Facebook messenger, potential customers can look at the cars on your lot and receive prompt answers to all their queries.
5. Instagram
Car dealerships increasingly use Instagram to promote their products and entice potential customers to complete a sale. To achieve the best results, implementing a solid Instagram strategy is crucial – you don’t just want to post content; you want to build a loyal following of customers who are more likely to help you achieve your sales targets.
The image-and-video-based Instagram social media platform has more than a billion monthly users. Using Instagram to promote your products, you can tap into all potential customers looking for the information or products you offer.
6. Linkedin
An often-overlooked platform for lead generation is LinkedIn. LinkedIn allows companies to target potential customers based on a narrow set of demographics – meaning that the leads it generates are more likely to be of high quality and more likely to result in a sale.
To use LinkedIn for lead generation, create a professional profile to improve your online presence. Share your helpful content and participate in discussions. You can use the advanced search tool to connect with contacts in your market.
7. YouTube
YouTube is an excellent tool for businesses because it allows content creators to reach a global audience. YouTube is the most popular video-sharing platform in the world – you can use it to engage with potential customers and convert these leads into sales.
As previously discussed, today’s car buyer has probably already searched for reviews, deals, and feature information about the car they are interested in online. Often, these potential buyers turn to YouTube to get their information.
Final Thoughts
Today’s car dealership has to overcome many new hurdles to generate leads and convert them into sales. A successful auto lead generation strategy must use digital tools to engage with its target audience and win consumer attention over its competitors.
SEO and targeted marketing tactics work most effectively when paired with social media platforms and digital advertising tools. Successful lead generation in the digital world entails having a diversified spread of marketing approaches. By including these proven methods in your marketing strategy, your dealership will see lasting results.
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