{"id":747,"date":"2015-09-23T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-23T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autoraptor.com\/blog\/the-5-car-dealer-marketing-errors-you-need-to-make-priority"},"modified":"2024-10-14T16:41:45","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T20:41:45","slug":"the-5-car-dealer-marketing-errors-made-far-too-often","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autoraptor.com\/blog\/the-5-car-dealer-marketing-errors-made-far-too-often\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Car Dealer Marketing Errors Made Far Too Often"},"content":{"rendered":"

5 car dealer marketing mistakes you can\u2019t afford to make in today\u2019s digitally connected world.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There isn\u2019t much room for debate when it comes to the<\/span> importance of digital marketing<\/span><\/a> these days. Consumers are expecting the best digital experience from businesses. As technology continues to influence how your customers make decisions for buying products, the more intense the consequences of not having a solid digital marketing strategy will become.<\/span><\/p>\n

The car business is in the flux just like everyone else. Car dealer marketing now expands over several different digital platforms. The once powerful marketing tools of television and radio are lagging behind in terms of audience targeting. Now it seems that every marketing strategy funnels towards one place: the internet. Smartphones are changing the intensity of how often consumers are viewing, comparing, and making buying decisions online. Car dealer marketing teams, in many isolated businesses, are not equipped to connect with these turbulent audiences. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019ve specified the five most damaging marketing mistakes car dealerships make. Luckily, these problems are not extremely hard to fix. But they can be detrimental to remaining competitive and procuring sales from a new technology-driven audience, if not made a priority. Keep reading ahead to see what mistakes you should avoid and why.<\/span><\/p>\n

5 car dealer marketing errors you should fix or avoid altogether <\/b><\/p>\n

1.) <\/span>Not having a dedicated marketing team at your dealership<\/b><\/p>\n

We begin at the core of all issues: not having a marketing team. Every car dealer should be investing in themselves by hiring a small team of digital marketing professionals to lead your efforts. We mentioned before the several different marketing platforms available now because of the internet. These platforms include websites, blogs, videos, mobile devices, apps, social media, and more. If you want to tackle all of these tasks effectively, do not place the responsibility in the hands of one person. <\/span><\/p>\n

Remember that all of your employees are capable of supporting your marketing efforts. It\u2019s likely that every salesperson at your dealership owns a smartphone and checks it non-stop throughout the day. Have your marketing team train your sales team on how to use digital platforms to increase lead generation and better customer follow up. Social media is a powerful networking tool\u2013take every opportunity to spread your brand awareness on it. <\/span><\/p>\n

2.) <\/span>You don\u2019t have a responsive website for mobile or tablet viewers <\/b><\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t already, hire someone to build a responsive website for your business. Otherwise, you are losing out on every customer who tries to view your website on their phone or tablet. Car dealer marketing\u2013heck, any business marketing\u2013works best if offering clean and feature-rich user experiences to their internet viewers. A responsive site opens up opportunities to convert interested customers at every angle and keeps them engaged wherever they are. <\/span><\/p>\n

3.) <\/span>Not making use of video advertising on the web<\/b><\/p>\n

Imagine two local dealerships are offering similar cars at a low rate, with no money down at time of purchase. On their websites, one dealer offers a detailed report with features, multiple pictures, and ownership history. The other dealer also has a similar report, but includes an embedded video, too. The video shows a first-hand look at the features, what it looks like on the inside and under the hood, and one of their sales reps taking the car for a spin around town. Which dealer do you think the customer would be more invested in?<\/span><\/p>\n

Video marketing gives a greater impression every time. Take advantage of the opportunity to communicate the benefits of your products and make your user experiences more interactive. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4.) \u00a0<\/span>Your social media platforms are not purposeful or helpful to customers <\/b><\/p>\n

Believe it or not, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook provide more uses than posting featured sales and special offers. These platforms give dealerships a way to communicate their brand to targeted audiences in a personal way. Remember the first time a business retweeted your post or responded to your comments? It makes you feel important. It makes you feel like this business cares about me. <\/span><\/p>\n

Car dealer marketing should continue to focus on the idea that <\/span>buying a car is an emotional experience<\/span>. Many emotions come into play for potential buyers\u2013trust and confidence in your brand plays an important role. Utilize social media actually to be social with consumers. <\/span><\/p>\n

5.) <\/span>Haven\u2019t discovered the power of content marketing via a business blog <\/b><\/p>\n

The term \u201ccontent marketing\u201d has been floating around for a few years now. Industries like publishing discovered right away the dynamic force of SEO-rich content. Car dealers are behind the mark, but here\u2019s an opportunity to <\/span>set yourself apart from the competition<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Develop a business blog for your dealership and write content targeted at your audience\u2019s online search traffic. When you\u2019re hiring the digital marketing team mentioned above, ask them if they know how to conduct in-depth Google search measurements and write content around that data. If you create a consistent editorial schedule targeting key phrases directed to your business, you will watch your website traffic increase every month. <\/span><\/p>\n

Be willing to adapt to the new technology-driven audience <\/b><\/p>\n

Car dealer marketing is most effective when you are willing to adapt to the environment. The challenge is that the environment today changes at a much quicker pace. You need to keep your finger on the pulse at all times and hire a skilled marketing team to implement the changes listed in this post. The good news is that, when you do fix all these issues, you\u2019ll be amazed how far you\u2019ll be above the crowd. Car dealers are still catching up in many respects because that\u2019s the nature of the business\u2013very roots-centric, face-to-face sales philosophy. But nothing stays the same forever. <\/span><\/p>\n

Do you need help organizing all those separate marketing tasks? Our car dealership CRM system is built just for you. Download our Free CRM guide to learn more or give us a call today!<\/b>\"\"<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Interested in an Affordable, Full-Featured Auto Dealer CRM?<\/h2>\n

Schedule an AutoRaptor Demo Now!<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n