Contrary to the traditional stagnant approach, automotive content marketing promises to drive traffic to your dealership by providing useful information, expanding your target audience, boosting your SEO, improving your social media presence, and even enhancing your dealership’s reputation.

There are numerous opportunities to engage consumers, thus generating significant traffic to the brand’s website. According to Amazon, automotive marketing simply helps dealers connect with potential car buyers, including those actively seeking to purchase a car (present in the market) and those still in the research phase (close to the market).

However, nowadays, there are only a few automotive marketing strategies that mainly rely on non-digital channels (display, TV ads, etc.). Currently, content marketing covers all touchpoints throughout the buying process and accompanies users as a useful and effective resource.

Digital marketing strategies are not necessarily set in stone, directly applicable to all dealerships, or even easily replicable. Indeed, the vast majority of these strategies involve mindset adjustments due to situational settings that will allow you to think like a customer. Prioritizing your target customers and their customer journey ensures that they get what they want. Thus, a satisfied customer means a loyal customer who recommends you and becomes an ambassador for your brand.

Trend #1: Increasing Shift towards Digital Marketing

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the boom in digital media consumption. Customers shifted from physically visiting showrooms to a more digital experience with 3D visualization capabilities, augmented reality-driven test drives, etc. As the digital era continues to dominate, this trend is only growing— the desire for instant and easy access to information will only increase.

Focusing on ensuring an unforgettable user experience helps you make an impact and stay ahead. It also means reducing traditional advertising in favor of paid search and content creation is the logical deployment of marketing advancements and changing consumer habits. Intuitively, it is easier to track the impact of digital marketing campaigns than TV or other campaigns.

Trend #2: A More Unified Approach

Before the Internet’s advent, automotive manufacturers did not really need to invest as much in advertising. They could theorize, design, and create the vehicles they wanted, ship them to car dealerships across the country, leaving sales and marketing strategy to local teams. But now that the whole planet is connected… things have changed.

Looking top-down is extremely critical here: if the automotive manufacturer does not have a say in what all its dealerships are doing, or if key measures are not chosen to be followed at all levels (guidelines), there will be no consistency among dealerships.

Even deeper in the pipeline, it is essential to ensure that every part of a dealership’s sales team interacts with the goal of providing a fantastic customer experience. If all parts of an organization are not united around a single ultimate goal, scaling and improving processes consistently will not be easy, as pain points, especially on social media, will not be clear.

Recommendation #1: Give Customers What They Want

At the heart of automotive content marketing is a beautiful and simple truth: internet users are looking for information, and tailored content meets their needs.

When potential buyers start the purchasing process, research is a must – after all, they need to make a decision. Often, they turn to online sources for their information needs.

You are then faced with two options: either wait for them to finish their research and stumble upon your dealership by chance – fingers crossed! – or take the lead, position yourself (in a positive way) as their research partner, and accompany them throughout their buying journey.
Obviously – to survive – you have to opt for the latter!

According to a Google study, 95% of vehicle buyers use the web as one of their sources of information, and 60% of these searches come from mobile devices. This means that having a simple website design and a range of relevant information available online can only help you get ahead of your competitors.

Recommendation #2: Pay Attention to Your Persona’s Thought Process

Never forget to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. What does he/she exactly want to know? What would make his/her life easier? Don’t just respond to their requests, but surprise them – not all customers have a precise knowledge of what they would like or dream of having.

The more you prioritize proactivity and less reactive, the more you take the lead as a market leader. Feel free to delve into your persona’s mindset to better understand them.

Which car is the best?

A classic yet relevant question. To start, someone looking for a new vehicle will likely search for the most suitable version that meets their needs and expectations. For a father of four, including a baby, he will probably type “best 6-seat family car with baby.” Ranking well for such organic keywords and integrating them into your Google Ads spending would already, as an automotive marketing specialist, get your foot in the door.

Does this car suit me?

This prospect will then search for various features they may need in their future vehicle. Providing easily accessible informative content on your website and showcasing all possible additional options interactively can positively influence the buyer’s decision.

Furthermore, customers are likely interested in comparing certain vehicles, especially key features like price, mileage, and size. Designing such a comparison is an excellent way to save them time and energy and guide their purchasing decision.

Can I afford it?

Buyers want to know immediately if they can afford a vehicle that best suits their needs, searching for keywords like “quote model X” to determine if it fits within their price range. Ranking for these keywords would also confirm your presence where few dealerships currently do.

Where can I buy it?

Focus also on drive-to-store as part of your online presence. It goes without saying that cars are not bought online. Your conversion goal is to push customers to visit you. This can be achieved directly on your website by emphasizing the location of your stores, availability, opening hours, etc., but also on Google My Business, which is currently a must.

Searches such as “car dealerships nearby” are keywords for which your ads should almost certainly appear. This is the penultimate step in Google’s five-step Consumer Moment and arguably one of the most important. If a customer finds what they want, determines the price, and why it’s the right vehicle to get, but can’t actually find a dealership near them due to poor management of your establishment listing, then that’s serious.

Is this a good deal?

Even after buyers have made their decision, they will still want to confirm that they are getting the cheapest offer. At the end of the “Consumer Moment,” it is extremely helpful to ensure that you highlight offers or promotions in your ads. This will ensure that you don’t lose customers at this crucial stage of the customer journey.

Ultimately, a customer who experiences a smooth search experience is more likely to want to physically return to you, source from you, and continually recommend you.

Recommendation #3: Automotive Marketing Is Video Marketing Excellence

Over 40% of buyers who watched a video about trucks or cars visited a dealership right after. That’s an impressive number! If you can get four out of ten people to visit your dealership simply by creating relevant and high-value-added videos, then that’s an easy win.

Investing time and money in your video marketing may not be the most obvious thing. However, from a consumer perspective, it only reassures them further that shopping with you is the right choice and gives them the appetite to indulge in a sumptuous product. If your team members appear friendly, helpful, and genuinely interested in customer welfare, it would be a shame for customers not to get to know them upfront via video before meeting them in person.

Recommendation #4: Extend Campaigns to Non-Intenders

Nearly every competitor in the automotive industry, including manufacturers, marketing agencies, and dealerships, is vying for the attention of the same seven to nine percent of the population. This low percentage represents those currently in the automotive market, while the remaining 91% who do not consider themselves currently “in the market” are not targeted.

There are a few key friction points that differentiate between having someone willing to change vehicles and someone who believes it is simply unnecessary.

Be Clear on Pricing and Payment Plans

By frequently updating consumers on price changes, including a variety of different payment plans, many customers may feel more comfortable knowing exactly the cost of a specific vehicle. When the real cost of a potential car is unclear or difficult to perceive, many customers are discouraged from continuing the purchasing process.

So, remove this barrier to entry by having clear pricing. Ideally, including an actively updated list of vehicles with their respective prices would allow customers to step towards you and grant you more confidence.

Conclusion

A customer-centric approach is key to success in a world where competition is only increasing and technologies are known to all. If you can put yourself in the customer’s shoes and understand what they want and when they want it, you will fundamentally understand why the platforms and methodologies mentioned above will benefit you. Let your creativity and humanity shine – they will lead you to where the consumer wants to find you.