Did you know that although 95 percent of all automobile purchases occur at the lot, the initial step in the buying process for most individuals is an online search? Most car industry marketers recognize the importance of web advertising in bringing in new customers. However, there are several obstacles to this vehicle Automotive Digital Marketing approach (and costs).
Building credibility among potential customers is a major obstacle for the automobile industry. After all, a marketer’s duty is to generate leads for the sales department to pursue. Automotive Digital Marketing, however, faces tough competition in a market where customers must make significant financial decisions with lasting personal consequences.
So, how do you propose automobile marketers face these difficulties? By making more astute decisions with their Automotive Digital Marketing. Ninety-seven percent of automobile buyers, mechanics, and personalizers all begin their search online.
Here are the Top 8 Automotive Digital Marketing Strategies To Utilize;
Advertising in the car sector may be challenging, but there are certain tried-and-true methods for long-term success. Increase your sales of automobiles this year with these nine tried-and-true Automotive Digital Marketing techniques.
1 Establish credibility through client feedback.
The experience of leasing my first vehicle stands out in my mind. I was frightened to make this choice, but ultimately settled on the Honda Accord since it was economical, dependable, and quite attractive. I thought long and hard about whether it would be better to lease or purchase a used automobile, and I spent months researching my options and phoning local dealerships. At the end of the day, I examine customer evaluations on Google and Yelp to pick where to look in person.
The moral of this story is that testimonials are the best kind of advertising for cars. Automotive Digital Marketing would do well to go above and beyond just acquiring positive ratings and disseminating them widely. Be wherever your customers might be: Yelp, Google, social networks, and your own website. Taking it a step further, you can utilize sponsored social advertisements, your website, and your email to spread the word about the positive experiences you’ve had working with your most valuable clients to create customer success stories and videos.
There’s no better approach to build credibility in car Automotive Digital Marketing than by including testimonials from satisfied consumers.
2. Be at the top of the Google SERP
You may recall that I asked yourself earlier where I should look for a new automobile. Naturally, you can always rely on Google. When it comes to this, I know I’m not alone. Kenshoo found that 70% of car-curious buyers start their search using an online search engine.
You need to be at the top of Google since it is the first line of defense. Considering that many users don’t even bother to go beyond the first page of search results, this is a huge missed opportunity (HINT: it is not often). The majority of traffic comes from the first few results, so Automotive Digital Marketing success requires a strong showing there.
You’ll need a Google Ads strategy that delivers stellar results to achieve this. How, therefore, can one achieve prominence on the web without going into serious debt? Certain methods tend to be favored by Google and will help you rank better without increasing your budget. So, here are some pointers to get you going:
Maintain a well-organized Google Ads account with cohesive ad groupings (aim to have 15-20 keywords per ad group).
Keep keywords relevant to the ad copy, and use a maximum of three advertisements per keyword group.
Make use of ad add-ons! They are highly regarded by Google, and using them will increase your ad space and the likelihood of a lead taking action.
To prevent unwanted results, you might use “negative keywords” (and keep a close eye on your search query report).
Spend wisely throughout your many initiatives. Which items have been the most popular? Which keywords do you think your ideal customer would use? Bid more on these things if you want to profit from your audience’s preferences.
Bing and other search engines should also be considered.
Bing may seem like the forgotten relative of Google, but they really control a big chunk of the search industry, which includes the demographic most likely to have the disposable income for luxury vehicles: the elderly.
3. Bid on competitor keywords
Search engine marketing involves more than just bidding on generic terms like “new Honda Accord.” A Automotive Digital Marketing plan targeted at the automobile industry might help you compete with the established players.
The car Automotive Digital Marketing industry is very competitive, so being able to consistently release new, attention-grabbing ads is essential. You should bid on your top competitors’ brand names and make extremely convincing advertising to encourage leads to visit your website over your competition’s, but I wouldn’t advocate saying anything derogatory or using your competitor’s name in the ad content (which might get you placed on time out by Google).
For instance, I really like this Toyota commercial:
Ad targeting recent graduates in the automobile industry through a web search.
I like how they’re targeting a particular audience and providing value to that audience right in the ad’s title, even if I can’t see whether they’re bidding on competition keywords or not.
4. Actively manage your negative keyword list
Did you realize that sometimes, your adverts can show up for searches that have nothing to do with your company? And you’ll still have to pay even if no one clicks on them. It is possible to appear in unrelated searches if you use wide or phrase match keywords in your bids.
It may seem like a good idea to just bid on phrases that are a perfect match, but doing so would severely restrict your exposure, making the process of selecting negative keywords essential to your car Automotive Digital Marketing approach. Searching your search query report may seem like a time-consuming process, but it is essential, particularly in the automobile business.
When people see your advertising for phrases that have nothing to do with your company, you immediately lose trust. Because of this, it’s crucial to prevent embarrassing situations and save money by carefully configuring negatives to filter out unnecessary searches.
Consider the scenario when you’re competing for the term “cheap vehicles,” but your ad shows up for the search “toy cars,” and a harried parent clicks on it by mistake. This is a waste of the parent’s time and your money.
Tools like the 20-Minute Work Week, which helps eliminate unnecessary searches, and our search query report make it simple to locate and set up your negative keyword lists in WordStream Advisor.
5. Adjust your campaign budgets based on car-buying trends
Is purchasing a vehicle more popular on Black Friday than any other day? When does the weekend of Memorial Day fall? Many arbitrary dates are designated as “car-buying holidays.” Research by TrueCar.com and U.S. News & World Report found that with a little forethought, you may save between 7.5 and 8% off MSRP by timing your purchase correctly.
Your target audience, if they’ve done their homework, will be aware of the best times to buy a car. Find out more about the days of the week and months of the year when car bargain hunters are most active by reading this research.
Establish peak, steady, and off-peak times for your business, and then allocate your internet advertising funds appropriately. Don’t forget to check the width of your windows. This involves some forethought, but you can easily make continual adjustments to your budget on Google and other ad networks. Just double-check that you intend to follow through!
Scheduled advertising is another useful tool. When do most shoppers visit your shop? Weekends? When you get home from work throughout the week? You may use this information to your advantage by planning your advertising calendar such that your adverts only run at a greater budget just before these important moments, prompting potential consumers to visit your store.
6. Target the right people with your Automotive Digital Marketing campaigns
When advertising your company, please specify the sort of automobiles you specialize in. Can you describe your average client? Marketers promoting used automobiles or more cheap brands like Honda and Toyota require a different approach than those selling premium vehicles like Porsche and BMW. Customers looking to buy a new automobile have a wide range of priorities, queries, and requirements.
A Honda buyer, on the other hand, is probably more concerned with fuel economy and durability than a client shopping for a Mercedes because of the latter’s preference for luxury amenities like heated seats and leather upholstery. Despite the fact that this is not always the case…
“Consumers who acquire luxury vehicles do so more out of a desire for social status and material prosperity than out of a need for transportation,” argues Julia Manoukian.
It’s important for the Automotive Digital Marketing department to segment its audience in order to better appeal to each subset. If you want to maximize the likelihood of conversion, tailoring your messaging to your target audience is essential.
To make sure each potential customer receives the most relevant content, you may need to divide your target demographic into two, three, or even four distinct campaigns. And of course, with resources like Facebook’s targeting choices, this is not as complicated as it previously was. Make sure you take the time to identify your target demographics, so that you can tailor your communications to each individual.
7. Compel shoppers to come into your store with unique offers
Why should I purchase a vehicle from you instead of the car lot down the street, which may be closer or offer lower prices? Persuading potential customers to choose your car dealership above the competition is a vital aspect of your Automotive Digital Marketing plan.
If you don’t have any obvious advantages, like having the lowest pricing or the top ratings, then you need come up with some creative incentives and offers to entice potential customers. If you’re selling cars, you could give everyone who buys one a five percent discount or throw in two years of free oil changes. Incentives are also useful for generating a feeling of urgency, encouraging customers to make a purchase before a sale ends.
Look at the offer below to get $1,000 after completing college. What a fantastic way to attract new automobile customers just when they are looking for their first vehicle after graduation!
8. Use all call features possible
The Google Ads capabilities that the automobile advertiser should prioritize include call-only campaigns, call extensions, mobile bid-adjustments, and call tracking. The automobile business places a high value on phone calls, and it is far simpler to convert leads gained via phone calls into closed deals.
Here is a rundown of what you can do to get more calls:
Campaigns that focus only on phone calls rather than internet visits are known as “call-only” campaigns. Realize that they need a different approach than a standard search campaign. If you’re interested in learning how to execute them properly, see this article.
Telephonic extenders: There are several key distinctions between call-only campaigns and call extensions. In addition to the standard method of contacting you over the internet, you may also provide a telephone number. It’s also cool that you can restrict their appearance to work hours, when actual humans can take your call.
Tweaking bids on the go: From what areas do the majority of calls originate? Of course, they’re using their mobile phones. You may increase your bids on mobile traffic by taking advantage of Google’s flexible mobile bidding settings.
Finally, call monitoring is essential for determining the source of your return on investment. If you want to learn more about call tracking, read this article.
Call-in advertising for Automotive Digital Marketing may seem like a lot of work at first, but it will pay off handsomely when the phones start ringing off the hook.
