What Auto Dealers Need to Do to Dramatically Increase Their Web Presence

Auto dealers must sell vehicles to make a profit. You’re not going to sell these vehicles with just traditional marketing. If you’re not using the internet in your marketing plans, then you’re missing out. Read on to find out what you need to do to increase your web presence.

Make Relevant Content

Your content can help you to build successful relationships. It helps to write things that people want to read instead of selling the product. You may be wondering about how to create and share truly relevant content online.

The creation of quality content starts with a content strategy. Your strategy should map out how you plan to create and use the information. A solid content strategy keeps you on track so that you know where you’re going.

You have to pay attention to what’s going on in the automotive industry. This awareness will help you to find subjects for content. Many clients need help with what to do during a vehicle recall. You can write a guide telling consumers the steps to take in this situation. It helps to provide helpful advice to get consumers to read and linger on your website.

Respond to All Feedback

Many consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Paying attention to reviews must be a priority for auto dealers. You must respond whether it’s a positive or negative review. Negative feedback will lower your local SEO because search engines want to recommend the most credible businesses to their customers.

Auto dealers can create positive results from responding to negative reviews. A customer is more likely to post a positive review after receiving a response from the company to his or her negative review. In some cases, the customer may even delete the negative review after a response. When you respond to a review, it builds trust with the customer and the search engine. Have a presence on the major dealership review sites, and make sure you stay up to date with any problems that might be happening.

Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

Many people are using their cell phones more than their computers to access the internet. Your marketing messages, content, and website must be optimized for mobile devices. If a consumer visits a page that’s not mobile-friendly, then he or she will quickly leave. After leaving your page, the consumer is in search of a competitor with a more mobile-friendly website.

Many car shoppers are comparing merchandise online while physically shopping at a car dealership. These mobile searches pertain to payments, price, offers, and inventory information. Car shoppers are relying on mobile websites to help with making final decisions about where and what to purchase. Mobile devices are playing a major role in the purchase process from initial research to the final decision.

Establish Authority on YouTube

YouTube is the second largest search engine by volume in the world. This video content ranks well on Google. Knowing this information means you shouldn’t waste time. You need to establish authority on YouTube. To establish authority, you have to develop relevant content for this website.

For example, you can create “how-to” videos to educate car shoppers about the buying process. You can make videos for all four stages of the buying cycle. These four stages include awareness, interest, intent, and purchase. The interest video should show why your dealership is different from other competitors. For the intent stage, you can make a video about models, makes, and brands to help the buyer with making his or her decision. The key is providing relevant advice to help the buyers with purchasing the right vehicle.

Get Involved in the Local Automotive Community

Auto dealers must be involved in their local automotive community. You want automotive influencers to build a relationship with your brand. It starts by hosting automotive events to attract attention to your business. These events may include a monthly car talk meet up that includes coffee, or you can host car club meets.

People who come to these events are more than just car shoppers; they’re also the trusted car expert who gives advice to loved ones. He or she can give recommendations on everything from tires to where to buy the vehicle from. You want to make experts from the automotive community aware of your business. Social media also allows you to increase the reach of the event. You can even create hashtags and photo contests to create awareness about your event.

Encourage Clients to Write Reviews

When happy car shoppers share their experiences, it helps your business to grow faster. You want to encourage your customers to leave reviews. Reviews can build your reputation, and it also helps with learning where to improve. There’s software available that can help you with soliciting and managing reviews.

The key to increasing your web presence is building up a large following. Sometimes that requires some retargeting, or even restarting all of your marketing efforts to reach those who you need to. If you can establish yourself as an authority in the automotive industry, then you won’t have to work hard to make sales.