Dealership Marketing 101:  Common Mistakes To Avoid

With the number of automotive dealerships today, there’s no doubt that competition is steep. If you’re one of them, there’s no better way to thrive than to stand out in this digital age. Without further ado, read on to discover these common digital marketing mistakes to avoid for your car dealership business.

The most common error many car dealers make with digital marketing is simply disregarding their image online. Maintaining your dealership's internet presence necessitates daily effort. It contributes to the establishment of crucial customer service and reputation management teams. Make sure you’re putting adequate attention into your online reputation - and if you need help, simply reach out to the FlexDealer team.

2. You Do Not Give Your Plan Enough Time

You must not only devote enough time to your promotion, but you must also give it enough time to succeed. Many dealers give up on their businesses too soon, yet good internet marketing necessitates endurance. We often recommend testing something out for at least 90 days before making any decisions on pivoting your marketing efforts. Of course, monitoring things like paid ads can require putting a stop to a particularly poor-performing campaign, but generally, your digital marketing efforts will take time.

3. You Do Not Update Your Information

Your workers should keep an eye on both your personal and the dealership's online reputation. The name, address, website, hours of operation, important company updates, and phone number of your company can all have an impact on how you appear in local auto dealer search results. While some dealerships hire a reputation management firm, these issues can be simply remedied on your own. Simply keep an eye on your company's Google page and repair any errors.

4. You Aren’t Very Active on Social Media

Whether you want to admit it or not, social media is an essential part of your marketing and quality online interactions are vitally important. Your level of interaction is taken into account by internet algorithms, so it’s recommended that you post to at least one of your social media platforms on a daily basis in order to capture the attention of potential clients. There are tools that can help you keep up with your social media schedule, but most business owners are seeing the value in hiring a dedicated person for this role at their dealerships - and we couldn’t agree more.

5. You Have a Slow Rate of Consumer Recognition

Clients value both star ratings and quick response times. Getting in touch with a lead within the first five minutes is 100 times more likely to lead to success than getting in touch within the first half-hour. It is critical for your team to always have someone available to customers. Train your team on how to monitor leads around the clock, and have scripts and training in place to help them convert as many leads to appointments and sales as possible.

6. You Do Not Keep Track of Your Progress

While experimenting with new ideas is OK, it is critical to keep track of what works and what does not. What are the most effective techniques? What are buyers drawn to? Are these methods of securing car transfers effective? Understanding what your target market appreciates makes future advertising much easier to arrange.

7. Your Advertisements Are Meaningless

The goal is to sell cars, not to publish endless adverts. Consider offering customer support assistance in the form of video blogs, images, and comments. Showcase your dealership or offer information about your employees. Most followers want educational or engaging content, not spammy advertisements. If you create value-loaded content, you’ll build brand loyalty within your audience which will undoubtedly lead to more car sales in the future.

8. Your Website Is Not Mobile-Friendly

To ensure long-term dealership digital marketing success, your dealer website must be mobile-friendly. The industry is currently seeing a 77% rise in mobile usage. That means your automobile sales might be lost as a result of poor mobile user experience. Things like pop-ups that customers can’t click away from or that block important information, trouble finding CTA buttons, too many dropdown options, and confusing layouts can all contribute to a dissatisfied customer experience. Luckily, Flex designs our dealer websites with a primary focus on mobile friendliness.

9. You Are Not Making Full Use of Your CRM Tools

CRM can help you track inventory and appointments, and they also excel at digital marketing. Using your CRM to increase the success of your digital marketing can help you in the following ways:

• Create SMS and email marketing campaigns in bulk.

• Conduct market research and target niche markets.

• To give timely customer assistance, use a CRM mobile app.

• Keep track of your lead sources so you can figure out how the customer found you.

Conclusion

For many car dealers, digital dealership marketing opens new avenues for expansion and success. This is why you should act now to adapt to modern times and shine in your industry. Assemble your team, devise a strategy, and wow your audience to stay ahead of your competitors as they embrace the digital age. Not sure where to start or what your next step is? We can help!

Are you looking for a digital marketing agency for car dealers? FlexDealer is a team of creative professionals that can put your business on the map. Work with us today!