It’s easy to say that car dealership marketing has not changed much in the past forty years, but Mark Gilbert says customer behaviour has changed a lot. It is true that 95% of car sales take place inside the dealership premises, but online advertising has completely overhauled the way people find cars to buy and dealerships to buy them from. Here are some tips from Mark Gilbert about using your online presence to boost your sales.
1. Strive to make it to the top of Google searches. Around 70% of new car buyers use Google to find a car dealership in their area. Since Google is where you’ll get most of your referrals, you need to invest in your search rankings. The first few listings get the most clicks, so Mark Gilbert says your Google Ads and SEO strategy has to be tight. And don’t forget to consider other search engines, like Bing – searches for automobiles on Bing run up to around 11 million per year. Considering the demographics of Bing users, who happen to be older people, you can open a potential market that can invest in higher-end cars.
2. Know your “unofficial” car-buying days. While car buying habits tend to be steady year-round, there are certain days where dealerships sell more cars than usual. May, for example, is one of the best times to buy a car. And it’s not just Memorial Day weekend. New Year’s Eve is another popular time for buying a car. Planning sales campaigns around these days will help boost your sales and increase your incentives.
3. Take care of your reviews. Around 91% of consumers are more likely to buy from a vendor when they see positive reviews, while 80% are less likely to buy if they see negative reviews. This makes online reviews the most effective marketing strategy available. If you could get your customers to leave positive reviews on your Yelp or Google page, you can expect a bump up in your sales figures.
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