Summary: 

• Auto dealerships stand to benefit significantly from digital strategies.
• Focusing on audience engagement and customer feedback will be key.
• Customized marketing campaign content can drive auto dealership sales across the board.

Expected to reach $19 billion by 2023, digital advertising is becoming the go-to strategy for the automotive industry, during a time of rapid explosion in digital traffic. Adapting to digitized consumer behavior and leveraging emerging online opportunities will be key to success in the upcoming year.

In this blog, we’ll take a look at the top five strategies you can utilize to drive conversions at your auto dealership in the hyper-digital world of 2023 and beyond.

1. Existing customers
Your customer has signed the paperwork. However, the customer journey experience isn’t over yet!

Creating loyalty among your existing customer base is one of the most effective car dealership marketing strategies. Plenty of customers will subsequently come back to purchase from the same salesperson and dealership for years to come if they have a great experience.

2. Referral
It is natural for consumers to be apprehensive towards car salespeople when walking into a dealership. They understand the salesperson is trying to keep the car price as high as possible to get a better commission. If a trusted friend tells you they just purchased a vehicle from a straight-shooting, well-informed individual, you are more likely to visit the same dealership and make a purchase there. Incentivizing referrals with perks and discounts—precisely tailored to different customers—will go a long way.

3. Effective service campaigns
Recognizing known and unknown visitors to your website will pay major dividends when running service campaigns. By continuing to target a recent customer of the dealership with vehicle promotions, you are not only wasting your marketing budget but also risking angering a potential loyal client.

With the ability to identify them, however, you can deliver relevant promotional campaigns and notifications on service and up-keep—through email, mobile app, and a host of other channels—to cultivate a lifetime customer.

4. Reviews
Without positive reviews, your dealership will struggle to stand out from other competitors in the region. When searching for a car dealership, consumers ideally want to see a 4.8 rating. Reviews can not only build trust with potential clients, but also increase visibility on platforms such as Google and Facebook.

Left to themselves, consumers are more likely to take time to write a negative review instead of a positive one. This is further proof of how negligence in service and customer experience can backfire digitally. Furthermore, you need to develop a cohesive strategy for your sales team to reach out to customers and solicit reviews after purchase.

5. Custom videos
With the prominence of platforms like YouTube, video marketing continues to gain momentum. In the past two years, the average watch time of “test drive videos has grown by more than 65%. Making relatable videos involving your salespeople will create an image of an inviting, reliable dealership, culminating in more conversions.

Final thoughts
While selling vehicles is what ultimately drives your dealership, a top-to-bottom focus on all aspects ranging from intent to retention is also crucial.