For automotive dealerships, there is one ultimate goal – to sell more vehicles and rake in profits. But that is easier said than done! Several industries depend on repeat purchases; growth isn’t that simple for auto brands, as people don’t make a car purchase numerous times a year. In order to sustain your business, you have to generate solid leads and convert them into paying customers.
Here are some tips to boost lead generation, without involving third parties – take a look:
1. Boost conversion rate of website
An appealing, well-designed website is a must to attract clients. Your dealership website must do the following:
- Communicate your value proposition – it must clearly state how you provide customers with what they need.
- Testimonials and endorsements are a must – talk to customers about it. Include Google reviews on home and product pages.
- Offer deals and promotions – assign a dedicated place on the website to attract buyers. Include inventory data to communicate the limited nature of the deal.
- Call to action – Mention a specific action so customers know exactly what to do. Remember, not all calls to action are created equally. For instance, someone researching and comparing models might require more information before they are ready to buy. Provide high quality leads with proper information, and chances are they will buy from you.
- Educate visitors – Create informative blogs as portals that act as buying guides for customers.
To put it in a nutshell, you should equip potential customers with the tools and information so they can make the right decision.
2. Start a automotive blog
As mentioned above, blogs are a simple way to showcase your knowledge regarding the automotive industry, while providing useful insights and tips for the audience. If you create compelling content frequently, the blogs will start generating traffic to the website via search engine results pages. Focus on broader informational topics that delivery value. You can write about methods to increase gas mileage, best time to buy a new vehicle, or how to save money on your insurance. Content on the blog shouldn’t be limited to text-based articles. You can use infographics too! These images provide and highlight valuable information or technical specifications – it helps people visualize the message in a better way.
3. Create attractive email campaigns
You might think this isn’t much of an original idea, because most car dealerships already run email campaigns. However, they often send generic, canned messages that don’t sound conversational, in a poorly designed template with a salesman’s signature at the bottom. Generally these emails are sent straight to the Junk or Spam inbox.
This is your chance to stand out from the rest! To increase leads, your emails have to be relevant to the audience. For instance, if you have a group of prior customers who have bought trucks, send them an email with handy tips about saving money on gas. Or you could create a group of former customers who haven’t made a purchase in more than 4 to 5 years. Shoot them an email about a list of things they can do to get the most miles out of their vehicles. Don’t make the template too complex – just ensure the information is solid and useful so the audience wants to read it.
4. Make use of videos
Video is an extremely popular medium for companies while promoting their products and services. In fact, videos don’t always have to be direct sales pitches. For example, they could be short how-to clips regarding automobiles, which can be quickly seen, absorbed, and shared. Create videos that provide helpful information that pique the interest of your audience.
At times, wordy emails won’t work – it will inevitably blend in with the rest of the noise in the inbox. Including video in your emails and text messages improves digital communication and captures audience attention. Instead of the same old plain typed-out-text that sends, you are actually sending something that is useful and captivating.
5. Use an automotive CRM
An automotive CRM and dealer software helps to streamline the sales process, especially in the era of digitization. It consolidates teams, processes, and channels under a single unit. The task of identifying and following up on leads becomes much easier. CRM software like Modera Salesfront helps to generate lucrative leads to be converted into sales. It boosts conversion rate, monitors incoming leads, keeps tabs on team performance, plans daily tasks, improves communication, and much more.
6. Use social media
Social media can be used as a very lucrative marketing channel if you adopt the right approach. Sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn can increase your exposure to potential customers. It allows them to respond directly to posts, so you have to be careful about what you post.
Ideally you should follow the 70/30 rule. It means 70% of your posts should be sharing information that is not originally your own. They can consist of articles from industry magazines, retweets from news organizations, important updates that affect car purchases or other content that would be relevant to your audience. The remaining 30% should be articles from your blog or personal insights. If you wish to post direct promotions regarding vehicles, go ahead and do so, but don’t bombard people with them, or else they will get irritated and stop looking at posts.
In conclusion
There is no hard-and-fast rule for generating leads when it comes to automotive dealerships. What works for one establishment, might not be suitable for another. You need to try our various strategies, analyze your methods, and then determine which one works best. Lead generation won’t happen overnight – it will take time and patience, but the end result is certainly worth the effort.
If you need help with generating leads for your dealership, don’t hesitate to ask for a free demo of Modera Salesfront. But if you rather try it out your own, apply for free trial here.
