As the automotive industry continues to adjust to the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, many automotive dealerships are faced with making some tough decisions. While some dealerships have had to shutter operations all together, others are still operating their service departments and are remotely operating their sales departments.
So, what is an automotive dealership to do during a downturn in the economy? While we don’t have all the answers, we want to share some digital marketing tips for automotive dealerships on how to best utilize your efforts amid a downturn.
What Should I Do Right Now?
Create Content…. like never before.
Focus on creating content that supports the customer through their buying process, including:
SEO friendly written content that focuses on individual models & common questions will guide car shoppers through the buying process without having to be in the dealership and improve your ranking on Google and other search engines
Create Video Vehicle Walk Arounds.
8 out of 10 18-49 year-olds watch YouTube. Vehicle Video Walk Arounds create the dealership experience for car shoppers from the comfort of their home.
Keep Communicating With Your Customers.
We can’t stress this enough. As people have been told to stay at home, they are seeking a positive interaction on social media channels like Facebook. Communicate with your customers here, they want to hear from you! Maintain a presence in your customer’s lives through social media and email communication.
A recent article published by MediaPost, states:
More than four in 10 Millennials (43%) believe brands play an “important” role at this time and indicate a desire for them to step up their support. In fact, one in four think they have power to be as impactful as the government.
While many brands are postponing their campaigns, almost half of Millennials think brands should continue their efforts during this time. One in three (36%) say brands should even communicate more than usual.
That said tone matters. Half say the current context needs to be addressed in advertisements and 83% want brand initiatives that help now, not later.
Sympathize In Your Message.
During an economic downturn there is less sales demand. We recommend implementing branded messaging that encourages awareness and engagement. Sympathizing with the customers in your backyard is genuine, as we are all being affected by this in one way or another. Being there through tough times fosters lifetime customers.
Don’t Cash Out. Adjust.
If your dealership is closed and nobody is able to take sales calls for your dealership, shift paid search budgets toward branded advertising like Programmatic Display, SEO, Local Search, and Social Media.
If your dealership is providing sales as normal or on a remote basis, do not abandon paid search all together. Instead, analyze your recent campaign metrics and adjust your paid search spend for the current demand. Your digital marketing agency should be able to provide you with the latest metrics on your campaigns and search volume data for target keywords.
Get Out From Under The Rock.
Going completely dark will ensure you one thing. That you won’t be in the conversation for the sales that are happening this month. No presence means you are taking your brand out of the minds of those in your community…. not a good play.
This is a watershed moment for automotive dealerships that have been putting off implementing digital marketing and structure. Those that adapt are bound to come out on top.
“A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time.” – Henry Ford
Automotive Digital Marketing Agency | ArcMinute Marketing
ArcMinute Marketing is an automotive digital marketing agency and we are here to help. We believe in making it easy for car buyers and we do that by understanding what makes your dealership special. We align your messaging and value proposition with car buyers that are currently in market, meeting them on the search engine, on social media, and across the internet.
Does your digital marketing lack strategy? Give us a call today!
