Local advertising, paid social, Google Ads, Facebook Marketplace…. with so many paid channels out there to generate leads, the costs can mount up.
And with the pressure on to optimise these attraction channels, organic lead-generating methods can often be put on the back burner. Which is why we’ve outlined some top methods for generating more organic traffic to your site, and more people into the showroom.
Showcase your expertise
Consumers spend on average nearly 11 hours online choosing the vehicle that’s right for them. In that time, they’ll visit over three dealerships in person and many more online. With the early buying stages increasingly being conducted online, an opportunity presents itself to anticipate and answer your web visitors’ questions regarding common topics such as:
- Finance options
- GAP Insurance and paint protection
- Trade-in vs private sale
This means that not only will the customer develop a closer brand affinity every time you answer their question, but every question answered is one less reason to leave your site and find out elsewhere.
What’s more, web analytics can show you which topics your customers view most and hence where their concerns and pain points lie. Once you know this, you can feed into your various marketing and sales lead strategies.
Make sure your site is responsive (and fast).
In a recent Dealerweb study, 41% of car buyers used a mobile or tablet in the initial research stage. It’s crucial that you make sure that your site is just as easy to navigate on a phone as it is a desktop.
If you already optimised your site a while back, perhaps it’s time to consider further updates and ensure you have the latest features to make the most of mobile traffic. Suggestions include click-to-call options and functionality to easily share vehicle details across email, SMS/internet messaging and social media.
Now might also be a good time to check how quickly your pages load, as it can make a crucial difference if customers are using slower internet connections when on the move, as well as influencing your search rankings.
Be innovative in your blended retail
We cover some of the basic elements of blended retail in our article here, but this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Dealerships are increasingly looking at innovative ways to can bring the in-person experience online (and vice versa), such as:
- 360° VR technology to showcase the showroom and stock. Some dealerships are taking this a step further and including a Google Carboard viewer in their mailing prospectuses.
- Enabling the ability to easily pick a demo time online and have the demo vehicle come to an address of the shopper’s choice.
- Making sure to have videos at all relevant touchpoints – whether it’s showcasing your stock, or a video blog (vlog) that goes through common questions and concerns (see above).
And don’t forget to include subtitles on all videos so that consumers on the move can watch with the volume off!
Ask customers to submit reviews
Consumers are 90% more likely to visit your website and 5.3 more likely to visit your dealership if you have positive dealership reviews online.
Everyone knows that customers who have a bad experience are more willing than ever to share online, but encouraging a positive review is going to take some work:
- Include links to your dealership or Google reviews in your confirmation/ aftersales emails.
- Include a call to action in your email signature or in your aftersales packs.
- Make sure to reply to positive reviews to thank the customer and remember to share them across your various comms channels – social media, newsletters, emails etc.
Finally, always respond to negative reviews to mitigate damage and demonstrate how you can resolve any issues. There’s often an opportunity to turn a negative experience into a positive!