F&I and Showroom, Industry Summit 2019

www fi magazine com 16 F I and Showroom Industry Summit 2019 important investment in any digital marketing strategy Our data shows 915 of consumers click on sites found on the first results page Securing a spot in that first results page leads to increased exposure clicks and eventually sales 3 CUSTOMIZE YOUR CONTENT Once a consumer finds your dealership the next thing theyll look for is more information about it And that information should feature custom content and dealership branding that is relevant makes your dealership stand out and speaks to customers in a compelling way With a thoughtful digital strategy you will leverage interactive content that highlights what your business does best Digital marketing specialists will help make your site compatible on both desktop and mobile and visually appealing to the consumer 4 DIVE INTO VIDEO Creating engaging custom video may sound expensive but its actually a costeffective digital marketing tactic that caters to a younger demographic Remember millennials are responsible for a significant portion of inventory sales 5 MANAGE YOUR REPUTATION More than half 59 of shoppers state that reputation is the single most important factor when choosing a dealership to work with That means a dealers reputation is more valuable than convenience brand or even price As a result whether and how you respond to reviews is essential as shoppers trust in and reliance on online reviews continues to grow 6 MAINTAIN AN IMMACULATE DIGITAL STOREFRONT A dealers website should be as crisp as their physical showroom Insist on consistent messaging and a well designed appearance throughout your site 7 DONT NEGLECT YOUR INVENTORY PAGES To deliver consumers a more consistent and streamlined journey to purchase equip inventory pages with the option to start transactions online using features such as valuation tools available research information and pricing specifics Facilitating a faster path to purchase starts with including information on vehicle deals rather than solely presenting the vehicle details 8 ASK FOR HELP There is tremendous power in digital marketing throughout the automotive industry at the moment but it takes time and effort to accomplish a solid digital campaign Smaller franchised dealers should consider starting a partnership with a third party expert who can do the majority of the work for them Remember its a team effort And like any great team its important to play to each others strengths A dealership staff knows the automotive industry their market and business and how to move inventory better than almost anyone Similarly a digital marketing expert can help present that business website in the most compelling manner By hiring a third party to focus on the digital side of a your business you enable your staff to focus more of their energy on selling vehicles and less time worrying about marketing tactics If done correctly the proper digital strategy can help drive consumer engagement and dealership profitability Leveraging digital experts and an online platform may be the missing link to growing a any small business Smaller dealers should give serious thought as to whether its time to unlock it Doing so will undoubtedly help your business give the larger chains a run for their money ABOUT THE AUTHOR Erica Danford is vice president of managed services for Dealer com div Cox Automotive DIGITAL Video content is a highly effective and not necessarily expensive way to improve SEO GETTYIMAGES COM SURACHETSH