Your Automotive Marketing Specialists

  • Call us toll free! 877-958-4524

Your Automotive Marketing Specialists

  • Call us toll free! 877-958-4524
Digital to Dealer Direct

Tag Archives: automotive marketing

Working From Home

3 min read

We’ve written many blogs here about the impact COVID-19 has had on the automotive business including advertising and inventory. However, there’s one big change that many dealerships were not prepared for and that’s working from home. When the initial shutdown happened almost a year ago (how is THAT possible?), many BDC reps and managers were sent to work from home (WFH) for the first time ever.

If your BDC team spent at least part of the past year working from home for the first time, you probably know what I’m talking about. Dealership sales has historically been a very hands-on, very tangible job. COVID-19 forced most of the workforce home and that meant dealership staff as well.

Here are some ways we have seen lasting effects of the new work from home mentality of car dealerships.

Longer hours – Just when you thought it wasn’t possible, your workday has gotten even longer. This is true of so many working from home right now. You sign on earlier, you don’t take lunch because there’s really nowhere to go, and you stay on later. The same is true for those in dealerships. You’re working deals non-stop because there is no “punching in” or “punching out.” It’s just a non-stop workflow!

Longer weeks – Typically dealership staff has off on Sundays and one day during the week, but the never ending WFH job has many dealership staff working on their days off as well. The interesting thing is that a lot of people don’t seem to mind the extra work because at least they can “be home” within seconds of finishing.

It’s not so bad – While a lot of dealerships and employers in general have struggled with letting employees WFH the past, a lot of managers saw that the work can actually be done from home. As long as you have good employees who are dedicated to the company and their positions, there is minimal disruption, if any, to the work that needs to be done.

WFH could stick around – As we mentioned, and you might have experienced, this has forced some management to permit WFH for sales and other management personnel. Another thing we are seeing is that as dealerships see what can be accomplished from home, many are becoming more open to it when staff need to be home for a family event/emergency or issue.

While so many have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 and all that it has brought to us whether it be our health, our distance, or economically, there have been positive outcomes as well. The ability to work from home has given many people more time at home with loved ones (even when they don’t want it!), less time in stressful traffic, and more schedule flexibility to tend to home life. Employees are working more hours and proving that it all can be done.

At D2D, we started our WFH schedules back in March, and we have now been cranking at home for almost a year! While we miss our clients so much, it’s been pretty common that automotive advertising agencies perform virtual meetings and reviews, so it’s been a smooth transition.

If this is something your dealership has experienced, let us know! Don’t forget to show your appreciation for those employees putting in extra hours and extra days for your company. This is when we come together most and many employees have shown their dedication, and now is the time to also make sure they know how much you appreciate it. Try giving an extra PTO day to employees, sending out a little bonus if possible, or sending a gift as a token of your appreciation.

We are here to help virtually! If you need to ramp up your digital advertising efforts, contact us today. We are on top of the industry every step of the way throughout this process, and we know what you’re going through!

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What To Expect In 2021

3 min read

Well, here we are. 2021 has finally rolled around and to say we aren’t anywhere where we thought we would be is an understatement. Who would have guessed we would have more COVID cases than ever before, inventory would still be low, and so much would still be unknown? Well, if we did suspect it we hoped for the best anyway. There are some positives so far though: vaccines, new ways of working and getting things done that curtail the need to shut completely down, and car sales are still doing very well.

I hate to write a blog about “What to Expect in 2021” and tell you to just expect anything, but that’s where we are! I have, however, compiled a few pointers that should help you prepare for the anything.

Inventory

When you can get it, get it. I think it’s safe to say most of the rules of ordering inventory are out the window at this point. It’s basically get what you can get when you can get it. With this comes the fact that this could mean different sales training for your staff or even different advertising. Maybe your team typically knocks if out of the park with SUVs, but now you have an influx of sedans. That could require a sales switch. Is all your advertising geared towards what you typically do well? The same goes for here. It’s a good idea to sit down with your automotive digital marketing agency and review your strategy for 2021. I’ll talk a little bit more about that later.

Digital Retailing

Most of our clients across the country have certainly come on board to digital retailing over the past year. For some, it’s still a little bit of a transition and maybe your staff or your website weren’t quite ready to handle that. If you haven’t signed on for an automotive digital retailing tool, now is the time. You don’t want to be caught off guard in the event you have to shut your doors for a period of time in 2021. Your sales team and BDC team can work very well remotely using a digital retailing tool, chat feature and emailing and texting customers. Don’t skip a beat if it happens again – get started on this right away!

Advertising

While not TOO much has changed in the auto advertising world, there are a few new things to keep in mind. People are online more than ever. They are on social media more than ever before. Are you set up with an aggressive paid search campaign? If you thought social media advertising didn’t work in the past, have you reconsidered? Social Media Lead Ads have been one of the highest sources of leads for our clients over the past 10 months. If you haven’t done so already, it’s definitely time to sit down with you automotive marketing partner and discuss your 2021 strategy, creative, and budgets.

Keep the Customers Safe

If you put certain protocols in place like disinfected delivery, mandatory masks, daily sanitizing, etc.; now is not the time to let that fall to the wayside. Keep it up, and let your customers know you are doing everything you can to keep their purchase and experience safe and healthy.

Our dealerships who have remained dominant with advertising, have utilized digital retailing tools, and who have reached out to the community have certainly benefitted with a positive response in both reputation and sales. If you aren’t sure of the direction your dealership should be taking feel free to reach out for a consultation. We are happy to review your current website and advertising status and help you get to where you need to be for a successful 2021!

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How To Choose Content For Your Auto Dealership

3 min read

Do you struggle with coming up with relevant content to create or share with your customers that isn’t all about sales? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there! Content marketing is an effective way for your dealership to create and share content across platforms, engage with existing customers, and encourage potential customers to connect with your without bombarding them with constant sales messages. Even for the most creative minds, developing content can be difficult, so we’ve put together some ideas to help your dealership get started!

Feature Emails

Does your manufacturer have a new vehicle releasing? Do you have an overstock of a particular vehicle? Feature emails are a great way to do just that, feature a particular vehicle, and everything that comes with it! Not only is this a great way to call attention to the vehicle itself but you’re providing them with some insider knowledge while still putting your dealership out there for customers to see. These emails still include links back to your website along with inventory CTAs, which is beneficial if the customer is in the market for a new or used vehicle.  

Setting Yourself Apart

While manufactures usually dictate what your dealership can offer, developing ways to set yourself apart from other dealerships can be an efficient way to develop content. Can you put together a unique offer for new or used vehicles? Are there any special service offers you can provide for the season? Once you develop your offer you can use this content across multiple advertising platforms and drive traffic to your website and social media platforms.

Community Involvement

What better content for a dealership, and your social media, than giving back to the community. Chances are your dealership is already involved in the community one way or another. Do an event or fundraising recap to let the community know what your dealership has done, if it was something they missed, it may help get their attention for the next time your dealership has something going on. It’s also a great way to engage those who attended or were a part of the event making them feel involved and connected to your dealership. The next time someone is thinking of purchasing a vehicle they will probably have your dealership at the top of their mind.

Connect with Your Local Audience

Understanding your audience and connecting with them is a big part of content marketing. Providing solutions and addressing possible apprehensions when it comes to car buying will help build trust in your potential customer. Analyzing and developing topics that will address these apprehensions could be great content for your social media pages or website. Topics can include;

    • Tips on vehicle maintenance
    • Customer/vehicle photos
    • Feature vehicle tour videos
    • Employee spotlight posts
    • Customer testimonials
    • Car trivia
    • Facility tours
    • Car buying tips

 

Content Marketing and SEO

The more content your dealership posts the better chance of your website appearing high in the search engine rankings, and the higher the rankings, the better the likelihood that people will contact your dealership over another. Content should always be high-quality and relevant – not nonsense just to include keywords.

These tips should get you well on your way to some quality content for your website, social media, customer newsletters, etc. However, we know that finding the time can be a completely different obstacle for some dealerships. By working with and experienced automotive digital marketing agency, like Digital to Dealer Direct, you’ll be able to get some of this content created and optimize every aspect of your website and other content avenues to stay ahead of the game! If you’re looking for more help, contact us today!

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Behind-the-Scenes Car Dealership’s Social Media

3 min read

Social media is a digital tool that was designed to allow users to quickly create and share content. Social media platforms have expanded from being utilized for an individual only to becoming an important part of marketing for businesses of all sizes. Today, creating a social media account for your dealership is simply not enough. Dealerships need to provide engaging content that is relevant to customers. Sharing behind-the-scenes content on your dealership’s social media is the most efficient way to do so.

Content shared on social media can become repetitive. For example, if your dealership posts every day about the same special by the third post your audience is uninterested and is craving to see something else. Instead of showing the usual view of your dealership in planned posts whether it be photos or videos, we recommend showing a different side of your dealership to supplement these posts. 

Going beyond sharing the basic deal and promotions posts on your dealerships social media is easier than you think! Below are three types of behind-the-scenes content for dealerships:

    • Dealership Updates
    • Dealership in Action
    • Personal

Dealership Updates

The environment of a dealership is fast pace and things are always changing. If something is new or noteworthy your customers should know about it! This could be updates on projects going on at the dealership, moving locations and renovations or expansions.

One of the dealerships we work for decided to renovate their collision center and share the process on their social media platforms. They shared compelling step by step updates – utilizing photos and videos of their employees at work.  This type of behind-the-scenes content allows customers to look forward to the exciting changes going on at the dealership.

If there is an eye catchy new vehicle on your dealership lot, take a video and share it! Creating a video that instructs new car owners on how to operate specific features can attract and be helpful to potential customers. Social media is the new word of mouth – social media success can be measured on how often your followers share your content.

Dealership in Action

Creating this type of behind-the-scenes content may be the easiest! Have whoever runs your social media platforms walk around your dealership and take pictures or videos of your team doing what they do best. Take a picture of your salesman with a happy customer and their brand-new car! Take a video of your service technician explaining a vehicle repair. Or create small social media DIY tutorial that can help your customers check their oil, use a car code reader, clean up cloudy headlights and more! For this you could talk with your service team to see what topics they think would be best to assist customers in need of quick solutions.

Sharing these types of posts lets potential customers to have an insight on the relationships and culture of the dealership. This gives your dealership the opportunity to build on the brand image. Customers can have a deeper understanding of everything that goes on at the dealership and what makes it unique.

Personal

Social media is all about interacting and building connections with customers. What better way to do so then by sharing information about those who make up the heart of the dealership? Personal post can include employee birthdays, new hires, fun facts, and office pets!

A fun welcoming way to introduce your new employee to customers is by taking a high-quality picture of them with a bio explaining their role at the dealership. The goal here is it get customers familiar with your team! Sharing fun facts about your dealership’s manufacturer is designed to drive up social media engagement.

Scheduling posts and planning content is definitely something you don’t want to stop if you’re doing so. This is the perfect way to make sure you have regular and consistent things going out but incorporating posts like these or popping in last minute things as they happen is the perfect way to supplement your content calendar. Sharing behind-the-scenes content on social media platforms builds a connection between the dealership and the customers that traditional post does not. It is a genuine and easy way to establish trust with your customers. Be sure to share dealership news and personal content ideas with your automotive digital marketing agency. This way they can be sure to utilize the info not only on your social media but also on your website and in other areas.

Our team recommends that all dealerships share behind-the-scenes content! Today customers interact more with brands online than they do in person so why not give it a try. We are here to answer any questions your dealership may have on engaging your customers on social media platforms. If you’re struggling with social media content, or want to add some paid social media advertising, contact us today by sending us an email at info@digital2dealer.com or by calling 877-958-4524!

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Automotive Advertising Creative

4 min read

A few seconds – that’s all it takes to catch someone’s attention and keep it. Does your automotive advertising make those few seconds count? When designing automotive advertising you have to think about fonts, colors, and photography to create emotion and interaction with your target audience while creating overall cohesion. Each part plays an integral role into making an overall picture that is worth remembering. As a trusted automotive marketing agency, we have some simple design tips for your dealership.

 Fonts and Colors

Fonts and colors go hand in hand to make the overall message legible. Slapping on some bold and bright colors and large text isn’t always the way to go, unless the design warrants it. Fonts that are used may need to follow manufacturer guidelines, therefore they are required to be worked into the design to follow the “look” that the manufacturers follow. However, if there are no limitations on fonts, you have to stop and think what manufacturer and theme you are designing for.

Alongside font choices, colors are the next major decision. Once again, if the manufacturer has rules that apply to what text has to be certain colors, such as the manufacturers name itself, you have to follow it. The rest of the colors should match the theme of the advertisement, so the ideas follow through the whole design. Simple ideas for colors it to grab color swatches from the photography, car colors and backgrounds to keep it an overall tone. If you want something to pop out against the other colors, use the same palette but make it more saturated or brighter.

Keep in mind the size of your design and where it is going to be seen. Your automotive digital marketing agency should consider each tactic when laying out creative. When the designs are small you want to have colors that can stand out and be legible. If you can see the text clearly when the design is small, like a retargeting banner, the text will also be legible when it is blown up, like a showroom poster. Try and choose fonts that are sans serif as they are the cleanest to read. Serif fonts are okay to use as well, but keep them to a limited use, like a headline followed by sans serif fonts. This creates a break and an easier reading experience when a viewer is reading the information.

Photography

Aside from fonts and colors, another visual decision is what imagery is going to be within the design. Car cutouts, jellybeans, are supplied by the manufacturer to be used within automotive advertising. These are a great way to show different models and trim options with the available incentives and offers. Since jellybeans is just an image of the vehicle itself with a transparent background, they are easy to manipulate within a space as they can be moved wherever in the design space.

Another imagery option is to have “background” images. These images are also provided by the manufacturer and it’s a photograph of a vehicle(s) within a scene as you would see like any other photograph. These are great to show motion, inside and outside a vehicle. However, using background photos creates some challenges. Depending on the text you need to add alongside the photograph and the space around the vehicle in the photograph may create limitations within the dimensions of the design. Therefore, using that image in various sizes and shapes of digital and print advertisements may run into difficulties. 

Emotion

When photography is combined with fonts and colors is should spark emotions within a person. Is it excitement, urgency, holiday spirit, or refined? Bright colors and fun fonts create visual excitement often used within holiday themes. Whereas if you take bold bright red and yellow with high contrast visuals create an idea of urgency, however, if overdone it can look cartoon-like and childish. On the other side of the spectrum if the design is kept to black, white, grey and touches of muted colors this creates the overall feeling of a refined and clean look. Color can still be used within a refined look to draw attention and make certain text pop out against the rest, however by having the colors more muted they don’t look so jarring.

Space

Photography and text need to respect one another and create a visual breather. If you plaster a ton of text over an image, clearly, a customer can’t see what the image is and vice versa they can’t read what the text says. When space is used around text it is referred to as “white space” and often gives the overall design breathing room. This ensures that the text can be clearly read, and the overall space in the design is not overly crowded. White space is not only applied to text but can also be applied to photography. When you have a large focal image or jellybean your eye gets drawn to the image and then follows into the text. When applicable always try and face the vehicle in a photograph or jellybean towards the text – this naturally leads the viewers eyes towards the text that supplies the information.

Each manufacturer has a certain “look” they carry, and when that look carries over into your advertising it creates a connection and a familiarity to the customer. Taking certain steps within your design to focus on text placement, colors and imagery will help balance an overall eye pleasing design. If done right, your advertisement will catch the customers attention, show a visual to back up what is being advertised, and then be legible to read the information – all in a couple of seconds.

D2D has managed everything from websites, digital marketing, video production and placement. If you need assistance making sure your advertisements are eye-catching and stand out to customers, contact us today. Our in-house design team are automotive specialists ready to help your dealership!  

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2021 Automotive Advertising

3 min read

The New Year is just around the corner which means it is already time to start thinking about 2021 advertising. At the end of each year, it is important to review what really worked for your dealership, and what maybe didn’t so you know what you will want to carry over into the New Year. However, there has been quite a few curve balls in 2020 as well as market changes. The automotive world has been rapidly changing over this past year. What marketing efforts will you continue and on the other hand, how will your dealership evolve to ensure a strong start in 2021?

Staples in Your Advertising Efforts

The core marketing tactics and efforts that your automotive marketing agency puts into motion for you, that are used month-to-month, are what I like to call your “staples”. These are also the marketing solutions that we, as an agency, recommend you continue each month to ensure the best results. If certain solutions are driving strong results for your dealership, continue those into the New Year. It also may be time to assess your current budgets. Even though your current marketing solutions may still be effective, your budget could be hurting your results. With not much else to do during these times, people are on their phones more than ever. Are your current PPC and Facebook budgets where they need to be? As the market changed over this past year, so did budget allocations.

Evolving Marketing Solutions

It seems every now and then there is a new automotive digital advertising tactic introduced to us, or an existing one that has progressed. Is your agency bringing these new products to the table to help you stay competitive? While you should keep your staple efforts, it is also important to know what marketing solutions are changing and evolving so your dealership can stay ahead of the curve.

For example, according to Deloitte, 80% of U.S. consumers are now paying for streaming video service, up from 73% before Covid began. Based on these findings, your dealership may want to consider putting money toward streaming TV. Or, as previously noted, you may just need to adjust your current budgets to stay competitive.

Online Sales

Over the past few months, Covid has changed the way businesses operate and even how consumers go about making purchases. The shift from in person car sales to largely online sales has made companies like Carvana so successful. If you have not already, does your dealership plan on expanding your online car sales? According to Cars.com, prior to the current climate, only 54% of total dealers offered digital retailing tools. As many dealerships’ physical showrooms were forced to close, Dealer Inspire saw a 250% increase in dealer inquiries for its digital retailing solution Online Shopper. By May, car sales through Online Shopper were up 63% compared to before the pandemic hit. Ultimately, consumer expectations have changed as 71% of shoppers want to complete some, if not all, of a car purchase online.

While some consumers still prefer to buy everything in-person, whether it is their clothing, groceries or vehicle, the number of people buying their goods online is growing every day. Consumers are having necessities like clothing and food delivered right to their door, so naturally, that is now also becoming an expectation for vehicle deliveries, and more common.

Since digital marketing is evolving so quickly, your automotive marketing agency should be there to stay on top of the market and trends to lead you in the right direction. It is important to incorporate a healthy mix of new digital strategies with your “go to” marketing efforts. Now is the time to begin thinking about how your dealership wants to tackle 2021. Your dealership may want to begin ramping up the online sales, or you may be comfortable doing the majority of your sales in-person. Review what worked well for you, what didn’t and if your budget is where it needs to be.

If you would like to schedule a demo of our services, or need some help evaluating your marketing plan, contact us today! Here’s to a healthy and successful New Year!

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New Vehicle Launches

3 min read

People love the latest and greatest in every aspect in their lives, so why not bring that concept into your dealership? Use a new vehicle launch or a re-designed vehicle to your benefit! A new vehicle concept or launch is a perfect time to draw attention to your dealership and breaks up a dealership’s typical content. Sending out emails, talking about it on social media, showing pictures will generate excitement and anticipation. New vehicles also draw in new customers from different generations and keep your customers up to date on the vehicle while also increasing awareness of your brand and your inventory.

Build Anticipation

Building anticipation is the foundation to gaining sales once the vehicle is released. Giving people sneak peaks, information and pictures all work together to build eagerness to see what else the new vehicle has to offer. Photography will draw the customer in initially with a stunning visual, however by adding text with the image it will give them details behind the vehicle and all that it has to offer. Be sure to add as much information and visuals to your website as possible, but make sure it’s organized and easy to navigate.

Sending out emails to customers will raise awareness that there is new vehicle launch on the horizon. Emails are a prime spot to showcase photos of the exterior and interior of the vehicle so buyers can get a sense of the entire vehicle. This is especially important if the vehicle is an all-new redesign due to the fact that people want to see what changes were made in the design from the previous model. Emails are also a perfect opportunity to highlight key features and bring people to your website to see more about the vehicle.

Along with emails your dealership should utilize social media to showcase photos, videos and information of the vehicle. When a viewer sees an eye-catching photo or video in your dealerships feed, they will be drawn in to see if you have posted any more about the new vehicle. Videos are a great way to generate engagement on social media. With Covid-19 many people are online on social media frequently throughout the day, use this to your advantage to get the word out!

Work with your automotive digital marketing agency to figure out the best way to incorporate the launch into your other digital marketing strategies. Adding copy to your paid search campaigns, adding the model to any display you are running are all simple and effective ways to generate more awareness digitally.

Pre-Order

Once customers are drawn in from your emails or social media, they will be able to see everything about the vehicle along with stock photos. If pre-ordering is an available option, customers will be able to feel the rush that they are going to get their hands on the latest and greatest once the vehicle is officially released. This creates a sense of urgency and the clock is winding down until the release! Pre-ordering also is a great tool and will be an opportunity for your dealership know an estimated inventory for future buyers.

Launch Party

A completely new vehicle or a drastic redesign might warrant a launch party. These parties are a great way to draw attention to your dealership, generate awareness of the new model, and also build your CRM list. You’ll want to make sure you work with your automotive marketing agency to get the word out, draw traffic to your website for the event, and put together a well organized party. During the event, it’s a great idea to do giveaways, test drives, and collect the information of those in attendance to build your CRM.

New Customers

New vehicle launches and vehicle re-designs are also a perfect opportunity to gain new customers. If a vehicle is returning to the market, it can target older generations who can recognize the vehicle and get a sense of nostalgia. However, younger clients may not know this vehicle ever existed therefore they see it as a brand-new vehicle! This brings an opportunity to broaden your customer range which can lead to more sales.

New vehicle launches break the trends and routine of the typical vehicles that come from the manufacturer – use it to your advantage. If there’s an opportunity to draw in more business from a launch, why not utilize it? Don’t let opportunities pass you by! Create excitement, entice new customers, and educate people what’s great about the new vehicle to help bring in new opportunities. D2D has managed everything from websites, digital marketing, and new vehicle launch parties. If you need assistance making sure your new vehicle makes a splash, contact us today.

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Prepping For End of Year Advertising

4 min read

2020 has definitely been a year no one is going to forget anytime soon. The one good thing we all have going for us in 2020 is we’re finally approaching the end of it! Q4 is usually a period of time where dealers are gearing up for their last big push to end the year on a high note, but this year goals and expectations have greatly shifted from the norm.

While all dealers still want to make a big push to come out on top (or more appropriately, with their heads above water), managing expectations is key. There are a few key points to consider as a dealer going into Q4 of 2020: Due to inventory shortages across the country, your focus might be on getting a hold of used inventory or bringing a more focus to your service advertising; with less commuting in the workforce, maybe it’s time to really push the benefits of low mileage leases in your advertising; and most importantly, as a greater shift has been made to online shopping and researching prior to making a big purchase decision, it’s imperative that your website has all your specials, offers, and online shopping tools laid out in an organized and easy-to-use format to make the customer want to shop your dealership.

Set Realistic Sales Goals Based on Inventory

While the end of year push is always heavy on new car sales, this year the circumstances are a bit different.  Most of the dealers we work with are having an extremely hard time getting new inventory on their lots. Units being bought up as quickly as they hit the lot. This sounds like a good problem to have, but when cars are trickling in and your inventory is scarce, customers have a higher tendency to shop elsewhere. We’ve been urging our dealers to buy up used cars from the auctions and to include incentive programs for customers who have a current vehicles they could possibly trade in. Since manufacturers are still not back up to their standard vehicle production, dealers should be focusing on the used vehicles that are out there and try flipping new car buyers into a used instead. We’ve seen dealers have great success with offering cash cards, additional cash over value, Apple TVs, etc. to potential customers. Offering that additional incentive might win their attention over a competitor and as automotive marketers, that’s our main goal. Get customers through the door. Once they’re there, they are way more likely to make a purchase over moving on to a competitor. Had over to our previous blog post for tips on getting inventory in a COVID world.

Another huge chunk of business that gets overlooked when it comes to advertising, is your service department. Right now, customers might be seeing less of a need to make a new purchase and more likely to keep with their current vehicle a few more months or even a year. But that vehicle is going to need to be serviced. Your service departments should be putting together specials each month to attract new business. These specials can be utilized in a multitude of different advertising channels throughout the month – database emails, conquest emails, retargeting, social media, SEM, and the list goes on and on. This of your service department similarly to how you advertise for sales. You want your offers to resonate with customers and to choose your dealership over your competitor. Your service department is ultimately what fuels your sales department. What is a more opportune time than now to shift advertising dollars to this department and build that customer base? This way when you do have more inventory, you have more contacts already in your direct database to market to!

Low Mileage Leases

With more people working from home than ever before, we’ve been tasked with the challenge of marketing to people who are barely driving… not an ideal market for car dealers. However, there are plenty of vehicle owners, who need to get out of their current lease and into something new. Although they aren’t driving as much, they still need a car to get around when they do need to go somewhere. That’s where we’ve discovered some opportunities for low mileage leases. If your customers are now driving 50% less than they used to, this might be the perfect option for them and you’re now able to provide this as an option with an additional savings, which everything is looking for these days.

Putting It Together

So, you’ve made these overall changes in your dealership, and now you need to know exactly to you market for year-end in 2020. Making these behind the scenes changes are most important and they will ultimately impact your marketing message. You want to make sure you’re getting the word out on low mileage lease terms and pricing, pre-owned inventory specials and of course your safety precautions when it comes to your dealership and staff. Remember, year end is flu season, and everyone is bound to be nervous this year.

Aside from keeping your messaging up to date and timely with the market environment, you’ll also want to think about the way in which people are consuming media in 2020. OTT is great way to advertise because people are home and they are streaming more than ever! Another great source of advertising in a pandemic world is social media. Users are spending a lot more time on social media than they have in the past, and that makes it a great platform to advertise your dealership. We have found great success with a variety of different social media campaigns this year. From social inventory retargeting to Facebook lead ads, this is definitely something to consider adding to your automotive digital marketing for sales and service.

If you’re really looking to focus on fixed ops, sit with your automotive digital marketing partner to determine if service is something they cover. A lot of agencies don’t have as much experience on the fixed ops side. Digital to Dealer Direct offers targeted service campaigns that we’ve implemented for dealerships across the country with a variety of different brands.

While it might seem like uncharted territory, year-end is nothing new for your dealership. We just have to be creative in how we are reaching people and with what message. If you need help developing your year-end marketing pan, give us a call today at 977-958-4524 or contact us online.

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Staying on Top of Your Advertising & Messaging

4 min read

Since mid-March, the automotive world has been operating at a much difference pace than we are used to due to the Coronavirus. While things are not 100% back to normal, there definitely is a “new normal”. These times of uncertainty have been a learning experience for dealerships and their agencies, making us more prepared to handle those constant changes in dealers’ advertising. How did your agency handle your messages and advertising during these times? Do you think they could have been more proactive?

We are still unsure if the situation will progressively get better, or if it could potentially backpedal. With that being said, we have compiled the top items of what is critical to address immediately during an experience like this – after all, it is 2020 and anything can happen!

    1. Are Your Customers Easily Informed?

One of the first things a customer will look at when they want to find out information is your website and/or Google Business page. If you want to get a message across, your website should have a bold banner at the very top of the site, or a pop-up banner, with the most important information they will need.

For example, some of the pressing questions were: Is your sales or service department closed? Have your hours changed? Do they need to make an appointment to come into the dealership? It is always better to be extra informative than not giving enough information. Some website providers even rolled out new features to their sites, such as alert banners at the top of the dealer’s website.

On Google My Business, they currently have an option to include a “COVID-19 Update”. This makes it even easier to let your customers know if there is any important information they need to know, specifically COVID related. However, even pre-COVID, you were able to post an update on your Google My Business page – so this feature is here to stay.

    2. Do You Need to Make Budget & Creative Adjustments to Your Advertisements?

It is essential that your advertisements match what you are showing on your website – especially if there is an important message to a customer. For example, the first big change for dealerships was that they were forced to close their sales departments. However, they were able to keep their service departments operating. Because of this, the creative was switched from new and used car advertising to service offers. Messaging in ads also included things like “curbside drop-off” and “vehicle disinfected after service” to correspond with the times and what was being shown on the dealer’s site. And with that came the budget adjustments and/or cuts. Since dealerships only had their service departments open, the funds were immediately shifted over to service and were cut down significantly.

Over the past few months, restrictions were lifted. Sales departments were able to open remotely and shortly after, in-store sales also became allowed. In both cases, the creative in the advertising and on the website were consistently updated to match what the new guidelines were. The messages then revolved around “at home delivery available” and “our showroom is open”. Since some of the restrictions began to be lifted, the budgets, again, were also shifted.

During these times, automotive marketing agencies had to give their dealers suggestions on where to move the funds and how much to spend, all during an unpredictable market. And, of course, consistently update the creative on the dealer’s websites and in their ads.

    3. Do You Have Showroom Signage?

As the world slowly began to open back up, businesses had to adjust to the guidelines and restrictions that were (and are) still in place. New investments included signage about social distancing & masks being required, plexiglass and extra disinfectant supplies. How does your dealership compare to the other businesses when it comes to adhering to these guidelines? Does your showroom door have signs reminding customers what is required of them before they come inside?

Aside from the messages that are on your website and in the digital realm, your showroom should also include these same messages. You want your customers to feel comfortable to come inside and they also want to know that the staff and other customers visiting are adhering to the “new normal”.

The biggest takeaway we as an automotive digital marketing agency have gathered from these past few months is that it’s crucial to be on top of the ever-changing market and everything else going on in the world that affects your business – big or small. And most importantly, your agency should be there to help you navigate through this.

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Online Car Buying

3 min read

Online car buying was on the top of everyone’s mind when the COVID lockdowns began.  When news came that face to face transactions were no longer possible factories sprang into action mandating that dealers have their online buying capabilities up and functional to keep business moving during the pandemic. As lockdowns are lifting in many areas now and people are eager to get out of their homes, many dealers have understandably pivoted back towards in person sales.  But with winter quickly approaching, it’s vitally important for dealers to be on top of their online sales capabilities to make sure they can close the year out strong no matter what the winter brings.

 

Software

The first step in making sure you’re prepared is making sure your software is up to par and integrated properly. As the old saying goes, necessity is definitely the mother of invention. In recent months many online retailing providers have made serious advancements and refined their approach and software to accommodate market changes in real time. Many have developed improved customer retention features that guide car buyers through the process or have refined their financial integrations and smoothed out the loan process. 

When was the last time you looked at other online retailing providers? Are you sure your provider is the best fit for your dealership? Now is the perfect time to audit your software provider to make sure your future needs are being met and that you’re taking advantage of all of the features available to you.

Website

Once you’ve determined which software is the right fit for you and your customers, it’s time to make sure it’s integrated seamlessly into your website.  Your goal is to make sure that your customers are consistently guided through the online purchase process without leading to dead ends or drop off points.

Start by going through the process yourself as if you were a customer and note any points of confusion on your end.  As the dealer, you’re likely the person who visits your website the most frequently out of anyone. If you get confused halfway through or have difficulty discerning how to buy a particular car, then the odds are high that your customers will feel the same.  If you have no issues getting through the process, ask friends and family who are not in the automotive business to take a quick walk through and see if they have any suggestions.  Outside opinions can be very helpful in getting in the mind-set of a customer.

After your process is ironed out, the biggest hurdle to online car buying success is getting customers to successfully start the process. In order to do that consistently, your website should exhibit prominent calls to action for your online buying feature on your VDP pages, at the top of your SRP pages, and clear, concise information on the buying process throughout the site.  Dealer websites are littered with all sorts of calls to action, most in similar fonts and button layouts. This can cause them to blend together in the customer’s eye.  Having a different look and feeling call to action for your online buying process is a great way to break that mold and attract people to start the process.

Advertising

The final step to having a successful online buying operation is to let people know that it exists through advertising. Sit down with your automotive digital marketing agency and determine what steps you need to take if you haven’t already. If you’re not telling people that they can buy a car online, you’re relying solely on them finding that out on their own.  At the very least, you should be shoehorning online buying messaging into your existing advertising channels.  Some ideas include sitelink extensions on your Google Ads linking to your process overview page, and display ads touting online buying or free home delivery are great places to start that won’t cost you any more than you are currently spending. 

If you want to go above and beyond, some dealers we work with have designed entire campaigns around their online buying capabilities. Some guarantee a short overall process time. Others have gone after online retailers like Carvana and CarMax with specific ad campaigns and targeting customers with campaigns like search retargeting. With the right creative vision and budget you can position yourself as the premier online retailer in your area.

 

According to Mike Jackson, CEO of AutoNation, there is no turning back from where this pandemic has brought the car business in terms of digital. As we head into the first winter season in the COVID era, making sure your online buying process is running smoothly is vital to making sure your dealership is prepared for whatever lies ahead. Whether it’s renewed lockdowns, or people naturally migrating inside as the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, with the proper tools in place you can keep your sales up with a cohesive online retailing program.  If you have any questions or need some help getting your plan together, reach out and our digital experts will be glad to help you.

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