Auto Dealers Can Use Their Brand, Traffic, and Reputation to Increase Sales
Everyone in the auto industry is aware that the previous year provided auto dealers with a series of obstacles to overcome. Inventory was low, consumer habits and our sector were still undergoing fast change, and the global macroeconomic environment still faced some pretty significant difficulties.
Today’s successful dealers have discovered that it’s time to leverage the brand you’ve already worked hard to build, the traffic you already have, and the reputation you’ve created in your community, state, and possibly nationwide, in order to continue to drive profits and growth, even with all of the recent twists and turns.
How can you adopt a novel strategy to fully realize all that you’ve toiled over, not just in the recent years but during the entire existence of your company? Reverting to the fundamental components will help you grow your company and increase sales in the upcoming year. We’ve listed 4 ways to do this below.
build on the power of your current brand
Many dealers believe that they need to establish or create a fresh brand, particularly when it comes to eCommerce, in order to stand out to their ideal customer, especially in a predominantly online digital environment.
They don’t, though And you’re not required to!
the more you can use strength as leverage
of what you have been doing for a long time –
the greater your chances of connecting are
with your ideal client while boosting revenue.
Did you know that, according to Forbes, it typically takes 2 to 5 years to develop a business and its brand? The price might range from $40,000 to $500,000 depending on your brand and the upfront fees you will incur. And the first year’s sticker price is simply what is normally charged.
Therefore, why not use that money on enhancing your current brand rather than creating a “new” one?
These include Disney + and Discovery +, as examples. Both maintained their names, brands, recognition, and strengths while also providing an ecommerce product. Your brand has strength since you’ve invested a lot of time and money in it; the trick is to modernize it.
Build on the audience you attract as a result of the entire experience.
Let’s now examine the traffic that you already produce.
Website traffic: There is no need to throw out your current website and create a brand-new one when you already have one. Making it more durable is the secret to updating it!
Things like SEO optimization, CRM / database integrations and solutions, chat bots or AI assistant automations, easy-to-search and-find inventory with current, thorough, and transparent vehicle listings, and UI and UX design for ease of use and user functionality… The list goes on and on!
Take a comprehensive look at how to modernize and maximize the traffic to your current website to get the year off to a great start.
Local traffic: You have invested in advertising over the years to drive customers to your company and establish a name for yourself in the neighborhood. It’s critical to take advantage of that traffic whether your company has been around for a short period of time or for many years.
As the “local” dealership, you most likely have a good reputation in your neighborhood and surrounding area. Over the years, you’ve contributed to and sponsored a variety of things in your community, including radio advertising, little league teams, fundraisers, print and web advertisements, and more. Additionally, the recognition you already enjoy may increase traffic.
Consider how you can position yourself as the go-to resource for the neighborhood both online and in your showroom and service center by optimizing and developing a contemporary strategy around your local traffic.
You’ve already created the road for delivering the customer the whole experience by expanding on the website and local traffic you’ve built since your dealership first used its website to drive business.
What do we mean when we say that an experience is complete? We mean that potential customers know what your brand stands for and what kind of experience they may anticipate from working with you even before they set foot in your dealership. This will boost customer satisfaction while also boosting traffic and sales.
Asking yourself the following questions and making sure your dealership is on the same page with your plan for each vehicle buyer you interact with will help you increase traffic and provide a smooth experience for customers both online and in person.
Did you make it simple for them to conduct business online?
Were your current new and/or used product options, as well as any discounts or incentives for sales and services, transparent?
Did you continue to present them with content that was tailored to their interests and preferences as they had indicated to you online?
Did you make it simple for people to locate you, get in touch with you, and understand what to do next?
Did you make it apparent why they should do business with you or keep doing so?
Did you demonstrate that you were aware of their preferences once they arrived based on information gleaned from their online research or exchanges that were recorded?
Do you provide them with a unique offering, and is that differentiator obvious to them?
Did you save them time, genuinely comprehend their needs, and tailor the purchasing process to suit them?
Do you elevate the experience you provide such that customers want to not only buy or service a car from you but to exclusively do business with you in the future as well?
As you can see, in order to grow sales, it’s critical to reexamine the traffic you’re presently generating and build on those fundamental components. Find innovative ways to provide customers with a service both online and in person. Additionally, by enhancing and modernizing what you have already worked hard to create, you guarantee a more seamless overall experience, which we know is what today’s automobile buyer wants.
Develop and uphold the reputation you’ve worked so hard to create.
Most dealerships spend a lot of time building a reputation and even more time maintaining it. Additionally, having a well-thought-out digital retailing and eCommerce plan in place will help you strengthen, safeguard, and maintain your reputation.
You can keep in front of and with your ideal customer as well as current customers by using digital retailing solutions. You can demonstrate to them the benefits of doing business with you or the reasons they should continue doing so. To provide superior service and put your customers’ needs first, you can highlight the unique qualities that make your auto dealership stand out. You can demonstrate to them your reputation’s merits.
Your brand reputation will be able to shine through online in your eCommerce marketing and digital retailing efforts if your operations are in order and you create a strategy from the top down on what it stands for. When you do this, you’ve just used a proven method for leveraging your carefully acquired and maintained reputation.
Particularly if customers receive unified messaging and a consistent experience when they enter your lot for the first time. When they are the same, the pre-existing or perceived reputation, along with their online and in-person experience, enhances and strengthens your reputation and increases your earnings.
Create a brand that spans operations, sales, and service.
Your sales, service, and operations will be able to coordinate their efforts in order to achieve a common objective if you concentrate on bringing your dealership into alignment from the top down.
What your brand stands for and how each department collaborates with the others to promote sales and repeat business should be included in that goal. Although it may seem obvious, this is frequently ignored. There is a significant difference between addressing it only when something happens that could harm your brand and taking proactive steps to build.
You’ll also have the chance to maximize your current digital retailing and eCommerce capabilities, online paperwork, test drives, and delivery when you link all of the departments on overarching goals. everything involved in making a sale, attracting new customers, keeping existing ones, or bringing back defections. These connections assist your brand stand out as the one to use when they are made for everyone at the dealership.
Keep in mind that you may close more deals early in the car buying process if you provide more, educate more, and are more consistent with your dealership experience and brand.
In order to encourage loyalty, your dealership should also select what you may do after making a purchase. Examine your unique offerings, warranty and service policies, and other areas where you may genuinely set yourself apart from your rivals. To help your brand stand out, make sure everyone at your dealership is aware of these differentiators and incorporates them into the core messaging of your eCommerce strategy.
Additionally, you should take the time to thoughtfully consider and evaluate how your staff members from each department are instructed, updated, and informed on your current marketing strategy and objectives. Customer happiness and sales will increase if you consistently accomplish this, increasing the likelihood that your in-store and online experiences will be similar.
If they don’t match, it’s unlikely that the consumer would be pleased. Additionally, because of the conflict and separation, your brand will suffer. You don’t want to blow the opportunity you fought so hard to get.
With your personnel, a smart place to start is with education and training on existing and emerging customer buying behaviors and expectations. You should also make sure that the experience you provided online is same to, if not superior to, the experience a client receives in person.
You’ll not only generate more high-quality leads but also close more sales if you ensure that your sales, service, and operations are all using your brand, traffic, and reputation in your online digital retailing and eCommerce marketing plan.
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