Online Car Sales & No Contact Service Are The New Normal
Car dealers need to consider changing the way they sell vehicles. Selling cars without ever meeting the customer was a tactic many dealers, like yours, didn’t want to take part in. Then came 2020.
Most in-market consumers no longer want to walk into dealership showrooms to buy a new or used vehicle. Dealerships also face the issue of local customers not wanting to sit in waiting rooms.
Due to car buyers changing how they want to shop for products and services, your entire sales team will need to reconsider how you sell vehicles and offer maintenance services going forward.
Digital Marketing Ideas For The Automotive Industry
Automotive companies are familiar with the funnel approach to selling vehicles. Marketing, sales, financing and service create a silo effect that tends to get the most profit from each car buyer. While the automotive marketing funnel is still a great tactic, dealerships should focus more on digital marketing and online car sales transactions.
Strategies To Boost More Sales
It’s not a matter of how much car dealerships spend on advertising. It’s how they use it. Some dealerships spend $1,000 per month, while others can spend more than $20,000, and both have the same ROI. A larger marketing budget doesn’t always mean it is a better one. When dealerships spend marketing money without converting sales, the cost per lead is not worth it.
In worst-case scenarios, some dealerships are in the red because they still use the same strategy they used last year.
So what has changed? Well, the single-word answer is COVID.
Almost all businesses must change their operations to meet county, state and federal guidelines. Most must also change how they offer products and services to remain in business. This includes offering curbside pickup, no-contact delivery and implementing new procedures to keep everyone safe.
Marketing Strategy For Selling More Cars – Buy A Car Online
Take your sales online. Used car sales websites like Carvana and CarMax offer an e-commerce shopping experience. Car buyers can browse their inventory, add a vehicle to a car and then proceed through the finance process. Both also provide car delivery services to your front door. All the consumer has to do is submit their documents online, get approved and schedule a time to drop the vehicle off.
Your dealership needs to simplify the sale during these trying times. You want to make it easy for auto intenders to find a car and make an instant purchase. Providing them with the option to provide digital documents will also help speed up the sales process.
The other incentive to adding online car sales to your dealership’s website is the new niche car buyer market you’ll tap into – the people who have dreamed of buying cars online for years. It’s a growing customer base you want to target.
Try These Tactics To Sell More Vehicles:
- Auto Intender Email Lists
- Conquest Email Marketing
- Acquisition Email Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Automotive App Marketing
Best Marketing For Auto Repair Shop
Marketing ideas tailored to the automotive service and parts industry may also need changes. Not so much the specials and promos but the way you offer services.
Foot traffic from customers walking into your parts and service department may be down due to more and more people wanting to stay home. Many dealerships offer contactless pickup and delivery services to accommodate these customers. A vehicle valet picks up and then drops off the car after it has been serviced. Work with a local tow truck company to handle the transport if repairs are needed.
Try These Tactics To Attract More Auto Maintenance and Service Customers: