Since its invention, the internet has grown to become an integral part of the buying journey. Instead of window shopping, more and more consumers are browsing multiple websites to identify the ideal product and retailer. The auto industry is no exception—shoppers rely on the internet to learn more about automotive retail services, and often they have made up their mind on a purchase before they even visit the store for the first time. As online search becomes the standard origin for auto customers, dealers need to adopt digital strategies to connect with the growing volume of online shoppers.
Below are some of the most effective insights and tactics on digital strategies to help gain and retain more online leads.
Online Shopping Is Here to Stay
Over the last year and a half, online sales have spiked. Large numbers of shoppers forewent brick-and-mortar stores in favor of browsing the internet to purchase goods or learn everything they need to know before visiting the store at the very end of the buying journey. Not surprisingly, dealerships and service centers saw their website visitor and lead levels quadruple for several months. Even as in-store shopping regains some of its former popularity, website visits remain high, as consumers continue to prefer to complete the buying journey online.
In previous years, a significant number of the population remained committed to shopping solely in stores. However, compounded external factors have led most consumers to search online rather than drive straight to the store. Online shopping has become a permanent staple of the customer’s buying journey, forever changing how leads engage with businesses and how businesses must market to them.
Importance of a High-Quality Website
About 87% of shoppers start with an online search, and they use multiple devices, including mobile phones, laptops, desktops, and tablets. They expect the internet and its contents to deliver near-instantaneous results. This means that websites need to be responsive across all devices to compete in today’s market. Websites that fail to load quickly or do not adapt well to mobile devices won’t see a high volume of engagement. When asked what compelled them to choose a particular dealership, survey participants identified having a “good, easy-to-navigate website” as a must-have for dealers.
Of course, it is not enough for a dealership to create a responsive website and leave it alone to attract leads. Dealers need to be actively engaged in optimizing their websites to remain part of the online customer shopping experience. More than ever, websites operate as virtual stores for shoppers to browse tire brands and services before making a purchase. Websites must rank highly in local organic search to be found by qualified leads and produce sales opportunities. Requirements for high-performing websites include fresh, informative content, relevant keywords, and a user-friendly design that minimizes clicks to access important information.
Using a Multi-Channel Communication Strategy
Shoppers use multiple channels to communicate with brands, and they anticipate businesses to offer a variety of communication options. The most popular is texting, followed by phone and email. Shoppers also are showing a growing preference for online channels such as social media, direct messaging, and video chat. In addition to using multiple channels, shoppers typically connect with more than one business at a time so that they can cross-reference and compare services, offerings, and pricing. Therefore, businesses need to have a rapid response time in order to connect with shoppers before they move on to another candidate.
The rise in expectations for digital communication increased rather quickly, leaving many businesses struggling to meet the new demand. In fact, when Pied Piper® released its Internet Lead Effectiveness Industry (ILE) Study in 2020, the results revealed that half of digital consumer inquiries go unanswered for more than 24 hours. In order for dealerships to reach online leads before their attention shifts elsewhere, dealers should prioritize digital communications as much as in-person customers and respond within a business day. As dealers become more comfortable in their digital communication strategy, they can scale down the response time to half a day, and then a few hours, and then an hour, so that online leads receive the information they need to move forward in near-perfect real time.
Leveraging Social Media
As mentioned earlier, social media is one of the communication platforms that is seeing increased engagement from shoppers who are looking to connect virtually with brands. Shoppers expect businesses to be available through social media and to maintain an active presence. The importance of social media goes beyond directly messaging with prospective customers, offering crucial marketing opportunities for dealers as well.
Social media provides endless potential for affordable online marketing. Dealers who have an active social media presence see more online engagement with leads because they have established their brand presence on the same platforms that shoppers use for both commercial and recreational purposes. Social media provides the option of organic and paid posting, depending on a dealer’s goals. Organic (nonpaid and non-boosted) posting keeps customers—current and previous—connected to the dealership and builds up the dealer’s credibility by demonstrating that they are highly engaged in their business. Paid posts appear in the feeds of promising prospects, making them aware of the dealership and piquing their curiosity in its offerings.
Dealerships need to adopt digital strategies into their marketing plans to connect more easily with sales leads who are browsing online for tires and services. Dealers who choose not to expand their reach online will miss innumerable opportunities to connect with motivated buyers. As time progresses, we will continue to see a strong connection between the internet and consumerism, meaning we will need to adapt our sales strategies to the digital channels on which future customers search.
Looking for more insights to digitalize your marketing strategy? Connect with Net Driven today!