The equipment industry is competitive, especially for smaller or new dealerships. It’s critical for dealerships to have effective marketing strategies to help reach customers, stay ahead of the competition, and ultimately sell more vehicles. Equipment Trader has five marketing essentials that will help you boost sales and drive more customers to your dealership.
Implement SEO Strategies for Your Dealership’s Website
Search engine optimization (SEO) allows you to enhance your dealership’s website to improve its visibility in search engine results, such as on Google. SEO can seem complicated, but there are simple strategies that you can implement to help attract potential customers.
Be sure to incorporate relevant keywords in your dealership’s website. Free keyword research tools can help you find these relevant words and phrases that will help you drive web traffic. Making sure your website is fast can also make a difference in SEO. Customers are more likely to leave a sluggish website, which increases your bounce rate.
Understand the Power of Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most effective, cost-efficient ways of reaching prospective customers. In fact, 60% of survey respondents say that marketing emails have influenced their purchases¹.
First, you’ll want to build targeted email lists to send these recipients relevant content. Segment your email lists based on preferences and buying behaviors to craft more applicable messaging for the potential customer.
You can also use newsletters to communicate with prospective customers, sending inventory updates, exclusive offers, maintenance tips, and more straight to their email. Just be cautious of sending emails too frequently. If you overwhelm recipients, they’re likely to unsubscribe from your marketing emails.
Utilize Social Media
Social media has completely changed how businesses in all industries market themselves to customers. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok provide an opportunity for dealerships to connect with potential customers.
Start by attracting equipment shoppers by posting high-quality photos and videos of your current inventory, showcasing the vehicles’ best features. No need to hire a photographer or videographer for this content; smartphones have excellent cameras.
As you’re posting on social media, be sure to engage with your audience by responding to comments and direct messages. This not only boosts your content to future customers, but it can also establish meaningful connections with your current followers.
Evaluate Data Analytics
Data analytics provide valuable insights into customer behavior. By using the insights from your website, email marketing, and social media, you can improve your marketing strategies and eventually see better results.
Analyze website traffic to identify the types of equipment that shoppers are most interested in. You can then use this data to create your email lists. Engagement analytics on social media can also provide similar insights. You can see what types of content your followers are liking and sharing the most. For example, if your followers are engaging more with posts about a certain type of truck make/model, you can display that inventory more prevalently on your website.
Create a Customer Loyalty Program
The best kind of customer is one who returns to your dealership for their next equipment purchase. Customer loyalty programs are an excellent way to stay engaged with existing customers and encourage them to buy from your dealership again.
Create a customer loyalty program that offers points for purchases, service visits, and testimonials. These points can be redeemed for discounts on future purchases or maintenance. You can also grant customers in this program access to exclusive discounts, along with special promotions and events.
Developing effective marketing strategies is easier than you think and doesn’t have to be too expensive or time consuming. By implementing these essential marketing strategies, both small and new dealerships can position themselves for success in a competitive market.
Now that you’ve got everything you need to kickstart your marketing plan, be sure to explore Equipment Trader’s industry-leading dealer solutions for the ultimate shot at dominating the marketplace.
