It’s no secret—technology is changing the way we sell vehicles. TV, print, and inflatable tube men all have a time and place, but digital needs to be at the core of every dealership’s marketing plan.

As the digital marketing landscape evolves, it's those businesses that can keep up with automotive marketing trends that will reap the benefits. Being mindful of the following four concepts could help bolster your business in 2019.

1. Content is King

From the story on your ‘About Us’ page to your latest social media campaign, content is a lot more important than you might realize. It shapes the personality of your company.

A thoughtful content and communications strategy can help spread awareness and educate customers at every stage of the sales funnel. Content helps to build and maintain a strong reputation and brand. The right content has the power to turn prospects into customers and customers into evangelists. It will ultimately build trust and lead to higher close rates in the long run.

When it comes to your blog, e-mail marketing, and social media presence, try to stay active with your output to show that you care about connecting and building relationships with your customers.

And create quality content. The key is to understand who your target audience is. if you can do that, it will be easier to craft a message that resonates with them.

2. Get Ready for Voice Search

Voice search is a type of speech recognition technology that lets users make voice commands into their smartphones rather than typing questions into a search field. More and more consumers are searching the web through voice search.

According to Search Engine Land, voice-based searches in the United States will reach $40 billion in commercial sales by 2022.

Local SEO updates are crucial for voice search. It’s important that your business ranks in the top spot for a voice search query like, “where is my closest car dealership?”

You should ensure your information is up to date on Google, with the correct address, contact details, and opening hours listed.

You should also look into building your online reviews and using structured data markup to generate snippets. Snippets help grow your presence on search engine results pages (SERPs) and identify your business as an authority on specific search queries.

3. Leverage Influencers

Influencers have made their way into today’s marketing landscape thanks to social media word-of-mouth. In the past, businesses have leveraged celebrities with high followings to advertise a product. However, the influencer strategy is changing. Companies are now turning to popular social media personalities as opposed to national celebrities. Online audiences trust their peers and are more likely to respond to “real” people who they can relate to.

The first step towards deciding on an influencer is determining who’s endorsement will resonate most powerfully with your target audience. Understanding your customer will help you identify the best influencer for your product or service.

4. Base Your Decisions on the Data

Marketing is complex, and dealerships need to constantly adjust their tactics in order to remain ahead of the game. You should already be using online tools to see how customers interact with your website. If you’re not, there’s no better time to start.

Software solutions for market insights can help your dealership track inventory, prices, sales tactics, competitors, and prospective consumers. Analytics can help your business optimize all aspects of its performance. If you’re not measuring and analyzing data, you’ll be missing out on potential growth opportunities both online and offline.

Car dealerships in Canada should be thinking ahead when it comes to marketing trends and tools. It’s important to note that as the future of marketing changes, consumers are changing too.

Not only should Canadian auto dealerships be focusing on older generations and millennials, but younger audiences as well. Generation Z—people born after 1995—are now entering adulthood and looking to purchase vehicles. Ensure your marketing strategy caters to all age groups of car buyers. Develop buyer personas to better understand each type of customer’s needs and frustrations, and factor these personas into your strategy.

Canada Drives Is One of Canada’s Top Automotive Lead Providers:

Canada Drives is partners with hundreds of car dealerships in Canada. Since 2010, we’ve been providing the best quality leads to dealerships across Canada. To learn more about our mission or to speak with one of our account managers, visit Canada Drives today!