Does Your Online Dealership Stand Out from the Rest?

Written by Dealer Spike

2021 is here at last, but we are still feeling the effects of 2020. Many of the changes that occurred last year have left a permanent impression on our society, especially concerning e-commerce. At the end of last year, Digital Commerce 360 released their U.S. Ecommerce Market Report on the recent 40% growth in online shopping, which is the equivalent of two decades of e-commerce change!

The sudden and sharp increase in online shopping poses new difficulties and opportunities for trailer dealers, who face a higher amount of online competition to capture the attention of millions of people, who are now shopping almost exclusively online. We at Dealer Spike understand the challenges of advertising online—after all, we do it, too! — and we have found that the following tactics go a long way in helping dealerships get in front of online leads:

Vigorous Digital Marketing

The first actions an online shopper takes are to narrow down their search to the most promising dealerships, which means the sooner they discover your dealership, the more likely they are to choose your business. Digital marketing strategies such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) work in tandem to increase your website’s searchability. SEO builds your website’s organic online visibility, while SEM lists your paid ads in prime search result slots. The longer you run digital marketing campaigns, the better they perform, so we recommend investing in a year-round marketing strategy.

Consistency in Online Listings

With so many online directories, it’s easy to lose track of all your business listings, which is why the majority of online listings include inaccuracies. However, this can damage your website by reducing its ranking in online searches and making it difficult for online prospects to locate and contact your dealership. By streamlining all your online business information across search engines, social media and your own website, you can help motivated shoppers to connect with your sales team!

The Best Online Experience EVER

Once a prospect discovers your website, the battle is only half won. Now it’s time to show prospects why they should choose you by delivering the best online experience they have ever experienced! Your website messaging and any customer interactions (such as phone calls, emails and text messages) should clearly represent your commitment to customer care. To take your commitment to an excellent customer experience a step further and increase the likelihood of a sale by 85%, add a live chat feature to your website so that prospects can connect with your sales team in real time and zip through the process to make a purchase.

Streamlined & Superb e-Commerce

We are witnessing a major shift toward online over in-store purchases, which means that the most successful dealerships tend to be those that offer a convenient online shopping process. One way to do so is by uploading 360-degree spin photos to display your units from all angles and built your prospects’ confidence in your inventory. Another great option is to make sure your website layout clearly displays important information such as pricing, lead forms and a secure checkout system for online buyers.

While online shoppers may feel initially that they have unlimited options when it comes to choosing a dealership, they very quickly determine which dealerships are invested in the consumer’s best interest. Dealers who go above and beyond to provide unique marketing, accurate online information and dedicated digital customer service are sending out clear signals that say, "We love what we do, and we know you will, too!"

About Dealer Spike

As an industry leader in digital marketing strategy, Dealer Spike provides custom responsive websites and a suite of additional marketing services to accelerate online leads for your dealership. To learn more, please visit www.dealerspike.com.