Digital marketing is continually changing in every industry. Some automotive digital marketing trends make it easier for consumers to link with dealers.
Marketing is meant to bring customers to companies to take advantage of products and services. Some products and services can be handled entirely online, but that’s not the case in the automotive world. Although some dealerships still offer online sales processes, they must still be within physical proximity to customers to sell vehicles. This limitation hasn’t stopped many forward-moving trends in the digital marketing world.
Here are a few of the top automotive digital marketing trends that you might see.
Car buying moves to more online processes
If you had told dealers they needed to sell cars online before COVID-19, many would have scoffed and thought it impossible. The pandemic forced many dealers to find more creative ways to sell cars, which meant online processes. This brought about virtual test drives, online sales forms, and even delivery of some vehicles to customer homes with no-contact sales. While most sales processes have gone back to the dealership, some elements of these sales remain online.
EVs and hybrids are on the rise
Marketing teams must shift gears and focus on alternative fuel models that require electricity to operate. This means speaking more about the environmental benefits of EVs and hybrids over the use of gasoline and diesel fuels. This has been a conversational shift in terms of automotive digital marketing for the future. More EVs and hybrids are hitting the market than ever before. The federal government is pushing for at least half of all vehicles sold in the United States to be electric or hybrid by the end of the decade.
Marketers focus on added value
The average new car price has increased annually and is now at $48,247, which could be too expensive for many owners. This increased average price means marketers have to focus on the value incorporated to justify the increased price of a vehicle. That could mean focusing on the added safety features, better technology, longer warranty, or improved comfort of modern vehicles compared to previous models. This trend is expected to continue, but as long as added value is part of the conversation, marketers can show shoppers why the price has increased.
Customer experiences are more personalized
One of the greatest automotive digital marketing trends is the increase in personalized engagement with customers. This has become an expectation across many industries, not simply in the automotive world. This personalization means marketers are offering advertising that reaches consumers in a way that makes sense to them. This could be personalized messages, insights geared toward their needs, or validation of leads through an advanced CRM system.
Multiple channels of consumer engagement
Marketing teams must utilize several channels to engage customers in order to get their attention. This means multiple social media sites with direct advertising are used to entice consumers. Dealerships can’t rely on simply using the same ad across all channels or sharing the same blog on various sites to reach customers. Instead, they must create multiple forms of engagement, from Instagram Stories to Facebook Reels and TikTok videos that can reach a large audience. These various social channels require advertising to be more dynamic than ever before.
Video marketing is the present and future
Automotive digital marketing relies heavily on video to showcase products and services for any brand or dealership. More people than ever are watching videos, especially on YouTube, to learn more about desired products. Companies must utilize video marketing and the video aspects of social media to reach customers who are looking for videos to watch and don’t want to read a full article about an item or service. Many consumers will reach the content after watching the video if they are still interested in what’s being advertised.
Social media is where the research begins
Many car buyers begin their research through social media, which makes this online space one of the most important in terms of generating automotive sales leads and services. While not everyone begins their research on social media, more than 70% of consumers admit that they utilize it to support the shopping process at some point. This means looking for videos to learn more about vehicles or reading comments regarding a specific model to understand how other consumers feel about a vehicle.
Automotive digital marketing has evolved in the online space from the time of car sales ads on television with a loud voice to more direct, engaging, and personalized services that reach consumers where they spend their time: online.
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