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Increase Dealership Traffic and Leads Without High Spend | Part 2

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This is Part 2 of a 2 part series on ways to enhance your dealership’s organic traffic and leads. 

 

In the last article, we discussed that in times of low inventory, marketing dollars are the first thing dealerships feel the need to cut. Since 2020, this has been the discussion throughout automotive, but the reasoning has changed dramatically over the past year and a half. 

 

Creating a blog and focusing on optimizing your social media are great ways to increase traffic and potentially leads, which we discussed in the previous post. If you missed it, you may want to read the last article for context. 

 

This week we will dive deep into the other two organic ways to help increase lead volume and traffic: Google My Business and Video.

 

Optimize Google My Business

 

Google My Business (GMB) is one of the most important ways to drive traffic, calls, clicks, and foot traffic to your dealerships. All at no cost. BCP has written multiple articles about why GMB is important and ways to optimize your GMB to help ensure it is relevant, and it continues to be one of the most important aspects of organic marketing. If you are not familiar with Google My Business or not sure how to set up your sales and/or service page, check out the articles below.

 

 

GMB is often the first information a mobile-first consumer will find when looking for your business. It is often called the “Zero Click,” and customers will see the knowledge panel with the options to click to call, click for directions, set appointments, and visit your website. 

 

New updates to GMB also have the option of having your inventory listed in the knowledge panel (GMB Page) and showcase your vehicles much like a third party listing. Cars for Sale is relatively new and just beyond its pilot phase. 

 

If you are interested in having your inventory hosted on your GMB page, reach out to your agency for more information. Also, companies such as iFrog and MaxDigital will facilitate the inventory feed to your GMB page. 

 

Another update is that you can add your “Opening Date” to your GMB account. This will highlight your years in business when your GMB listing shows in the Map Pack. If you have been a community staple for 20 + years, why not highlight that every place you can? And when competing with other Service locations, the trust and credibility that come with multiple years in the community is a strong value proposition. 



Video Video Video

 

Locally curated video content (organic content) at the dealership level is one of the most underutilized strategies for dealerships to increase traffic and potential leads. Video has been increasing in popularity, and with many platforms prioritizing video in their algorithms, it is more important than ever to start creating original video content at your dealership.

 

And while Tier 1 and 2 content have high production value and are generally readily available for use, local organic content is what consumers are looking for. With 75% of auto shoppers stating video influenced their purchases, you want to make sure you are where the eyes are.



Video creation does not need to be expensive --the majority of high quality local video can be shot with a phone with a good camera, a gimbal, and possibly a microphone (if you want to get fancy). Many of the video creation apps (such as Splice, Quik, and iMovie) are free or relatively inexpensive, and make the video creation process seamless, easy, and professional looking.

 

There is a variety of videos you can create for your dealership, and depending on where you want to publish will determine the type of video. YouTube videos are generally longer content that may walk a customer through specific technology on the vehicle, or you may compare your vehicle to a competitor and highlight the features that make yours the better choice. If you are publishing to social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter), you can utilize the same videos posted on YouTube, or you can create short form videos that grab the attention of customers and stop the scroll.

 

Ideas for Short Form Videos:

  • Highlight staff or staff functions
  • Quick walk arounds of new vehicles
  • Behind the scenes service videos
  • Community projects or collaborations

 

And the list could go on and on. Consumers want to get a peek behind the scenes and see things they may not have known. Take the opportunity and create 30 second videos that highlight this. 

 

With 97% of consumers saying they took an action after watching a video, this is definitely an investment of time that you will want to make

 

Things to Remember:

 

You will want to post videos on a consistent schedule for a few reasons--consumers will come to expect and look for them, and the social platform algorithms favor consistency in publishing. Start with a few times a week, and then watch your engagement, views, and followers grow. And make sure to link back to the dealership website (Facebook can link right in the copy of the post. Instagram will have to post the link in the bio). 



What Now?

 

Now is the time to focus on your organic presence, whether it is your website, social platforms, or Google My Business. All of these work together to increase your organic relevance, bring more traffic and possible leads to your site, and will help to reduce the cost of your paid search. Customers are shopping online, researching both vehicles and dealerships, and your digital presence could be a deciding factor. Now is the time to make sure you have a fantastic organic reach online!

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