In today’s highly competitive industry, in addition to a manufacturer’s website, your automobile dealership must have a cutting edge website that can attract and retain customers. This effective marketing tool can make the difference between a customer who is merely browsing and the one who wants to actually purchase a vehicle. Statistics show that the average car buyer spends nearly fifteen hours shopping for a vehicle, and about nine of those hours are spent online – so your website should be informative, engaging and highly effective at driving business.
Stay Current
You must face the fact that your ability to make a sale may hinge on how much of that time you capture online and the experience you create for the consumer, when they get to your website. Your website should be consistently updated to display the most up to date and accurate information about your dealership and your vehicle inventory.
According to survey conducted by Auto Dealer Monthly.com, “Nearly half of all buyers visited the website of the dealership where they purchased or leased a vehicle. It is critical that dealership websites are user friendly, compelling, consistent across devices and accurately reflect the pricing, incentives services and amenities that are offered when the consumer visits the brick-and-mortar dealership.”
Based on this information, it is imperative to realize that your website is an important part of your sales team. With so many consumers doing a large share of research on the internet before they even walk into a dealership, an engaging website can be the key to attract, engage, and convert your web visitors into buying customers. Most dealerships however, have some work to do in this category.
According to that same survey by Auto Dealer Monthly, “Dealership websites drive dealership visits, but less than half (47 percent) of new-car buyers would give dealership websites a score of 8 to 10 on a scale of 10. Dealerships do a little better with used-car buyers, but only 60 percent gave dealership websites 8-to-10 ratings.”
With all that’s at stake, those results leave a lot of room for improvement for most automobile dealerships. In addition to captivating visuals and clear, informative and high quality content, consumers will benefit from:
• Full vehicle detail pages with photos and videos that explain features and specs
• Accurate pricing information
• Comparison guides that explain the differences between similar models
• Trade-in values and information so consumers can get an idea of their budget
Ellen Zur, of Auto Lead magazine adds, “Allow people to get the information they need while getting to know your brand, before committing to anything.” She goes on to suggest, “Make your dealership website a one-stop for car shoppers and your dealership will do what other dealerships are not.”
If your current website is not marketing your business the way it should (and could) be, it may be time for a redesign. Working with an experienced digital marketing company can make the difference between visitors and sales.
If you want your dealership to become a leader in sales and automobile marketing, an engaging and cutting-edge website is the best place to start.
