Despite Seasonal Reports, Dealerships Are Increasing Advertising to Car Shoppers
The automobile industry works in cycles: when the weather gets warmer, more people tend to visit dealerships to buy cars, and vice versa. In recent years, however, the marketing world’s shift toward digital channels has had an interesting impact on the auto industry. Even in winter months, when in-person visits to dealerships decline, consumers are still researching car purchases using the Internet. If you are looking to take advantage of the rise in online advertising, you must have an understanding of how car dealer sites and consumers interact to help you grow your dealership’s revenue.
The Impact Of The Seasons On Car Dealerships
When the cold months of winter come around, statistics show that car sales go down. In March, the Los Angeles Times reported that auto sales were down about 1% in February 2014 when compared to sales figures in February of 2013, in part due to the harsh winter that dumped snow on many parts of the country. However, Dealer.com recorded a 25% increase in traffic to dealer websites on President’s Day 2014, which occurs in the same month that auto manufacturers reported a slowdown in sales. This statistic highlights the importance of web marketing for car dealers, especially during the slower seasons.
Luckily for auto dealerships, the warmer spring months that follow the winter season are usually some of the most active months out of the year when it comes to car sales. As temperatures begin to heat up in North America, car dealerships are looking to keep the online momentum going through the spring season and make sure that their advertisements are seen by as many prospects as possible. Consumers and car dealer sites must be matched closely with one another in order for dealers to make sure that their advertisements bring about an actual increase in sales for the rest of the year.
How Dealerships Can Maintain A High Advertising ROI This Spring
Internet advertising is the future of the industry: statistics have shown that web marketing is exponentially more efficient than other types of traditional campaigns like direct mail or radio ads. As a business that is targeting a very specific group of people at a specific time, you may wonder what steps you can take to ensure that your online advertising stays effective. Linking consumers and car dealer sites to maintain a sufficient return on advertising depends on three factors:• The timely use of vehicle data: it is important that your dealership is advertising the cars that it has when it has them. Dealership inventory shifts frequently, so you need to be able to find targets for the specific vehicles that you have on the lot at any given time.• Showing ads to the right prospects: although many people have a need for a vehicle, consumers in different demographics may have vastly different requirements. A recent college graduate in an urban city probably needs a much different car than a retired woman living in a small rural town. Advertising with this difference in mind is crucial for success.• The ability to analyze your advertising results: you need a platform that will help you understand how many views your ads are getting and where they are coming from. The more information you have about advertising performance, the easier it is to tweak your campaign to maximize ROI.
At Speed Shift Media, our focus is on helping dealerships hit all three of these targets so that you can get in front of the right buyers. Using dynamic display ads, we give you the real-time ability to advertise to the people who are most interested in your vehicles. Consumers and car dealer sites need to be linked together properly to maximize your revenues during the busy warm season that is right around the corner. Let Speed Shift Media help you maximize your online advertising ROI to heat up your sales as the mercury rises.
