How Digital is your Dealership?
While millions are Americans are stuck at home, now is the perfect time for your dealership to focus on your digital presence.
While some of our customers have seen a slow-down in the purchase of luxury vehicles, there are still many people who need a reliable vehicle to get to essential jobs, check on loved ones, and carry out day-to-day necessary errands.
If you’ve found a unique way to connect with your customers, or have special deals you’re offering, tell us about them in this quick survey. We will feature your dealership / auto business on our social media and blog.
What are some ways to build your online presence and better connect with customers online?
Accept Online Payments
If you’re a Buy Here Pay Here dealership, you should be accepting online payments. Make it as easy and safe as possible for your customers to pay you. They’ve got enough to worry about without adding mailing a check for a car payment or stopping into your dealership to make a payment.
Ask us about our payment processing solution, iPayAuto.
Optimize Your Website
Check how fast your website loads on multiple devices. Load speed is important, particularly now while Internet providers are overloaded with traffic.
Check for errors or broken links. Make sure your links are going to the proper pages, and not landing on 404s or 403s, which will often cause visitors to leave your website altogether.
Make sure your site is free of spelling errors or broken images. Small issues like these can lead to distrust in your website visitors.
Test forms. Test to ensure your forms are all working properly so you aren’t missing out on leads.
Add more images. In this time of social distancing, being able to view more information, and see more visuals, is important.
Add more ways to contact you. Make it easy for potential customers to call you about vehicles and get all the information they need by phone or through email.
Consider adding a chat feature to your website, such as the Facebook Messenger option with AutoSTRADA. This will allow you to talk easily with potential customers and answer their questions right away.
Tailor your message to current events.
At the beginning of the outbreak, many companies were asking if they should address it, or just continue with their normal messaging. There is no longer a question of whether or not companies talk about the coronavirus; it is just a question of how to talk about it.
Keep your message relevant to your business. As an auto dealership, you don’t need to tell people to wash their hands or be responsible and “social distance”. Leave that to government and health agencies. Instead, tell customers any change in your hours or policies to adapt to the social distancing guidelines.
Make your message positive. We all need some positivity with the fear spreading faster than sickness. Talk about how your dealership is involved in your local community, anything you’re doing to help during this crisis, or just a general message of hope.
Special offers. Maybe your dealership is in a position to make potential customers a special offer. During this time of uncertainty, many consumers are waiting to spend their money. But with stimulus checks looming on the horizon, people who have been considering a car purchase might be incentivized to take action.
Want us to share your special deals or offers?
Fill out this quick survey to tell us what your business is doing to cope during the coronavirus.
Check your listings.
Is your dealership advertising or listed on sites like Google My Business?
Update current information.
Sites like Google My Business have special Covid-19 updates available, so you can let people searching for your business or your category know any changes during the pandemic. Use the posting feature to post any special offers or helpful information car shoppers would want to know.
Alter your ads.
If you’re running ads on any sites, you might want to pause them or alter them with the message discussed above. People’s minds are consumed with the crisis that is bringing the world to stand-still, and having ads that speak to their fears and offer hope or solutions they might need right now are important to ensure you’re serving your audience to the best of your ability.
I will continue to add information as I find it. If you have any questions or advice, please fill out our survey or leave them in the comments below.
Stay safe, stay sane.
