With the new year quickly approaching, rather than look back at 2014, let’s take a moment to look forward at 2015. Below you will find four things every dealership will need to do in order to achieve their marketing goals in the year to come.

  1. Educate yourself on organic and paid search — search engines are where everything starts.

When a person needs to find someone or something in 2015, chances are good that they will start on a search engine. Whether it’s finding the nearest ATM, coffee shop or their next car, people are becoming increasingly reliant on search engines, and this trend can be leveraged to help grow your dealership.

A recent Google study showed that 95 percent of car shoppers use digital channels to research their vehicle purchase. That same study showed that the average car shopper will land on 24 different sites leading up to their vehicle purchase. What does that mean to you? It means that ‘online’ is the new ‘front line’ – it’s where people are going to find you, and not having a great presence on search engines is no longer an option if you want to dominate your market.

  1. Provide a great mobile experience – mobile will outpace desktop search in 2015.

According to Google, mobile usage is increasing 35 percent year-over-year. In 2015, mobile users are predicted to surpass desktop users for the first time in history. This means that your websites mobile functionality is more important than ever.

When was the last time you pulled your website up on your mobile phone? On your tablet? How was the experience? Was it simple and intuitive? Was it aesthetically pleasing? Are you able to access all of your website content on your mobile site? These questions are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to delivering a true mobile experience.

  1. Align your traditional and digital marketing efforts.

Most Canadian car dealers still treat their traditional (think radio, newspaper, flyers, etc.) and their digital marketing (think website content, search engine marketing, email campaigns, etc.) as separate efforts. Think of it this way — when a car shopper sees one of your newspaper ads, where is the ad directing them? Most of the time, their next step is to hit your website.

What are they expecting to see when they land on your website? The first thing they want and expect to see is the promotion that drove them there. Big companies, like Best Buy for example, do a great job of this.  It’s done to create a great user experience, and get maximum benefit out of their marketing dollars. Every campaign you run, big or small, should be synced up across all channels.

  1. Provide a great customer experience – clearly defined processes and strategies for your team.

With website traffic on the climb, and dealers getting more and more online leads, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re providing people with a great online experience. This means everything from keeping the specials pages on your website current with enticing offers, to getting back to online leads in a timely manner. The expectations of consumers get higher every year, and if you’re not raising your game along with those expectations, you run the risk of your competitors taking a bite out of your business.

What now?

Chances are you’ve been thinking about getting more aggressive in the digital space but have yet to take the plunge. If so, what are you waiting for? You’re going to make the move eventually, why let your competition get a head start? Start small, track your results, and in a few months you’ll never want to see another newspaper rep again.

Want to learn more about Convertus, a fast-growing digital marketing start-up serving the automotive industry? Contact Kevin Gordon at kgordon@convertus.com or 888.354.6441