Online marketing in the car trade: channels and opportunities

The car dealership marketing has clearly shifted towards online marketing. Social media, Google AdWords & Co. bring reach and allow excellent communication with the potential target group. At the same time, this can also be reached regionally with ads on Google and with Facebook Ads.

A legal background of the online marketing of car dealerships

The new activities in search engines, on social media channels and, of course, on online sales platforms also have a legal background: without a data protection declaration of consent, active customer contact from the dealer to the (private) prospective customer by telephone or other channels has been prohibited by law for some time. Only commercial customers may still be acquired cold if a legitimate interest in the product can be assumed. Dealers must therefore rely on their private customers to contact them - they must generate many leads. This is very well possible with online marketing, whereby classic forms of advertising should not be neglected.

How do the dealers proceed with online marketing?

There are various marketing channels that are excellent to use online. These include:

• own homepage
• Facebook fan page
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Twitter
• Search engines: SEO and SEA
• affiliate marketing
• E-mail marketing (but only with the consent of private recipients)

On all channels, a car dealership can offer its complete range of services from A for car to Z for accessories to interested customers. This is an excellent way to provide interested parties and existing customers with information, and the dealer can also boost customer loyalty.

How does online marketing work for a car dealership?

It differs from traditional marketing such as radio spots and advertisements: The effect on the target group is different, in the best case, wastage can be avoided completely. The car dealership can address its customers in a much more targeted manner. With social media activities, for example, it is possible to filter out directly those interested parties who are most likely to be interested in a specific car brand (and/or have already clearly expressed this interest). This makes it possible to target Facebook Ads in this way - i.e. absolutely in line with the target group. With e-mail marketing, each potential customer is even presented with an individual offer. The dealer knows these prospects either as existing customers, i.e. very well, or as a potential new customer whose lead was generated as a result of a very specific marketing activity - which in turn allows precise conclusions to be drawn about the preferences of this person. They may have responded to Jeep advertisements, which reveals their preferences. She can therefore receive a precisely tailored offer from the car dealership's portfolio: New cars, used cars, specific model, specific price category, parts & accessories, service.

Which social media channels are most worthwhile?

Facebook Ads are very successful, but this also depends on the target group. Buyers of sports cars and fans of tuned cars can simply guess on Facebook. Twitter is valuable for short breaking news, which are of interest especially to existing customers ("Accessories XY arrived today"), Instagram allows excellent possibilities of visual presentation. These complement the presentation on online sales platforms. In general, a retailer should not omit any social media channel. On Google, dealers can try their luck with SEO, SEA via Google AdWords can be indispensable in highly competitive markets.

How can the target group be reached regionally?

Google allows regional targeting of ads. This is even cheaper and is in any case more targeted. Of course, a car dealership has to reach the regional clientele, which is also very well possible online.