10 Best Automotive Marketing Strategies for Modern Buyers

The way people shop for cars has changed. Before visiting a dealership, consumers check online reviews. They also research forums and watch influencer reviews. Like any major purchase, they are looking for trusted insights to make the best decisions.

Automotive companies must adapt to modern buyers’ changing behaviors. When dealerships, manufacturers, and aftermarket service providers add digital marketing campaigns to their strategy and use the latest technology like automotive customer relationship management (CRM) , artificial intelligence (AI) , and search engine optimization (SEO), they significantly increase sales and brand awareness. Keep reading for the 10 best automotive marketing strategies to hook tech-savvy buyers.

Digital marketing platforms give automotive businesses new ways to reach potential buyers. To stand out, businesses need a strong marketing strategy. This type of effective, personalized marketing strategy offers the following benefits:

• Increased Visibility: Use data-driven analytics to reach a wider audience with targeted campaigns.
• Enhanced Customer Engagement: Deliver personalized experiences, messaging, and content to help build trust and loyalty.
• Higher Sales and ROI: Convert leads into customers with data-driven marketing and relevant offers.
• Brand Differentiation: Showcase your unique value to stand out in the market.

A 2023 survey showed that:

• 81% of consumers say they will reassess their budget over the next 12 months as they seek more personalized experiences.
• 68% are reassessing spending in the automotive industry.
• 76% will remain loyal to companies who provide better data security.
• 72% will remain loyal to companies who provide faster service.
• 65% will remain loyal to companies who provide a personalized experience.

To craft a successful marketing strategy, marketers must understand the importance of product, price, place, and promotion. The fifth P should be personalization. Marketing personalization really informs and applies to each of these topics. It’s important to personalize offerings based on past customer behaviors and preferences. Personalized automotive sales solutions can provide those insights. Here’s how these four elements apply to the automotive industry and should impact your marketing strategy.

When selling a product, remember that it is more than just the item itself. It includes the overall experience and branding the company offers. Highlight features that resonate with modern buyers. Examples include fuel efficiency, safety, or advanced technology. When marketing services, emphasize reliability and customer satisfaction.

Pricing strategies should match what your target audience expects and their purchasing power. Offer transparent pricing and financing options. Run promotions to attract cost-conscious buyers. You can also maintain perceived value. Use data, market research, and trends to set prices.

Meet your customers where they are to sell vehicles and services. Consumers often research vehicles online, but purchase them offline. Enhance engagement with a seamless digital and in-person experience. This includes virtual showrooms and in-person test drives. Be everywhere at once with omni-channel marketing.

Promote offerings through many channels. These include digital ads on websites and social media. You can also promote offerings through traditional media like television or magazines. Tailor messaging to different segments to increase impact. Take advantage of retail holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Marketing teams can only create effective strategies after first identifying their customers. To come up with the best pitches and ads, they need to understand not just what customers want and why. To learn about your customers’ preferences and behaviors, marketing teams should look at data around:

• Existing customer personas
• Potential buyer journeys
• Demographic and psychographic segmentation
• Market and economic data around customer needs
• Competitors offerings and customers

The automotive industry has a broad customer base, so different strategies resonate with different customer types. These strategies will also perform differently for various businesses. While these ideas can be implemented alone, they work best when combined. This creates a multifaceted strategy that reaches the largest and most relevant audience.

Communicating with customers doesn’t always mean trying to sell them a product. Letting them know about changes in store hours, for example, is an indirect form of marketing because it reminds them of the company’s existence. It’s smart to mix engaging, entertaining, and educational content with ads to build trust instead of turning off potential customers.

Social media platforms are useful to raise customer awareness. You can also engage with potential buyers. Paid ad campaigns can target relevant audiences. Even free content can grab attention and interest. For example, try live Q&A sessions or fun short-form videos. Hopping on a trending sound or an informal video style is popular. This is one way that businesses go viral.

Video content is engaging and a great way to show products in action. Examples of engaging video ideas include:

• Customer testimonials
• DIY tutorials
• Showroom tours
• Demonstrations of features
• Interviewing employees such as dealership or auto shop staff
• Showcasing unique vehicle customizations

Automotive email marketing is a reliable way to reach out to customers. Send emails that include:

• Personalized offers and promotions
• Maintenance tips and tricks
• Service and appointment reminders
• Follow-ups after test drives

Texting a customer directly is a quick and simple way to get information to them. A few common message types in SMS marketing include:

• Sending reminders for service appointments and renewals
• Promoting special offers and discounts
• Sharing updates about new inventory or products that are back in stock
• Alerting customers to changes in hours of operation

Car dealerships, auto shops, and auto repair shops rely on online reviews as a key part of their marketing strategies. Positive online reviews can build trust, while negative reviews can create a crisis. Both highly influence purchasing decisions. Raise average ratings by encouraging satisfied customers to leave reviews on their favorite platforms. Respond to positive and more critical reviews with respect to advertise that the company values honest customer feedback.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is key to your automotive business’ online presence. To stay ahead, keep up-to-date on AI for SEO . AI is rapidly changing how search engines understand and rank content. If you don't adapt, your business could get left behind in search results.

Websites rank higher in search engine results by focusing on:

• Local SEO to attract nearby customers
• Keywords related to vehicles and services
• Unique phrases that generate traffic
• Creating high-quality, informative content
• Adding searchable captions and hashtags to videos

Pay-per-click ads can bring immediate traffic to a business’s website. Target specific keywords and demographics to maximize return on investment (ROI). Try running ads on multiple sites to start with less cost behind them, then adjusting the content or increasing the ad spend when insights emerge.

To build trust, create a consistent brand experience across channels. Market on web, social media, email, and in person. Meet customers where they are to influence sales and improve their experience. Use similar usernames and logos for social media accounts. Make sure your website works well on any device. To get a unified customer view , use an engagement marketing platform to collect data.

The integration of AI in the automotive industry is reshaping the way vehicles are manufactured, operated, and experienced. Make the most of the latest technology with this AI in automotive industry guide and AI marketing guide , which teaches businesses how to:

• Automate manual marketing tasks
• Improve connected car experiences
• View customer behavior analysis
• Get ahead of industry and product trends

Partnerships with influencers and social media stars can be very beneficial. These creators have already established trust with their followers. By collaborating with influencers, brands can reach a wider audience. Automotive companies can partner with automotive vloggers or creators to create content. They can also sponsor events or work with eco-friendly organizations to promote electric vehicles.

Once you've mastered the basic strategies, it's time to elevate your automotive marketing game with advanced techniques. These strategies will help you stay ahead of the competition and drive even more success for your business.

Advanced Retargeting Techniques: Implement sophisticated retargeting campaigns to re-engage potential customers who have shown interest in your products but haven't converted yet. Use dynamic retargeting ads that showcase the specific vehicles or services they viewed on your website.

Content Marketing and Thought Leadership: Position your brand as an authority in the automotive industry by creating high-quality, informative content. Publish in-depth articles, whitepapers, and case studies that address common pain points and provide valuable insights. Participate in industry forums and webinars to establish your expertise.

Geo-Targeted Marketing: Use geo-targeting to deliver location-specific ads and promotions. This is particularly effective for dealerships and service centers looking to attract local customers. Combine geo-targeting with mobile marketing to reach potential buyers on the go.

Advanced SEO Techniques: Go beyond basic SEO by implementing advanced techniques such as schema markup, voice search optimization, and local SEO. Ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices and has a fast loading speed to improve user experience and search engine rankings.

Programmatic Advertising: Invest in programmatic advertising to automate the buying and placement of ads in real-time. This allows for more efficient and effective ad spend, as well as the ability to reach highly targeted audiences across various platforms.

Community Building and Engagement: Build a strong community around your brand by fostering engagement through online forums, social media groups, and local events. Encourage user-generated content and create opportunities for customers to share their experiences and connect with each other.

Improved Lead Management: Use an automotive CRM to personalize engagement with leads and route leads to the appropriate dealers. Nurture relationships between auto-maker and retailer by increasing lead conversion rates, building a strong pipeline of opportunities, and improving data sharing and data stewardship across partners.

Let’s walk through a hypothetical example of how automotive marketing can improve customer experiences and influence buying decisions.

A car company is launching a new electric vehicle (EV) and wants to generate buzz for not only this model but also the larger business while driving sales.

The company uses automotive cloud software to understand the market for EVs and their customers' preferences. The software uses AI to analyze the information. It determines that video marketing, SEO, and influencer partnerships will be the most effective aspects of a strategy to market the new vehicle. The social media marketing team, web team, and product team come together to make this happen.

• Video Marketing: Create a series of videos that highlight the EV’s features, such as its range, eco-friendliness, and advanced technology.
• SEO: Optimize the dealership’s website with keywords like “best electric vehicles” and “eco-friendly cars.” Write blogs on the website using the same keywords that add a personal, human touch.
• Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with eco-conscious influencers to promote the vehicle on social media. Ask them to use trending sounds and video concepts to generate engagement.

• Increased website traffic by 40%
• Generated 200 new leads in the first month
• Boosted brand awareness among environmentally conscious consumers
• Gained 900 new followers online