Warmer weather, school holidays and world-class sporting events – it’s easy to see why business can slow down for dealerships during the summer. It doesn’t have to be this way, though. With new models on the horizon and licence plates due to be released in September, summer is the perfect time to start revving up interest.

Here are three ways to make summer work harder for your dealership, and drive buyers through your doors come autumn.

1. Run a nurturing campaign

Getting customers to flock to your dealership when September rolls around means you need to start sowing your seeds with the local community now. Get your blog and social media channels into gear with informative content, such as buying guides, new model previews and showroom photos, to get your audience engaged and ready for their next purchase.

This blog content can then be used in your email campaigns. Be sure to segment your data and create different campaigns for different customers; someone who’s purchased a family car are going to have very different needs and desires than someone who owns a sports car.

Once they know who you are, get them in the showroom! Fun open days are an excellent way to engage with the local community. Run competitions, put on family activities and offer ‘exclusive’ test drives one sunny weekend to start building those all-important relationships with potential future customers. They might not buy a car then and there, but when they’re ready to make a purchase, your dealership will be the first that comes to mind.

2. Start building trust

Getting to know your customers is a great way to build trust with them, but word of mouth is extremely powerful too. 95% of vehicle buyers use digital channels as a source of information when purchasing a car, and twice as many start their car buying research online as opposed to heading straight to a dealership. Having a strong online presence, therefore, is hugely important.

Start collecting customer reviews to enhance your reputation; while sales maybe down during the summer, you can still use this time to ask previous buyers to leave feedback. Displaying ratings and reviews from a trusted provider, such as Feefo, can make you eligible for Google stars, which are a fantastic trust signal when people search for local car dealerships online.

Be sure to use quotes from your most flattering reviews in your marketing campaigns too: 85% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations!

3. Be easy to contact

Having a phone number and email address on your website isn’t enough anymore. Millennials aren’t a fan of picking up the phone, so you may find they prefer to contact your business via webchat or social media.

Step up your social media game and make sure you’re active on every channel that’s important to your customers. Not only does this make it easy for people to get in touch with you (and receive a quick response), it’s a fantastic and free way to promote special offers, new models available and other services your dealership provides.

Be sure to invest in PPC too. By remarketing to those who have already visited your website, you can ensure that your dealership - and that model of car they're after - is always on their mind. 

Prepare your automotive business today

We can’t organise your open days or set up your Facebook page for you, but we can help you collect genuine reviews, from real customers. To find out more or ask us for a free PPC audit, get in touch with one of our friendly sales team today, or fill out our ROI calculator and see what reviews could do for your automotive business!

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