Creating a Plan That Works

Content marketing helps your dealership turn consumers into customers. Content answers the questions shoppers ask, connects consumers to your dealership brand story and reveals the ways your dealership works to make one of the largest purchases a consumer makes easier to manage.  One of the first and most important things your dealership needs to do when it comes to content marketing that works, is to create a plan. As previously mentioned in part one, finding your target audience and content mapping work together to form the foundation that will put you on the right path.  

Defining Content Marketing

Content marketing is a broadly-used term, but for the purposes of your dealership, its helpful to view content marketing as the best strategy for keeping brand top of mind in and adding value through sharing valuable information across your various marketing channels.  Consumers are hungry for relevant, new and exciting content, and if you are able to provide them with unique posts that answer their questions, you’ll be making successful strides toward building your customer base. Position your dealership as a brand leader by posting useful, compelling content; and you’ll see consumers come back to you for more of the same.

Why Is Content Marketing Important?

According to the CAM Foundation, the most commercially important digital marketing trend for 2015 is content marketing, beating out all other digital marketing by over twice their percentages. Three in 4 marketers cited compelling content as driving social media campaigns and factoring into closing sales. Content marketing is a big deal for your dealership to say the least.

Creating the correct content and marketing it well makes a big difference in your dealership’s business and sales. Leads made through employee social marketing convert 7x more often than other leads, and over 77% of buyers are more likely to buy from a company whose CEO uses social media. Knowing where to market your content—and to whom—is crucial to growing your dealership and gaining attention.

Content Marketing Guidelines

When it comes to content marketing, some simple yet important tips and tricks will give your dealership an edge:

1. Have a plan. Content mapping is a great place to begin.
2. Stay up-to-date on the latest trends and news and tie them into your content to make a point, gain a laugh, or provide useful information.
3. Create a title that grabs the consumer.
4. Be transparent with your content and gain the trust of your consumers.
5. Maintain a brand that customers recognize, visually and with your voice and tone.
6. Don’t just post content. Engage with people, make them feel seen, and gain a community-type following by doing so.
7. Do your research before sharing content. Gather several sources and make them count.
8. Both quality AND quantity are important. Don’t sacrifice one for the other.
9. Use keywords, but not too often.
10. Don’t skimp on content with cheap outlets or badly edited stock photos and design.
11. Patience is important. Don’t rush. See number 8.
12. Link to others. Sharing is caring, but it’s also a smart way to get your dealership noticed.
13. Use one piece of your content to promote another, relatable piece of your content.
14. Don’t directly sell to your reader via your content. Plant the seed that your product is right for them and show how it’s beneficial. A call to action at the end of your content is always a great way to leave your content sales-free but provide a solution via your dealership at the end.
15. Involve your employees in social media and marketing. Brand messages reach 561% further when they’re shared by employees versus official brand social outlets. Encourage employees to read and share content.

Right Message for the Right Channel

It’s important to take full advantage of all the platforms consumers are constantly engaging in. Creating a presence, brand, and content for your available outlets and maintaining a constant stream of interaction and information will get your business noticed by consumers.

Social media is the major source for content marketing in most businesses, dealerships included, and several statistics show why social media outlets are so important. Check out a few quick facts if you still need to be convinced of the power of social media when it comes to propelling your dealership’s brand forward:

• 6 in 10 Twitter or Facebook users are more likely to recommend a brand they follow.

• 61% of companies find customers via LinkedIn, 67% via Facebook, and 53% via Twitter.

• Overall, social media content is shown to boost sales by 61%.

• 63% of companies said posting content on social media has increased marketing effectiveness.

• 70% of consumers prefer getting to know a company via articles rather than ads.

• 60% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content on its site.

The social media outlets and social platforms available are plenty, but some of the major ways used to connect and relay information are blogs, podcasts, eBooks, guides, case studies, websites, apps, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Periscope, and Flickr. It’s best to know your business and market your content on the outlets that fit your brand and target audience best. Take time to do your homework and truly get to know your audience so you’re able to reach them on the channels most likely to resonate within their demographic.  Remember, quality and consistency are important, so have your dealership begin with a few sites it can faithfully maintain and focus on providing the content your consumers crave on a regular basis.