The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the auto industry as supply chain issues keep production low and creating some market scarcity. Fortunately, most auto dealerships adopted digital and internet sales years ago and now it’s the new norm.

But are you getting the web traffic you need—besides that which comes from your brand’s corporate office? Many auto dealers are partnering with marketing agencies to do more to take away market share—something that the brands don’t encourage.

According to research, the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially increased internet use across the U.S. As people spend more time indoors, they’re using their phones to shop online more often.

Whether you’re a full service dealership or just a sell pre-owned vehicles, your auto dealership business needs to increase it’s digital presence.

Here are a few top strategies to help you increase both your leads and your ups.

Strengthen your Online Presence With Local SEO

It’s a know fact that customers are willing to travel more than 20 miles to save $500 on a vehicle they’re considering. If you’re a full dealership, chances are your website is controlled by your brand, but there are still things you can do to gain an advantage in your market. Local SEO (search engine optimization) should be your top priority because it’s not controlled by your OEM. Local SEO strategies are designed to help your auto dealership business rank higher on local Google search engine result pages (SERPs).

Let’s say you offer a high-line brand and you’re looking to increase your pump-ins. If a web user looks up “Lexus dealer in Houston,” they’ll get a relevant results typically ranked by proximity. Needless to say, they’re more likely to click on the first one or two results and shop the inventories of those websites.

Local SEO helps your services show up among those top searches based upon the geographic proximity of your dealership to the user as well as the keyword search. So, while you may not be able to rank highest for “Lexus dealership”, you may be able to rank for “Lexus SC” or “Lexus warranty” or other long tail keywords that your competitors are ignoring.

Recommended Read: SEO Strategy Post-COVID: 3 Opportunities You Need To Work On Right Away

Maximize Positive Customer Reviews

couple discussing deals with a car dealer

According to research, 15% of customers don’t trust businesses without reviews. In fact, a whopping 72% of web users don’t take an action without reading customer reviews. Chances are, an auto dealership, you’ve got a lot of reviews, but are you managing them properly?

Your Google My Business page is essential when new customers are looking to buy a car. They want someone who has a proven track record of satisfied customers and fair dealing. While having a reputation for the lowest price certainly helps, it’s not the end-all/be-all, especially when it comes to luxury brands. Manage your Google My Business page by requesting reviews via emails and text to select (happy) customers. Do this immediately after the sale closes when they are happy to be driving home in their new vehicle.

But don’t ignore bad reviews. You can’t make everyone happy, but you can manage the dialogue that unhappy customers post. Always answer with an empathetic and understanding tone and offer to “make it right” with a conversation via phone—never get into an online posting argument with anyone—especially an unhappy customer.

Tweak Your Keyword Strategy

Always review your keywords to see which ones are working and which ones aren’t. Review your keyword strategy by researching high-volume keywords every month. This is a great way to keep up with audience search preferences, trends and create content accordingly.

Use diverse keywords to maximize your chances of appearing in the Google 3-Pack. Use short-tail, long-tail, exact match, and LSI keywords. Give your customers content they can use including auto reviews and vehicle options. This information helps customers who are in the research stage of their buying gather information and use you as a resource.

Hightlight Exclusive Discounts and Special Offers

You know that price matters, so the factory discounts, special offers, rebates and giveaways level the playing field among your dealership competitors. You may have to step up and do more to stand out. Doing something unique can help strengthen brand identity and get the buyers who don’t really deep dive into the research buy from you. Be creative.

Don’t Hesitate to Reach Out to A Marketing Agency

Struggling to put together a winning marketing strategy? We can help. As one of the top digital marketing firms in Houston, we specialize in helping auto dealers reach their audience and boost sales through insightful, strategic digital platforms.

We offer local SEO, social media management, content creation, video production, website design, website maintenance, and PPC marketing services, among many others.

If your dealership is struggling to get both your media and your message right so you can bring more traffic into your showroom, call us at (832) 321-3196 and let’s get started.

Our Featured Work & Case Studies

view our work

Our Work & Case Studies

February 2, 2024

Stark Services – “AC in the Attic”

Stark Services was an HVAC – Plumbing company in Dallas, TX and part of Church Services...

February 2, 2024

Sudie’s Catfish House “Cheatin'”

Sudie’s is a family-oriented, family-owned restaurant that offers delicious seafood and homemade Southern dishes. Opened in..

February 2, 2024

TOPS Surgical Specialty Hospital

OAK wrote, produced, and directed a video for TOPS Surgical Specialty Hospital, a physician-owned facility in..

December 27, 2023

TOPS Surgical Specialty Hospital

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

December 27, 2023

Eleven Amp IPA

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

December 27, 2023

HUDEF Pickleball

November 1, 2023

Advertising Agency In Houston, TX

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

November 1, 2023

Advertising Agencies In Houston

OAK is an advertising firm that helps businesses grow by strategically defining your brand and its..

November 1, 2023

Why Brands Need Digital Advertising

Digital advertising has grown from gaining prominence to becoming base-level must-have in any marketing strategy. By..

September 16, 2020

St. Thomas High School

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

September 16, 2020

Houston Physicians’ Hospital

Landing Pages

September 16, 2020

Church Pool Services

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

September 15, 2020

Church Services

Church Services Church Services is a home service company that gives homeowners peace of mind knowing..

September 15, 2020

Saturn Retailers of Houston

The Houston-Area Saturn Retailers were unhappy with the national advertising agency’s approach to the Saturn brands..

September 15, 2020

David Taylor Cadillac

 RADIO

September 13, 2019

No Label Oktoberfest Beer Can Design

No Label Brewing has been an OAK client since 2015. During that time, we’ve designed some..

September 10, 2019

Lovett Dental

Lovett Dental helps patients get the smile they want and need by providing everything from teeth..

September 10, 2019

Monterey’s Little Mexico TV

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

July 26, 2019

David Taylor GMC

David Taylor GMC had been in Houston since 1975 and had enjoyed a prestigious reputation with..

July 25, 2019

Karrus Force Protection

Karrus Force Protection was looking to use cutting-edge technology to attract tradeshow attendees to Force Protection’s..

July 25, 2019

Hebel

THE PROJECT To strengthen and expand Hebel’s reputation among architects, developers and builders in the United..

July 25, 2019

Messina Hof

Messina Hof was looking for a way to target a younger demographic to their annual Harvest..

July 25, 2019

Texas Tamale

This is one of 2 ads we created for the Texas Tamale Company. These ads ran..

July 25, 2019

Shephard Park

Shepherd Park is another restaurant and bar owned and operated by Houston restauranteur, Ken Bridge. Creative..

July 25, 2019

Witchcraft

Witchcraft Tavern & Provision Co. is a new addition to the Houston Heights food scene. With..

July 25, 2019

Spirit of Texas

Spirit of Texas is an independent rum distillery based in Pflugerville, TX. They dedicate a massive..

July 25, 2019

Off Label Brewing Co

THE PROJECT No Label Brew Co, a long-time client, came to us with the idea for..

July 25, 2019

Houston Methodist

Developed automation emails for the office of Continued Medical Education for Houston Methodist Hospital for seminar/course..

July 25, 2019

Axis Pipe and Tube

Coming Soon.

July 25, 2019

The El

Website and Branding

July 25, 2019

Summer Sandia

When Texian Brewing Co. approached us to launch their new Bomber limited series with Summer Sandia...

July 25, 2019

No Label Brewing Co.

No Label Brewing Co.

July 25, 2019

See Tim Sell

Challenge: The quirkiness of a home-brew stick figure logo had brought Houston Area real estate company,..

July 25, 2019

Disney Magic Run Bogota

Their Goal Growing the audience Disney Magic Run needed to reach a local audience of fans..

July 25, 2019

Katy Market Day

Coming Soon.

July 25, 2019

Zaza Real Estate

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

July 25, 2019

Pink’s Pizza

After years of the very dynamic Pinks site, Pinks Pizza asked for OAK for redesign. To..

July 25, 2019

Coras Concept

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

July 25, 2019

Liberty

The first bomber bottle commissioned by Texian Brewing was for the Liberty IPA. The sister ship..

July 25, 2019

Santa’s Little Weiner

Annual Christmas card! Santa’s Little Weiner won an American Advertising Federation award in 2015.

July 25, 2019

EMS

EMS USA inc. a fast growing pipeline care company, came to us for a fresher look..

July 25, 2019

Dan Tasset

We brought Dan Tasset’s web identity up to date with the use of a simple, clean..

July 25, 2019

Lady Lazarus

Houston-based screen printer, Lady Lazarus reached out to OAK for a website to help showcase their..

July 25, 2019

Oktoberfest 2016 Campaign

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

July 25, 2019

Ellsworth Plastic Surgery

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

July 25, 2019

Hit King Brew Series

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

July 25, 2019

Hit King Baseball Academy

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

July 25, 2019

Pacesetter Personnel Services

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

July 25, 2019

Brown Plastic Surgery

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

July 25, 2019

Perpetual Peace and Nightmare 4 pack

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

July 25, 2019

Pinks Pizza Relaunch

C L I E N T Pinks Pizza is a Houston-based Pizzaria that’s been serving pizza..

July 22, 2019

GILLEY’S RUB

Gilley’s food line started with a product that’s a natural extension of their light, food-friendly Texas..

July 22, 2019

TEXIAN BREWING CANS

Texian Brewing Company is proud of their Texas heritage. Founded and brewing in Richmond, Texas (southwest..

July 22, 2019

NO LABEL 5TH ANNIVERSARY

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

July 15, 2019

DON JALAPENO AND WHAT THE HATCH

What the Hatch and Don Jalapeno stem from the same family with the only difference being..

July 15, 2019

RICE VILLAGE SCULPTURE INSTALLATION

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..

July 15, 2019

BLACK WIT-O IPA PACKAGING

We have worked closely with a wide variety of industries helping them boost their online presence..