As shopping online becomes more and more common in the auto industry, automotive digital marketing has become essential for dealerships, service centers, and manufacturers. In addition to focusing on digital marketing, it’s equally important to stay on top of trends and design your marketing campaigns and strategies around them. In this blog, we’ll focus on the top automotive digital marketing trends that’ll help you stay ahead of the curve.
Utilizing Social Media
Social media has become one of the driving forces behind marketing strategies, and the auto industry is no exception. Apps like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) are ideal ways to showcase vehicles, answer FAQs, and more.
Whether it’s a simple post or a video, social media platforms can be tailored to speak to and target specific audiences. Plus, they allow you to convey lots of in-depth yet relatable information, provide a closer look at vehicles, and engage with users directly.
Video Marketing
From YouTube videos to Instagram Reels and TikTok, video content has become a huge source of sharing information on social media. When it comes to automotive digital marketing, brands and dealerships can post videos that take consumers inside the cabin, offer 360-degree views of the exterior, highlight specific amenities, and more.
Many users have shorter attention spans when they’re scrolling through their social media feed, but video marketing is an effective way to get people interested and deliver your message quickly.
Influencer Collaborations
Another upside of social media is the ability to utilize influencers. These savvy social media users and personalities can play a big part in shaping consumer opinions. By collaborating with them, your campaign can reach a wider or entirely new audience.
Influencers also bring a human touch to their posts, which many users and potential customers can relate to. For example, an influencer could share a video of how great their new car is, or tell their followers how fast and reliable their local service center is.
Additionally, campaigns don’t have to be limited to nationally known influencers either. Even working with local figures can bring significant benefits for automotive businesses.
AI-Powered Personal Shopping
Artificial intelligence has quickly made a mark on the automotive industry. With AI-powered chatbots/virtual assistants, answering customer questions and guiding them through the buyer’s journey, this new technology is a valuable resource for automotive digital marketing.
On top of engaging with customers, AI algorithms can also make personalized recommendations based on consumer data.
Virtual & Augmented Reality Experiences
These cutting-edge technologies became useful for automotive businesses during the pandemic but have remained a fun and convenient way for customers to see themselves behind the wheel before they buy. Between seeing how a car looks in your driveway and taking a virtual test drive, these digital retailing tools are so engaging that they’re essentially their own form of automotive digital marketing.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Regardless of your automotive digital marketing strategy, leveraging data from it can provide you with all the information you need to improve your sales numbers. Using analytics helps you see market trends, understand customer behavior, appeal to your target audience, and fine-tune your future campaigns.
Stay Ahead of Things With Stream
Whether you’re intrigued by VR, already depend on data analytics, or are eager to work with influencers, the team at Stream Companies can help you learn more and develop an effective strategy. Automotive digital marketing never stops evolving, and neither do we. Contact us to collaborate or schedule a consultation today.