Did you know there are 21.2 million registered vehicles in Australia – one for at least every adult? According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, the peak body for the car industry, 1.2 million vehicles were sold during 2023. However, if you are in the car industry it’s hardly a matter of building a website and people will come.
Competition for pay per click (PPC) keywords such as “how do I buy a new car” and “buying a new car” have above 50% competition scores – with some close to 100% – meaning it’s an uphill battle trying to fend off rival sites. With two-thirds of Australians having no brand loyalty when it comes to cars, their dollars are yours for the taking. So how can you market your site without breaking the bank? Here are some tips.
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Invest in search engine optimisation
We know that for every $1 spent on PPC advertising a business will return $2 on average. When it comes to selling cars, that may mean spending a lot of money on PPC advertising. Your money may be better spent on bolstering your search engine optimisation (SEO). SEO is a suite of techniques to help your website or content rank higher on Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) for chosen keywords. Websites that aren’t on the first page are invisible; and the lion’s share of clicks goes to sites in the first three positions. Over time, your lead generation efforts will trend organically instead of being reliant on paid campaigns.
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Funnel PPC money into incentivising reviews
The best kind of proof is social proof. That means positive reviews such as those on Google, TrustPilot, or Word of Mouth, are worth their weight in gold. If people read your dealership or brokerage goes above and beyond to win and keep your business by other satisfied customers, the impact on your trust and reach is enormous. This is the most effective marketing strategy for dealers and automotive businesses – so do everything you can – including offering incentives such as gift cards – to secure a review!
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Look into car buying trends
PPC is effective when it’s optimised. That means looking at search trends and adjusting your spend to match. If more searches are happening on a weekend, increase bids around that time and decrease spending when searches are quiet. Delve into your analytics to see what works for you. Remember – you should also be remarketing to your audience. Buying a car is a big decision; being at the top of mind through repeating ads can make the difference between a sale and being ignored.
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Have good and unique content
To help your SEO and social media efforts, you should have topic related content that will help people – even if they aren’t looking to buy right now. You could offer how-to guides on replacing a battery, what types of insurance is best, the latest Australian car statistics – anything that will drive traffic to your site and improve your authority and standing.
Using these tips can help grow your automotive brand and over time, who knows how high your business can soar!