9 Automotive Marketing Strategies to Attract Customers in 2023

Search engine optimization (SEO) is needed to help your website rank on search engines and is essential for an automotive digital marketing strategy. You can do this with properly written titles for your pages and articles, using keywords your audience commonly searches for in your site’s pages and blog articles, and ensuring your site is mobile-friendly and loads fast.

It can take a while for search engines to recognize your website as an authoritative website in the automotive industry. To make it easier, see which of the best website builders for SEO can help you rank higher. Wix tops our list, but Squarespace, GoDaddy, and IONOS also have solid features to help your site get found online.

Wondering how to improve your website’s SEO? Use Semrush, Serpstat, and other free SEO audit tools to diagnose any issues and identify areas of improvement.

Having a great-looking website isn’t enough for people to find your auto industry business online. You must also take the right steps to rank higher on Google in locale-centric searches, including researching the best keywords to use based on your business’ location.

Use a top keyword research tool like Semrush to research local SEO keywords based on search volume and see what keywords your competitors use to rank on Google. Choose keywords that have high volume but low keyword difficulty (KD). Usually, the higher the volume, the harder it will be to rank for a keyword because other websites compete for rankings.

Add local keywords, such as the name of your city, in addition to the keywords your target audience would search for. For instance, if you own an automotive repair shop in Phoenix, you might find luck with keyword phrases such as “repair shop Phoenix” or “car repair Phoenix.”

Once you have a list of keywords you want your website to rank for, publish web pages and blog articles that answer the questions searchers are asking, and incorporate them with your keywords. For example, if your target audience searches for “best car repair shops in Phoenix,” you could write a blog article explaining why your business is one of the best car repair shops in the city.

For more guidance, read up on what local SEO is and how you can rank higher in local searches. For expert help and intelligence-driven tools and insights, turn to WebFX. They offer local SEO services from $425 per location.

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Another way for your site to rank higher on Google is to earn backlinks. This is because Google interprets backlinks to your website as an indication that your website is a relevant “best answer” to related questions (or queries) that people put into online searches. This, in turn, increases your website’s domain authority with Google.

A common way businesses earn backlinks is by implementing an SEO content marketing plan that includes helpful blog articles. Helpful articles often gain backlinks, especially when they have instructions, videos, and downloadable guides.

For example, you could publish a blog post that includes an infographic showing do-it-yourself instructions for replacing a car battery (or something similar people can do themselves). Another idea for earning backlinks would be to publish an e-book on automotive maintenance, or a checklist people can use when buying a new or used car.

To get to the top of Google’s local search results pages, aka SERPs, create and fill out your Google My Business profile listing. It’s free to do this and doesn’t take much time. To optimize your position in local search results, include keyword search terms, such as those you use to optimize your website, like “car detailing Phoenix.”

Ranking in local search results is a must for local brick-and-mortar businesses. When someone searches Google for a specific type of business, like a car dealership or an auto repair or parts shop, Google will often include a map with local businesses on the top of the results page.

Google local search results often show local businesses and a map. (Source: Google)

The top three organic results are called the “three-pack,” or map pack. The listing in the top organic spot in Google search results receives an average of 27.6% of all clicks and is 10 times more likely to receive a click than the last listing on the first page of results. Being among the top three organic results is ideal as far as your automotive digital marketing strategy goes.

Just like regular organic search results, it may take time for your listing to rise in the ranks. However, there are some things you can do to speed up the process, such as getting more positive reviews and advertising on Google.

Google is often the search engine people think of first, but don’t dismiss Bing. Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, attracts a different type of audience in terms of demographics. Users tend to skew older and have a higher household income. To make it more likely for your automotive business to appear in Bing search results, learn how to add your listing to Bing Places for Business.

Bing’s user demographics differ from Google’s, allowing you to reach different audience segments. (Source: Bing)

Use some of the same keywords in your Bing business listing that you used to make your website and Google My Business listing search-friendly. To appear before organic results on Bing, invest in Microsoft advertising. Bing ads are generally more affordable, while Bing’s search engine receives over 1.2 billion visitors every month.

Yelp is often the go-to site for people wanting to check out the reputation of a local business before buying. Just like Google and Bing, you can add a free listing to use Yelp for Business. Use the same types of keywords that are helping your website rank higher in search results to optimize your Yelp business profile.

Once you’ve registered and listed on Yelp, keep an eye on any reviews left on your business listing and respond to each one, whether positive or negative. Listings with the highest number of reviews and most positive reviews get top spots in organic search results, but you can also pay to have your listing sponsored to appear higher than the organic results.

Create a Facebook business page for your auto shop to make sure anyone can find your services, regardless of where they look. Facebook business pages can even rank on search engines. Incorporate some of the same keywords you used to optimize your automotive website into your Facebook profile’s “About” and “Description” sections, and in the content you share on the platform.

An example of a car dealership’s Facebook page (Source: Facebook)

Join or create Facebook groups about specific cars, common auto repairs or issues, or even automotive parts—and share posts showing your expertise. Followers will see your business name every time you post, which can help your brand awareness. Plus, you can post about new products or services to help spark interest (and new visitors to your website or business).

YouTube can be a great platform for reaching potential customers at various stages of the car-buying journey. According to a study by Google, 70% of car shoppers use YouTube during their research process. Creating engaging and informative videos, optimizing your videos for YouTube’s search algorithm, and promoting your videos through other channels are some of the essentials for online auto marketing strategies on YouTube.

In creating your videos, remember that the star of your content should be your products or service. For example, if you are marketing a car dealership, showcase the features of the cars that are most important to your target audience. This can include things like safety features, fuel efficiency, and performance. Use real-life footage of people experiencing the products and services you offer to help viewers envision themselves as your customers.

An example of an automotive business’ YouTube video (Source: YouTube)

Optimizing your content for each platform you post on is crucial. For creating YouTube videos, it is best to keep your videos from five minutes to 15 minutes per post. Use proper video editing and ensure the final video is well-lit, with good sound and smooth transitions. Also, keep in mind that the best aspect ratio for YouTube videos is 16:9, or the widescreen ratio to occupy the entire YouTube video frame.

Facebook isn’t the only social network where you should implement automotive marketing ideas. Instagram and Pinterest are both visual social platforms, and so they are excellent places to post pictures of vehicles, parts, or before and after photos of what a car detailing service can do. TikTok works well for those who want to create fun, short videos for their followers, and these videos can also be cross-posted to Facebook and Instagram.

Pinterest is one social network that heavily relies on visual posts. (Source: Pinterest)

On any social network, use hashtags so people interested in your industry can find your posts and your pages. For example, if you own a car dealership, you might use #carsofinstagram, #caroftheday, #autoparts, or #autorepair. Likewise, you can incorporate locale into your hashtags to hyper-target your audience, such as #CarRepairPhoenix.

Figuring out what to post regularly can be difficult, especially if social media marketing isn’t your forte. Hiring a social media manager on Fiverr can help you get started and plan out your content on different platforms. Social media management services start for as low as $10—perfect for trying out a new auto marketing strategy.

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Influencer marketing grew to a whopping $16.4 billion industry from 2017 to 2022. Collaborating with an influencer can be a powerful marketing strategy. Social media influencers who partner in the automotive industry usually promote cars, dealerships, and related services to potential customers.

Influencers are often thought of as people with large social media followings. However, local automotive businesses can become influencers in their local markets by doing things like:

• Hosting live how-to instructional videos for easy DIY car maintenance or troubleshooting
• Posting a video or holding a webinar on how to negotiate when buying a car
• Sharing behind-the-scenes tips and tricks of auto mechanics and businesses
• Doing question-and-answer sessions with car experts
• Offering expert tips on routine car maintenance or how to understand estimates
• Posting lists or videos on topics like 10 best cars for families, safety, performance, 10 car maintenance tasks you can do yourself, 10 ways to save when buying a car, and so on

One of the main benefits of influencer marketing is that it allows automotive businesses to target and reach a large, engaged audience. Influencers have already built a relationship with their followers, and they have trust and credibility with them. By partnering with influencers, you can tap into that credibility, which can help to increase brand awareness and drive sales.

To make influencer marketing effective, carefully select the influencer that aligns with your brand and target audience. Also, having a clear and measurable goal in mind is crucial, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or increasing sales. This will determine the type of content the influencer should produce.

Whether you use a mailing list of your customers or create an Every Door Direct Mail® (EDDM) campaign, you can drum up a lot of interest in your brand, an event, or a sale with direct mail. Add something memorable and fun to the design that provides value for the recipient, such as a scratch-off section that reveals a percentage off.

An example of a postcard template from a direct mail service (Source: VistaPrint)

Setting up a direct mail campaign can be time-consuming. However, using one of the best direct mail services reduces the time it takes to create mailers and set up direct mail campaigns, and makes it more affordable. Two great examples are VistaPrint, which has thousands of premade templates and easy editing tools, and PostcardMania, which offers a great deal on EDDM mailer campaigns.

Direct mail marketing creates an advantage and opportunities for businesses that use it for auto marketing. In fact, customers who receive direct mail often spend twice as much as those who don’t receive or use direct mail. Given the opportunity to reach new customers using direct mail, check out our article with dozens of direct mail marketing ideas you can use to boost your business.

A business card is an essential marketing tool regardless of industry. Customers will often pick up your business card at the point of sale when dropping their car off or shopping at your business. If you have sales reps, business cards are a must. Likewise, you’ll need business cards to hand out for all types of networking events.

You can also establish a referral lead generation partnership with complementary businesses and provide them with business cards to hand out to their customers. For example, if you run an auto repair shop or a parts store, consider setting up a referral partnership with an auto detailing service. As part of the agreement, you will both display or even distribute one another’s business cards to generate referrals.

Examples of automotive business card designs from the leading business card printer. (Source: VistaPrint)

Browse dozens of the best business card designs for ideas that would work for your automotive business or design your own. When designing your own, consider adding elements like QR codes that turn your cards into web traffic generators when scanned by smartphones.

When you’re ready to print your business cards, we recommend VistaPrint. They top our list of the best places to print business cards quickly and affordably.

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Flyers and brochures offer more space than marketing materials like ads and business cards. They can be an ideal way to promote your auto services and educate your customers. For example, you can use business brochures or flyers to:

• Explain payment or financing options for large ticket transactions
• Describe maintenance plan benefits
• Educate customers on car maintenance topics or timelines
• List guarantees or warranty information

Flyers and brochures are also very affordable to print, and you can create digital versions of them to post online, send by email, or share on social media. Get more inspiration from the dozens of business flyer examples in our article, which also links to free templates you can customize with your own designs.

Business brochures are even more versatile than flyers. They come in different shapes and sizes to showcase your marketing message and get your audience’s attention. Find out which brochure design ideas are best for your project.

Special offers are a proven way to stimulate sales and attract new customers locally. Our article on coupon marketing offers a step-by-step guide to creating an effective coupon-based marketing strategy. With your strategy in place, develop a multi-channel distribution strategy for extending special offers and discounts to your customers via:

• Email blasts
• Social media posts and ads
• Point-of-sale displays
• Referral partnerships
• Your Google and Bing business listings
• Direct mail postcards

Looking for inspiration? Check out dozens of coupon examples for promoting a local business.

The Google Ads platform makes it easy to reach customers when they are ready to buy with search ads, and to remain top of mind when remarketing. Search ads are text-based ads that appear on search engine results pages (SERPs). Remarketing displays web banner ads to people who visit your website when they are on other websites that are monetized with Google AdSense.

Get started today in our step-by-step guide for advertising on Google.

The cost of Google Ads can get expensive, especially if your ads aren’t set up correctly or targeted to the right audience. The last thing you want to do is waste money on clicks that don’t bring in business. The experts at WebFX are a great option for Google Ad management, and they can also set up and manage ads on social networks as well.

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Another way to get to the top of SERPs is by using Google’s Local Services Ads. These are ads placed at the top of local search results based on target keywords and industry. Unlike search ads, Local Service Ads require a Google background check for approval. As a result, these ads also display a “Google guaranteed” tag that increases trust with customers.

Advertising on Google is one of the cornerstones of a solid search engine marketing (SEM) strategy. Learn the difference between SEO and SEM and how to leverage the four key elements of search engine marketing to drive traffic to your website, generate leads, and grow your business.

Facebook advertising is another good way to get your automotive marketing content in front of your local target audience. Facebook ads show up in the news feeds of users based on ad campaign targeting, such as location, interests, age, gender, and other demographics. They allow you to reach potentially interested customers to build brand awareness for future sales as well as those who may be ready to make a purchase.

Not only can you target your desired audience with Facebook ads, but you can also target “look-alike” audiences that fit your criteria to a certain degree. So, if your ideal buyer types are males ranging in age from 25 to 49 who live in Phoenix, a look-alike audience might include men 18 to 24 or women in the same age range (25 to 49), all in Phoenix.

Facebook ads also target audiences based on recent searches conducted by users on Facebook or its advertising network. For instance, if someone has a strong interest in sports cars and searches for similar content online, your ad or a sponsored post could show up in their feed. Learn more, including how to set your budget, in our article detailing how much Facebook Ads cost.

Due to the sheer complexity of advanced audience targeting, running Facebook ads could be more than you want to take on yourself. We recommend Lyfe Marketing as the best Facebook advertising agency for local businesses. Plus, there are no long-term contracts, so you are free to try the service for a month to see if it works as part of your automotive marketing plan.

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Facebook Ads is just one of the many social platforms you could use to reach your audience. Discover more ways in our guide to social media advertising for small businesses.