When you think of content marketing for your dealership, do you think about the blog posts only, or do you realize that content is everywhere?
From the blog post to the sales flyer to the performance video, content marketing has one goal, which is to convert a cold contact.
Exploring the Sales Funnel
The sales funnel is a simple structure with a simple goal: to get prospects from cold to hot. The top is wide because it is used to cast a wide net.
Many work hard and spend money to get folks into the sales funnel only to leave them at the top because they lack a plan to move them to the bottom.
Top - This is where you engage with your cold contact and make them aware that they have a problem you can solve. The content that you use educates them towards a discussion of the problem and offers a solution. A blog post is an excellent way to get them engaged.
Middle - This is where you help them evaluate their options towards a satisfactory solution to their problem. When discussing the solution options, you help them to examine their choices, which can include showing them a comparison chart between vehicles or a demo video. Surveys, quizzes and even coupons help them explore your solution.
Bottom - This is where they reach the conversion and buy your product. The content you use in this situation includes demos, customer testimonials and other incentives.
Next, we explore some of the ways that you can use to generate cold traffic to your sales funnel.
Generating Intent Based Leads
When considering intent based marketing for those within your sales funnel, you must first determine what their next intent is and address it with your content.
Did you bring your cold prospect in by (A) making them aware of the fact that their family may be outgrowing their current vehicle, or did you bring them in (B) to discuss the benefits of winterizing their car?
A) If they are there to explore your SUV, you show them a comparison of features between your vehicle and your competitor's.
B) If they are there to winterize, their intent may be to find out what they need to do, so you give them a checklist in exchange for their email address.
These two examples are within the middle portion of the sales funnel, and here is where you may want to focus some of your internet advertising budget. These types of pages allow for a narrow focus and long tail key words that qualify your traffic.
Generating Ascension Leads
It is critical that once your prospect has evaluated the decision-making information that there is no friction between them and the conversion or you will lose them.
Since their next intent may be to buy, all the information on your page should point them towards the purchase.
Generating Segment Leads
The only way that you can tell if someone is really interested in your dealership and your vehicles is if they give you their time or money, and reading your blog posts or taking your quizzes means they are willing to give you their time. Consider them interested, even if they leave.
follow your prospect on the internet and show them your product after they have left. By developing an internet ad campaign that retargets previous site visitors, you are capitalizing on the fact that they already know you and you have something they found interesting.
Generating Cross Channel Leads
Content marketing is more than a text-based presentation. If you are going to create a successful plan, you must be flexible enough to reach across platforms with your message.
Your blog post talks about the new colors on the latest model, and from there, you can start a Facebook discussion about how these colors were picked. A Pinterest board can be created to show all of the previous colors used and give the history on color selection. Your tweet can be something like "Eye Popping New #colors released for 2017! WOW! #Edsel colors not seen since 1960! Come see now and be amazed!"
Generating Avatar Leads
An avatar is a description of your perfect prospect. Whether a homeowner, family, student or senior, all have specific needs your marketing campaign can target.
By keeping these general principles in mind, you can build a content campaign that reaches your target audience.
Start planning your campaign by defining the following:
What section of the sales funnel am I targeting?
What is my prospect's avatar? Who are they?
What format will I be using for my content? Image? Video? Text?
Where will I publish this content?
What will my Call-to-Action be within the content?
Once you have answered these questions, build your content marketing plan and begin generating qualified leads.
If you need help creating powerful content marketing campaign to generate leads and deals for your dealership don’t hesitate to call our automotive marketing content marketing experts at Turbo Marketing Solutions by calling: 1-800-262-0081.
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Sean Cassy is the automotive digital marketing specialist at Turbo Marketing Solutions. You can contact him here or by phone at Turbo Marketing every week day from 7am to 6pm EST.