I know I’m going to sound like a doomsday prophet, but the end is near for traditional automotive Websites. Now I understand your dealership still needs a normal Website because you have thousands of customers who need to connect with the different departments of your dealership and specific individual within your store; you can keep that Website running. I’m talking about sales, and the Web environment you really need to generate more leads from conquest vehicle shoppers.
You might be saying: “I am getting sales leads through my Website now with the existing structure, why change it?” Yes, but I’m not referring to the leads you’re getting from vehicle shoppers asking questions about your new or pre-owned inventory. I’m talking about growing your sales from non-intenders and conquest vehicle shoppers here.
Related post: Getting More Leads From Non-Intenders Using Pre-Frame.
Your Website is Like A Brick Wall For Sales Leads From Conquest Customers
Most automotive Websites are the equivalent of a brick wall for sales leads. Visitors get on your home page excited by the “hook” of your marketing and get “hit in the face” with a dozen places to click like your new, used, parts, service, body shop section of your Website, your social media feeds, image sliders and other elements that only distract from the ultimate goal: generating a lead!
Unless you believe that a brochure can sell a vehicle, I don’t know why you would want to send an online prospect to a Website. Think about it. Sending sales traffic to a normal Website is like sending showroom traffic to a salesperson who knows everything about the product but can’t close the deal.
Selling online is like selling face to face, you need to know precisely what you’re trying to accomplish at every step.
#1.- You want to answer this question: “What’s in it for him or her?”
#2.- You want to add credibility to your message.
#3.- You want to tell them exactly what you want them to do.
#4.- You need to give them a good reason to act now, so they don’t postpone their decision!
If you don’t answer “What’s in it for them?” they will leave. If you don’t provide them with a reason to believe, they won’t take action. If you don’t tell prospects what you want them to do, they won’t figure it out. If you don’t give prospects a reason to do it now, they will think about it.
Is your current Website doing the job?
Now, take a good look at your Website’s home page and how well it's doing relating to these four questions. Is it doing the job?
Do you have a clear headline at the top of your home page support their primary desire (solution) and emphasize their pain? Do you have a strong text or a video that explains how you will fulfill your promise, why they should believe your message, and exactly what you need them to do to be able to take advantage of your offer? Do you have a Webform to capture leads from interested prospects? Do you have a strong carrot or a stick built in your message to create the necessary urgency for them to act now?
My guess is your current Website doesn’t provide for potential prospects the journey I’m describing so you should strongly consider the use of a sales funnel, or I should say multiple sales funnels!
Discover the sales funnel – and the little robots that come with it!
Well-designed sales funnels will clearly articulate for the prospect the answers to the four direct-response questions, qualify subscribers, qualify buyers, and identify hyperactive buyers!
But that’s just the beginning. The number one advantage of sales funnels is your ability to track leads on the thank you page for specific individuals who completed the form. This will allow you to leverage powerful little robots called algorithms to scour the Web and Social Media sites to find you more conquest vehicle shoppers around your dealership that will turn into hungry buyers.
More leads, more deals, better ROI and robots working for you… I hope that’s enough to get you excited about creating your first sales funnel!
If you would like to see a few examples of how we use automotive video sales funnels here at Turbo to leverage the power of robots to help you find quality leads from conquest vehicle shoppers around your dealership, make sure to visit the link provided here. A few minutes of browsing through our campaigns will be enough to stretch your mind to brand new possibilities for your dealership’s marketing.
Sean Cassy is the digital marketing specialist and co-owner of Turbo Marketing Solutions. You can contact him by email here or reach him by phone every weekday at Turbo Marketing’s head office.