37 Proven Automotive Marketing Strategies to Drive Auto Business Growth

37 Proven Automotive Marketing Strategies to Drive Auto Business Growth

Table of Contents

What is Automotive Marketing?

Automotive marketing involves the creative approaches and practical methods that companies within the vehicle industry — ranging from dealerships and parts suppliers to manufacturers and repair shops — use to showcase their offerings, engage potential buyers, and boost their business growth. It spans both digital and traditional channels and includes everything from SEO and paid search to influencer partnerships and social media engagement. The goal is to connect with potential buyers at every stage of the automotive customer journey — from awareness and research to purchase and retention.

Why Automotive Marketing Is Crucial

For you, it’s simple. Automotive marketing strategies should work all the time, every time, without spinning your wheels or leaving customers exhausted by what’s seeping out of your tail-pipe. 

And the truth is some auto marketing solutions stand out for their cost-effectiveness. Tried and true, these strategies help auto companies like yours reach new audiences, build loyalty, and drive revenues.

Automotive Marketing Strategies for SEO

#1. Strategic SEO Planning for Automotive Companies

To modify a famous saying: If you fail to plan, you plan to waste a ton of money on SEO.

Why Top Search Rankings Matter in Automotive SEO

Getting to the top of searches is the goal. You’re invisible otherwise. The top 3 get over half the clicks, and page 2 gets less than 6%.

Knowing what automotive marketing solutions work and what’s not worth your time is important. And SEO works, but only when you apply an effective SEO strategy to earn prime search real estate.

To get started, research the things consumers are searching for that matter the most to your brand. What do you need to do to earn those top spots, and what resources will you need to accomplish it?

Is Automotive SEO a Long-Term Strategy?

SEO isn’t quick, but it’s sustainable once you gain a foothold in these prime searches.

Remember: No auto marketing solutions will deliver results in perpetuity if you stop investing. SEO should be thought of as a long-term strategy that can cut costs over time and drastically increase your ROI.

Automotive Marketing Strategies - Plan to Get and Stay on Top

 

#2. The 4 Pillars of Comprehensive Automotive SEO

SEO is more than targeting the right keywords. And it’s more than site speed and user-friendliness.

A half-optimized site is like an unoptimized website. (Head scratcher. We know.)

Getting to the top of search results requires a combination of 4 types of SEO. And if we’re brutally honest, many people think they’ve SEO’d their website by only doing 1 or 2 of these.

What is Technical SEO for Automotive Websites?

Ensuring your website and pages meet technical requirements to appear on search engine results pages. Without it, you’ll go nowhere fast, if at all. Speed, navigation, user experience, responsive images, and mobile-friendliness are super fundamental to SEO. Nothing else matters if you haven’t optimized these first.

Understanding On-Page SEO for Auto Content

Researching keywords and aligning content with search intent down to every detail. Automotive blogging, conversion rate optimization, structured data, metadata, URL structure, and internal linking strategies are critical to keeping people on the page and engaged to show Google your site is relevant to searchers.

Building Off-Page SEO for Automotive Digital Presence

Networking off-site to build an online presence, drive quality traffic to your website, and increase your authority and relevance (social media, review sites, link building, citations, influencer marketing, etc.)

The Importance of Ongoing SEO in the Auto Industry

Staying current with algorithm updates, tracking the competitors, addressing tumbling rankings and algorithm updates quickly, and continually investing in helpful content to communicate authority, relevance, and current.

#3. Targeting Keywords with Precision in Automotive Marketing

Why Keywords Remain Critical for Automotive Search

Some people try to downplay keywords. As the story goes, they don’t matter because search engines use machine learning. Fancy!

Keywords are soooooo 2014.

Nope.

Automotive Marketing Strategies - Target the Right Keywords

 

Keywords still represent what people are looking for in the search results. As an automotive business, you research keywords to understand how people find a site like yours and what they need to see to choose your site — and buy.

But even knowing this is not enough.

Avoiding Common Keyword Targeting Mistakes for Auto Businesses

You can spin your wheels for months — or years — high-speed-chasing high-volume keywords if they don’t align well with what your company actually does.

In other words, you’ll attract the kind of traffic that’s only suitable for parts. To target the right keywords, you need to understand search intent.

#4. Unlocking Search Intent: How to Understand Automotive Customers

When you perform a Google search, you have an idea of what you’re looking for. And when you see it, you’ll click it — you don’t browse like that person who spends an hour at the sale rack, then walks out of the store with nothing.

Why Aligning with Search Intent Boosts Clicks

All searchers have the intent to click on something when they search. They will click the item that best aligns with it.

The more closely your website’s preview in the search results aligns with intent, the more likely they are to click.

You’ve got to get into their heads. Is this person looking for a guide, video, something updated this year, or a particular brand? You need to know to top this search.

You can use all kinds of advanced analytics to do this. And that will save you a lot of time. This is what your top competitor’s automotive marketing company probably does.

Simple Steps to Identify Automotive Search Intent

One of the easiest ways to start understanding search intent is this.

  1. Choose a keyword phrase you’d like to target

  2. Search for it on Google
  3. Analyze each website on page one (or at least the top 3) and ask yourself: Why does Google think this is the most relevant search result for this query?

That’s search intent.


Best Content Marketing Strategies in the Automotive Industry

#1. Leveraging Short-Form Video in Automotive Content Marketing

Short-form video continues to dominate video marketing. Like it or hate it, TikTok is popular for a reason. And it’s no secret Instagram, and YouTube copied its format because it works.
(Rather, they copied Vine’s format, if we want to get technical. R.I.P. Vine.)

Why Short-Form Video Excels for Auto Brands

The auto industry and short video are a match made in heaven. They are very visual and high-energy, which rubs off on your product.

Short videos are relatively inexpensive to make, especially compared to those multi-million-dollar Hollywood-wannabe video productions.

Your audience loves their cars and everything automotive. They consume an endless amount of car content voluntarily.

Leverage this interest. Insert your brand into the conversation, and you could drive away with this shiny new customer relationship.

Integrating Short Videos for Better Blog Visibility

Pro Tip: Top-performing auto marketers in the know are also adding short videos to many of their blog posts to improve visibility on searches where people prefer videos.

#2. Connecting with Customers: Emphasizing Shared Values in Auto Marketing

You’ve probably heard the saying, “like attracts like”. People feel compelled to choose companies that they see as somehow like them.

How Content Marketing Builds Value Alignment with Auto Buyers

The recent pandemic has pushed people even more in this direction. So many people have reevaluated their priorities after the fear and loss they (we all) experienced.

Competition is fierce, like a momma grizzly with cubs you just walked up on. The winning automotive companies are using content marketing to showcase that their values align with the customers.

Content Marketing Strategies 
 - Emphasize THEIR Values

 

#3. Automotive Influencer Marketing: Building Trust and Reach

Why Influencer Marketing Delivers High ROI for Auto Brands 

Influencers continue to do what they do best. Influence.

And yes, influencing is a real, full-time job. Respect the hustle.

25% of marketers say influencer marketing delivers the best ROI. The automotive industry has been doing influencer marketing before it was cool with celebrity parking lot events.

Where Automotive Influencer Marketing Happens Today

But these days, influencer marketing is digital. It takes place on social media, more than parking lots.

And it can be both. Live stream it.

Influencers are becoming more powerful as people feel overwhelmed by choices. Your customers trust the opinions of local, regional, and online celebrities willing to partner with you to get the word out.

#4. Leveraging Social Media Trends in Automotive Marketing

Savvy digital marketing in the automobile industry includes catching and riding the wave of funny and relatable social media trends.

Using Humor to Engage Automotive Audiences

Funny content, in general, is having a day as more brands are using humor to engage their audience.

Yes, even dad jokes. So, go for it. The cheesier, the better. Be so cheesy that the state of Wisconsin is impressed.

#5. Reaching Gen Z and Beyond: Automotive Social Media Strategies

Why Social Media is Crucial for Reaching Younger Car Buyers

If you’re a Millennial or Gen X, in particular, then you’ve watched social media change drastically over the last 10 to 15 years — and have loved every minute of it.

But is social media still relevant to the younger generation? Okay, we know you didn’t really ask that.

How Social Media Builds Trust and Social Proof for Auto Businesses

Social media remains the primary place Gen Z goes to discover new products. It should be part of your content strategy.

Older Gen Zeds are now pushing 30, so these are likely your customers.

At the same time, other generations continue to use social media to verify that businesses are legit and get recommendations from friends. Automotive social media strategy is vital to building an online presence and social proof.

Paid Search Auto Marketing Strategies

Paid Search Auto Marketing Strategies

#1. Optimizing Paid Search with Manual Bidding for Automotive Ads

Why Manual Bidding Can Lower Automotive CAC

Paid search ads let you target the right customer at the perfect time when they’re actively searching for a vehicle, accessories, or service. But search engines are out to make money, just like the next guy.
The system’s rigged in their favor. So, sometimes accepting their default recommendations is not in your best interest.

Google and Bing (because, of course, that’s who we’re talking about) allow you to accept their default bid amounts. Or you can choose what you’re willing to pay for a specific search.

Considerations for Implementing Manual Bidding in Auto PPC

With manual bidding, you get:

  • Greater ad visibility
  • Lower customer acquisition costs (CAC)
  • More cost-effective PPC

You’ll prioritize keywords that deliver a higher ROI, paying a little more for these. Then you lower your max bid for others not representing a done deal.

You can automate your Ads account to pause words that aren’t performing, raise your bid for better placement and have a different max based on times of day, among other advanced manual bidding strategies.

But a word of caution: manual bidding is more time-consuming. It takes advanced knowledge of paid search strategy and a good understanding of which clicks and leads deliver the highest ROI. That said, adjusting your max bids manually is almost always worth your while. You may also contemplate partnering with an experienced automotive PPC agency. They have the expertise to generate a good return on investment by helping you reach the right customers at the right time.

#2. Boosting Conversions with Automotive Retargeting Ads

How Retargeting Re-engages Automotive Website Visitors

Did you know the average online ad conversion rate in the automotive industry is 0.60%? Those odds are not in your favor, My Friend.

But automotive marketing solutions aren’t a game of chance. These are automotive marketing strategies.

Your move.

Retargeting recognizes that most people visit a site multiple times before becoming paying customers.

The ROI of Retargeting in Automotive Marketing

You can recapture missed opportunities and seal the deal. Re-engage people who visited your website before with targeted ads.

And what’s more, because they’ve already been to your site, they’re the name you know. 75% of people notice retargeting ads.

Plus, visitors are 70% more likely to convert.

And because we know you’re wondering, retargeting ads cost a fraction of the typical search ad. So, it makes sense to make room in your automotive marketing budget for highly effective automotive marketing strategies like this one.

#3. Why Fewer, Targeted Keywords Improve Automotive Paid Ads

The Advantage of a Focused Keyword Strategy for Auto PPC

Google and Bing will constantly suggest that you bid on more words. And they look super helpful doing it. But…

Pro tip: don’t accept every recommendation from Google — for reasons we already discussed above.

“Fewer keywords with more targeted ads” is a much more effective automotive marketing strategy. As a bonus, it makes keeping track of manual bidding strategies easier.

#4. Bidding on Competitor Keywords in Automotive PPC Campaigns

Tips for Effective Competitor Bidding in Auto Ads

Yes, you can bid on your competitor’s name or branded products and steal that lead. When doing so, it’s critical that you quickly communicate your unique value proposition.

It better be good.

Their foot’s already on the gas moving in one direction. So, you’re not meeting prospects in the neutral.

However, one addendum of note – while you can absolutely bid on your competitors’ brand names, you can’t use their brand or logo in your ads, so be ready to get creative. Your CPC will likely be higher when you bid on your competitors’ keywords; however, in all likelihood, you will get a good number of sales.

Pro tip: When applying this automotive marketing strategy, don’t get pulled into a bidding war with the competitor — even if they’re your arch-nemesis. This strategy only works well when you play into their sense of complacency.

At the end of the day, humans can be really self-centered, especially if they’re not watching their campaigns closely. It’s easy to forget that auto marketing solutions don’t happen in a vacuum.

A lot of companies are asleep at the wheel. And that’s when automotive marketing strategies like this one work best.

Bid on Competitor Keywords - A lot of companies are asleep

 

#5. Optimizing Automotive Paid Ads with Negative Keywords

What are Negative Keywords and Why Use Them?

Negative keywords aren’t the ones you get canceled for. They represent searches you don’t want to pay for because it’s not worth the cost of the click.

Building out your negative keyword list allows you to target broadly with “broad match”, so you can take into account that people do use different words in their searches. But at the same time, it reduces the risk you appear in non-viable searches.

A negative keyword can completely change the intent of a search. It’s the difference between:

  • Automotive accessories Vs. discount automotive accessories
  • Buy an RV Vs. rent an RV

Perhaps you sell covers for cars, but you don’t sell covers for car seats or steering wheels – making those two great negative keywords to target.

Managing Negative Keyword Lists for Automotive Campaigns

You can only do so much before you launch your automotive marketing ad campaign. So, after you launch, be attentive. As you appear in irrelevant searchers, you’ll need to decide:

  1. Do I need to add a word to my growing negative keyword list?
    OR
  2. Do I need to create a different ad campaign to target that search?
Automotive Marketing CTA

Auto Video Production & Auto Video Marketing Strategies

#1. Setting Clear Goals for Automotive Video Marketing

Why Defining Video Goals is Crucial for Auto Marketing ROI

This goes for any automotive marketing solutions you choose to use. But this is as good a place as any to talk about goal-setting.

Video can be one of the highest ROI forms of marketing behind email marketing and SEO. Or it can flop — like the newest Disney live-action remake nobody asked for.

It’s important to judge a video’s performance based on what purpose it serves in your automotive marketing strategies.

So, know what’s possible by gathering benchmarks. Learn what works. And set goals so you know which videos you need to make more of… and which ones don’t need another reboot.

Set Goals

 

#2. Mapping Automotive Video Content to the Buyer's Journey

As a tire shop knows, nothing reduces wear and tear like a good alignment.

Align all automotive marketing content ideas — not just video — with the Buyer’s Journey to avoid rubbing customers the wrong way with the wrong message at the wrong time.

Understanding the Automotive Buyer's Journey Stages

You’ll keep people engaged longer and moving toward the next stage rather than fleeing.

  • Awareness — They’ve become aware of a pressing problem, need, or desire.
  • Consideration — They’re considering what will fill this void in their lives.
  • Decision-making — They’re evaluating who offers the solution, when and what to buy, and how much to pay for it.

Since this is a journey, reaching them early and keeping them on the path means you have captured their attention and interest. So, guess who they choose when they get to decision-making?

Buyer's Journey

 

Let’s look at what video content looks like at each stage of the journey:

Video Content for the Awareness Stage (Automotive)

You want to reach new customers, get people’s attention, and start to generate some brand recall you can use to convert customers. Create videos that establish thought leadership, have something unique to say, show that you get your audience, and visually capture the audience’s attention.

Video Content for the Consideration Stage (Automotive)

Create videos to generate demand. Showcase how your products work and how people use them.

Video Content for the Decision-Making Stage (Automotive) 

Get people buying. Social proof and testimonials are critical here.

Video Content for Customer Retention (Automotive)

You want customers to keep coming back and buy more. So, create videos that show how products work together and create more in-depth educational content, webinars, and live streams to immerse customers in your brand experience.

Using Video to Create Automotive Brand Ambassadors

Find people who genuinely love your brand. Track brand mentions and user-generated content. Thank the creator and share these on social media as posts and videos.

#3. Leveraging Social Media Video Ads in Automotive Marketing

Why Automotive Video Ads Drive Engagement and Sales

Video is the complete package. It gets attention, earns engagement, and delivers a high ROI. But while it would be ideal if people found your videos organically, that’s not always the case.

Creating short-form videos that can double as video ads can guide people toward your social media profiles and website. They get you noticed while you work on building a more substantial online presence with comprehensive automotive digital marketing strategies.

Top Platforms for Automotive Video Advertising

When it comes to where to invest in video ads online, Business to Consumer (B2C) auto companies are focusing on the top 3: YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. But TikTok comes in a close 4th, especially for car accessory companies whose audience can skew “under 30”.

Google Shopping for Automotive Companies

#1. Optimizing Your Automotive Products for Google Shopping

What Factors Influence Visibility on Google Shopping for Auto?

Google Shopping is a fantastic tool that gathers, stores, and presents real-time information on billions of sellers and products worldwide.

It can include colors, options, what’s in stock, pros and cons, reviews, price comparison across vendors and more pulled from multiple sources around the Internet.

Being aware of this feature is vital because it puts the customer in control of the buying decision. Non-competitive pricing, amateur product photos, poorly laid out pages, bad web design, and failure to manage your online reputation can all influence what people see when they look for something you sell.

The Role of Local SEO in Automotive Google Shopping

Conversely, you can be on point and optimized to help Google Shopping showcase your company and products in the best light. If you’re local, local SEO is critical because Google prioritizes companies near a searcher.

#2. Implementing Google Shopping Ads for Automotive Visibility

Like Google search ads, Google Shopping ads deliver “sponsored” results to increase your visibility in important searches. We can’t all be the Auto Zones of the world.

Paying for space gets your foot in the door with new customers.

#3. Building Brand Trust Through Google Shopping Ads

How Google Shopping Ads Enhance Brand Recognition

In addition to helping you make more sales, setting up Google Shopping Ads can also be an important brand trust-building and reputation management strategy.

When you pay to sponsor your product, your brand appears alongside well-known retailers.

Just like guilt by association is a thing, trust by association is also. Customers recognize and remember your name because they keep seeing you in their Google shopping queries.

Google Shopping Ads

 

#4. Driving High-ROI Customers with Automotive Google Shopping Ads

People are more likely to click on brands they know — even when they don’t have the best price.

Why Google Shopping Ads Attract High-Intent Auto Buyers

Google Shopping searchers are high-intention. They usually plan to buy something now. So, this drives more traffic, engagement, and revenues for auto companies.

Compared to other search ads, Google Shopping ads are usually cheaper per click too. They can cost as little as a quarter of a similar search ad.

Although, keep in mind… since shopping ads are also on a bidding system, the competitiveness of a search determines the prices.

#5. Leveraging Free Google Shopping Analytics for Automotive Businesses

Google offers some of the best free analytics tools for websites. Google Shopping tools are no different.

Run reports, track ad performance, and see how your website products perform in Google Shopping overall.

Facebook and Instagram Ad Digital Marketing in the Automobile Industry

Facebook-Campaigns

 

#1. Effective Short-Form Video Ads on Facebook and Instagram for Automotive

Add short-form video ads to your toolbox of ad formats to get the most out of your short-from video budget.

How Video Ads Drive Social Media Traction for Auto Brands

These sponsored ads appear in the feed and look like organically shared content. Ads help your videos and social media accounts gain traction. They can also directly generate sales.

Pro tip: Ads should also align with the buyer’s journey. Sometimes, you’ve got to play a long game. Focus on engaging people first to guide them through the journey.

#2. Using Story Ads on Facebook and Instagram for Automotive Marketing

What Kind of Content Works Best in Auto Story Ads?

There’s a reason so many of us look back on childhood story time so fondly. Stories connect human experiences.

Use story ads to show a succession of events that showcase:

  • Why they need your product
  • Who’s using it
  • How it works
  • How they’ll feel when they unbox it on Facebook Live

Understanding Platform Differences: Facebook vs. Instagram Ads for Auto

Important Note: Don’t judge Instagram by Facebook standards. Instagram ads, in general, have a lower click-through rate than Facebook Ads. They may both be Meta platforms now, but the audience uses Facebook and Instagram differently. This is reflected in the analytics.

Instagram’s strength is brand awareness and recalls through visuals. People tend to stay on the platform. Compare that to Facebook, where users often click off-site to websites. Use them together to maximize results.

#3. Implementing Shoppable Ads on Facebook and Instagram for Auto Sales

Facebook has been working a hard day’s night to refine its shopping ads to support businesses just trying to turn a dime into a dollar.

Recent updates have made shopping ads blend in better with organic content, so clicking them feels natural when you play it cool.

Ads. Where? Only engaging content around here.

Like the other ad formats in this list, Shoppable Ads are valuable tools for making sales.

#4. Augmented Reality (AR) Ads for Immersive Automotive Marketing

How AR Ads Enhance Automotive Retargeting on Meta Platforms

You can now add augmented reality features to your social media posts and ads on Facebook and Instagram to create a more immersive experience.

It sounds complicated. But Meta Spark walks you through it.

Use the ad design to show people how they interact with your product. Spark their imagination and desire to buy one. Gamify the experience.

Coming full circle here, Meta also lets you retarget people who interacted with the AR even though they didn’t visit your website. If you saw something like this in your feed, could you resist interacting with it?

Augmented Reality Ads

Image from zealar.com.au

#5. Leveraging Advantage+ Shopping Ads on Facebook and Instagram for Automotive

More shopping ads. We’re in.

Benefits of Meta's Advantage+ Shopping Ads for Auto Companies

Meta’s Advantage+ Shopping Ads on Facebook and Instagram help automotive companies reach new audiences.

These are fairly new, but effective automotive marketing strategies will include them going forward.

So, what makes it “+”? Meta has streamlined the ad creation process and reduced the options given to the audience — eliminating choice paralysis to make the ads even more effective.

#6. Driving Reach with Instagram Reels Ads for Automotive Brands

Reels Ads are yet another great way to reach people on social media who don’t follow you — but should. Reels ads appear like organic Reels content but with that little sponsored label.

When engaging ads appear in social media feeds, people don’t care if it’s sponsored. They’re just here to have a good time.

Automotive Marketing CTA

Proven Influencer Marketing Strategies for Auto Dealers and Shops

#1. Finding Mutual Benefit in Automotive Influencer Partnerships

Influencers are businesspeople. As such, they have to protect their brand just like you do.

If they start pushing products that don’t align with their personal brand, that’s death to an influencer. The audience they built will see them as a sell-out.

So, don’t go into this thinking, “I’m paying them. They have to do things my way.”

Instead, recognize that the influencer built their audience because of who they are and how they connect with their audience.

Why Authenticity is Key in Auto Influencer Marketing

You want the act of them sharing your products to feel as organic as possible.

Even when influencers have to include a “sponsored content” label, their audiences will trust they mean what they say if it doesn’t feel like a commercial. This drives quick sales like nothing else.

If you can’t see your brand through the influencer’s lens, you may need to keep looking for the right fit.

#2. The Advantage of Micro-Influencers for Auto Marketing

Micro-influencers aren’t as big and universally well-known as “celebrities”. But their audiences know them. If that audience is also your audience, then you may have a match.

Here’s why you should think micro.

Why Micro-Influencers Offer Better ROI for Auto Dealers

Getting on a micro-influencer’s content schedule will be easier and more cost-effective. This will allow you to run an influencer campaign with the help of several micro-influencers.

Now, you don’t have one person recommending your product. You have 5 or 10 for the price of 1. And often, you can get them to share your brand multiple times over a more extended period.

Look for micro-influencers with audience overlap to get the most out of these auto-marketing solutions.

Building Winning Landing Pages for Automotive Industry

#1. The Role of Landing Pages in Driving Organic Automotive Traffic

Why Optimized Landing Pages are Critical for Auto Conversions

Landing pages aren’t just for ads. In a broad sense, a landing page is where someone enters your website.

People click on your website from anywhere you engage in digital marketing in the automobile industry.

That could be organic content marketing, search, influencer marketing, affiliates, social media, directories, and review sites.

As you build your online presence, you can drive traffic to landing pages through organic means.

Did we mention it at no cost per click? Sign me up!

Key Elements of a High-Converting Automotive Landing Page

Landing pages are your potential customer’s first impression. And a wrong first impression will stick with you like fly paper.

So, each one needs to convey who you are quickly, your unique value proposition, and the next step you want a person to take.

You employ digital marketing in the automobile industry to strategically drive targeted traffic to this page.

This page serves a purpose, to convert. This then provides you with data you can use to conversion rate optimize (CRO) and drive revenues.

In a very broad sense, almost every page on your website could be a landing page, but that doesn’t mean they’d make very good ones. Landing pages are highly targeted and optimized to grab a curious visitor and convert them – or at least move them down the funnel.

Therefore, we need to stay focused here. No one’s got the resources to meet landing page criteria for every website page.

So, start with a fast, user-friendly, responsive website design and layout. And then identify high-priority pages to give some extra attention.

On these pages, you’ll…

#2. Streamlining Automotive Landing Pages: The Navigation Strategy

Why Eliminating Navigation Boosts Automotive Landing Page Conversions

Give people who land on this page as few options as possible.

Your landing page is a fork in the road, not urban sprawl. They either click your Call to Action (CTA). Or they hit the back button.

Pro Tip: The back button doesn’t mean gone without a trace. Sometimes you’re farming for leads. People may get to your landing page, leave, and come back.

But don’t leave this to chance.

Increase the odds they come back with retargeting and building an online presence. So, they see you and are reminded they have unfinished business on your website.

#3. Why Your Homepage Should Not Be an Automotive Landing Page

Your home page likely has too much going on to make an effective landing page. It has a navigation bar and may showcase several products and services.

A landing page is specific. It’s aligned directly with the content that drove a person to the page. One product. One purpose. Cha-Ching.

Cha-Ching

 

#4. Pros and Cons of Off-Site Landing Pages for Auto Businesses

This one is controversial and won’t make sense for every business. Hosting landing pages on separate domains has some pros and cons.

Pros:

  • You can make the page load even faster because your website isn’t weighing it down.
  • You can give it a special URL to sound very niche, local, or specialized.
  • It makes reporting easier
  • You can make retargeting more targeted

Cons:

  • You pay for another domain
  • If the clicker is familiar with your brand, they may feel confused
  • It’s more cumbersome to manage

#5. Optimizing Call-to-Action (CTA) Paths on Automotive Landing Pages

Eliminate any roadblocks to clicking the CTA.
See #4.

Mobile-friendly-website

 

#6. Boosting Trust with Social Proof on Automotive Landing Pages

One of the top reasons a person might back out is that you have not established any level of trust with them. They want to check you out on social media, Yelp, Google, etc. And they may not come back.

Strategically placing social proof removes this roadblock. Consider a testimonial, review stars, Trust Pilot, Certification Stamp, Influencer endorsement, or similar to instantly build the Internet’s version of street cred.

#7. The Importance of Simplicity in Automotive Landing Page Design

Don’t let anything get between the visitor and the message. Streamline it. A/B test it. And optimize it.

Implementing Winning Automotive Marketing Strategies: Next Steps

Now that you know what works, it’s time to put these strategies into action. Start by identifying your goals, selecting the right channels, and aligning your message with what today’s automotive buyers care about most. Test, analyze, and optimize continuously — because in automotive marketing, staying ahead means always moving forward.

Get More Automotive Marketing Solutions That Work

Sometimes automotive marketing solutions are like that friend you don’t invite on road trips because they eat up all your snacks, never pay for gas or charge, and promise they’ll pay you back.

But they don’t have to be. You can go into this with a partner that knows auto marketing and proven solutions that work. If you’re an automotive or automotive accessories company looking for a trusted teammate, consider giving SevenAtoms a call.

Attract Customers, Grow Your Business. See how these automotive marketing strategies helped an auto accessories company drive $16 million in new revenue. Find the case study here.

FAQs

How often should an automotive business update its SEO strategy to remain competitive? 

An automotive business should update its SEO strategy every 3 to 6 months to stay competitive. Search trends, algorithms, and customer behavior change often—regular updates help you keep up and stay visible online.

What's the most cost-effective paid advertising channel for a local auto dealership? 

The most cost-effective paid advertising channel for a local auto dealership is Google Ads, especially using Local Services Ads and Search Ads. They target people actively searching for dealerships nearby, so you get high-intent leads without wasting your budget.

Beyond social media, how can automotive brands effectively distribute their video marketing content?

Automotive brands have plenty of options beyond social media for sharing their videos. They can upload content to YouTube, feature videos directly on their websites or blogs, add them to newsletters, or showcase them on vehicle marketplace platforms. Using these channels expands their reach and captures the attention of more potential customers.

Are there specific types of automotive products or services that benefit most from Google Shopping Ads?

Yes, products like car accessories, replacement parts, and detailing supplies benefit most from Google Shopping Ads because shoppers can see images, prices, and reviews right away, making it easier to compare and buy.

When should an automotive company consider hiring an external agency for marketing rather than managing it in-house? 

An automotive company should consider hiring an external agency when it lacks the time, tools, or expertise to handle marketing effectively in-house, especially if growth has stalled or campaigns aren’t delivering results.

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Author Bio

Andy Beohar

Andy Beohar

Andy Beohar is VP of SevenAtoms, a Google and HubSpot certified agency in San Francisco. Andy develops and manages ROI-positive inbound and paid marketing campaigns for B2B & Tech companies. Connect with Andy on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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