As a responsible automotive business owner – whether you run a dealership, garage, used car lot, or anything in between – you owe it to the health of your business to make your operation as visible as possible. You likely still use traditional channels, like TV and radio, but there is a much larger audience that you aren’t tapping. If your business doesn’t have a website or your site hasn’t been audited for search engine optimization (SEO) recently, this article is for you.
There are some very business-specific considerations when it comes to site-building and maintenance. Those considerations directly impact your content and the types and delivery methods that will be the most effective.
Today, I want to give you a few things to think about if you are currently struggling with engagement or if you haven’t yet delved into the world of content creation for your business. Let’s have a look at some of the key considerations you should be making and how to apply them for maximum effect.
Developing a Content Strategy
Depending on how broad or narrow your target demographic is, there are several ways you can boost SEO and grow an online audience that will help keep that momentum going long term. The things you need the most to help you start climbing the ranks are pretty simple: You need a website, some quality content, and an engagement strategy that is rooted primarily on social media and fed with solid email and newsletter campaigns.
Your website should reflect your brand message in its presentation. That means employing visuals that are easily recognizable on a scroll-by and aligning your messaging with your overall ad strategy. The further you navigate away from stereotypical sales tactics, the easier it will be to gain the trust of your audience.
That brings me to the topic of social media and the content you share on your social channels. The more you do to inform and educate and the less you attempt to sell through your direct interactions with people, the easier it will be to get them on your side and trust you with their decision to spend their money with you. Here are some ideas for making that happen that will ultimately fortify your SEO efforts long term.
Presenting Your Content Correctly
Start by developing blog content that places a heavy emphasis on the driver. Create content that describes the feeling of driving and owning your vehicles. You can link to all the technical specs; right now, your job is to create points of relatability with your target audience that will make them want to do business with you. Dry statistics and technical information won’t do that for most people. That niche exists, but again, that’s where links come in handy.
The point here is creating content that is immersive. The more personal you make the content, the more comfortable the reader will become with your brand. You want the average reader to decide that you understand his or her needs well enough to walk a little further down the path of the buyer’s journey with you.
Once you get them there, it’s time to show them why they should choose you. Your best bet is to simply maintain high levels of visibility. That means developing and publishing quality blog content on a consistent schedule, maintaining constant contact via email, and engaging regularly and meaningfully on social media.
Most of the engagement you will get on your blog will come from your social channels. Even better, when people share your content, it creates backlinks to your site. This is how you build and nurture good SEO. It starts by creating a solid audience, feeding your readers quality content, and ensuring they share it through clear and precise calls to action.
Remember All the SEO Basics
As you develop your content, remember that good SEO practices reach way beyond just keywords. That said, keywords are important. Be sure to research keywords for every article since market trends do shift (and sometimes very quickly). Use keywords sparingly and intelligently.
Please do not seed your blog content with keywords like “Toyota dealerships Detroit.” It is a widely held false notion that keywords have to be that precise. Adding a linking word like “in” will not have an adverse effect on SEO. In fact, the more organic your keywords, the more they will help your rankings. You aren’t the top-selling dealership Detroit. That makes no sense. You’re the top-selling dealership in Detroit. That is what your audience wants to read and Google (and other search platforms) will thank you for making your message easy to understand.
I also mentioned site auditing earlier. There are numerous companies that specialize in SEO that provide free assessments of your current setup and can recommend services to fix any problems that get flagged. Auditing tools look at things like page formatting, proper use of SEO techniques (including meta descriptions and image tags), and more.
Utilize Multiple Social Networks
Some platforms are more visual-centric, while others leave more room to share more diverse types of content. Be smart about where you post certain types of content. If you create sales videos, for example, you are better off writing blog content around them and posting them to Facebook. If you create video content that is centered on things like performing routine maintenance, that content might work better on YouTube.
You can also split-test your content on different channels and see where it gets the best engagement. The market can often surprise you so don’t assume you’re reaching as far as you can focusing on just one network.
Regardless of the type of content you wish to develop, any automotive content creation service or professional should be able to – pardon the pun – “steer” you in the right direction for maximum effect. At Beez, we are always excited to hear your ideas and brainstorm the best possible strategy for reaching new customers and boosting SEO.
