Your website has become the first impression for nearly half (46%) of your customers according to JD Power and Associates. Additionally, 31% found the car they purchased online first, compared to 28% who came into the store.
Web search plays an important role, with an influence of over 26% of recent new and used vehicle buyers. More than 50% of all shoppers stopped at a manufacturer website, and more than 45% impacted by a local dealership site.
Are you spending money on yellow pages advertising still? Less than 5% of buyers were significantly influenced by them. What about search, considering over 26% of buyers are influenced by what they find there?
A recent study released by eMarketer breaks down major influencers:
Additionally, more than 42% of recent buyers reported impact from social graphs especially including positive and negative feedback of others.
86% of US who purchased or leased a new vehicle in 2009 checked and researched online first. 2/3rds used an OEM resource. That number is even higher on a global scale.
So what does this mean for you?
1) Make sure your website reflects your brand fairly from a design and conversion standpoint. It's your first impression and will become-- if it hasn't already, your main source of leads.
2) Keep track of your SEO. Ask your provider for a report of terms you're targeting and check how much traffic you're getting for "free"
3) Support your advertising with paid search. When it comes to qualified conversions, it doesn't get much better than paid search
4) Pay ATTENTION to your social graphs, or know when to ask for help. We monitor hundreds of terms for dealerships across the country through our managed social solution
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