According to Advertising Age, approximately one in four buyers uses mobile technology to research their options before purchasing a vehicle. In addition, as many as 45 percent of millennials and more than 40 percent of people who earn in excess of $200,000 per year shop for cars on mobile. In light of these statistics, the need for mobile marketing in the automotive industry is clear. Follow these steps to build and implement a successful mobile marketing strategy for your brand.
1. Evaluate your current mobile marketing efforts, if any.
As you begin building your mobile marketing strategy, consider any campaigns or tools you already have in place. Are these tools working effectively? If so, they should be incorporated into your new overall strategy. If they aren’t working as effectively as they should be, consider altering them or scrapping them altogether.
2. Use a variety of strategies.
To reach your mobile consumers and maximize the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns, it is important to use a variety of marketing strategies, including SMS messaging, MMS messaging, mobile websites and mobile applications.
3. Invest in the right software programs.
Delivering mobile content for your target audience requires the right software. When considering different text marketing companies, make sure that you look for an SMS text service that provides all of the functions you need for a successful campaign, such as mass texting, text-to-join service, MMS capabilities and automated responses.
4. Build your strategy around quality content.
Perhaps the most important consideration for any mobile marketing campaign is the content. Whether you are developing a mobile app or drafting a mass SMS message, it is important to consider the quality of the content you are distributing to users. Every interaction should provide something of value, whether it be useful information or a promotional offer.
5. Link all mobile content to your phone number.
Users often research cars on their mobile phones and ultimately decide to call the dealership once they have made a decision. Make sure that all of your mobile sites, applications and messages include a link that consumers can use to call your office with a single click.
6. Use tracking to optimize your campaigns.
Some of your mobile marketing campaigns will be more successful with potential buyers than others. Keeping track of your campaigns’ activity is the best way to determine what strategies work best. Use activity tracking software to identify strengths and weaknesses. Use this information to improve your overall mobile marketing strategy over time.
7. Consider outsourcing.
Not every automotive company will have the resources they need to handle all of their mobile marketing needs in house. If you are not capable of creating and managing a mobile marketing campaign on your own, consider outsourcing these responsibilities to a third party inbound marketing agency.