How Dealerships Can Continue Driving Sales During Coronavirus
Regardless of what is fact VS. what is fear, there are still A LOT of people who simply aren’t going to public places due to the COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus).
It’s important for dealerships and local businesses alike to have messaging and plans in place to continue operations, while still staying safe and preventing the impact of this virus.
It’s also important for your dealership to shift to where shoppers are spending their time, if it’s not on your lot.
Keep reading for tips on how to communicate any changes in your operations, ways to maximize the increase in social media usage from people staying home, and messaging ideas that can help drive sales.
1. Communicate Changes Around Your Daily Operations.
Be sure to over-communicate that your business is open or closed and let your community know you have a plan.
If you’ve made changes to your daily operations, update your business hours on Google My Business, and update your business description to reflect any changes and updates such as:
- What are your hours of operation?
- If you are temporarily closing your store, what services are you still providing, and how can they get those done?
- How can someone reach you?
- Should they expect delays in response, service, etc?
Your website should also reflect this messaging. Update your Contact Us page, and create a blog article or website page with all the answers to how your business operations may be adjusting.
Add an alert at the top of your website that links to this article, or adjust your homepage so that it is front and center.
Lastly, don’t forget to update your phone’s automatic greeting. Let callers know immediately if you are open or closed and how they can do business with you.
2. Be Digitally Visible and Available.
As more consumers turn to the web and social media to pass the time, it’s important to have a strong digital presence.
How can you provide your customers with an amazing car shopping experience, even if they don’t leave the house?
Use live inventory ads or Facebook Marketplace listings to provide local shoppers with up-to-date vehicle information, amazing photos, and the latest pricing, all at the tip of their fingers.
Next, be sure your Live Chat on your website is being managed around the clock to handle all inbound inquiries.
Facebook Messenger is also a great way to communicate back-and-forth with prospects, perform video/virtual showings, send pictures of vehicles to consider, and set up in-home test drives.
You can even promote that your Sales reps are available to Facetime, text—whatever it takes!
3. Offer and Promote Convenient and Frictionless Retail Experiences.
Ask yourself: In the face of Coronavirus, are you making the car buying process easier or harder for your customers?
As our local communities urge us to avoid more and more public places, it’s time to heavily consider offering at-home vehicle deliveries test drives.
EVERYONE is going to be spending more time than ever on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram.
Take advantage of this extra exposure as your platform to inform local buyers about your new, convenient buying experiences.
KEY POINT:
As our local communities urge us to stay inside during COVID-19, more people will be spending time online and on social media. Be sure your dealership is there, too.
One of our dealer-customers called us this week letting us know that they were getting hit with a huge drop in foot traffic due to a nearby quarantine in their market area.
He asked us what strategy he should deploy to help counter the decrease in in-store shoppers.
The #1 thing we suggested is to remove all sources of friction in their buying process right now, and to over-communicate that shoppers don’t have to come onto the lot to buy a car.
You can also use Facebook Reach campaigns to retarget your current website visitors and leads to let them know you’re open and how they can reach (and buy!) from you today.
Use the “Message Us” call-to-action to direct all inquiries to Facebook Messenger, or send users to a page with all of your convenient buying options.
Now is the time to show prospects that you are the dealership who is always putting the customer first—no matter what.
Want to learn more about eliminating friction from your dealership’s customer experience in time to tackle COVID-19? Click here to read our latest article, “[Facebook Guide] How To Eliminate 50+ Friction Points In The Car Buyer Journey”.
During Coronavirus, Dealers United Is Here To Help.
If you would like to get in touch with us regarding Coronavirus, or want ideas to help get your brand message out to your local community, schedule a quick strategy call with our team when it works for you at www.dealersunited.com/schedule/region, or give us a call at 941-366-6760.
We wish you, your colleagues and families safety, wellness and positivity!
Looking for more COVID-19 Resources to help your dealership?
Written By Brooke Jensen
Brooke handles all of Dealers United’s digital marketing. In addition to her love for design and copy, Brooke also adores her two dog-like kittens, playing the electric violin, and walking barefoot around the office.