The Age of Authenticity 

Consumers are demanding authenticity from companies, but the automotive industry falls into the ‘me’ marketing approach all too often. Dealerships offer what they do for the buyer and rarely what the customer should expect when they enter into their showroom. In today’s digital world, your customers browse websites and social media platforms to understand what they can expect when walking into a showroom. Are you setting your customer’s expectations on these platforms?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, automotive buyers are looking for brands to be authentic, empathetic and reasonable when considering their needs and accessibility. Now more than ever, a clear expectation of experience needs to be set for anyone looking for a vehicle. 

Publicize the “Behind the Scenes” 

Focus on telling your story and give promotions a back seat in your marketing strategy. Here are some ideas to get started:

1. Edit together videos of salespeople introducing themselves to leads while working from home. (If you are not using video in your sales strategy right now, you should be!)
2. Collect and donate items to a local food bank and share the entire process of setting up the collection and giving the canned items. 
3. Are you in the dealership but practicing social distancing? Show the behind-the-scenes of a virtual test drive to reinforce other people are buying vehicles right now. 
4. Livestream a car delivery using Facebook Live. (With the buyer's permission, of course)
5. Have a remote employee take over your Facebook or Instagram story for a day.

Show Don’t Tell 

The age-old saying still rings true. Dealerships can advertise virtual test drives, car deliveries and online shopping every day. However, until your marketing strategy publicizes these events happening, potential buyers will be unsure of the new customer experience and may move on to the next dealership who conveys their customer experience better.