Can Search Help Your Truck Dealership?

If you’re like most dealerships, you’re missing a huge opportunity to get your name and brand in front of potential buyers and you don’t even know it. In today’s world you must embrace the tools available to stay relevant in the digital landscape. You simply cannot continue to rely on the tactics of the past and hope to compete.
Calling old and existing customers is only going to get you so far. To grow your business moving forward you have to be willing to change how you do things. We’ve previously covered how today’s truck dealerships appear to be behind the curve when it comes to today’s marketing tactics in our article, Truck Dealerships are Stuck in the Stone Age of Marketing.
All too often dealerships, perhaps you among them, are content to continue to rely on methods that brought them success in the past. While a simple phone call and following up with existing customers may have been enough before, there are far more effective options available for you to take advantage of in today’s digital landscape.
So, how exactly can you move your dealership forward with your marketing and find new and elusive fleets and customers? One of the most effective and straightforward methods out there is employing Search Ads and really embracing the potential of Search Engine Marketing.
 
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Why should your dealership use search?

 
Internet ResearchFleets who are in the market to buy used or new trucks no longer call your dealership up or simply pop in to look around. Today’s fleets do a significant amount of research before ever contacting a dealership. Fleets know exactly what they are looking for and more than likely spent a lot of time doing their homework weighing the pros and cons of each truck.
While researching they more than likely spent a significant amount of time using Google (or a competitor such as Bing or Yahoo). People all over the world from every walk of life, including those making purchasing decisions for trucking fleets, are using the internet to find answers for all of their purchasing questions. This inevitably means they end up using a search engine to find exactly what they’re looking for.
 
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What do the numbers say about Search?

 
Google currently processes over 3.5 billion search queries every single day. That means Google processes tens of thousands of searches every second. Not only does Google process billions of daily searches, but as the leading search engine, they currently control about 90% of the worldwide search engine market share. By comparison, the second largest search engine competitor, Bing, holds a little over 3% of the global search engine market share and processes around 12 billion queries a month (Google processes as much in about three and a half days). As you can see, Google currently has a stranglehold on the market.

But, are fleets using Search?

You may be saying to yourself, “I get it, people use search engines. How does this help me?” The major advantage Search offers is that it allows you reach prospective customers who are actively searching for products or services. So, what about the fleets you’re trying to reach? Do they use search engines? According to the CCJ Connectivity Report (2017-2018) the answer seems to be a definite yes!
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How do you get to an internet site? infographic
What do you try first? infographic

Source: CCJ Connectivity Report (2017-2018)

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Not only is internet search the way most of those surveyed arrive at a website, but it is also most likely the first tool they will use when looking for equipment or services.
This means you have an excellent chance to get your messaging and brand in front of prospects while they’re searching for exactly what you have. You can take advantage of this by bidding on keywords (of your choice) fleets may be using in these searches.

How does Search work?

 
Internet Search Results
When a prospect or fleet searches a keyword you’ve bid on, a paid advertisement is displayed at or near the top of the search engine results page, also known as SERP. Take your advertising even further by becoming more targeted and use geographic limitations to your ads. This means that only those within a certain geographic area (your AOR) will be served an ad after searching for keywords you’ve bid on. This allows you to target those now or soon to be in the market who are actively searching for equipment or services you have AND you can know that those who see your messaging are in your area.
 
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Search in action.

 
So, you’ve decided to try your hand at advertising via Search. How can you get started? How would Search work for you? Let’s talk it through.

  • Bid on keywords relevant to you such as: Class 8 truck, Freightliner, etc.
  • Apply geographic parameters to limit those who see your ads by location.
  • Fleets in your defined area searching for the keywords you’ve bid on are taken to the results page and your ad is served to them on the SERP.
  • The top 3 paid ads get 41% of the clicks on the result page.
  • Prospects click on your ad and are taken to your website or landing page to learn more.
  • Once you get prospects to your sites you can track exactly who they are using a service such as Web ID, allowing you to retarget them elsewhere on the web through the Google Display Network and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
  • You’ve now managed to get your dealership, brand, services, and products in front of people in your area who are actually looking for what you have . . . AND gained the ability to retarget them as they navigate to other websites online.

 
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Need help?

 
Sure, all of this sounds great, but many find themselves at a loss for where to actually begin. Randall-Reilly is here to help. Work with someone from our team and get the results you are after. Working together we can design a custom strategy around your dealership’s specific goals using strategies like performance campaigns that allow you to only pay for the results you’re after. Working together we can make sure you get the most out of your efforts and reach the perfect audience for your dealership.
 
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