The auto industry is incredibly lucrative, worth over $100 billion in 2022; with that being said, the industry certainly has its ups and downs on an annual basis, with the industry still currently in its off season. This means lower sales figures, less customers interested in new vehicles, and an overall slower pace. This has been exacerbated further by the ongoing chip shortages, a high inflation rate, and a recession on the horizon.
But with Spring just around the corner, sales are expected to pick up quite a bit; here are a few things that car dealerships, auto brokers, and auto auctions need to do in order to properly prepare.
Preparing for Auto Sales to Rise
Car sales took a dip in the past few months, due to seasonality; but now with things starting to warm up finally, car dealers, brokers, and auctions should begin to expect sales to start rising yet again. Peak season is just around the corner, therefore, it’s important to be prepared for when it finally hits – this means making any necessary new hires, clearing out new stock to make room for new inventory, and anything else needed in order to ensure a successful peak season for your business.
Amp up Your Marketing Strategy
Of course, when business starts ramping up, it’s vital that your business can get noticed among the competition – this means increasing your business’s marketing strategy. Marketing is quite often overlooked by local businesses, but it couldn’t be more important.
Here are some effective marketing strategies that your business should implement:
- Update Your Website: Effectively, your website is what defines your business. If you don’t already have one, then you should prioritize the creation of a website immediately. If you do have a website, then do a bit of work on it – your website should be updated regularly with your current inventory, details regarding upcoming events and sales, customer testimonials, and photos.
- Utilize Social Media: Regularly posting on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter helps your brand to reach a wider audience, as well as establishing itself as an authority within the auto industry. Additionally, creating and sharing original content across these platforms, such as videos and blog posts, will provide value to your target demographic and can help your brand grow further.
- Gather Customer Reviews: In order to steadily grow one’s business, establishing trust with consumers is incredibly important. One of the best ways to gain the trust of consumers is by showing off customer reviews, or testimonials. You can easily obtain customer reviews by requesting feedback from customers, either in-person, over the phone, or via email. Once you have testimonials, you can share them on your website or on social media.
- Use Referral Marketing: An easy marketing tactic that your business can try is referral marketing, which is essentially the act of offering prior customers some sort of bonus or reward for referring a family member or friend to your auto business. Many dealerships and brokers offer cash incentives for referrals, which can be an effective way to find new customers.
Invest in the Right Auto Software
Businesses nowadays rely so heavily on software-based tools, that those who use software that is outdated or lacking key features will suffer significantly as a result. So in order to succeed, businesses simply must invest in the most advanced and feature-rich tools at their disposal.
This software includes a DMS (dealership management software), a CRM (customer relationship manager), and a TMS (transportation management software) are all vital tools that all auto dealerships, brokers, and auto auctions should utilize, if they wish to run a successful business.
With peak season quickly approaching, now is the time to upgrade your software tools in order to be on top of things once business gets hectic. Having the best tools in your arsenal will allow you to move faster and more efficiently, and allow your business to streamline many tasks which will help your business to save both time and money in the long run.
Try Super Dispatch
With the auto industry becoming more and more online focused, transportation software has slowly become a necessity – and like other tools, choosing the best auto transportation software is very important.
Super Dispatch is one of the best options, as it offers both an advanced TMS and load board in one great package. Our software allows you to manage loads, track orders via GPS, and even send payments directly without ever having to leave the platform. If this sounds like something that your business could use, then consider trying it for yourself. Request a demo today!
