To help ensure customers rely on you for all their automotive needs, you provide advice when they visit, deliver expert service, order their parts or accessories, and help them find the new vehicle that’s right for them. But with so much information online, customers are referring to search engines for answers to many of their questions, simply because it’s fast, easy, and convenient. This is why it’s important to establish your presence online—and starting your own blog is a great way to do that. A car dealership blog also gives you a chance to connect with customers on other aspects of your business, from your staff to your community involvement.

Guiding Customers to Your Website with a Car Dealership Blog

Firing up your own blog can be simple—begin with what you know. By providing blog overviews on various questions or scenarios you come across in your store, you’re helping to grow customer satisfaction, retention, and trust through transparency. Plus, you’re helping ensure your customers are going to you, and not a competitor, for the information they need. As you post routine, relevant content tailored to common customer searches, a car dealership blog will also help boost Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

For example, here are some key ideas or insights your customers may be searching for:

• Vehicle service how-to’s, such as:
  • How to check your oil
  • How to change your wiper blades
  • How to check your tire tread depth
    
    
• General accessory options to upgrade or personalize their vehicle.
  
  
• New-vehicle teasers that generate excitement about the latest safety, technology, style, and capability your store has to offer.
  
  
• Sales process overviews, such as new-vehicle financing or leasing, shopping new/used/certified pre-owned, or ordering their vehicle to their preferred specs
  

Building Customer Relationships and Trust with Blog Content

Aside from how-to’s and helpful overviews, car dealerships can use a blog to make more customer connections. Promoting your community involvement, for example, can have a profound effect on both existing and potential customer satisfaction and perception. If a customer or prospect knows you support other people or establishments around you, they’ll be more likely to treat you as a business that strives to make an impact—and less likely to think of you as a car dealership only driven to increase profit.

There are several ways you can make positive associations with your store that can be promoted on your blog:

• Use your space to host or organize transportation for an event. Then, take photos and showcase your efforts on your blog.
  
  
• Make a donation with every vehicle service or purchase—it’s an added bonus if your customers can choose the charity for their donated portion. By the end of the event, you can create a blog that contains a list of the charities and donations they received as a result of their service or purchase.
  
  
• Sponsor a youth sports team. In addition to creating a blog about your involvement, you may even be able to use this opportunity to advertise your dealership on team banners or uniforms.
  
  
• Help customers or prospects get to know your team. Employee spotlights are simple and engaging ideas to increase satisfaction amongst your staff while encouraging customers to learn more about who they can expect to connect with at your store.
  

Creating a Well-Rounded Blog Experience

Posting blogs that cover all types of topics, from automotive insights to community sponsorships, help boost your SEO rankings and forge lasting customer relationships. For assistance with your SEO blog strategy, our experts are here to help. Contact us to learn more.