Look around your dealership. What are your customers doing? Presumably, the majority of them are glued to their phones – checking social media, browsing the internet, or reading the news. Some may even be sending out a quick text or ending a call while still in the service drive.

As a matter of fact, 53% of the customers at your dealership are comparing prices for vehicles at other dealerships, and 40% are finding prices for your vehicles on their smartphones¹. Not to mention, 25% of all automotive searches are parts, service, and maintenance related². What does this mean? It means dealers need a strong mobile and digital strategy to show up for parts, service, and new car searches.

Mobile marketing in the automotive life cycle
If you care about consumer engagement, you can’t ignore mobile. Mobile is arguably the most important part of a modern marketing mix because smartphones are indispensable to our way of life - constantly glued to our hands. Think, when is the last time you left anywhere without your phone? Just take a look around the next time you’re standing in line or, better yet, take a look at your dealership’s waiting area – what is everyone doing? They’re all preoccupied with their phones.

In the age of digital disruption, who really has control- the consumer, or the advertiser? Traditional radio ads are taking the back seat as tech-savvy consumers are skirting ads with subscription-based streaming services, and ad blocking internet radio apps. The desire for personalized content and an on-demand mentality is leading many consumers to pursue an ad free, drive time experience. Connected cars (4G wireless internet technology) and Bluetooth allow drivers to instantly stream their music, downloaded content, or news from their smartphones or car dashboard apps with little to no advertisements.