4 Things Dealers Need to Rock Content Marketing

It's no secret that content marketing is über important to a successful digital presence for auto dealers. However, it's becoming incredibly hard to reach audiences these days with greater mass content creation, consumption, and competition. With the right approach, it is possible to grow your business and succeed with content marketing.

1. Distribution

Oh you thought that your content would magically draw traffic to your site? That’s sweet. Nothing is more heartbreaking and frustrating than pouring your soul into a piece of content with high hopes of surging traffic, and then no one comes. Let's take a note from Heisenberg on this one. The product is fine, it’s the distribution that sucks. How? Earn it. My first rule is to write content you’d be proud to attach your name to. As mass quantities of blog posts and articles are churned out these days, quality decreases. Great content invites links. Yes, quality content that is relevant to your audience is important. But equally as important is the marketing of that content through promotion or distribution. Distribution means simply making your content more visible by telling your audience about it. Without a proper distribution plan to back up your content, yours and your mother's eyes may be the only ones to look upon your hard work. The distribution of your content does not mean peanut buttering a link to your post in every forum or comments. This involves tactical promotional strategies to execute your content with true relationship-building and utilization of all your digital marketing channels. For instance, utilizing social media as it was designed -- to connect with people one on one. “The key to an effective social media presence is creating human connection.” - Laura Madison. I believe this is the case for everything we do in digital content, from the ideation to promotion.

2. Targeting

Content is not one-size-fits-all, and shouldn't be expected to perform the same for all audiences. It's important to know your audience and and their intentions in order to tailor your message accordingly. Knowing your targeted audience as well as their characteristics and concerns allows you to cater to your audiences appropriately and make a bigger impact. Lead with data and tailor your approach based on the behaviors of your audience. Following trending audience data is a powerful way to stay ahead of the curve and ensuring consistently effective marketing. Then, learn from past performance and leverage this knowledge for the future. Additionally, keep your content helpful or educational and NOT promotional. Your product shouldn’t be mentioned until the decision stage of the buyer’s cycle.

3. Creativity

In the world of digital marketing, content refers to the message powering your campaigns. Your content should be helpful, informative, and entertaining. The potential for great content exists far beyond a dry blob of words slapped together in a blog post. I also encourage you to think past the generic text, forced product pages, and regurgitated brochure copy. There’s a time and place to talk about how great your product is, but it does not belong in every piece of content you write. Save that for when they show more interest in your product or interest in considering a solution. The less promotional and sales-y you are, the better your content will work.

4. Strategy

Possibly the most important piece of content marketing is a solid, clearly defined strategy. A long term strategic direction is needed in order to use digital to support growth and is something you can reasonably execute over time. This starts with knowing your goals, as this will form the foundation of your content marketing plans. A good strategy also involves a great deal of audience research and message planning. To help guide you through your content plans, ask yourself a few questions before committing to them. Ask yourself, 'who am I trying to reach with this piece of content?' Or 'what do I want these people to do after being exposed to this piece of content?' In this case, I’d love for you to follow my blog posts! Please subscribe! Once your plans have been laid, it's up to the execution and promotion. During these phases, it's critical not to silo your digital marketing. A comprehensive cross channel integration with your content promotion widens your net and allows your targeted audience to find your content.