As we enter the final stretch of 2021, we are looking forward to the digital marketing strategies that will appeal to online shoppers in 2022.

Taking a proactive approach to incorporating emerging trends into your overall marketing plan is key to staying relevant to your shoppers’ evolving needs.

The last several months have shown clearly that businesses that stay future-focused attract a higher volume of qualified sales leads. Going into 2022, these are the digital marketing tactics that will help dealers connect with more online shoppers:

No-Click Search
The traditional online search process consists of clicking on one or more search results to glean information. However, more and more online traffic is remaining on the search engine results page (SERP) itself and using the Position Zero results. Position Zero refers to suggestion boxes at the top of the SERP offering a summary answer. These results are called Position Zero because they fulfill search intent without an online user needing to click on a search result.

With Position Zero providing no-click answers, what does this mean for the relevancy of your website? Well, your website is more relevant than ever – if your site appears in the Position Zero slot, your brand instantly earns a significant level of credibility, which could encourage online users to click on your site and learn more about your dealership.

How can you further encourage users to click on your website?

  • Make your page titles compelling to pique user curiosity
  • Expand your how-to lists so that the rest of the information is available by clicking on your site

Voice & Visual Search
Alternative search options are gaining popularity for people who want faster, more convenient results.

Voice search, provided by digital assistants such as Alexa and Siri, requires a shift in keyword usage. Traditional searches comprise of fragmented words like “OPE dealership Nashville” or “OPE dealer near me,” while voice-activated search tends to be a complete sentence: “Hey Siri, where is the closest outdoor power dealership?” As much as 47% of people who use voice searches are trying to find a local business, according to TheeDigital. By considering the questions prospects might ask, you can optimize your online content for voice search results.

Visual search uses an uploaded product image to generate relevant information. A shopper can upload an image of a lawn mower or unit part and receive a list of similar products and shop locations.

Here’s how your dealership website appeal to visual search:

  • Add high-quality photos with descriptive keyword tags
  • Create descriptive file names before uploading images
  • Include alternative text (“alt tags”) on every image
  • Add an image search option to your inventory listings

Interactive Content
Interactive website content keeps customers engaged and spending more time on your site to get the answers they need. Examples of interactive content include providing a quote calculator to generate price estimates for units, parts and services.

Social media can also be a great platform, being interactive by nature. Invite your followers to engage in your social content by posting quizzes, contests and surveys that help you learn more about the needs and expectations of your customers.

Social Media Stories
Social media stories are featured at the top of feed timelines on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, where they can be seen immediately by your followers. Because story posts are only visible for about a day, followers are more likely to click on them immediately. In fact, TheeDigital reports that 33.3% of the highest-viewed story posts belong to businesses.

Here are some tips to make your social media stories valuable and engaging:

  • Feature inventory highlights, such as new units and brands
  • Reshare posts that tag or mention your dealership
  • Shares behind-the-scenes images of your store and team
  • Run a Q&A or poll, asking followers to share the pros and cons of shopping online
Digital marketing has evolved a lot over the years to fulfill the changes needs of online shoppers, and 2022 will continue to see new marketing trends emerge. In order to achieve the best possible results for your dealership, we encourage you to stay abreast of these trends and look for opportunities to incorporate them into your current digital marketing strategy.

Connect with ARI today if you have questions about launching a future-savvy digital marketing plan!