Automakers might be global companies, but dealerships are not. This requires auto dealers to employ geo-targeting strategies in their advertising.

Geo-targeting strategies are a method of focusing advertising on the local area. This means learning about the customer base, understanding what makes the area unique, and providing localization to the marketing efforts. It’s important to connect with the local audience to sell vehicles. There are many great ways to become a local fixture in the community, which is an important part of business success for any company in the area, but especially for car dealerships.

Here are several strategies to connect with local customers.

What are the local customer segments?

Everyone in a specific geographic area doesn’t have the same interests or needs as the rest of the local market. One person might benefit from a selection of off-road vehicles, others will likely want to drive family-oriented models, and some will look for sports cars and performance vehicles. These are only a few examples of segments that could be part of the local market. Other factors could be age, income, and professions that are served in the community. Understanding these segments leads to more successful marketing efforts.

What are the local trends?

One of the most important aspects of employing geo-targeting strategies in your automotive advertising is understanding local trends. This can be better understood when you analyze customer behavior and figure out what your competitors are doing. It’s likely the local trends are cyclical and could be seasonally based, making them a little more predictable. When you understand the market trends, your advertising can easily reflect expectations and showcase your products and services in a way that aligns with these trends.

Create the right localized message

Your advertising must resonate with your local audience. This means you understand the audience and focus on local events, locations, and familiar terms. Utilizing demographic information and local jargon, you’ll connect much better with your audience. Another effective way to create the right message is to personalize your advertising. This could mean promoting a local event or mentioning local landmarks that are familiar to most of your audience. Keep your message local; it will make your business much more relatable.

Where should you place your advertising?

What social media sites are most popular with your local audience? Does a specific segment of your customer base use some apps more than others? Is your SEO localized to include city, state, and local landmarks? These are all part of employing geo-targeting strategies in your marketing efforts. It’s important to understand the best places for your ads to resonate with your targeted audience. You don’t want to waste time and money posting your ad to the wrong platform when another platform or format would be better for your dealership.

Meet the immediate needs of your local audience

Should you advertise convertible sports cars when there’s a foot of snow on the ground? Is it smart to cover off-road vehicles when your audience is mostly urban? Does a small EV hatchback make sense to a customer based in a farm country? You need to understand and meet the needs of your local audience. When your message is relevant and resonates with your local audience, you’ve got a much better chance of being heard. Find a way to solve a pain point for your customer base, and you’ll see the positive feedback from your advertising efforts.

How effective are your marketing efforts?

The best way to ensure your geo-targeting strategies are working is to measure the success and effectiveness of these efforts. Using reports of customer engagement can help you understand how your shoppers are engaging with your ads and what they view and search when online. Regardless of the success or failure of one campaign, you can always increase the relevance for the next round of ads.

Are your ads optimized for your local audience?

To attract a local audience, you must tailor your promotional message to them. This means using local context, personalized experiences, and local events. Still, if your ads aren’t optimized for your local area, they might not be seen as much as you would like. Ensure the ads are easy to see and engage with on mobile devices, and keep local terms in your SEO efforts to appear near the top of search pages. This helps put your dealership at the front of the line.

Using geo-targeting strategies, your dealership can more easily market to a local audience of car shoppers. How will you employ strategies that attract the customers nearest to your location?