Does the thought of online marketing for your dealership overwhelm you?

You probably already know that online marketing channels are an effective way of bringing new customers into your dealership and selling more trucks. But it can be difficult to know where to start.

In this article, we’ll be looking at different forms of online marketing that you can use in your dealership.

We’ll look at practical tips that you can take away and start applying to set the wheels in motion for your online marketing strategy.

Social Media

Truck dealerships can use social media in several ways to promote their business, increase brand awareness, and generate leads. Here are a few ways they can do so:

Share photos and videos of their trucks: Social media platforms are becoming increasingly visual. Dealerships can use social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to share high-quality images and videos of their trucks.

A high quality image or video can capture the attention of hundreds or even thousands of potential buyers. Using social media scheduling tools like Hootsuite, you can also share these images across multiple platforms with just a few clicks. 

Share customer testimonials: Reviews and testimonials from happy buyers are an effective way for dealers to build trust and credibility with potential customers. Related to the previous point, try to get photos of your happy customers alongside their new rigs to post with the reviews.

Share industry news and updates: Dealerships can also use social media to share news and updates about the truck industry. This could include information on new truck models, changes in regulations, and industry trends.

Remember that buyers will often take a look at your social media accounts before visiting your dealership. Simply keeping your profiles updated with fresh content will help to create a good first impression with these buyers.

Facebook Ads

If you’re looking to reach more people on Facebook and generate more business, then your dealership should consider using Facebook Ads.

Facebook Ads gives you the ability to target Facebook users based on their location so you can target people nearby your dealership. You can also target based on age, interests, occupation and industry.

Unlike many other advertising channels, you can get started even with a small budget. You’ll only need a minimum of $5 per day to start promoting your trucks through Facebook Ads. And you can stop the ads at any time.

If your website is set up with truck listings on the site then you can send users from the ads to your website. Just be sure it’s easy for users to submit an enquiry or contact you through the website. Otherwise, you can set up your ads so that buyers can contact you through Facebook.

Google Ads

Google Ads allows you to display ads to people searching for what you offer.

Someone searches on Google for truck dealerships in your area. Your website displays at the top of the search results. That person clicks on your ad to go to your website and you pay for that click.

In a nutshell, that’s how Google Ads works.

There are many benefits to advertising your dealership on Google..

Increase visibility: With Google Ads, a truck dealership can increase its visibility to potential customers who are searching for trucks or related services online. By targeting relevant keywords and creating engaging ads, a dealership can attract more visitors to its website and generate more leads.

Targeted advertising: Google Ads allows dealerships to target their advertising to specific audiences based on location, age, interests, and other factors. This helps ensure that ads are being shown to people who are most likely to be interested in buying a truck. That means less wasted spend on reaching people who aren’t in your target market.

Cost-effective: Google Ads can be a lot more cost effective than other forms of advertising. Like with Facebook ads, you can set a small budget for your advertising campaigns. With Google, you only pay when someone clicks on your ads.

Measurable results: Google provides detailed metrics that allow dealerships to track the success of their advertising campaigns. You can see how many people are clicking on your ads, how much you are spending on advertising, and how many leads you are generating. This data can help dealerships refine their advertising strategies and optimize their campaigns for better results.

SEO

If you’d like your dealership website to show up at the top of Google when buyers are searching for truck dealers in your area or trucks for sale in your area then you need to look at SEO.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and involves optimising your website to rank higher in search engines. With higher rankings in search engines like Google, your dealership website can attract more visitors, leading to more enquiries and sales.

Typically, businesses will try to rank in Google for keywords that are relevant to their business. For example, a truck dealer based in Toowoomba, Queensland might try to optimise for the following keywords…

  • Trucks dealers in Toowoomba
  • Used trucks Toowoomba
  • Buy trucks in Toowoomba
  • Trucks for sale Toowoomba

There is a lot involved in SEO and many businesses will hire full time employees or agencies just to handle their SEO.

But there are a few simple things you can do to improve the SEO for your dealership:

  1. Claim your Google Business profile. Any local business can create a business profile on Google that will display when people near your dealership are searching for your business or keywords related to it. It’s usually the quickest way to get to the top of the page on Google. You can set up a profile here.

  2. Learn the basics of SEO. Just knowing the basics of SEO can go a long way when you’re updating your website. Here are a few basic guides you can read from Wordstream and SEM Rush.

  3. Create useful content on your website containing relevant keywords. Google and other search engines want to promote websites that have more valuable, useful content. Having a detailed About Us page that contains keywords relevant to your business is one example of this. Also consider adding a few blog posts, with information relevant to the trucking industry and your local area.

  4. Build your online footprint outside of your website. When other credible websites mention your business or link to your website, it signals to Google that you’re a real, credible business. Submitting your business to relevant online directories and having listings on a website like Only Trucks will help to achieve this.

  5. Ensure you’re using free tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console. You can use these tools to monitor how much traffic you receive from Google and other search engines.

Website


A well designed website can give your dealership a big advantage over other dealers. Completely overhauling your website can be time and cost intensive but even some small changes can make a big difference.

Here are a few key considerations when it comes to designing or updating your website..

Visible contact information: Ensure your dealership's contact information is clearly visible and easy to find. This includes a phone number, email address and the address of your dealership.

Modern design: If your website looks like it was built in 2004, it can create a bad first impression with visitors. Updating the design to something fresh and modern will be worth it.

Listings Integrated: Many visitors to your website will want to see what trucks you currently have available before visiting your dealership. Check with your DMS provider to see if they can assist with this. 

Mobile-friendly design: The majority of your website visitors will be viewing your site on a mobile device. Check that your website is properly optimised for mobile.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great way for truck dealers to re-engage your past customers, drive customer loyalty and generate new sales.

We recommend using an email marketing platform that allows you to store contacts and send out email newsletters. Some options to look at include:

  • Mailchimp
  • Omnisend
  • Mailer Lite
  • Constant Contact
  • Active Campaign

Some of these platforms offer free plans up to a certain number of contacts.

Once you have your list of contacts set up in your chosen email marketing platform, you can begin sending out communications to these contacts.

This could include:

Sales and promotions: Let contacts know about upcoming sales and promotions at your dealership.

New stock: Got any new noteworthy trucks in your yard? Let customers know through an email.

Industry news: Share interesting news about the truck industry in Australia that would interest your customers.

Final Tips

We’ve covered some of the most effective online channels for truck dealers to grow their business in Australia. But this is by no means an exhaustive list. There are many more ways you can use the internet to build your brand and generate leads.

When using any online marketing channel, keep in mind how you want your business to be presented. What type of impression do you want to create with potential buyers?

Your online advertising, your website and your social media should be an accurate reflection of your brand. And it should highlight what makes your dealership special.

Consider why someone should buy from your dealership instead of the one down the road. Maybe you have a bigger range of trucks for sale, or your business has been operating for longer than any other dealer nearby. Whatever it is for your dealership, be sure to communicate that in your online marketing.