No sedans? No problem!

In recent years, Ford has turned its “Focus” away from cars and onto SUVs, crossovers, and the all-powerful F-series trucks due to declining car sales and increased SUV and truck sales.

Ford cut back majorly on its production of sedans and is now only producing a handful of its once-complex lineup of sedans, with an emphasis on building the Mustang family.

According to The Washington Post, experts say consumers are drawn to SUVs and crossovers for their versatility over sedans.

This allows Ford to devote more resources to SUVs and trucks — vehicles that have surged in popularity as consumers continue to lose interest in passenger cars (which no longer have a monopoly on good gas mileage).

So what does this mean for Ford dealers who need to continue to move inventory?

Promote What People Are Shopping For

The future of automotive marketing is focusing on the people who are actively shopping.

When a person is shopping for a new vehicle, they have lots of considerations. Price, gas mileage, passenger capacity . . . the list goes on.

It’s important to not only cater to what your shoppers are looking for but also serve them content on platforms they are used to, such as Facebook and Google.

If you have no new sedans to promote, focus your attention on the features of crossovers or smaller SUVs to convert sedan shoppers.

An average sedan shopper is likely looking for a fuel-efficient, smaller vehicle based on the characteristics of a sedan. Highlighting those aspects of crossovers and SUVs is important for converting the average sedan shopper.

Start by creating a blog series highlighting the design and styling updates, safety and technology features, or performance and handling of one of Ford’s smaller crossovers, like an Escape.

Then, to disseminate the information to active or potential leads, utilize paid Facebook and Google Ads featuring that content.

Your target audience online should include things like:

• Close proximity to your dealership
• Interests in the Ford brand
• Custom Audiences based on previous purchasers
• Website browsers looking at sedan and/or SUV inventory

Once you’ve nailed down what your audience is looking for, you can take the next steps to convert those leads to sales.

Know What People Are Shopping For

Automotive digital marketing is always changing. You need someone who understands what the data is saying about your website traffic and who’s looking at your inventory.

As we say in a previous blog post, there are two ways to grow a business: attract more leads, or do a better job of selling the leads you already have.

In order to know what’s working, you have to be able to measure your results. Since leads can spend more than a year in the car sales funnel, your dealership needs to track and nurture each potential buyer.

Let 9 Clouds Help

No marketing manager to get elbow-deep in data tracking? No problem!

9 Clouds is a marketing partner that has lead tracking and other digital marketing services to serve any dealership — cars or no cars.

It’s as easy as requesting a simple audit of your current online (or offline) marketing strategy to find out if you’re targeting the right audience the right way.

Get Your Digital Assessment »