Female empowerment is at the forefront of the social conversation right now.

Yep, even here on the 9 Clouds blog.

Gender diversity is relevant to your auto marketing. I’m not talking about starting a women’s march from your car lot or hopping on the #MeToo hashtag with your dealership handle. But it would be a huge mistake to underestimate the relationship women have with your business.

The power of female shoppers and the impact of a female workforce are both incredibly important for any auto dealership today.

Women Drive Household Buying

Research shows women drive 70% to 80% of all consumer purchasing (driving pun totally intended).

This comes from a combination of actual buying power and influence, meaning that even when a woman isn’t paying for something directly, her vote holds great power in the choice.

Research shows young women, specifically those who fit in the millennial category, feel more self-assured during the car buying process than any generation before them. If your marketing speaks solely to male buyers, you’re possibly talking to only 20% to 30% of your leads.

How do you address this? With inbound marketing!

Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing: What’s the Difference?

The women shopping for cars today feel confident in their decisions: 80% of women felt assured they made the right decision after purchasing, compared to 75% of men. And they get to that assurance by doing online research before shopping.

This doesn’t mean you have to write content that’s stereotypically female, so skip the “Best SUVs to Get You to Your Hair Appointment” blog posts. Treat your female leads with equality, and write posts that simply answer questions about your top models, the buying process, or maintenance procedures. Don’t underestimate the intelligence of your female buyers.

You’ll gain trust of both female and male shoppers through content marketing — but nothing keeps that trust like a good sales experience. And this brings us to the next best place to implement a little feminine energy: your staff.

https://9clouds.com/resource/ebook-web-content-for-auto-dealers/

Women Drive Business Growth

Women are really good for your business.

We’ve told you this before, but it’s still true: The Global Leadership Forecast Study 2018 found companies with increased gender diversity and female representation are 1.4 times more likely to have sustained profitable growth.

But in the auto industry, female employees are a minority. And that’s a problem.

Why Aren’t There More Women in Automotive?

Only 21.2% of auto dealership employees are women. That number is even lower for auto maintenance employees, of whom just 7.3% are women. The first woman to run a major auto maker in the U.S. is Mary Barra, and she took over General Motors in 2014 — well over 100 years after the automobile was invented.

I’d love to see these numbers grow.

As women hold such a high percentage of the buying power, it only makes sense to have a higher number of women holding leadership positions in the auto industry. Women can help shape a sales funnel that speaks to the majority of buyers.

If you’re still skeptical about women creating strong marketing and sales strategies for auto marketing, look no further than 9 Clouds.

Our team is two-thirds female, and I think the empathy our female employees bring to the table helps our clients gain valuable insights. We bring an important balance to the team that doesn’t always exist in the dealerships we work with.

Data Points Are Genderless

Our team loves working with auto dealers, in part because of the unique perspective we provide for our clients.

At the core of 9 Clouds’ work is transparent access to data. We’re committed to providing this access because data is the only way to determine marketing success. There isn’t a silver bullet or quick fix. It’s about testing, learning, and adjusting from the analysis of results.

Those results are faceless, nameless, genderless data points.

We prefer our data that way. It helps us make decisions about marketing without an emotional response.

Not to make us sound like robots, but emotion-charged decisions have no place in marketing. Emotion-based decisions are gut instincts, and that’s not how you want to run your business.

Alongside those analytics and results, though, you need to consider the personas of your shoppers. And that is where you can — and should — take gender into consideration.

Think Strategically by Creating Buyer Personas

As I said before, it’s all about balance and intention in your marketing strategy.

The Future of Automotive Needs to Include Women

Gender equality is a hot topic right now, but that doesn’t mean it’s a trend. It’s a basic piece of humanity — and it should be a basic business principle!

As we continue to work with the auto industry, I hope to see more female employees and more recognition of women’s buying power. You can make that happen with small changes at your dealership.

Don’t close the door on the person in the driver’s seat. By respectfully considering and strategizing around the role of women in auto, you’ll be sure to see success in marketing this year.

Need Help with Your Auto Marketing?

If you need help with your automotive marketing, we’re here to help!

If you’re ready to achieve real results with a trusted digital marketing partner, contact us for a custom digital marketing proposal for your dealership. We guarantee that our services will increase your internet conversion rate by at least 25% in the first six months.

GET YOUR FREE PROPOSAL