Auto sales may not be what they used to, but that shouldn’t stop you from targeting the segments that are buying up cars, trucks, and SUVs across our great nation. It’s time to pull out your Millennial magnet and tap into this car buying movement. Yes, Millennials spend money. In fact, if you check in with Dealertrack, you’ll find that this select group of buyers has been one of the fastest growing segments in the business. They’re buying up new vehicles. They’re leasing new vehicles. They’re acquiring loans, and we’re here to tell you where they’re looking and how to attract them.
Yeah, we know you think they’re all lazy and want to be driven around by their parents, but it’s far from the truth. The research is in. Millennials move slower than the rest of us. They get married later. God bless them. They buy homes later. Again, God bless them. They also take their time buying into the car market. Millennials like bright, new shiny things and your lots are filled with them.
Now comes the fun part. They’re most likely nothing like you. If you’re around the age of 40, then you’re a completely different type of shopper and except a very different experience. Imagine a group of people who have no idea who the Beatles are. Sorry, that doesn’t really fit here. Imagine a group of people who were raised with iPads in their hands. Most likely, Amazon was always the norm in their world. When they wanted to catch a movie, they could have on their flat panel in a matter of seconds. It’s a different planet. They grew up with the internet. If you’re 40, you experienced the world being introduced to these things. Millennials never knew a world without them.
Cars.com conducted a study that showed that 85% of Millennials use the internet when shopping for a vehicle. Plus, 36% of them stated that digital research made a big impact on where they made their purchases. These numbers continue to grow. Your online presence isn’t just important it’s everything. Millennials are on social networks dozens of times a day, and televisions being left behind. They want their entertainment and news fast and furious, so that’s where you better hit them with your marketing. This is a highly educated group of people. They’re hit with information at a constant rate, so traditional marketing will not impress. This generation needs to be engaged in meaningful ways. They need to be part of the conversation. They don’t want to feel left behind or yelled at about the super sale, with the ten-second disclaimer. Engage them or lose them.
Millennials will not part with their mobile phones. All of us here at Justplayin’ have no idea why we call them phones anymore, but that’s what they’re called. Take a look around you. Whether you’re in a restaurant, mall or on the dealership floor, people are walking around and into walls while on their cell phones. They’re texting, researching, shopping and making big purchases. It’s about evolving and it has to happen yesterday. The big papers are doing it. The magazines are doing it. The dealerships have to do it. Hook yourself up with a company that knows digital. A guy like Richie Bello over at Richiebelloblogs.com knows the game. It’s not just about a Facebook page and some Google ads. Bello stated, “It’s about every keyword. It’s about watching your client’s account every day and keeping that cost per click down. It’s knowing how they communicate.” This generation was born digital. Embrace it and you’ll attract them like flies to a light…or to a cellphone.
Always check out Richiebelloblogs.com for more on everything going on the automotive world.
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