Published: August 2024

UK consumers now have the option to browse models from almost 60 different brands when researching their next car.

In the last 12 months, 10 new entrants have arrived in the UK and the number is set to grow further as additional new marques bring their EVs to these shores. On top of that, consumers have to consider whether a shift to electrified mobility works for them and their lifestyle.

According to Google, the average UK car buyer in 2011 utilised 18.2 different sources of information to inform their car-buying decision; that figure has now dropped to an average of 5.9 online information sources when researching a new vehicle in 2024. With fewer potential interactions, it is even more important to reach consumers in the first stages of their online research, especially via social channels where they may not be actively looking.

Against this backdrop, retailers need to do all they can to raise their own online profile. Being one of many sources of information is not enough; proactive and reactive processes and tools must also be in place to facilitate engagement and capture qualified leads from visits to websites and social media channels.

Harness the power of social media

Social channels are assuming ever greater importance when it comes to instigating and guiding purchase decisions and hosting pre-purchase research. Facebook remains a pre-eminent social platform for the majority of UK car buyers. In April, Facebook had 56 million users in the UK, equivalent to 84% of the UK population. Maximising exposure via social media adverts that target this enormous audience can prove invaluable.

Social media marketing is especially important for those retailers selling models from newer market entrants, and for promoting new EVs. Consumers may be less familiar and, therefore, less confident with brands and technologies they have not encountered before, and social media adverts are an effective and highly cost-efficient way to build trust and foster consideration, increasing exposure and reaching new prospects and existing customers within a retailer’s defined AOI.

Learn more about our VoiceBox Social solution here.

Capture leads while they are warm

Remarketing makes it possible to reach website visitors from multiple sources, such as Auto Trader or Google ads, via familiar social channels, reinforcing positive awareness of the retailer and maximising cost per acquisition (CPA). By placing tracking pixels on the retailer’s website, it is possible to seamlessly remarket relevant content to engaged prospects across social media while they are in a buying mindset.

With our existing retailer clients, we see very high levels of engagement across social media when promoting new OEMs and new electrified technologies, as well as tactical offers and established schemes such as Motability.

Attribute Sales to Social Media with Offline Conversions

With Meta’s Conversions API, we can automatically upload data from a retailer’s LMS and DMS and cross-reference their latest enquiries and orders to understand what percentage of those people were served one or more social media ads.

Offline conversion reporting enables marketers to seamlessly report not only on website traffic and form fills but also on which enquiries were influenced by a social campaign. Social media can now be considered as more than just an awareness activity. With offline conversion metrics, enquiries and orders can now be attributed to social media ads.

Feed the sales pipeline

Once visits and clicks convert to tangible enquiries, retailers need an efficient and effective response method that aligns with corporate identity and is tailored to the individual prospect. Employing a system such as our marketing platform, VoiceBox, alleviates much of the administrative burden on sales teams, automating processes by which customers receive a digital response.

Leads can be kept engaged through automated communications which are both timely and personalised, increasing the likelihood of conversion. This type of managed interaction is particularly valuable for creating and converting leads for EVs, as the pre-purchase research phase is typically more protracted.

Crucially, automation can help retailers identify and action those leads that are most likely to progress, allowing sales teams to focus their time and energies on the hottest prospects. This can be invaluable given that the plethora of new brands and powertrain options are prompting increases in speculative enquiries and non-committal interactions for information gathering.

Learn more about our VoiceBox Sales solution here.

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