How to Market a Motorcycle Dealership
June 17, 2021
How will you sell more motorcycles in 2021? Here are 8 motorcycle marketing ideas that will help your dealership close more sales.
Today’s motorcycle industry is more dynamic than ever. There are a greater variety of bikes appealing to a wide range of tastes and rider needs. Online review sites and YouTube videos provide almost endless info on bikes and the riding lifestyle. Some motorcycle dealers are even selling directly to consumers online, with new bikes offered at stunningly low prices.
Dealerships have to compete with each other, online retailers and a significant used motorcycle market. Here are 8 tips that will help your dealership get found online and close more sales with today’s diverse motorcycle buyers.
#1: Design a modern, functional website
Your website is ground zero for your sales. Expect all serious buyers to have visited your site before walking onto your lot or calling your dealership.
The primary thing potential buyers are looking for on your website is your current inventory. Make sure you keep this updated with details such as the condition, mileage and pricing on all used inventory, and include plenty of pictures.
Keep your website design simple and easy to navigate. Make sure it’s easy to filter searches by make, model, type, used/new, model year, inventory status and price range.
Your website should also be mobile-friendly so that people can navigate it on their phones. Many people check motorcycle websites while they’re actively out shopping for bikes, and they aren’t carrying around their laptops!
It’s also important to write up your own descriptions instead of just re-using manufacturer content. This begins the process of the buyer not just buying the bike, but buying it from you. For example:
Since most dealerships just use the manufacturer description, you gain a competitive advantage by having a more lively, original product description on your website.
Pro tip: Pricing on your website
One question many dealerships struggle with is whether or not to include pricing on their website.
Websites that don’t include pricing do so because they want to use the request a quote call to action as a way to generate the lead. Some dealers don’t even include mileage on used models, so people have to contact them to get any real info on the bike.
While this is a way to generate website leads, it also flies in the face of the transparency many online consumers expect. Details — including the condition, mileage and asking price of the bike — are the main info visitors are interested in when they visit your site. The only way you’ll get the lead without that info is if they’re interested in a particular bike, but you’d likely get that lead anyway.
Additionally, keep in mind that most manufacturer websites have MSRP’s listed on their websites. With a little research, a shopper can get price ranges on any bike they want.
Not including prices on your site can make it seem like you have something to hide, and can come off as “salesy” which many shoppers want to avoid.
It’s better to have a list price or sale price, and then you can include a call-to-action such as:
- Request a quote
- Make an offer
- Request price drop notification
That way, you can gather the contact info you need while giving website visitors a better shopping experience.
#2: Know your buyer types
Today’s motorcycle dealerships need to understand the types of buyers they’re dealing with, particularly considering how well-informed most shoppers are when they walk onto a lot.
First, consider the buyer type. There are two you should consider.
The first is the more experienced rider who is probably looking for a bigger motorcycle. For these riders, status and social interaction play a role in the type of bike they choose. They may want a big cruiser, fast sportbike, or powerful adventure machine. In most ways, this is the stereotypical motorcycle rider.
The second is a rider type that’s being recognized as vital to the health of the industry, which is a more moderate rider interested in a smaller capacity bike. This includes beginner riders, commuters and older riders looking for something easier to handle and cheaper to own.
Manufacturers have recognized the importance of this second group in recent years, which is why there are so many more small-displacement adventure, dual sport and commuter-oriented bikes on the market.
These two riders types tend to be divided between those who are seeking status and adrenaline versus those who are looking for practicality and low-key fun.
It’s worth noting that a lot of millennials — who are not proving to be as big a market as the industry would like — fall into the second category.
Pro tip: A motorcycle shopper’s anecdote
I’m shopping for a motorcycle, and recently visited several local dealerships.
I’m an older guy who is new to motorcycling. I very much fit into the second category of rider. I want a practical, less powerful bike that I can use as a safe commuter and gentle weekend adventure bike.
At two of the dealerships I visited, the salespeople failed to recognize I was this type of rider. They insist on telling me that if I get a smaller displacement bike I’ll be bored with it. It won’t provide the rush that makes riding fun. I’ll look like a wimp compared to guys on their liter bikes, bellowing with might as they blow by me.
These guys were trying hard to sell more bike than I wanted. I get what they’re saying about power, but I’m not looking for a powerful bike. I intend to be a safe, conservative rider who will probably always be happy with less than 50 hp.
They didn’t get the sale, and they probably won’t, even if they have a bike in stock I’m interested in. I want a salesperson who gets the type of rider I want to be.
#3: Prepare for informed buyers
If there is any product today where marketing and sales need to understand the research process of buyers, it’s motorcycles.
There are many reviews published on motorcycle sites that people can easily research. However, perhaps the biggest factor with motorcycles is YouTube videos.
Take any bike you’re interested in and search for it on YouTube. There will be dozens of reviews and vlogs, both from semi-professional reviewers and bike owners. Shoppers can get a tremendous amount of information about bikes and watch them in action as people do test rides.
Many videos compare similar bikes, which can help searchers who are deciding between different brands or models.
For example, Motorcycle Magazine has a YouTube channel where they post bike reviews and vlogs that have a lot of information about bikes. I happened to be interested in a Kawasaki Versys X-300, so I watched this video:
This type of video gives me a real sense of how this bike would ride, covers many of the specs and offers the personal opinions of the rider. Just this video alone has 134k views. Their channel has millions of views.
I can watch dozens of videos and read as many reviews on just this one bike. The amount of detail I can get as a shopper is incredible. By the time I walk into a dealership, I may know more about the bike than the salesperson (in fact that happened at one of the dealerships I describe above).
There are a couple of considerations here. First, make sure your staff is aware of how much information bike shoppers will have when they come to your dealership. They’ll know specs, have comparisons in mind and will have a feel for how a bike rides — before they ever ride it.
It’s a good idea to have your staff keep up with the latest online content and reviews on bikes you carry. When they know what prospective buyers are thinking when they come in, they’ll have a better chance at connecting with triggers that will close sales.
Second, consider creating some videos of your own. Feature bikes, talk about mods and get into the culture of riding you enjoy. This makes great content for your own YouTube channel, plus you can add it to your website. Just a short overview of the latest bikes you’re carrying is a great way to start the sales process with potential buyers.
#4: Have a dedicated online salesperson
With so many people shopping online and requesting info via your website, it’s a good idea to have at least one person dedicated to handling online estimates and keeping up with the latest content.
This person can be responsible for quick responses to estimate or test ride requests. They keep your inventory up to date and run ads on Craig’s List, Facebook Marketplace, Cycle Trader, eBay and any other sites you want to list bikes. These sites can be great lead generation sites for your dealership, and capture people who are searching in the used marketplace. You’ll want to list your pre-owned inventory here, but you can list any bike and get your name in front of prospective buyers.
Having a dedicated online salesperson is also important if your website utilizes a chat function. Chat can be a great way to draw leads into your dealership, so we suggest using it – but making sure it’s manned during business hours.
Your online salesperson should also monitor your reputation and make sure poor reviews aren’t hurting your lead generation.
When comes to your online channel, you want to be responsive and updated. Make sure you have a team member on these tasks.
#5: Master search marketing
When someone goes online to search for a certain make or model of motorcycle, they are showing buying intent. You need to get them into your sales funnel.
This is where the tactics of pay-per-click advertising (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO) are necessary.
With PPC, you can set up campaigns so that if someone searches for the make of bike you sell (Honda, Kawasaki, Harley Davidson, etc.) it will trigger your ad.
You can then use the keyword insertion feature so the exact model they searched for appears in the headline of your ad.
For example, I was looking for a 2016 Honda cb500x and got served this ad:
Optimize your campaigns as specifically as you can for makes, models and years. The more you have in inventory, the more aggressively you want to run the ads.
For organic search, you’ll want to rank for more general terms of makes, models, and your location. When I search “honda motorcycle dealership Colorado” I get:
The maps area results are driven by your Google My Business listing. Be sure to set this up and optimize both that content and your website for your location.
The content on your website, social media signals, inbound links and overall site authority impact your SEO rankings. Be sure to put location keywords into your page title tags and mention your location in descriptions of your services.
#6: Use a CRM
Every dealership needs customer relationship management (CRM) software. It’s indispensable.
CRMs do two main things: They keep your staff on the same page as leads move through the sales cycle, and they automate follow-up tasks so you can maintain consistent touches.
CRMs today usually function in the cloud, so they’re easy to access from any device. They do the job of funneling leads from every source, including showroom, online, service, email and phone.
CRM software like the small business CRM by Marketing 360® lets you personalize follow-ups based on the vehicles leads showed interest in. It lets you manage contacts professionally:
When you look into CRM software, take note of what training resources are available. The biggest problem dealerships have implementing CRMs is a lack of consistent use from all staff. You want something robust, but also something new salespeople can pick up quickly. A complicated system with features you don’t need will hinder use.
#7: Reputation management
Vehicle salespeople — the sleazy, pushy type — are a cliche. Today, most sales professionals are nothing like this, and you have to make sure your online reputation demonstrates the professionalism of your salespeople.
Online consumers evaluate what it’s like to work with dealerships based on comments from previous customers. They find these on review sites like Top Rated Local, Google My Business, Yelp and BBB.
If someone searches on Google for your dealership by name, they’ll see some of these reviews alongside their Google listing:
As you can see, it’s hard not to notice those reviews.
Every time you treat a customer well, it helps your marketing. Every time you go into the “pushy” or “slippery” mode, it hurts your marketing.
Responsiveness also matters. We’ve seen motorcycle dealers get poor reviews just because they failed to respond to an estimate request.
Because a motorcycle is a major purchase for most people, many are motivated to leave reviews. The star ratings stand out on search results so much that they’ll create an impression before anyone even visits your website.
Monitor your reviews across all these platforms. It’s part of your digital marketing manager’s job. Respond to any reviews you see fit, but especially the negative ones. Explain your side and offer to rectify the situation. Many buyers will change their negative review if they see you value their opinion.
However, don’t obsess over every bad review. You’ll never satisfy everyone, and the anonymous nature of making online comments leads some people to be unfair (services like Top Rated Local let you mitigate this to a certain extent).
Request reviews from happy customers who are loving their new bikes. Proud new motorcycle owners will usually be more than ready to leave you a glowing review. An easy way to do this is to email follow-ups through your CRM.
#8: Social media marketing
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are free to use, and potential leads are using these platforms. Those are two good reasons to do some social media marketing.
Start by setting up your Facebook business page. Add videos, images and set up reviews. Also, set up messenger and have your online salesperson respond to chat requests.
You can post info about your dealership, images of new inventory and mention sale/deals. Facebook is a great place to mix personal, fun content from your staff and customers with promotional material. When someone is in the market for a bike, be sure to ask them to follow you on Facebook for the latest news from your dealership.
Also try to curate content from manufacturer and industry websites, like YouTube reviews videos you think would help you sell your inventory.
Use Instagram as a place for images and videos. Go out for a team ride and turn it into an Instagram story. It makes a great inventory gallery you can update. Get your staff in for the occasional fun shot, and get a shot of proud new customers with their bikes.
Your online salesperson is a good choice for managing these platforms and making sure that you keep things fresh and interesting.
Let Marketing 360 guide your motorcycle dealership marketing strategy
If you need help with your online marketing, we have a full staff of marketing experts, writers, and designers that can help you gain an edge over your competition and connect with leads. Call us today.
Originally published on 12/21/2018.
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