If you're busy making New Year's Resolutions for your dealership, you might want to consider paying special attention to automotive digital marketing trends in 2019. These trends can help you can enhance specific aspects of your process and your automotive digital marketing strategy, for maximum impact among consumers. Below, we've highlighted predictions for the coming year to help you reach and communicate with more consumers, to improve engagement, customer service, and sales.

Building value in advertising is as important as building consumer trust.

Cutting through today's automotive industry clutter is tough given rising costs, dwindling margins, and predictions of market downturn. More than ever, trust is critically important as consumers increasingly rely on peer recommendations, helpful content, unbiased recommendations, and meaningful reviews to steer them to the best vehicle purchase. While advertising certainly has its place, it should be meaningful to your customers and build value with your customers which, in turn, builds trust with your dealership.

Tip: Beyond focusing on trust-building strategies such as providing an exceptional customer experience from the get-go, routinely monitoring your dealership's reviews, and responding to issues in a timely and professional manner, consider using tactics like content marketing, influencer marketing, and tools that leverage customized and targeted messaging presented to consumers in third party publisher networks, like AutoWeb, to drive high volumes of qualified traffic to your dealership.

Nothing beats helpful human interaction.

While the Internet has certainly made buying and selling cars easier for consumers and dealers, it has made the ever-important human interaction and relationship building process difficult. Yes, automotive online marketing is great and technology-driven automation is awesome, but offering direct help and your personal touch - especially when it comes to buying a car - still reigns supreme.

Tip: Start with asking consumers the right questions, such as who the primary driver will be, how the vehicle will be used, and what features the primary driver finds most important. The more inquiries you make into lifestyle, activities, and driving habits, the more in tune you will be with the best car to meet their needs. Now it's time to really listen to their responses and guide them to the perfect vehicle.

Automotive search trends are evolving. Pay attention!

It's a simple fact. Consumers need to find you before they can experience all the wonderful aspects of your process and your dealership. However, the art of finding you has been the Holy Grail of our business since the early days of the Internet. Today, it's job number one when it comes to automotive digital marketing trends in 2019.

Search trends are evolving and so should you. Here are some interesting statistics:

Google Images search share is approximately 25% of overall search.¹

50% of searches will be voice-based by 2020²

Tip #1: When it comes to image search, image optimization is key and should be a greater SEO focus for your dealership website. What's more, your web inventory should include visual search capabilities and don't forget that load speed is increasingly important. You might consider leveraging authentic, user-generated content from your customers to help you develop your image library.

Tip #2: When it comes to voice search, competition for top spots in search results will be more competitive. Top spot winners will likely optimize their website for shorter, more relevant phrases that pertain to their specific dealership and more localized information, such as the specific vehicles in their inventory, their brand(s) and location(s), special sales, directions, and hours.

Learn more about how AutoWeb can help you optimize your automotive digital marketing.

1) Raj Nijjer, The Hidden Opportunity for E-Commerce websites in Google Images, (Search Engine Journal, March 5, 2018) https://bit.ly/2D4c2jC

2) Jayson DeMers, Why you need to prepare for a voice search revolution, (Forbes, January 2, 2018) https://bit.ly/2ClmKoS