The conventional wisdom for car dealerships is that it is not worth it to market to a younger age group, because teens seldom have the money to buy cars, even used ones. However, kids get their licenses at 16, and some of them learn to drive even before that.
When we spoke to an internet marketing agency, it was their opinion that some dealerships would do well to invest in forms of marketing that are geared toward teenagers. Some parents are going to be getting their offspring their first vehicles, and some teens will even have saved up their own money for a car. With that in mind, let’s look at the best ways to do some digital marketing to a younger base.
Work Directly with Them
If you want to know what teens are into, working directly with them is one way to go. For car dealerships, it might be worth it to connect with some trendsetters in that demographic. If your digital marketing agency can locate some teens who can act as your social media representatives, you’re going to be able to get far more market penetration than if you were doing radio spots or TV ads trying to cater to that market.
Select Your Brand Ambassadors Carefully
What some car dealerships find baffling about marketing to teens is that they probably don’t care about what a Hollywood celebrity says is cool. They’re going to be more receptive to social media stars, many of whom will not be familiar to the mainstream.
You’re going to have to research social influencers who will fit in with your brand message. It may be necessary to offer them a cash incentive if you want them to partner with you, or you might have to go so far as to provide them with a vehicle if you feel that it’s worth it to court their followers.
Advertise Where They Hang Out
Your internet marketing agency for car dealerships should also know that teens aren’t as likely to use a platform like Facebook and that they are much more inclined to be on sites like Snapchat and Instagram. Therefore, that is where your advertising is going to have to be focused. You don’t want to waste your ad money by targeting places where few teens spend their leisure time.
If you start to see more young people coming into your dealership, even if their parents accompany them, then you’ll know that your marketing efforts have been successful. Don’t neglect the teen market. Even if some of them might not have the money for a car quite yet, there’s nothing to say that might not have changed a couple of years down the line.
