Dealerships have many options available to them as they seek to grow their online presence. In fact, they might almost have too many options; certainly, it can be difficult to determine which channels offer the best return on investment.

Take, for example, the long-running debate over content marketing vs. PPC. Both disciplines offer some pros and some cons, but which one makes the most sense for your dealership?

Here’s a brief rundown of what dealers can expect from each.

Content Marketing

When we talk about content marketing, we’re basically talking about building trust and cultivating relationships with your clients. Content marketing employs blogs, videos, and social media posts to distribute helpful, value-adding information—establishing your dealership as a thought leader and an information hub and earning the good faith of your target audience.

Content marketing comes with some advantages and disadvantages alike—for instance:

• A PRO is that it helps earn qualified, well-educated leads.
• A CON is that it tends to take a long time; content marketing does not offer overnight results.
• A PRO is that content marketing is cost-effective.
• A CON is that content creation takes insight and talent, and your dealership may not have the resources available to accomplish this.

PPC

On the flipside, there’s PPC—or pay-per-click marketing. You probably know PPC best through Google AdWords, though there are other PPC platforms available, too. PPC is paid online ads, which you can use to target consumers at various stages of their consumer journey.

Again, there are both pros and cons worth mentioning—among them:

• A PRO is that a smart PPC campaign can win you prime online real estate, even placement at the top of the Google search engine results page.
• A CON is that PPC is fairly costly—and, again, it tends to take time before you see results.

An Integrative Approach

It’s worth noting, of course, that you don’t actually have to choose between content marketing and PPC—and indeed, most marketers would argue that these two approaches work best when they are used in tandem.

A holistic approach that encompasses both content marketing and PPC ads will allow you to target buyers with precision, and to truly have an online presence that spans the entire buyer journey—but of course, you’ll need an overarching plan to keep these two approaches aligned with one another.

Get a Plan for Marketing Your Dealership

That’s where Get My Auto comes in. As a marketing company, we work solely with used car dealerships, and we offer a range of services—including not only content marketing and PPC, but Craigslist, Facebook advertising, website development, and beyond. We can provide your dealership with the integrative approach it needs.

Learn more about online marketing via Get My Auto. Reach out to us today, and ask which approaches make the most sense for your dealership’s needs. Call Get My Auto now!