Once upon a time, press releases were considered to be invaluable for local SEO. They are not as popular as they used to be, and some marketing professionals ignore them altogether. In our opinion, though, press releases can be invaluable for building awareness about your used car dealership—but only when they are used wisely.

So what’s the right way to use press releases? The important thing is to send releases only when you have real dealership news to report. Don’t view press releases as SEO gimmicks. Use them as ways to connect with your community and let them know what makes your dealership special.

The Best Ways to Use Press Releases

There are plenty of ways in which you can make press releases work for your dealership. A few examples include:

Sharing news about dealership growth. Are you branching out into a new location? Adding on to an existing one? Or simply bringing on some new employees? Any kind of business growth is worth sending out a press release—letting your local business community know how vibrant your dealership is.

Promoting an event. Many used car dealerships hold community events—cook-outs, parties, or open houses—to get people down to the showroom. The next time you have an event like this planned, send out a news release, and start building awareness well in advance!

Highlighting charitable work. Many dealerships like to give back to their community, making donations or sponsoring events for local non-profits. There’s nothing wrong with sending out a press release to let the community know about causes you care about. This is especially smart around the holiday season, when charitable giving is on everyone’s mind.

Showcasing new inventory. Used car dealerships frankly can’t afford to send out news releases announcing all their new inventory—but if you branch out into a new kind of inventory (say electric cars), that may be worth noting in a press release.

Announcing big sales. Finally, if your dealership is a planning a big sale, it’s wise to let people know about it in advance—generating some excitement and bringing more foot traffic to your promotional event. Let local buyers know about chances to save big!

Marketing Your Dealership the Smart Way

When used correctly, the press release can be invaluable marketing collateral. Of course, it’s just one key component in a good dealership marketing plan, and we also recommend a robust focus on Facebook Ads, Craigslist, SEO, and more.

To learn more about marketing your used car dealership holistically, contact our experts. Reach out to the automotive marketing specialists at Get My Auto today, and learn how you can start generating positive attention for your car lot!