UK is ‘most brand-sensitive’ country when it comes to cars…

by Stratton Craig

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The way people buy cars has changed. While it’s true that many people will continue to head to their nearest showroom for their new car, for the rest it’s a whole new ball game. And content marketing, of course, has a role to play in what influences the buying decision.
Information is king, and the tables of power have turned. Rather than go fact-finding from one dealership to the next, shoppers typically visit showrooms already knowing what they want and how much they should expect to pay. If they’re deliberating between a few models, the key differentiators are likely to be price, online reviews, in-showroom service, and brand.
Considering that the UK is the most brand-sensitive country of all when it comes to cars (according to Chas Hallett, former Editor in Chief of What Car?), motor manufacturers need more than just a strong model line-up or outstanding warranty to soar in the sales charts. The brand really needs to chime with the target customer, so your marketing strategy needs to be just-so.
In today’s connected world, content marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. A strong, structured and consistent content plan is the easiest way to ensure your brand’s at the forefront of people’s minds when trade-in time rolls around every few years.
This is especially true with sites like What Car? and AutoExpress providing no shortage of advice and guidance on the best models to pick. If your shopper hasn’t already thought of your cars before starting the search, you run the risk that they’ll be talked into something else.
And it’s certainly not about hammering home selling messages in every piece of content. It’s vital your content strategy feeds into a happy ownership experience long after leaving the lot – the natural conclusion being that contented customers will return to the same brand when it’s time to shop again. Aligning your brand with your owners’ lifestyle through your choice of content is a key way to achieve that – be it music, drama, comedy, fashion, art, or anything else. Lexus’s L Studio is a great example.
Quality copy is required at every step, from script writing to compelling on-site copy and a strong tone of voice, and it pays to engage writers with experience in the automotive sector. Read more about how we’ve been working with Citroën on all their written communications since 2007.