Is having a dealer blog worth your time? Hear from an auto industry insider.

Two weeks ago, we heard from AutoNation’s CEO, Mike Jackson regarding this year compared to the history-making-year of 2015. He said, “the challenge turns to more of a quality story than a volume story” regarding trends this year.
Some might take the word “challenge” as meaning dealers need to become more strategic and creative when it comes to doing more (with less) to attract potential car buyers. Some even suggest blogging.

The main goal for blogging…creating fresh and useful content that’s conversational and relevant to the people in your community. As far as the value of a dealer blog, it’s a digital marketing tool that’s important for attracting new customers.

Jason Stum is an auto industry marketer and creator of Market Punch.auto . Jason’s experience with blogging for a dealer website includes the Lafontaine Auto Group which according to Stum, receives about the same amount of traffic as the average dealership website. That would amount to 5,000 monthly visitors.

Before taking over the dealer’s blog, Jason said he had to learn the intricacies of blogging. He warns, “it takes more dedication, participation, and preparation than anything you are probably used to doing.” He adds that it is a long-term play, which could lead to generating leads, improving local SEO and building a relationship with car buyers.
To be mission-driven, Stum offers these tips: define your audience (specifically), set goals for your blog, create content, publish and promote.