[INFOGRAPHIC] Automotive Marketing Trends

We've already told you how your dealership can win smartphone shoppers, so you should be prepared for the surge of mobile usage when it comes to car shopping. But do you know just how important it is?

According to Google, 48 percent of searches for car dealerships happen on a mobile device. That's too big a chunk to ignore. If you haven't hopped on the mobile marketing bandwagon yet, you need to get moving. But first check out these other auto marketing trends Google compiled in this infographic.

The Auto Sales Boom: How to Keep up With More Leads

If you’re in the auto biz, you know that 2015 is predicted to be one of the best years the industry has had in a while. Now that gas prices are lower and the economy is getting back on its feet after a nasty knock, dealerships are expected to sell 17 million or more vehicles this year. To give you a little perspective, that’s the highest this number has been since 2001!

With this kind of growth, you can bet you’ll have more leads to manage. Things might get a little crazy, so get ready! Here are a few tips for keeping up with all those leads.

Don’t Let Data Entry Cripple Your Sales

Making sure your CRM is up-to-date is an important part of the car-buying process. But who wants to deal with data entry when you have sales to focus on? If your salespeople are busy handling an increasing number of sales calls, important lead information is more likely to fall through the cracks — unless you automate your information-gathering process.

By integrating your call tracking system with your CRM, you can sync your call records and prospect information, giving your sales team a break from data entry. And here’s another plus: When a new prospect calls in, you won’t have to worry about spending valuable time gathering their information, because your call tracking system will capture these details for you.

Train New Employees Efficiently

Last year we talked about how the auto industry’s workforce was booming. We expect that pattern to repeat itself this year. After all, you have to have people to manage all those sales! But then how do you find time to train all those people to manage all those sales?! To find out, read our post here.

Rethink How You Assign Leads

In response to an increasing number of phone and web leads, one dealership in California decided to rethink the way employees handle leads.

The old way: Calls were evenly distributed to all associates, whether they were salespeople working the floor or associates sitting behind desks responding to Internet leads. As for web leads, there were seven people to handle 1,000 leads a month. 

The new way: The dealership analyzes employees’ unique skills with a computerized test. Based on the results, employees are assigned to one of two dedicated teams. One group helps customers on the showroom floor, while the other responds to and tracks web and phone leads.

By maximizing its workforce, the dealership managed to raise its total sales by 4 percent last year. You might find that a similar overhaul of your workflow is necessary when leads start pouring in.

What changes will you make to your lead management process this year?