10 Skills Every Dealership Marketer Needs in 2025

The list of skills that every dealership marketer needs to succeed continues to grow and evolve. It's true now and will continue to be true throughout 2025.

As customer expectations continue to evolve, dealerships must adapt once again to stay top of mind. This includes rethinking not only their marketing strategies but also how their marketing departments are structured and staffed.

Today’s dealership marketers must navigate a labyrinth of platforms, create engaging content, and deliver results across channels—all while staying ahead of evolving trends. In 2025, the ability to innovate and adapt isn’t just a competitive advantage; it’s the key to survival.

To succeed in 2025 and beyond, dealership marketers must possess a diverse set of skills. Here’s a list of essential competencies every dealership marketer needs to not only survive but thrive in this rapidly changing landscape.

1. Website Design and User Experience (UX)

Your website is your digital storefront and often the first interaction customers have with your dealership. A strong website should showcase your inventory, encourage inquiries, and make appointments easy to book. Marketers must ensure the site is fast, user-friendly, secure, and optimized for search engines. It should also answer buyers' questions and seamlessly guide them toward the next step in their journey. A solid grasp of website design and UX principles is now a baseline requirement.

2. Advanced Writing and AI-Supported Copywriting

Exceptional writing is vital in automotive marketing, from creating engaging website content to crafting effective social media posts, emails, ads, and video scripts. Equally important is understanding search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure visibility. In 2025, mastering AI tools like ChatGPT for content creation is a game-changer. Marketers who learn to write effective AI prompts can save time and elevate the quality of their copy.

3. Strategy Deployment and Goal Setting

Successful marketing starts with clear goals and a well-thought-out strategy. Without it, even significant ad spends can yield disappointing results. Dealership marketers must take the lead in mapping out strategies, using data to define clear objectives and metrics.

A large auto group contacted me recently with an urgent challenge. They had been bootstrapping their efforts and getting poor results. It was clear that a digital marketing strategy was sorely needed. Why? It saves a lot of time and money! They had tried Google and Facebook ads but said, "Because we didn't have a strategy, we didn't really know what to expect. In the end, we spent a lot and got very little."

Many dealership marketers jump to tactics first. Some simply acquiesce to the boss' demands, ("Get me more sales!") and rarely inject their own expertise to uncover the specific metrics to achieve success.

Always map out a strategy for your business, marketing or anything else. Just like GPS on your phone, you need to know where you're going and the best route to get there, in order to arrive at your destination on time and in great shape.

4. Data Analysis and Reporting

With the abundance of data generated by digital marketing, the ability to analyze and interpret it is crucial. Marketers need to turn metrics like clicks, inquiries, and conversions into actionable insights that guide decision-making. Creative campaigns are essential, but without data analysis, their effectiveness remains unknown.

When hiring or promoting an in-house marketer, dealers and GMs must look for candidates who demonstrate a balanced skill set—combining creativity with strong data analysis capabilities. This mix ensures they can craft compelling campaigns while effectively measuring and optimizing their performance.

5. Social Media Expertise

Social media has grown up, graduated college, got married, had kids and is staring down the barrel at middle age.

As a vital component of dealership marketing, dealership marketers must understand each social media platform’s nuances, create compelling stories, and manage community engagement.

The rise in toxicity and polarizing interactions on Twitter has driven users to explore alternative social platforms that prioritize healthier, more constructive online communities. This migration has spurred the emergence of innovative platforms offering unique features, moderated environments, and niche focuses to meet the evolving needs of digital users.

6. Adaptability

The digital landscape evolves rapidly and often. Trends shift rapidly, customer behaviors evolve, and unexpected challenges arise. For dealership marketers, the ability to pivot and adapt is the ultimate competitive edge.

While it’s impossible to predict every future twist and turn, setting up a marketing strategy that prioritizes flexibility can make all the difference. By building adaptability into your plans from the start, you’ll be better prepared to respond effectively to changes and seize new opportunities.

Navigating the digital-first world we live in can be treacherous. Embrace the discomfort of trying new strategies and approaches to attract and engage customers. Staying flexible and open to change isn’t just a survival tactic—it’s the key to thriving in an ever-evolving marketplace.

7. Video Production

Video has cemented itself as a cornerstone of dealership marketing. From managers to the marketing team and sales staff, creating high-quality video content is no longer optional—it’s a best practice for connecting with customers.

Engaging, informative videos resonate with audiences and build trust. For inspiration, look no further than my friend Tim Bartz at Long McArthur Ford, whose YouTube channel boasts over 68,000 subscribers—a testament to the impact of strategic video marketing.

Quick Tips for Professional Video Quality

Before you dive into filming, spend a moment testing your setup. A quick 30-second test video can help ensure optimal sound and lighting. These simple tweaks make a big difference:

• Lighting: Outdoor shoots are great, but always position the sun behind you for a well-lit subject. Cloudy days provide even lighting, though avoid overly dark skies.
• Sound: Poor audio can ruin even the most authentic video. Invest in a quality microphone, like a Blue Snowball or Yeti for desktop setups. For mobile shooting, compact microphones for iPhones and Android devices are game-changers for on-the-go recording.

Essential Video Production Considerations

To produce videos that captivate your audience, focus on these key elements:

• Composition: Does everything in the frame look balanced and intentional?
• Subject Matter: What message do you want viewers to take away?
• Background: Ensure the set complements your subject without distractions.
• Stability: If using a phone, a tripod or stand is a must for steady footage.
• Length: Keep videos concise and engaging; attention spans are short.
• Script: Jot down key points or use a full script if it helps you stay on track.

With a little planning and the right tools, dealership marketers can leverage the power of video to engage customers, showcase inventory, and drive sales like never before.

8. Marketing Automation Proficiency

Automation tools streamline marketing efforts by simplifying repetitive tasks and optimizing campaigns on multiple channels. From digital retailing solutions to advanced analytics, leveraging these tools is essential for scaling operations and maintaining efficiency in today’s fast-paced environment.

The marketing automation industry grows exponentially each year. As marketing automation tools continue to improve and multiply, it won’t get any easier to navigate in 2024. Shrewd marketers command the use of specific tools while also investigating and re-evaluating to discover new and enhanced solutions.

9. Decisiveness in Customer Interaction

Humans are predictably irrational, readily sidetracked and constantly making decisions. And the more decisions we make in a given day, the worse we get at it.

Decisiveness is a cornerstone of great marketing and effective leadership.

In today’s marketing landscape, success isn’t just about what you put out to attract customers—it’s about how you respond when they engage with your content. Many retailers still maintain a barrier between themselves and their audience, a holdover from the days when advertising was purely a one-way broadcast. Back then, there was no need for strategies that foster direct engagement or delight customers online. However, dealership marketers who take decisive steps to break down this barrier are setting themselves up for long-term success.

Connecting with customers on a human level is the key to winning in 2025. Doing so requires decisiveness in every interaction, often demanding quick thinking, confidence, patience, empathy, gratitude, and courage. These traits not only enhance decision-making but they foster stronger relationships with car buyers, leading to greater engagement and happier customers.

And speaking of empathy...

10. Empathy

Putting yourself in your customers' shoes and seeing things from their perspective helps a great deal with understanding customer needs, creating meaningful marketing, and ultimately satisfying their queries enough to get them to act.

Empathy is also the key to outstanding customer experience. As social media has become more integrated with how we communicate, and how your customers prefer to communicate with you, retailers and dealership marketers must develop protocols to be able to successfully address customers' needs and inquiries.

In tense crisis situations, such as comments sections or online reviews, where there's an audience watching, a dealership marketer may not always be able to deliver a solution but she/he can always deliver empathy.

Empathy is feeling with people

When you put yourself in your audience’s shoes, it becomes easier to acknowledge struggles and think critically about the best solutions.

How Ready Are You for Marketing in 2025?

The skills required of dealership marketers have never been more varied or demanding. To navigate the complexities of today—and prepare for what lies ahead—marketers must continuously elevate their skill sets.

Selling vehicles is challenging right now, but it’s not the first time the industry has faced tough conditions. Staying competitive and maintaining market leadership will require strategic adjustments to past approaches. Ensure your marketing team is equipped with the expertise needed to deliver on your organization’s vision and achieve its goals.