Auto aftermarket SEO and content marketing

Andy Newhall, Director of Organic Growth and SEO at Real Truck, delves into SEO and content marketing for the automotive industry. Unlike traditional automotive retail, which centers around original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the aftermarket involves companies providing upgrades and modifications for vehicles after purchase. For companies like RealTruck, this distinction adds complexity to SEO and content strategies. Today, Andy discusses auto aftermarket SEO and content marketing.
About the speaker

Andy Newhall

RealTruck

 is a little camera shy

Andy Newhall, Director of Organic Growth and SEO at Real Truck

Show Notes

  • 01:53
    Overview of RealTruck.com
    RealTruck.com is an online aftermarket truck, Jeep, and SUV parts retailer with over 20 years of eCommerce experience. Recently, it merged with Truck Hero, positioning RealTruck as both a retailer and a manufacturer in the automotive aftermarket marketplace.
  • 04:20
    The auto aftermarket vs. OEMs
    The auto aftermarket is where companies sell upgrades and modifications for vehicles after purchase, unlike OEMs who make the cars themselves. It offers a wide range of products beyond what's typically offered by car manufacturers.
  • 07:05
    RealTrucks approach to SEO and content marketing
    RealTruck prioritizes categories where it's well-established or aims to strengthen its position, focusing on expediting customers through the sales funnel. RealTruck differentiates in the industry by concentrating on areas like truck bed covers, running boards, and wheels.
  • 10:23
    RealTrucks content strategy
    RealTruck creates content based on consumer research, focusing on buyer personas like first-time “accessorizers” and those needing installation assistance. They prioritize buyer guides and installation content to support and engage customers.
  • 12:27
    How RealTruck leverages AI for content marketing
    RealTruck uses AI to generate briefs, prioritizing human writing for authoritative long-form content. They're also exploring AI's potential to manage their vast product catalog and assist with the complexity fitment presents to the user experience on the website.
  • 16:35
    RealTrucks holistic approach to content marketing
    The Real Truck content team has built a large library of helpful content, ensuring it has the architecture to help it scale. Theyve organized content into subcategories like how-to guides and lifestyle pursuits to accommodate a wide range of user needs.

Quotes

  • "There was a major merger between TruckHero and RealTruck. So what's cool is now in 2024, RealTruck can position itself as a retailer and manufacturer." - Andy Newhall

  • "The auto aftermarket is this robust multibillion-dollar industry with literally hundreds of categories of different modifications." - Andy Newhall

  • "When it comes to content marketing, whats served us well is finding a strong footing in a handful of categories and looking at which categories we can make the most progress by identifying our strengths as a retailer." - Andy Newhall

  • "Having consumer research studies at our fingertips to identify our three or four key buyer personas has significantly influenced our content creation strategy." - Andy Newhall

  • "We've taken a strong approach to ensuring that all of our long-form, informational content is extremely authoritative, and we feel like the way to do that is through human writing." - Andy Newhall

About the speaker

Andy Newhall

RealTruck

 is a little camera shy

Andy Newhall, Director of Organic Growth and SEO at Real Truck

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