Dealership Marketing Strategies
Drive Real
Results
How to Market Your Car Dealership
Get up to speed—fast—on the latest dealership marketing strategies.
When people need a new car, they start online. So for dealers, a strong digital presence is a must. From paid search to social media marketing, increasing your visibility will lead to stronger business. Let's get moving!
Leading car dealers are embracing the digital marketing landscape.
"In a market where our competition is down 4%, we are up 28%. We are blowing the industry away with what we are doing together."
"New and used cars are up 15 to 25 cars per month. We delivered 130-plus Subaru intender leads monthly."
Marketing Quick Wins for Car Dealers
Speed up your success with these easy tactics.
Building a dealership business takes time and serious investment. Fortunately, these quick wins provide traction for new and established dealerships alike.
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Start with Search
Today, people research—and even buy!—cars online. When you rise to the top, you'll grow your business. This includes SEO and SEM, but you can start with a quick-to-implement local paid search campaign.
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Rev Up Recurring Business
If you're like most dealerships, service can be a big part of your bottom line. Set up automated email and text reminders for service and maintenance, on custom schedules, to keep your customers coming back more frequently.
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Get Your Reputation in Check
Check your online reputation. If it needs work, hire a pro to help get things in order before going full speed with other marketing tactics.
- Suggested Services
- PPC, SEO, Reputation Management, OTT, GeoFenced Display, Email, Broadcast
- Primary Key Performance Indicator
- Phone Calls, Walk-ins, Click for Directions
- Recommended Time Frame
- 12 Months
A Step-By-Step Guide to Car Dealership Marketing
Put the pedal to the metal with this 5-step approach.
Like selling a car, your marketing requires a nuanced approach. Get more customers on the lot—and more sales under your belt—with this step-by-step plan.
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Polish Your Presence
First, make sure your online reputation is squeaky clean. Customers want to buy from a dealer they can trust, so address any immediate issues and implement a plan to continuously monitor and respond to online reviews.
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Maintain Your Socials
Your shiny new cars were made for social media! Run campaigns to gain a strong local following so that you can promote financing specials, new models and more to drum up business. You can even run paid social campaigns to widen your reach.
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Drive Traffic
Speaking of widening your reach, new, targeted digital ad technologies can help you grow business much more quickly and efficiently by getting you in front of people who are about to start (or in the midst of) car shopping. This includes campaigns on car listing sites, paid search, display and social media advertising.
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Push Repeat Business
As mentioned, car dealers can benefit greatly from service department business. But it's not just about the recurring revenue. Providing a positive experience when customers come in for service will cement your reputation in their minds. When it's time for their next purchase, they'll come back to you.
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Build a Name For Yourself
The stronger your name is in your community, the bigger your business can grow. This comes fairly naturally for car dealers who are often long standing pillars in the community, but for newer dealerships or those looking to level up, use brand-building channels like radio, TV, digital billboards, social and display.
Car Dealership Trends
Word on the lot is that these trends are having big impact.
Technology and digital trends hit the dealership world years ago, and are having continued impact. Position yourself ahead of the evolution to succeed.
Bulldog Kia Boosts Phone Calls by 50%
Bulldog Kia had a strong radio presence, but wanted to focus more on conversions and ROI. CMG implemented a comprehensive strategy of search, dynamic social, and display campaigns to advertise monthly updated incentives.
Double-digit Percentage Increases Across All Channels
The campaign brought a 98% increase in paid search traffic, a 69% increase in traffic from dynamic social ads, a 32% increase in traffic from display ads and a 50% increase in calls.
Get FREE Custom Insights
We have inside information on the audience and market trends affecting your car dealership.
From information about the size and makeup of your local or national market to insights on your competitors and their marketing activities, we'll provide you with in-depth, free reports to help guide your car dealership marketing strategy in the right direction. Fill out the form to get started.
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Car Dealership Marketing FAQs
Start with search. Most buyers research and even buy cars online, so local paid search, SEO, and SEM put your dealership in front of in-market shoppers. Pair that with social campaigns promoting financing specials and new models, and keep your online reputation strong so the traffic you earn actually converts. A full-funnel mix works better than any single channel.
A full-funnel approach. CMG recommends five steps: polish your online presence and reviews, maintain active social media, drive traffic with targeted digital ads across car-listing sites, paid search, display, and social, push repeat business through your service department, and build your name with brand-building channels like radio, TV, digital billboards, social, and display. Digital and traditional working together is the most effective.
Set up automated email and text reminders for service and maintenance on custom schedules to keep customers coming back more often. A positive service-department experience also encourages repeat vehicle purchases, so treating service as a marketing channel pays off twice.
Customers want to buy from a dealer they can trust, so your online reputation directly affects sales. Check your reviews and get your reputation in order before going full speed on other marketing tactics, then monitor it continuously.
Results vary by market, but CMG's work with Bulldog Kia shows the potential. A combined strategy of search, dynamic social, and display campaigns drove a 98% increase in paid search traffic, a 69% increase in dynamic social ad traffic, a 32% increase in display ad traffic, and a 50% increase in phone calls.
