Marketing your car dealership takes a unique approach. Because you’re in the business of local, high-value sales, you need to employ several marketing strategies that will help attract potential buyers, continually generate leads for your sales reps, and actually get cars moving off the lot. To achieve this, you should build a dynamic marketing strategy that accounts for different types of customers and touchpoints.
Touchpoints are places where your audience sees or interacts with your brand. Tailoring your marketing needs to suit different customers at various stages of buying a new car can increase your chances of closing a deal.
1- Email Marketing
Email marketing targets local customers in your target region to promote your services. You can build a mailing list using your website or use email ads. Gmail ads, for example, allow you to set up audience targeting by factors like age, location, and even keywords used in someone’s search history.
2- Social Media
Social media is great for car dealership marketing because it’s free, dynamic, and puts you directly in front of your target audience. From TikToks to Reels and educational Instagram posts, you can use social media to showcase your dealership’s expertise and drive leads.
3- Local SEO
Local search engine optimization (SEO) concentrates all of its efforts on driving customers to a local business. Rather than target keywords on a broad, national level, you focus on driving traffic only from people performing “near me” searches or looking for products in their area.
For example, when someone types “used cars near me” or “used cars in [CITY],” local SEO could ensure your dealership shows up as the top choice. Reaching the top of local recommendations includes website optimization, Google Business Profile content, and asking for positive reviews from satisfied customers.
4- Road Signage
Sometimes, the best thing you can do to market your business is to catch someone’s attention when they’re physically nearby. The best way to do this is through car dealership signage. Think feather flags, digital ads, tube men, and under-hood signs can all help attract business.
Even the use of multicolored lights at night that strategically highlight ads and your best inventory could capture people’s attention. Another good way is to put a QR code at different locations inside your dealership and on business cards; that way, when people interact with your dealership in person they can easily scan the QR code to view your inventory and get more information.
In Summary
Promoting a car dealership online takes a combination of local search optimization and creativity. By homing in on your target audience and their interests, as well as your key selling points, you can craft a marketing strategy that is engaging, effective and has a high return on investment.
Remember to tie your marketing efforts into other aspects of your business, too. Everyone who connects with your dealership online should be carried through a sales process that feels seamless. This maximizes their customer engagement and increases the chance of a lead turning into a buying customer.