7 Creative Car Dealership Marketing Ideas to Boost Sales

Marketing Strategy Musts

In today's day and age, targeted advertising is everything. Given the rise of streaming services, our research shows that radio ads and even traditional commercials are on the decline. Our data reveals something even more interesting. Customers don't even like seeing ads, so they pay for their streaming services.

You left with two main options, broken down into the list below. Essentially, your best lead generation tactics come from when they're driving by and fiddling with their devices. Here's what we mean.

Maintain an Active Social Media Presence

Social media marketing is a MUST. If your BDC or inventory managers aren't leveraging a consistent social media marketing strategy, you are losing sales. Everyone and their grandmother has a social media account of some kind, so it would be a bad idea to ignore this avenue in your search for customer interaction and engagement. Keeping an active social media presence shows prospective customers that your company is flourishing and gives them an almost behind-the-scenes look at what you're offering. Great content ideas include how-to videos, question-and-answer segments, and live videos advertising new products. It may even be worth your time to invest in hiring a company to handle your social media for you. These companies know the ins and outs of social media engagement and how to attract target audiences to your page. Not only that, but most channels have built-in analytics that can help you fine-tune your posts - which should also drive you to an optimized vehicle landing page of some kind.

Increase Online Visibility with Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Today, hundreds of new websites are created every hour, making the sheer volume of online competitors an ever-growing issue for businesses. This aspect of your digital marketing needs to be on point and to make your website stand out from the crowd, Search Engine Optimization techniques will help improve your website's chances of appearing on the first page of search engine results. SEO is one of the most critical automotive marketing strategies because our research shows that internet users pay little attention to results beyond the first page. There's an old joke in the SEO world: if you want to bury the bodies, do it on page two of Google.

In other words, using SEO techniques optimized for local Google search can help put your business in front of potential customers. Make sure that your website loads quickly and is organized for the easiest customer experience possible. Add blogs to your website that contain information about services and products customers are searching for, and make sure that your website content is relevant and easy to read. Lastly, cater to the local Google algorithm. Keywords like [Insert your year, make, model, Lease Deals in your city] will help skyrocket visibility and sales.

If you're still not seeing the website traffic you'd like, consider hiring a digital marketing agency to optimize your website, and you'll see the clicks start pouring in!

Reach Customers with Targeted Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing remains one of the best ways to reach new customers and enhance your customer retention rate. While you don't want to bombard people with so many emails that they block you, specific, targeted email marketing campaigns can work wonders for your business. Here's something to try right now. Go to your CRM and check your open rate. Anything less than 20% means you need to do something differently.

If your open rate smells worse than that awful trade-in you just rolled around back, consider boosting your email subject lines. Make them fun. Make them intriguing. You can engage potential customers by sharing a sales promotion, brand loyalty incentive, an at-home test drive, or something else. But get creative. Focus on your customer. Give them the information they're looking for and watch email engagement soar.

Do you have video ads? Your target audience LOVES watching videos, so why not send them something they'd love to watch? This type of content marketing sounds like a lot of work, but in the end, it creates a richer customer experience and pairs well with modern shopping behavior.

Get Active in the Community, Find More Potential Customers

Now, digital marketing is a must for the automotive industry in today's day and age. But here's the bad news: it makes some car dealership managers lazy. Don't let that be you. Those freshly baked cookies that make their way to your coffee bar aren't going anywhere. But your sales are if you don't get out there and make something happen!

Building your brand's reputation goes beyond just your average star rating online. While Google reviews are important, showing your community that you care about them is equally important. People are much more likely to buy from a company they feel a personal connection to. So, a car dealership that goes out of its way to support and interact with the local community will have an automatic leg-up. Set an annual budget for donations and give to local causes you feel strongly about. In recognition of your contribution, many organizations will include your name or logo in their event programs, banners, or websites, increasing your company's visibility and showing people that your car dealership is more than just a business but a trusted community partner.

Also, here's where a lot of these efforts fail: make sure to include contact information! At the very least, have a QR code that takes your target audience to a landing page specifically designed to capture sponsored community event traffic.

Network with Other Business Leaders

Store brand awareness is something that goes hand in hand with your brand's reputation. Partnering with local businesses is a great way to bolster your community presence. Network with auto repair shops (if your dealership doesn't offer service) as well as other car-related businesses like auto parts stores, car washes, or paint shops. Come up with referral marketing ideas to advertise both your business and theirs and encourage mutual promotion and support. Send customers their way, and they'll likely send customers back to you. Building brand awareness is huge when you want to target people who are not in the market for a car just yet, but who will be eventually. With high brand awareness in your community, prospective customers will be much more likely to think of your dealership first when the time comes to buy a new car.

Compel Shoppers with Unique Deals and Offers

Look, I'm not saying give away all your front-end gross, but you know, and I know it, everyone loves a free gift or sales promotion of some kind. Don't be shy. That lot rock that's been there for six months? Why not include a year of free carwashes at your local partner and get that thing off your lot? You're losing more money replacing lost keys and with PDR. Just roll that thing and be done with it.

For any business to edge out the competition, it's important to show customers the ways your company is not like everyone else's. Consider creating a slogan, mascot, or other unique feature to help get people's attention. Anything that makes you different or better than other companies is something to brag about, so put your thinking cap on to come up with ways to advertise your unique qualities. One of the best car dealership marketing ideas is offering unique deals that no one else offers. Offer a discount for first-time customers or a deal on services like oil changes. Offers like limited-time deals and promotions can help create incentives and a sense of urgency for people to buy with you now instead of with another company later.

Draw in Prospective Customers with Vibrant Balloon Displays

Okay okay. Maybe there's a slight bias here, but I ran a five-brand center in the southwest desert, and let me tell you, people fall asleep at the wheel! They will whizz right by you without a second thought, and nothing gets their attention on those dark desert highways like brilliant car lot balloons.

You might think you don't have a lot of options when it comes to decorating your car lot or making your showroom shine, but that's not the case. Durable balloon displays have seen a big surge in recent years as they create long-lasting, impactful decorations. Because they are made of plastic instead of traditional latex or mylar materials, these balloons can last for months at a time and are resistant to extreme temperatures, wind, and rain.

Their durability makes them perfect for indoor and outdoor displays, adding a festive and color element to your showroom or lot. The best thing about these balloon displays is that they can be customized to your needs as well as switched out easily for holidays and special occasions.

Ready for a shameless sales promotion? You can try this amazing service from my friends at Balloon Innovations FREE for 30 days!!!

Now, how's that for an eye-grabbing car dealership marketing idea? Their reusable balloon displays are easy to install, hold up to just about anything, and even have a patent!

Let Balloon Innovations Handle Your Dealership Display Needs

For dealership showroom displays that put you miles ahead of the competition, Balloon Innovations has everything you need. We sell sign balloons, ground pole kits, light pole balloon displays, and more for companies looking to upgrade their balloon and banner displays. Our car dealership marketing service is an easy, convenient solution to keeping your showroom and car lot looking bright and festive all year round. For one monthly fee, we will come in and set up your balloon displays, and we will offer free, fast replacements. When it's time to switch out the balloons, either due to age or for a new color scheme or event, we'll take care of that, too, so all you have to do is sit back, relax, and watch customers flood in—interested in our car dealership services?

Give us a call today! 800-970-8994