Dealership Sales and Marketing Automation Tips That Drive Results

Looking to streamline your dealership's marketing efforts while boosting sales? You're in the right place! We sat down with our staff retired GM to get the scoop on how he leveraged a balanced marketing approach to crush his store's sales and revenue goals. Randy - Take it away!

Thanks guys. After years on the dealership floor, I've learned that success comes from combining smart automation with proven physical marketing strategies. You can't operate a car dealership like your parents did, but you also can't get too far down the automation rabbit hole where you lose personalization. After all, you're still selling a car to a person. And whether they're on your lot or you're in their inbox, you've got to maintain that feel.

So, let's get right to it and see how we can combine cutting-edge automation with proven physical marketing strategies to transform your dealership's performance.

When I first became GM, our digital marketing was a mess. We had a CRM full of stale leads and a social media presence that consisted of random posts whenever someone remembered. Social media platforms are way more sophisticated nowadays, and if yours are not set up for lead generation, then you're just losing out on sales.

Here's how we fixed it and how you can too.

Creating a Lead Generation Machine

We built what I call the "Never Miss a Lead" system. It starts the moment a prospect hits your website or walks through your door. Here's the exact sequence we used:



• Immediate Response: Within 5 minutes of form submission, prospects receive a personalized SMS and Email
• Day 1-3: Three-touch sequence introducing their dedicated sales consultant
• Day 4-14: Value-building content about their vehicle of interest
• Day 15-30: Social proof and testimonial content
• Day 31+: Long-term nurture with service tips and trade-in opportunities

Are you still with me? Hopefully, because if the above went over your head then you definitely need to reconsider how you're using your social media platforms. They have all the capabilities to become traffic drivers to your CRM - where you can leverage personalized automation while your sales team reaches out.

Now, here's the thing - this automation needs to align with your physical presence. Lead capture means absolutely squat if your leads cannot find you!

Let me show you how we integrated physical marketing automation to amplify our results.

When your potential customers can see you and stop, your dealership marketing taps the OG automation - a constant stream of fresh-ups.

Remember when we had to constantly replace those cheap latex balloons that looked terrible after a day in the sun? Your GM would yell at you if you were the new guy. It could be raining, storming, or snowing lol, and you had to get out there and deal with the displays?

Thankfully, those days are gone. Let me show you how we transformed our physical presence with zero added effort from our sales team.

DuraBalloon®: Your 24/7 Silent Salesperson

In my GM days, we discovered that DuraBalloon® displays weren't just decorative - they were essential lead generators. Here's what makes them special:

• 
  Weather-resistant construction that maintains a pristine appearance and brand awareness
• Strategic placement capabilities that draw attention from major traffic arteries that frame your lot
• Managed maintenance schedule that eliminates daily checks and annoying start-up duties
• Coordinated color schemes that match your digital branding
• 
  

We positioned these at key visibility points and saw a noticeable uptick in walk-in traffic within the first month. But here's the real genius - we integrated them with our digital strategy.

How? For starters, our social media platforms were filled with images of our dealership from the road. Sure, our inventory changed, but our balloons remained the same (except during the holidays).

This became an instantly recognizable beacon for our hard-earned digital customers because they didn't drive to the next store over. They recognized us from the road!



PermaShine® and FestiBall®: Your Attention-Getting Showroom Experience

Your showroom is where digital leads become buyers. We transformed ours into an automated experience using PermaShine® displays and FestiBall® installations. We found that strategic placement of PermaShine® displays near digital kiosks rocked our customer engagement. Here's our winning combination:

• 
  Digital kiosks showing inventory near balloon displays
• QR codes on hanging signs linking to special offers
• Seasonal FestiBall® themes matching our email campaigns
• Automated display rotations timed with promotional cycles

But here's what really made the difference: we created what I call "store experience zones" in the showroom. Each zone had its own purpose and automation strategy.

The Welcome Zone

This is where first impressions happen. We installed FestiBall® displays that automatically updated with our dealership marketing efforts regarding current promotions. The key was matching these displays with our digital welcome sequence:



• Automated text messages referencing specific display colors or themes
• Email follow-ups with photos of the displays they saw
• Social media posts featuring the same visual elements

The Discovery Zone

In the heart of the showroom, PermaShine® displays guided customers through their journey. We integrated this with our CRM to:

• Create a parallel digital experience that:
• Followed up with emails about which vehicles customers viewed the longest
• Send holiday and service promo’s that they could recognize from our store

The Delivery Zone

You better believe that our deliveries were a special occasion. We had a glassed-off section that was visible to all where the happy new owner (and yes, even from our pre-owned inventory) was seen getting their delivery framed by checkered-flag and OEM branded balloons.

Our social media walls were PLASTERED with these happy customer photos. It made them excited to feel that appreciated and helped our engagement for new leads overall. 

Here's where most dealerships drop the ball - they treat physical and digital marketing as separate entities. Think of what I just said. Our deliveries were obviously in person… but the balloons made them special. And we took that right to our digital marketing efforts. 

If it's not already super clear, the key to your success is integrating these "pieces" into a unified dealership marketing strategy - and that’s one of the biggest dealership sales and marketing automation tips I want you to tattoo to your arm!

Let me show you how we automated the connection between them.

We created a content calendar that synchronized with our physical displays:

• 
  Monday: New inventory spotlight matching outdoor balloon colors
• Tuesday: Service specials with showroom display tie-ins
• Wednesday: Customer delivery photos featuring our balloon displays
• Thursday: Behind-the-scenes content showing display changes
• Friday: Weekend special announcements with coordinated themes

Balloons were always part of our ads landscape. Whatever the promo, whatever the picture, we had the appropriate balloon display in the background. This became something of an X on the treasure map for our customers. I can't tell you how much easier this made it for our sales team.

Pro Tip: Use scheduling tools to prepare a month's worth of content, but leave room for real-time engagement and make sure your BDC manager is on top of things, responding to questions and handling/distributing lead generation in real-time.

Email Marketing That Converts

Our email automation became significantly more effective when we referenced our physical displays. Here's our proven sequence:

• 
  Welcome Email: "Look for our bright blue DuraBalloons® at the corner of [your address]"
• Follow-up: "Did you see our massive FestiBall® display featuring the new model launch?"
• Reminder: "Stop by this weekend - we've transformed our showroom with the season's hottest cars and colors"

The key is making your physical presence part of your digital story. As I've said, these balloons will literally become the X that marks the spot.

Now, I was lucky. I knew where my limits were (I'm a bit old-school), so when it came to all this digital lead generation stuff, I made sure to hire someone hip to the entire process - in order to combine it with the techniques I used on the floor. Now, while I know most of you aren't digital marketers, consider the following my cheat sheet. Print it out. And give it to your BDC manager.

SMS Marketing Integration

Text messaging became the secret weapon of choice at my car dealership. We automated messages based on the following:

• 
  Weather conditions (promoting our indoor showroom events and concierge configuration services on rainy days)
• Traffic patterns (suggesting alternate routes to our dealership - people LOVED this one)
• Special events (coordinating with display changes)

Baby steps. Your store's been around for a long time, and it's not going anywhere. So here's an easy-breezy timeline for your dealership marketing efforts:

Month 1:

• Install DuraBalloon® displays at key traffic/visibility points
• Set up basic email automation sequences - keeping personalization at the forefront of all
• Create a social media content calendar as discussed
• Make sure your leads are handled appropriately

Month 2:

• Add PermaShine® showroom displays
• Integrate CRM tracking systems
• Launch SMS automation

Month 3:

• Install FestiBall® seasonal displays
• Fine-tune automation sequences for these events
• Begin advanced tracking, nurturing, and optimization

Now, caveat emptor. Just because you're envisioning becoming a 100-car store (or whatever your new unit target is), slow down. Do it right. Because when folks rush the process with these dealership sales and marketing automation tips, they have problems (but I’ll give ‘ya my best two cents to overcome):

• 
  Inconsistent Branding
• Solution: Create a style guide that covers both digital and physical elements, you can do this in Canva or something similar
• Poor Timing
• Solution: Use automation tools to coordinate message delivery
• Lack of Integration
• Solution: Regular team meetings to align marketing efforts

The automotive industry is constantly evolving; you know that already. But many folks miss out on sticking to a process that drives success.

• 
  Regular Strategy Reviews
• Monthly performance assessments
• Quarterly strategy updates
• Annual comprehensive planning
• Technology Integration
• Keep your CRM updated
• Invest in new automation tools
• Stay current with display technology

After implementing these dealership sales and marketing automation tips, we saw banner years and became the winning store in our state and our region for a few years back to back.

The secret isn't just in having great physical displays or smart digital automation - it's in making them work together seamlessly. Your DuraBalloons®, PermaShine® displays and FestiBall® installations become more than just eye-catching decorations; they become integral parts of your automated marketing machine.

Visibility from the street and your store can go viral - just like your viral campaigns can bring people to your store. It’s a never-ending loop.

Remember, the goal of automation isn't to remove the human element from your dealership - it's to free up your team to do what they do best: build relationships and sell cars. Keep your automated systems personal and your lot visible and watch prospects turn into customers.

Ready to transform your dealership's marketing? Start with one element at a time, perfect it, then expand. Whether you begin with digital automation or physical displays, consistent integration and continuous optimization are key.

I trust these dealership sales and marketing automation tips have been helpful to you and if you’re ready to boost your curb appeal, check out our current promotion!