Want to sell more cars? Smart marketing is key. Whether it’s physical advertising on your forecourt or building an online presence, with the right approach you can increase visibility, attract the right customers, and boost sales.
This guide outlines essential marketing strategies to help you strengthen your brand and bring in buyers.
Advertise from your forecourt
Your forecourt is one of your most valuable marketing tools. After all, it’s the first thing potential customers see when they visit your car dealership. So, you’ll want to make sure you give the right first impression.
Banners and signage
Large, eye-catching banners can highlight special offers, seasonal promotions, or key selling points. Make sure signs are easy to read from the road and updated regularly to stay relevant.
Windscreen sale and sold stickers
Placing “sale” or “sold” stickers on windscreens helps create urgency and shows customers that stock is moving. It can also draw attention to discounted vehicles or popular models.
Window graphics
Using window graphics on showroom or office windows can reinforce your brand and promote offers. Choose designs that are clean, professional, and consistent with your other marketing materials.
Create printed marketing materials
Printed materials can give buyers extra information about you and help spread brand awareness:
- Brochures and leaflets: Provide clear information about your vehicles, services, and offers.
- Branded handover wallets: Give customers their paperwork in a branded folder to reinforce professionalism and brand recognition.
- Lanyards and merchandise: Small branded items like lanyards or keyrings can increase brand visibility and leave a positive impression.
- Branded uniforms: Ensure your team looks professional and consistent to help build customer trust and confidence.
Use your organic socials
Your customers are spending time online, so try to meet them where they are. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit can help you reach a wider audience and showcase your vehicles and services.
Sharing engaging content, such as photos, videos, and updates, helps keep your audience interested and encourages interaction. Responding to comments and messages also builds trust and shows you’re active and attentive to customer needs.
Build a user-friendly website
A well-designed website makes it easy for customers to browse available vehicles, book appointments, or contact your team. It should be intuitive to navigate, with clear information and calls to action.
Make sure your site is fast and responsive across devices to improve user experience, increase engagement, and boost your conversion rate. This can help give you an edge over competitors with outdated or slow websites.
Work on your local search engine optimisation (SEO)
Local SEO helps customers find your dealership online. Working on how your business appears in search results can help you reach more local buyers and stand out from competition.
Key steps include:
- Optimise your Google Business Profile: Add accurate contact details, opening hours, and high-quality photos.
- Encourage customer reviews: Build trust and improve your local search rankings.
- Do keyword research: Identify what local customers are searching for.
- Create targeted landing pages: Focus on the keywords you have discovered users are using, such as “Used Fords for Sale [location]” or “Used Toyota for Sale [location]”.
- Provide unique, expert-written content: Keep your site informative and authoritative.
- Highlight your team’s expertise: Showcase staff profiles or insights to build credibility.
- Display customer reviews and testimonials: Make testimonials easy to find on your site.
- Create video content: Use car walkarounds, test drives, service tips, or customer testimonials to engage visitors.
Use paid search
Paid search campaigns, such as PPC ads, can help promote your car dealership to highly targeted audiences. It's important to invest in the right type of campaigns so you can increase visibility and attract buyers.
Common approaches include branded, competitor, local, and dynamic campaigns. Focus on high-intent keywords, apply location targeting, and use negative keywords to avoid irrelevant clicks. Doing so ensures your budget is spent efficiently and reaches the right people.
Use incentives and discounts
Offering incentives or discounts can make your dealership stand out and help persuade buyers to choose you over competitors. Limited-time offers, loyalty rewards, or special deals can encourage quicker decisions and keep customers coming back.
Share customer reviews
Sharing positive customer reviews proves credibility with both potential buyers and search engines. They help set your dealership apart from competitors and can be a deciding factor for purchase decisions.
You can also consider offering small incentives to encourage customers to leave reviews, such as discounts, free vehicle checks, or entry into prize draws.
Use automotive platforms
Listing your vehicles on trusted platforms like AutoTrader and Carwow can significantly expand your reach. These well-known sites are often the first place customers look when searching for a car, giving your dealership valuable exposure to a large, ready-to-buy audience.
What else do car dealerships need to consider?
Besides marketing, it's also worth considering insurance to help protect your dealership business. Having car dealership insurance can give you added protection against risks such as damage, theft, and liability claims, so you have financial cover if something happens.
At ChoiceQuote, we work with a panel of UK insurers to provide access to a range of motor trade insurance, including policies for car dealerships. Our dedicated team can talk you through your options and help you compare quotes, with flexible payment plans also available.
Call us on 01625 885046 to speak with our team and discuss car dealership insurance.
The opinions and views expressed in the above articles are those of the author only and are for guidance purposes only. The authors disclaim any liability for reliance upon those opinions and would encourage readers to rely upon more than one source before making a decision based on the information.