How to Market Your Dealership

These days there seems to be more and more competition when it comes to vehicle sales. After all, you not only have to deal with other local dealerships, there are a number of websites that offer vehicles from around the country. So how can you get the attention of the potential market? 

Here are twelve top ways that you can market your dealership. 

1). Have a robust social media plan

Just about every dealership manager knows that they have to have a big social media presence. However, it is important that you are promoting the right content in the right place. Here is a look at some of the best places to concentrate your dealership social media presence:

• Facebook – Facebook is important because you can easily target a local audience. You can use Facebook posts to show photos and videos of vehicles. You can also show off your latest promotions.
• Youtube – Youtube is popular for car review. You should have one of your charismatic team members to a review of your most popular vehicles
• Instagram – Instragram loves great looking photos. Put up your best photos of your inventory to show off to the Instagram audience. 
• Twitter – Twitter is ideal for breaking news. Offering messages about your latest discounts, sales and inventory is ideal for this platform. 

2). Be active in your community

It is important to be an active member of the community. There are a number of ways that you can reach and get in front of the community without having to spend big money in ads. Here are a couple of ways to be active and get noticed in your community:

• Sponsor local festivals
• Volunteer for good causes
• Offer support in times of need (ex. Natural disasters)
• Offer support for local military vets

3). Support local teams

If your dealership is in a market with a local professional or college team, then it would be a great idea to sponsor the team. Even if you are located in a smaller market, you may be able to get some excellent attention by sponsoring some of the big high school teams. By supporting local teams, you can enhance the positive image of your dealership. 

4). Use customer testimonials 

Customer testimonials are extremely powerful to get people attracted to your dealership. The customer testimonials can be used for everything from vehicle sales to leases and service center business. These testimonials can be used in ads as well as social media postings. 

5). Hire local celebrities for ads

Is there a local celebrity in your market? Chances are, that you can use that person in your ads to attract attention. Here are some places where you can find local celebrities:

• Local radio station
• Sports teams
• Former politicians

6). Create a VIP program

There is a saying that 80% of your business will come from 20% of your customers. Therefore it is important to identify the 20% of your top customers and make sure that you keep them coming back for your vehicles and services. You can keep these elite customers happy by creating a VIP program.

A VIP program gives special attention to these customers that allows you to stay on top of these needs. Here are some ways that you can create a VIP program:

• Have a dedicated team to exclusively serve VIP customers
• Offer VIP customers first right of refusal for new vehicles
• Offer special events for VIP customers only
• Send holiday and birthday gifts to VIP customers 

7). Have launch parties for special vehicles

If you have a special vehicle coming to your dealership, then you should create an event around it. It is a good idea to identify qualified prospects to your dealership to view the vehicle. You should offer snacks, music and a fun atmosphere to make the event fun and engaging. Finally, you can create a presentation where you can talk about the vehicle and offer the ability to place a deposit. 

8). Host car events

Can events is a popular way for a dealership to get their name out in the community. Just about every city has car events on the weekend. You can sponsor a car event or even host one at your dealership. At the car event, you can even host a raffle and collect email addresses where you can follow up calls to generate test drive appointments. 

9). Donate transportation services for local charities 

Never pass up an opportunity to be a hero in your community. Chances are that your dealership may have some fleet vehicles available. You can donate transportation for people in need and publicize the good deed to help you generate good will toward the community. 

10). Do stunts for dealership promotion 

Looking to get lots of people to notice your dealership? Then you can create a local stunt that could attract local media. Here’s a look at some of the stunts that your dealership can attempt:

• Creating an outrageous aftermarket Jeep, truck or other specialty vehicle and drive it around town with your dealership name.
• Offer to give away a vehicle if fan makes a half court shot at a local basketball game
• Offer special discounts if the local team wins a championship 

11). Create an email/text/push notification campaign 

Personalized marketing is one of the most effective ways to turn leads into test drives and sales. Some of the best ways to reach out to individual leads is through an e-mail, text of push notification campaign. Here are some of the messages that you can communicate through these campaigns:

• Vehicle discounts
• Customer testimonials
• Service center coupons
• Lease offers 

12). Have a catchy jingle or tagline 

Since your dealership needs to stand out quickly, you need a 3 to 5 second way to communicate what makes your special. For over a century jingles and taglines have help brands catch attention. Work with your local ad agency to create a catchy 5 second jingle that can tag all of your radio, TV and internet ads. Also, come up with a tagline that makes your dealership stand out.