How to attract clients to a car dealership – 11 tips to achieve it

When you have a car dealership, one of your goals is always to get potential buyers. But before your sales team can work their magic , you need to give your buyers a reason to love your business. So how do car dealerships attract customers in the first place?

More than ever, auto dealers need to invest in great lead generation tactics . Thanks to the Internet, buyers have access to more dealerships and more control over the car-buying process than ever before.

This means fewer potential customers are visiting your dealership as a first step. Instead, they are researching online to find the best car and vehicle dealer for their needs.

Your automotive marketing strategy should allow your brand to appear and stand out from the beginning of your research . You can use the tactics below to drive more quality leads to your business.

But first, know the points that will be addressed in this article.

How to attract clients to a car agency?

Bringing car buyers to your dealership starts with effective lead generation techniques. Once you’ve identified your target audience, your job is to reach these potential customers where they’re already searching for brands like yours, both online and offline.

Let’s dive into five dealership marketing ideas you can use to attract more car buyers and increase your sales.

1. Get creative with incentives

Here consider two points. The first is to create incentives for online users . Maybe they can book a test drive or get a discount on your purchase. And for those who go to your physical location, a good idea is to offer snacks or drinks that make their visit pleasant.

You can also offer a refund for any customer who shows up for a second time to buy a car. This can help you convert some of the first-timers into actual buyers.

Another way to attract customers is by encouraging them to refer you to their friends and family . They will need an incentive like a free full tank or money for each referral.

Be sure to advertise your incentives on all your digital channels . You can offer free oil changes one week and the other mats free for everyone who buys a car. This will stir up some excitement in the community , as they will always want to hear what’s on your deal list.

2. Offer more than car sales

Think of other things that car buyers are looking for and take advantage of them. For example, most people looking to buy a car look to lenders or financial organizations to finance them .

You can solve this by partnering with credible financial organizations and helping customers who are qualified to get loans. This will save them the hassle and time of finding a lender with good terms.

3. Invest in your sales team

A great sales team can help drive sales to your business. Teach your team to collect all the contacts and personal information of your potential customers. And what better, if all this is within an omnichannel platform .

They can then use contacts to follow up and make cold calls or contact each other on WhatsApp. Sometimes you may not have the car they need, but later, if it is present, sellers can let the buyer know. Sellers can also send customers personalized birthday messages to nurture your customer relationships .

It ‘s also important that sellers call customers to check how the car is performing a few weeks after purchase. As well as inform them of any promotion you currently have. Keeping in touch with clients helps to generate referrals easily .

4. Keep up with trends

As expensive as it may be, it’s important to have a healthy and balanced inventory. Customers are more attracted to car dealerships with a variety of car colors and types. This assures customers that there is something for everyone.

You also need to know what’s new on the market and buy it . The most it should take for a car dealer to bring in a new model after it is released is one week.

However, don’t fall into the trap of announcing a new model before it hits your business . This is a tempting move because it creates excitement. Before this, create promotions of the models you already have to reduce the pressure of bringing in new inventory.

5. Have an online presence

The use of technology has spread to all sectors, and that includes the car dealership. Many people will look to see cars within the price range they can offer before making a purchase.

Work on a great website and images to attract customers to your store. Investing in more advanced marketing, like local SEO, will help you attract people looking for car dealerships in your area .

In addition to marketing your business through a website, use the best digital tools to reach your customers. It is very important that you have a digital presence on social platforms where your potential customers are.

6. Post testimonials on your website

Customers depend on other people’s experiences to determine what it will be like to truly engage with your business. Encourage your customers to give you testimonials, reviews and ratings. This will help you easily gain the trust of your potential customers .

7. Activate your social networks

The use of social networks is not only becoming a more prominent part of our personal lives. It is also directly influencing the car buying process .

When buying a new car,  90% of consumers  who use social media for research say it influenced their final decision, especially Facebook. This makes social media a great marketing channel for car dealers to attract new customers (and re-engage existing ones).

It is possible to capture leads from social networks organically . For example, you can:

• Share posts that link to relevant landing pages on your site.
• Add contact information to your profile.
• Encourage users to subscribe directly to your  Facebook Messenger bot .

However, if you want the best results, you can use Instagram and Facebook Lead Ads, LinkedIn Dynamic Ads, and similar paid ads. These paid ads not only allow you to target a highly specific target audience. They also allow requesting and collecting phone numbers directly on the platform.

The cost of these lead generation ads will depend on the audience you establish , but you can expect them to cost a bit more than the standard ad. However, you will get a lead who actively entered your sales funnel .

8. Pay Per Click Ads

Since car buyers spend about  60% of their time  researching online, having a strong search engine presence is critical .

You can instantly bring your site to the top of Google’s search results pages by using  pay-per-click (PPC) ads,  which allow you to target a specific audience and appear for relevant keywords .

For example, when someone in your target audience searches for “buy 2019 Suzuki Grand Nomade in Peru”, your ppc ad can boost your site above the first organic result.

You can also target more specific keywords for specific products (“2020 Honda Civic”) or services (“truck oil changes”). These PPC ads can lead users to a landing page that specifically targets users looking for the given product or service .

It doesn’t matter which website you promote through your PPC ad. You should always include live chat that encourages your visitors to submit their contact information in some way .

It should also be mobile friendly, as many car shoppers are using mobile devices to shop . The price of PPC ads can vary a lot, but the broader keywords that get more traction tend to cost more per click.

9. Local associations

You don’t always have to use digital marketing techniques to attract customers to your car dealership. Building partnerships with other local businesses can be one of the best ways to get high-quality leads without spending a dime (unless other payment terms are agreed upon).

When you partner with other members of the automotive industry, those who are not direct competitors and can complement your service, you begin a mutually beneficial relationship that expands both networks .

For example, if you sell cars, whether new or used. You can associate with washing or maintenance companies so that the service is free for one year for the purchase of a car. Or in any case with a special discount for a certain amount of time .

Other types of companies you can partner with, since they don’t offer the same products or services, can include auto parts stores, auto detail stores, and even auto insurance companies.

One of the reasons this tactic works so well is because you’re tapping into a customer base that may already be loyal to the brand you’re partnering with. When that brand endorses yours, you gain instant trust from those loyal customers.

If you want to attract even more potential customers, you can also agree to offer discounts to other customers. If you want to take your partnership online, you can each create a landing page that showcases the benefits of shopping with both brands.

10. Referral Program

Most marketers agree that referral programs offer a lower cost per lead than any other channel . It makes sense: people trust other people.

Just as gaining the endorsement of a local business can help you gain the trust of your customers, gaining the endorsement of a current customer can help you gain the trust of their friends and family . This can help you make a car sale faster.

Your program needs to give your customers a good incentive to refer people in your network. For each lead you can convert, you can give the referrer :

• A free car service (up to a certain value)
• a gift card
• A cash reward

You can even create an employee referral program , giving them bonuses when they successfully refer car buyers. No matter who your referral program is designed for, the exact value of the reward it offers is up to you. However, keep profitability in mind, as you are selling a high-value product.

If you don’t have the budget for larger rewards , you can also offer smaller rewards for customers who bring a friend for a test drive.

11. Community events

Finally, get involved in your community. Most car buyers will choose the car dealership that provides an experience they enjoy , regardless of price, so sponsoring, organizing, and having a booth at local events are great ways to build relationships on a more personal level.

When you participate in other organizers’ events, make sure attendees align well with your audience. For example, joining a car show is worth more time and money than a general family festival.

To encourage attendees to provide their contact information, you’ll also want to brainstorm an incentive, which can be as simple as a prize wheel or as large as a car giveaway, depending on your expected ROI.

When hosting your own event, don’t forget that your dealership may be the place to be. This is a great way to not only get new leads, but also to bring the community under your business , so they always keep you top of mind.

During these events, you can offer test drives of a new car model and deals on cars to attract customers , while offering general benefits such as food, drinks and free games to engage the community at large.

Very well, you have already learned 11 ways or strategies to attract customers to your business . Try each of them separately or individually so you can see what is working the most for your customers.