The 10 Best Automotive Lead Generation Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Do you know how good car salesmen get leads? It doesn’t normally come in the form of cold-calling people all day. Instead, automotive lead generation is a science that you can perfect with a little trial and error. It doesn’t matter what decade we are in, how to prospect for car sales hasn’t changed. Leads are still the number one priority and you must go beyond traditional marketing methods to be effective.

Whatever methods you choose, don’t be afraid to adjust your strategy as needed. You are investing your energy, money and time into lead generation for the automotive industry, and you might find new techniques to increase your efforts from time to time. You can’t go wrong when you diversify and incorporate several methods into your marketing plan.

Know more about automotive dealer marketing tips.

Whether you need tips for a big dealership or individual car salesman advertising, we have some tricks and ideas for you to try.

1. Don’t Be Afraid to Stick With What Works

There’s one equation that has always worked. You provide a valuable offer to your customers. This puts you in front of a larger audience and they have a reason to take action. As you look through the other automotive marketing tips we have to offer; you always want to revert to these basics. Instilling these qualities in your marketing plan ensures success and additional automotive lead generation.

2. Offer Something Tangible in Exchange for Customer Email Addresses

You have likely heard about the freemium strategy to create an email list. This tactic has worked for a long time, and it isn’t going anywhere soon. The only difference today is that your offer needs to stand out. You want to catch your audience’s interest. Consider what some of the top questions your customers have. You might be able to create something that answers these questions for potential car buyers.

Once you provide a valuable offer, the email addresses will naturally flow in. Make sure that your content is well-written, thought-out and engaging and you might even find that your audience shares the offer with others.

3. Re-engage with Your Lost Prospects

Remarketing is key to getting your long-lost audience to re-engage with your dealership. You likely have a long list of leads that have gone cold. It’s possible they came to your dealership a while ago, looked at the inventory, might have taken a test drive, but then dropped off the map. Now is the time to reach back out to these people. You can give them a call, but email marketing tends to do better.

If you come up with a great offer, it will be hard for them to resist your efforts. Even if they don’t use it themselves, they might pass the offer onto someone else in their circle.

4. Create Walk-Through Videos

High-quality video converts like nothing else. If you want to drive shares and engagement, make sure you employ a video specialist to create new presentations about your vehicle inventory. Then, promote them across your social media channels, your website, as well as some third-party sites.

5. Start a Comprehensive PPC Campaign

To drive targeted traffic to your site, you must have an effective automotive lead generation strategy. Utilize Twitter, Facebook ads, Google ads and more to advertise. Your marketing team should include a capable copywriter that can maximize the ROI of your advertisements.

6. Cross-Promote With Other Organizations and Local Businesses

Don’t forget about the benefit your local community can bring to the table. When you share promotions with local businesses, you quickly spread the word about your establishment. As you stay engaged with the community you serve, you will remain on the top of everyone’s mind. Not only can you incorporate some local sponsorships, but you can create cross-promoting material among multiple businesses.

Try to partner up with a local insurance agency or credit union. These are both power partners for a dealership. As people in the community need a car, they will know who to trust.

7. Allow Customers to Share

You want your clients to share their experiences with others. As you send out the congratulations email after a car sale, make sure you include buttons for Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. The easier you make it for them to share the good news, the more people will take advantage of the offer.

On top of these sharing techniques, make sure that the buttons are in every email, video and blog post you create. You also want these buttons everywhere on your website.

8. Use a Professional Copywriter

Not everyone can create compelling copy and this is one area where you don’t want to miss the boat. Hiring a professional copywriter gives you the edge over the competition. Don’t assume that you can create the ads and content that they can.

When you use an experienced marketer, you gain the edge you need. Copywriters know how to appeal to the pain points, interests and emotions of your target audience. Their skills boost ROI on all of your projects.

9. Utilize LinkedIn Referral Sources

Using LinkedIn to sell cars is not a new topic, but one that’s rarely acted on. You have the chance to build quality relationships with other professionals on LinkedIn. Use the platform to network and get an introduction to new prospects. You can turn existing customers into a marketing team that works for you.

Don’t be afraid to offer something to your audience for their support. A small offer goes a long way to increase your reach.

10. Make Your Pictures Stand Out

You must promote your vehicles with high-quality pictures. This tool is just as important as video. You want potential car buyers to see what they are getting. The picture can capture all of the business for you when it is done right. If you don’t know how to take the photos, hire a professional photographer. The appropriate color balance, backdrop, lighting and angle make all of the difference.

Gain More with Automotive Lead Generation

It doesn’t take a lot of work to earn more leads for your dealership; you just need to get started. Create a plan and put it in place. Evaluate your efforts and tweak the automotive marketing strategy as needed.

Also Read: Know What To Expect When Purchasing Car Insurance