How To Boost Auto Sales With Car Dealer Marketing

by Dale H | Nov 9, 2023 | Digital Marketing, PPC, SEM, SEO

How To Boost Auto Sales With Car Dealer Marketing

Want to boost inventory sales at your car dealership? We hear this all of the time from dealers…

Our advice for them is always the same: To boost inventory sales at your car dealership, you’re going to need a strong car dealer marketing strategy.

It’s simple — an effective digital marketing strategy will help you reach more qualified buyers and sell more vehicles.

And since Dealers United is stacked with experts in specifically car dealer marketing, we thought we would help by creating a guide that covers some of the key strategies for marketing your car dealership, online.

Craft People-First Content That Delivers Value

First things first – regardless of the platform you are using, focus on delivering quality content to your viewer base. Focus on creating content that would be useful for potential customers even if they didn’t find it through a search engine.

Provide original insights, data, tips, or analyses beyond just summarizing other sources.

Make it easy for viewers to trust you by citing sources clearly and establishing your dealership’s expertise.

Remember, the goal is to help car buyers make informed decisions, not just gain search traffic.

We can’t tell you how many different campaigns that we have audited for dealers that resulted in an increase in traffic, but the traffic was not the type meant to convert into car sales. Keep the focus on delivering value – not just increasing traffic.

Optimize Your Dealer Website for SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps potential customers find your website when searching for terms related to buying a car in your area. If you aren’t actively optimizing your dealer site for SEO, you are way behind the curve.

While a comprehensive SEO campaign can be somewhat complex, we went ahead and narrowed down some of the key areas to optimize:

Use Relevant Keywords

Include keywords car buyers may search for, like “Chevy dealers [City]” or “buy used trucks,” naturally throughout your content. Avoid overusing keywords. Craft content for users first. Search engines no longer require someone stuffing a ton of keywords all over your page in order to determine what a page is about. Please do not do this. It will scare your viewers away, and likely not lead to any sales.

Create Useful Meta Data

Optimized metadata, including page titles and meta descriptions, helps car dealerships improve their search engine rankings and click through rates. Compelling title tags that accurately describe the content help search engines understand what each page is about. Meta descriptions that summarize the page in an engaging way can entice more searchers to click on your listing over competitors. This increased clickthrough helps improve your search rankings over time.

Crafting meta titles and descriptions that speak to car buyers’ needs and include relevant keywords can significantly boost traffic from organic search, making metadata optimization a valuable activity for any dealership’s SEO strategy.

Enhance Mobile Experience

Mobile is everything: Today the average person has approximately 40 mobile apps on their phone, and their time is primarily spent on 18 of them – in fact, users spend ~224 minutes/day on these apps…

Users are constantly on mobile, and mobile usage only continues to grow – that’s the truth.

With that being said, ensure your site is mobile-friendly and easy to use on phones.

Update Site Architecture

Make it easy for search engines to crawl and index your site with a sitemap and internal linking between relevant pages. Our SEO specialists at Dealers United can perform a detailed audit of your site and recommend ways to improve SEO.

Get Your SEM Campaigns Up and Running

Search engine marketing (SEM) refers to paid search activities, like Google Ads, along with SEO. Use both SEM and SEO together for maximum impact.

Paid search that comes from a source like Google quickly drives traffic, while SEO delivers long-term sustainable results. These days, you need both.

Develop your dealership SEM campaigns with relevant ad copy and landing pages for keywords potential car buyers in your area search for. Geo-target ads to reach local customers.

Let Dealers United handle the busywork of managing paid search campaigns while you focus on your dealership. Our SEM strategists stay on top of the latest best practices for driving conversions.

Leverage Social Media Ads

Social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube let you display targeted ads to likely car buyers based on location, demographics, interests and more. We’re going to be very honest with you – a majority of car dealers need to advertise on social media platforms, but they neglect doing so.

We’re in a new age of social media, and you need to capitalize on this movement.

Create ads showcasing current inventory or special offers. Retarget people who have already engaged with your dealership to drive them to convert. Implement remarketing ads across channels.

Social ads complement your overall marketing mix as another way to engage prospective customers. If interested, our team can help you effectively incorporate social ads to sell more cars. This is what we’re known for.

Summary – Gain More Market Share by Using an Effective Marketing Strategy For Your Dealership

This article covers primary digital marketing strategies for car dealerships. We took some tips out of the Dealers United playbook, and gave them directly to you to use…

Remember that no single tactic works alone – you need a strategic combination across channels.

Not interested in doing all of this yourself? Dealers United offers a full suite of services, including SEO, SEM, and social media advertising, to generate more leads and drive inventory sales.

Schedule time here to let us customize a data-driven marketing plan tailored for your dealership’s specific needs and goals.

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Written By Dale Hewett

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Looking For An Automotive SEO Company? Start Here:

by Dale H | Nov 3, 2023 | Digital Marketing, SEO

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Looking For An Automotive SEO Company? Start Here:

Search engine optimization (SEO) has become essential for those in the automotive industry, where the competition for ranking highly on search engines is intense. Partnering with an experienced automotive SEO company can provide significant benefits for auto dealerships, repair shops, parts suppliers, and other automotive businesses. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the different ways a tried and tested SEO company that specializes in the automotive world can help increase the number of cars sold per day. Yes, per day.

How Automotive SEO Companies Help Your Website Rank Higher

Automotive SEO requires an understanding of both SEO best practices as well as the nuances of the automotive industry. An automotive SEO company will have experience optimizing websites for local searches related to cars, trucks, repairs, parts, and more. They know which keywords are most valuable and how to optimize your site architecture, metadata, and content accordingly.

Specific services an automotive SEO company may provide include:

Keyword research: this is a necessity to identify high-value search terms and phrases. These relate to makes/models, parts, services, location-based searches, etc.
On-page optimization: by optimizing title tags, headers, meta descriptions, image alt text, and schema markup, you can give search engines a better understanding of exactly what your website is about.
Content creation: blog posts, guides, local pages, and videos (to name a few pieces of content) are all necessary to develop the framework to rank higher.
Technical website audits: to identify and fix issues hurting SEO, these audits must be done. These audits include site speed, mobile optimization, internal linking, and proper site structure.
Link building: backlinks need to be built through high-quality directories, blogs, and other automotive websites to increase authority.
Ongoing optimization and reporting: a true search engine optimizer is never ‘done.’ There is always some sort of refinement or optimization that should be conducted to help remain at the top of search engines, like Google or Bing.

Chart of Automotive SEO Company Services

Choose an Automotive SEO Company with Industry Expertise

Not all SEO agencies understand the automotive industry well enough to deliver strong results. When researching automotive SEO companies, ensure they have specific experience with auto-related websites.

Look for case studies, client examples, and a portfolio that demonstrates their success in increasing organic visibility and website traffic for automotive businesses. The ideal automotive SEO company will also be up-to-date on the latest Google algorithm updates and how they impact automotive sites.

Investing in a strategic partnership with an automotive SEO company almost always provides a positive ROI. By making your website more visible for relevant local searches, you can connect with more qualified customers and grow your business.

Try this! Before you select an SEO company, check how that company’s SEO stacks up! Type in keyword strings like “auto dealer SEO” and see where they land in the search results.

Top Rated Automotive Search Engine Optimization Companies

Dealers United is considered one of the top-rated automotive SEO companies within the United States. With over a decade of experience specializing in automotive digital marketing, we have a proven track record of boosting leads, sales, and most importantly, reputations, for dealerships across the country. Our expertise across on-page and off-page optimization makes us a top choice among the many other automotive SEO companies you’ll find when searching for one online.

Our highly qualified SEO department knows all of the in’s and out’s of what it takes these days to rank a website in organic search engine results pages, also known as SERPs. Gone are the days where you can simply make a page and stuff it with different car dealership keywords, and watch it sky rocket to the top. This is a highly competitive industry, and dealers continue to choose us over the competition because we know what it takes, and we deliver results – nothing less.

Automotive Search Engine Marketing vs. Automotive SEO

Automotive search engine marketing (SEM) and automotive SEO are two major digital marketing strategies used by car dealerships and auto-related businesses to drive increased web traffic and sales. While both focus on improving search visibility, there are some key differences between these two terms.

The most fundamental difference is that SEM centers around paid advertising platforms, like Google Ads and Bing Ads. Dealers will buy ad placements that appear at the top and side of search engine results pages when users search for relevant keywords. This allows dealerships to essentially pay for instant visibility and traffic. In contrast, SEO involves ongoing optimization of a website to earn high unpaid organic rankings in search engines through relevance and authority building.

While SEM delivers direct visitor traffic instantly when ads are clicked, SEO provides indirect traffic as visitors find your site through earned prominent organic results placements.

The Difference Between Automotive SEO and Automotive SEM

When it comes to effort, SEM requires regular budget investment to fund continuous ads. SEO demands investment into website optimization elements like metadata, content, technical site enhancements, and off-page authority building through digital PR and link earning strategies. The rankings and visibility gained through SEM can fluctuate daily based on advertising bids and budgets. However, organic rankings achieved through effective SEO are more stable, and typically more trusted from a user’s point of view. We live in a world where everyone knows that the top results are tagged with terms like ‘sponsored’ or ‘paid’, and aren’t as trusted as an organic search results that isn’t labelled as such.

Search users tend to believe that since a dealer paid for the top placement, it isn’t necessarily as accurate of a search match as something that organically comes to the top. Roughly 90% of search users will skip past all paid placements, and choose organic search results.

Common Questions About SEO For the Automotive Industry

Dealerships will usually have several questions when it comes to how search engine optimization works for their automotive website, and rightfully so. While we prefer to cover most of your questions and concerns on a quick call, here are some of the more common inquiries we get at Dealers United.

How long does it take to rank my automotive site in Google?

The amount of time it takes to rank an automotive site in Google will vary depending on site history, the amount of backlinks your have, prior SEO work done, and your site structure (among other criteria). That said, we tell most car dealerships to expect to see great results in roughly 9 to 12 months. This doesn’t mean you cannot get good results sooner, this is just a very general answer to a very common question that is tough to answer without digging into your website details.

What are examples of some automotive SEO services?

While we have different services depending on the package you choose, you can expect the following SEO work to be done (regardless of your package):

Keyword Research: Identifying high-value keywords and analyzing keyword difficulty to target for the client’s website and content.
On-Page Optimization: Optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, headings, image alt text, internal linking, etc. to improve relevance for target keywords.
Content Creation: Writing new blog posts, guides, local pages, etc. optimized for ranked keywords.
Monthly Reporting: Providing insights into website analytics including organic traffic, rankings, conversions and more.
Local SEO Tactics: Building local signals like Google My Business and citations to rank for local searches.

What is local SEO?

Local SEO refers to the optimization of your automotive site for local terms and phrases. For example, car dealers (generally) want to sell to people in their general area of operations. A car dealer in Tampa, Florida, would want to rank for ‘Tampa Car Dealer’ related terms, not ‘Seattle Car Dealer’ terms. We make sure to effectively target your local area when it comes to search users and your vehicle inventory. All of this is developed as part of our on-boarding process with your dealership.

What Is Local SEO For Car Dealers?

How do you track SEO results?

Dealers United will monitor your rankings, organic traffic, and even conversions – depending on the package you choose. We use data platforms like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Page Speed Insights, and a few others.

What are the most important ranking factors for a car dealership website?

Optimizing for local SEO signals like city name and dealer names, location-based schema markup, and overall user experience prove to be the most important ranking factors that we have seen. Keep in mind that Google is constantly updated their algorithm, so we always have to stay on top of the latest trends and news from Google Search Central. Many SEO agencies fail to do this, and you end up with outdated ranking tactics that simply fail over time.

Want to learn more about Dealers United’s SEO Solutions?

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Written By Lauren Blackwell

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From Likes to Leads: TikTok Spark Ads For Car Dealers

by Brooke Jensen | Sep 19, 2023 | Digital Marketing, Inspiration, Social Media, TikTok

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From Likes to Leads: TikTok Spark Ads For Car Dealers

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There’s no doubt about it: social media is the go-to marketing tool for businesses to engage with their audience and drive sales.

One platform that has taken the social media world by storm is TikTok – and it’s transformed the way that car shoppers consume content and interact with automotive brands.

TikTok Stats Car Dealers Need To Know:

TikTok is #1 most downloaded app worldwide and the #1 in the U.S.

The average user spends 89 min/day on the platform!

564 billion videos consumed per month

After seeing auto ads or content on TikTok: 12% purchased or leased a vehicle, 30% searched for more info about a vehicle, 18% contacted an online/local dealership, and 35% talked about It with friends and family

With its skyrocketing popularity and over a billion monthly active users worldwide, TikTok has become a powerful tool for businesses to connect with potential customers and build brand awareness.

And one of the latest, most innovative advertising tools that is gaining traction is TikTok Spark Ads.

It’s not just another ad format; it’s a bridge between authentic organic content and paid brand discovery. Let’s dive into what TikTok Spark Ads are, their benefits, and how your dealership can get started.

Click here to book a demo and schedule time to discover how we can help you leverage Spark Ads to stay ahead of the curve AND beat your competition.

What Are TikTok Spark Ads?

TikTok Spark Ads were introduced in July of 2021…and since, brands have been utilizing this ad format to interact with their TikTok community, form a real connection with their audience, and drive brand awareness for their dealership.

Remember Facebook’s “Boosting” function that turned a normal post into a paid campaign? This is the same concept but with a lot more fuel in the tank.

Spark Ads offer the best of both worlds, providing car dealers with a way to create ads from organic TikTok videos while maintaining the native feel and functionality of organic posts — a powerful, genuine way to reach your audience and promote your dealership.

Users can interact with Spark Ads just like they would with organic videos. They can comment, like, share, visit your brand’s profile, or follow your brand. This level of engagement enhances the user experience and encourages a deeper connection with the brand.

5 Ways TikTok Spark Ads Benefit Car Dealers

1. Increase Brand Awareness and Social Presence

People are naturally curious about what goes on behind the scenes of any business, especially dealerships. TikTok empowers dealerships to humanize their brand by sharing glimpses of the #salesfloorlife and introduce your dedicated team and culture.

These personal touches can resonate deeply with potential buyers…and make them laugh, too! Consumers connect to narratives, so use TikTok to tell your story. As people get to know your team, you will start to see direct requests to work with your TikTok stars.

2. Improve Visibility and Engagement

TikTok Spark Ads take out a lot of the guesswork: you’ve already tested your content to see if it performs. Now take the videos with the best engagement, and put some budget behind them. This enables dealerships to show their best performing videos to users who are most likely to engage with the content, ensuring that your message reaches your ideal audience.

With the interactive nature of TikTok, Spark Ads prompt user engagement. Dealerships can incorporate call-to-action buttons that lead viewers to book a test drive, explore financing options, or visit their website—all directly from the ad itself.

Car dealers can foster a sense of community among TikTok users who share an interest in cars, which can lead to increased loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.

👀 In the example above, Hunt Ford Chrysler posted a TikTok replying to another user’s comment (a popular tactic) then turned it into a Spark Ad that directly links to the car! AND they get bonus points for using the “Wes Anderson” trend.

3. Leverage Localized Targeting

TikTok’s precise geographic targeting allows dealerships to pinpoint potential car shoppers with a localized approach that can drive foot traffic to your showroom and lead to more sales opportunities. Previously, advertisers could only target by DMA, but with TikTok’s recent updates, you can target by zipcode!

4. Connect With A New Generation of Car Shoppers

TikTok is extremely popular among younger users, making it the perfect platform for car dealerships to engage with millennials and Generation Z consumers, who are shaping the future of the automotive market. These generations are using TikTok not only for entertainment, but also to research brands and find testimonials before making a purchase. Your TikTok Spark Ads will also show up in Search Results.

💡 Did you know? The main audience on TikTok consists of Millennials and Gen Z, who make up 1 in 3 new car registrations.

5. Dynamic Vehicle Showcasing with Video Shopping Ads

TikTok Spark Ads empower car dealers to creatively highlight their inventory.

Imagine turning test drives, vehicle walkarounds, or demonstrations of high-tech features into immersive TikTok videos that also allow viewers to shop live inventory of your vehicles?!

We know users love the look and feel of organic video. This feature enhances your high performing vehicles with an interactive shopping feature on top of your automotive Spark Ads.

Get Started With TikTok Spark Ads For Car Dealers

Before getting started with creating TikTok content (that you will want to turn into TikTok Spark Ads!), we recommend that dealers do some light research on their audience and absorb as MUCH content as possible.

Get a jumpstart submerging yourself in TikTok content with these 21 TikTok Examples for Car Dealers !

One free tool that you can use to quickly identify user demographics (and more important data, like potential results) on TikTok’s platform is our MarketAnalyzer Tool.

In terms of doing due diligence on the TikTok platform itself: Look at other dealerships who you admire, your OEM, or even non-automotive brands you like! And utilize the ‘Discover’ tab to search top automotive hashtags, like: #electriccar, #cars, #SUV, #carlovers, #offroad, #driving, #roadtrip, #truck, #carsoftiktok.

Spending the time to research what type of content your ideal audience on TikTok is most entertained by and engaged with will only benefit you.

The TikTok Creator Center offers several tools like the hashtag tracker and trending songs library. Click here to access the TikTok Creative Center.

Once you do that, dealers can post content that’s similar (but not the same!) and include those popular auto-related hashtags in captions where they are relevant.

Take Advantage of Interactive Elements:

With Spark Ads, you can incorporate interactive components like clickable buttons, branded logos, or eye-catching call-to-action (CTA) banners into your chosen TikTok videos.

These elements guide viewers toward specific actions, such as scheduling a test drive, visiting your website, or exploring your vehicle lineup!

The TikTok Creator Center offers several tools like the hashtag tracker and trending songs library. Click here to access the TikTok Creative Center.

Once you do that, dealers can post content that’s similar (but not the same!) and include those popular auto-related hashtags in captions where they are relevant.

Follow The Trends:

One of the most important things you can do is stay up-to-date with TikTok trends and incorporating them into Spark Ads can boost the visibility and impact of car-related content.

Trend-focused content is more likely to resonate and perform the best across your TikTok community!

💡Spark Ads allow you to fully express your creativity by using trending music, filters, and captivating visuals to tell your dealership’s story in a fun and engaging way!

Check out how Auto Centers Nissan used this trending audio to showcase the unique color of this truck the above ad example.

Handpick High-Performing, Relevant TikTok Content:

TikTok Spark Ads have to start somewhere, and they more times than not will originate from your dealership’s content.

Selecting TikTok videos from your existing content library that align with your brand identity, resonate with their target audience, and have proven to drive success among your audience through organic results.

Steps to TikTok Spark Ads Creation:

Now let’s run through the actual steps you need to take to turn your post into a Spark Ad within TikTok! From the TikTok Ads Manager, choose the existing post.

Choose the existing post under your linked account using “+TikTok Post.”

Under Ad Details, choose TikTok Post and select a post you want to use in your Spark Ad.
After you select the video, click Confirm.
Complete the rest of the ad settings, then click Submit to publish your Spark Ad.

Once your Spark Ad is ready, you have the flexibility to promote it to a broader TikTok audience. You can customize your budget and tailor your ad’s targeting parameters to ensure it reaches the most relevant viewers!

Success With TikTok Spark Ads

TikTok Spark Ads offer car dealerships an exciting opportunity to leverage the platform’s immense popularity and connect with a younger, tech-savvy audience.

Test organic, add fuel with paid
Leverage new features to maximize spark ads like video shopping, search placement, and zip targeting

By following best practices and creating engaging content, your dealership can drive brand awareness, engage potential customers, and ultimately boost auto sales in the digital age.

Let us help you embrace the power of TikTok Spark Ads, and watch your dealership’s online presence accelerate like never before. Book a demo now.

Written By Lauren Blackwell
Lauren Blackwell is a skilled content marketer who has spent the past 3 years working in automotive advertising technology and now brings her unique experiences to Dealers United. From running ad campaigns, to curating auto-specific resources, Lauren is empowered to create valuable content to help automotive dealers thrive on social media.

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5 Ways TikTok Is Revolutionizing Car Dealership Marketing

by Brooke Jensen | Jul 14, 2023 | Digital Marketing, Social Media, TikTok

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5 Ways TikTok Is Revolutionizing Car Dealership Marketing

Social media has brought unprecedented opportunities for businesses to connect with their target audience.

Among these platforms, TikTok stands TALL…generating unmatched popularity and transforming industries, including car dealership marketing.

With a staggering number of total downloads since 2018, 130 million monthly active users in the US, and users spending an average of 89 minutes per day on TikTok, the platform’s potential is undeniable.

And luckily for car dealers, the main audience on TikTok consists of Millennials and Gen Z, who make up 1 in 3 new car registrations.

That’s right, in-market car shoppers are already immersed in the world of TikTok, and it’s time to seize the opportunity to reach them before your competition.

Let’s introduce you to 5 exciting TikTok advertising features that will take your car dealership marketing to the next level…

1. Target Shoppers By Specific Zip Codes

Previously, TikTok only allowed dealerships to use DMA targeting. But now, we’re excited to announce that Dealers United customers can now beta test new TikTok zip code targeting!

With this powerful new feature, dealerships can reach their desired audience at a hyper-local level, honing in on specific zip codes (or zip codes in bulk) where in-market car shoppers reside.

That means laser-focusing ad dollars on the right locations – something that previously wasn’t available for car dealership TikTok ads.

(Want to be first to beta test new TikTok Zip Code Targeting? Click here!)

2. Captivate & Convert With The New TikTok Shopping Ad Format

Add your scrolling, live inventory over an eye-catching video and give shoppers an easy, in-app shopping experience to browse through your available vehicles!

Here’s how these ads work…

First, you optimize a custom video you create, or use one of our 500+ pre-made videos:

Then, you hook into your inventory feed and add your LIVE inventory so it scrolls on top of the video.

Check out the example below: since this dealer’s strategy is to attract more SUV shoppers, we’re overlaying their SUV inventory!

From there, when a shopper clicks on a vehicle, you can choose to send them directly to your VDP, or keep them on the TikTok page where all your cars are listed, then drive to a VDP.

So far, TikTok Shopping Ads are driving pretty incredible results…want to see how you can take advantage of this new ad format to sell more cars?

3. Prove ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) With Sales Matchbacks:

No more settling for guesswork— TikTok now provides automotive marketers with a way to measure the true impact of their ads to identify how campaigns online transfer to results offline.

By connecting TikTok advertising campaigns with real-world sales data, dealerships can accurately measure the ROI of their TikTok marketing efforts.

This data-driven approach provides concrete evidence of TikTok’s effectiveness as a marketing channel and helps dealerships optimize their campaigns for better results.

Sales Matchbacks empower dealerships to make informed decisions, allocate budgets effectively, and strengthen their confidence in their marketing strategy on TikTok.

4. Ignite The Lead Generation Fire With In-App Experience

TikTok’s seamless experience allows users to submit their details directly within the app, boosting lead generation for car dealerships while eliminating shopper friction.

And with these built-in lead generation forms, TikTok Lead ads are proven to increase engagement and conversion rates.

Dealerships can capture valuable lead information, customize questions, and seamlessly integrate data into their CRM system for efficient follow-up.

TikTok’s lead generation feature revolutionizes the way car dealerships generate leads, making it easier to expand their customer base and drive sales.

5. Maximize The Newest Search Engine

TikTok is now where people go to search, so it’s time to tap into TikTok’s powerful capabilities by displaying your ads in search results!

With TikTok becoming a popular search engine, car dealerships have a prime opportunity to increase brand visibility and engage with their target audience.

By strategically placing ads in search results, dealerships can reach users actively seeking automotive-related content and tailor their messaging to align with search intent.

This targeted approach enhances brand awareness, drives engagement, and maximizes the effectiveness of ad campaigns.

TikTok’s search ads feature empowers car dealerships to seize the potential of this emerging search engine and achieve impactful marketing results.

Why Every Dealership Needs To Be Advertising On TikTok

If you’re not already convinced, TikTok has presented dealers with a unique opportunity to unlock innovative advertising features and a massive user base.

With personalized targeting, captivating shopping ads, sales measurement capabilities, seamless lead generation, and increased brand visibility in search results, TikTok provides unparalleled opportunities for car dealerships to dominate their marketing efforts.

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Stellantis Omnisocial Ad Strategy: Behind-The-Scenes of South County DCJR Dealership Case Study

by Brooke Jensen | May 26, 2023 | Digital Marketing, Social Media

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Stellantis Omnisocial Ad Strategy: Behind-The-Scenes of South County DCJR Dealership Case Study

In this video, we break down the strategy behind the results of our latest Dealership Case Study for South County Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram and how they used an Omnisocial ad strategy to 10X their results!

Watch the video below or download the PDF here!

💡 Pro tip: You can jump to different sections in the video by using the video tools!

Behind-The-Scenes 🔍 With South County Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram:

South County DCJR is located in St. Louis, MO, and have been in the same location since 1965. We have had the pleasure of working with our partners Allen Masengil, GM, Mike Chorba, Sales and Finance Manager, and Ashley Etheridge, BDC Director since 2020.

Collectively, this is a team that believes in innovation, testing new strategies, and the power behind social media — in other words, one of our favorite Dealers United Partners!

Creating a Full-Funnel, Omnisocial Strategy

South County DCJR wanted to dominate their market and competition, and an Omnisocial strategy was the perfect solution.

Omnisocial, or omnichannel, refers to a multi-platform advertising strategy that works to provide a seamless customer experience; no matter where a shopper is spending time. This approach delivers the next relevant message at the right time in the auto buyer journey, on the platform where they are spending time NOW.

What separates an average Omnisocial campaign from a top-performing one is a full-funnel strategy. Specifically, leveraging different ad types intentionally, with thoughtful messaging that coincide with the mindset and stage of the auto buyer journey.

South County DCJR worked with Dealers United to develop messaging for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and TikTok that would diversify as shoppers went through different stages of the buyer journey (awareness, consideration, and conversion).

(👉 Jump to 2:10 in the video to see ads South County DCJR ran at each stage of the funnel!)

Here’s a deeper dive into their results between January 1st, 2023 – March 31st, 2023:

South County Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram: Social Ads Case Study Results

Facebook & Instagram (Meta):

Meta is a staple in South County DCJR’s Omnisocial strategy for every stage of the buyer journey. With a powerhouse of 251M monthly active users in the US, Meta remains the most widely used social platform today, and typically drives the highest KPIs for the lowest costs. One specific strategy South County DCJR runs on Facebook and Instagram is promoting their new 2023 Stellantis model lines.

Our Stellantis OEM Program is helping CDJR dealers across the US and Canada move excess inventory fast. Learn more about our Stellantis OEM Program here!

Facebook & Instagram Results (Q1 2023):

1.6M impressions
28,665 clicks
909 leads
71 matched unit sales

Pinterest:

South County DCJR wanted to be sure their new vehicle inventory was getting in front of car shoppers in their area with higher incomes. And Pinterest was the perfect solution! Pinterest has the ability to reach 52% of US adult internet users with incomes over $100K. Plus, it’s a great way to reach moms!

Pinterest Results (Q1 2023):

1.4M impressions
3,301 clicks
142 leads
13 matched unit sales

TikTok:

With users spending an average of 89 minutes per day on TikTok, the platform is rapidly becoming the new “TV” for all generations. South County DCJR uses this video-first platform to drive awareness and retarget with dynamic vehicle ads.

Want more TikTok Ad Inspiration? Click here to see the top-performing dealership TikTok videos!

TikTok Results (Q1 2023):

978K impressions
6,081 clicks
891K video views
811 landing page views

Snapchat:

Did you know? 40% of Snapchat users don’t use alternative social platforms! With dynamic vehicle inventory ads and 108M monthly active users in the US, South County DCJR is using Snapchat to drive traffic to their vehicles under $25,000.

Snapchat Results (Q1 2023):

370K impressions
3,160 swipe ups
25K video views
54 leads

It’s All About Partnership

While we covered a lot of South County’s stats and success in this article, don’t just take it from us…

Check out this testimonial from Mike Chorba, Sales and Finance Manager:

“Our goal is to dominate our market in all aspects of the auto industry. With how competitive our DMA is, that can be challenging at times. One area I don’t have to worry about now is our social media presence. The cost per lead and cost per sale is something that most social-ad-based companies could only dream of achieving. We are saving thousands every month over previous providers and seeing 8 to 10 times the results with Dealers United. Now that is dominating in a space!”

— Mike Chorba, Sales and Finance Manager at South County Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram

At Dealers United, our only goal is to help you reach your goals. Want to talk social media ad strategies for YOUR dealership? Schedule a demo with us here.

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Blog Author - Molly Dennehy

Written By Molly Dennehy
Molly Dennehy is a marketing expert who has evidenced effective digital marketing strategies across six different industries. Now, she brings her diverse experience and creativity to automotive dealers. From audience targeting, campaign set-up, and content creation, Molly is passionate about sharing new and innovative ways to drive results.

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What’s New At DU: NADA Data & Powerful Brand Ads

by Brooke Jensen | Apr 29, 2022 | Digital Marketing, Identity and Branding, Industry News

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What’s New At DU: NADA Data & Powerful Brand Ads

New Data ✅ New Ads ✅ New Promotions ✅

There is a lot of NEW for YOU this month. Check out the video above to hear from Justin Friend, VP & General Manager, and Molly Dennehy, Brand Manager, or skim the highlights listed below.

💡 Pro tip: You can jump to different sections in the video by using the video navigation tools or by clicking any “(Watch at #)” linked below.

Agenda:

NADA Data 2021: Full Year Report Analysis & Opportunities
Powerful Ad Examples: Branding, Custom Order & Pre-Order, Pre-Owned, Vehicle Acquisition, and TradePending
Customer Spotlight – Tynan’s Auto Group 👏
Pinterest & Snapchat Special Promotions 🤑
Trade Show Discounts – Digital Dealer & DrivingSales

NADA Data 2021: New Light-Vehicle (Watch at 1:10)

The 2021 NADA Data full year report features the many major milestones achieved by the retail auto industry during the year.

Take a look at the inventory trends for New Light-Vehicles:

With new inventory still in demand, auto shoppers have less to choose from, which makes where they buy their new vehicle even that much more important.

To help put your brand out in front of the competition, dealers should promote ads focused on their brand and “why buys.” Show and tell your local market what makes you special and sets you apart from the dealer down the road.

You can also leverage social media platforms to promote your Custom Orders and Pre-Order campaigns. Share how easy you make the process of getting exactly what they want.

NADA Data 2021: Used Inventory (Watch at 4:06)

Pre-Owned vehicles are also in high demand: by consumers and dealers.

NADA shared these graphs to highlight key stats:

Used-vehicle sales dipped in 2020 (not surprisingly) but picked up again in 2021. We expect that 2022 will outpace last year due to inventory shortages and high demand. Do you have a plan to source pre-owned vehicles to replenish your lot?

Try running a buy-back or vehicle acquisition campaign on multiple social platforms for an Omnichannel sourcing strategy.

We have also shown success by running campaigns directly to your TradePending page on your website. These ad playbooks are branded to reflect TradePending colors for a seamless user experience.

Want to look deeper into your market to enhance your acquisition campaigns? Try the updated Dealers United MarketAnalyzer. This free tool can not only provide audience size and demographics, but also calculate a suggested budget and return on investment.

Check it out at https://app.dealersunited.com/analyzer#/

Customer High-Five (Watch at 6:59)

🖐️ Tynan’s Auto Group is absolutely crushing the video game!

This group consists of a VW, Nissan and Preowned Supercenter, and they are doing a fantastic job at showcasing their dealership, promoting their “why buys”, and presenting the personalities of their team in their online content. (Definitely watch their ads at 7:12)

We called Markus Kamm, Director of Sales, to ask him about his video strategy.

“Now that the market has changed, we can really focus on our brand as a dealership: what we’re all about, what we stand for, how we do business and who we are – and attract people that way.

Putting our videos on social media has given us the opportunity to really showcase “us”. So in other words, make the deal secondary, and just put out there who you are, what makes you unique and special, why people should come do business with you. Because there are still the same amount of dealership choices and people need a reason to come to you.

So, if you’re not out there branding yourself and showcasing your dealership’s personality through the showcasing of your employee’s personalities, I would say you’re absolutely missing the boat.”

Pinterest & Snapchat Promotion! (Watch at 9:30)

Interested in adding a new platform to your social strategy, but haven’t made the jump?

We have two amazing promotions for new activations for Pinterest and Snapchat.

Receive a $1000 Ad Credit for Pinterest when you spend $3000!

Earn a $375 Ad Credit for Snapchat when you spend $750!

Reach out to your Performance Manager or Account Executive to take advantage of either (or both!) of these great incentives.

Trade Show Ticket Discounts (Watch at 10:10)

If you plan on attending Digital Dealer in Tampa, FL, May 9-11, or DrivingSales Presidents Club in Ft Lauderdale, FL, May 15-16, we have some awesome discounts for you!

Use our links to get discount codes for up to $200 off your Digital Dealer ticket and $100 off Driving Sales!

We are also very excited to be apart of both events!

Justin Friend will join Allison McConeghy, Sr Partner Manager from Pinterest, for a breakout session on Tuesday, “How to Sell Where Your Customers Are Shopping With Dealer Inventory On Pinterest”, where they will go over everything you want to know about the platform.

Use this link to RSVP or sign up to get the slides. If you are not going, sign up and we will send the recording!

And Justin and Molly have a virtual session for Digital Dealer NOW about turning your customers into raving fans by flipping your marketing funnel! If you plan on grabbing a virtual pass, be sure to check it out!

At DrivingSales Presidents Club, Justin will sit on a panel to review and analyze the results of DrivingSales research project regarding current marketing strategies and expenses. There will be a lot of great insights into current trends and strategies that Justin will bring back and share with us.

That’s all folks!

Thanks for checking out what’s new with DU. Stay tuned for more updates next month!

Questions? Compliments? Ready to maximize your success?

Reach out to us at [email protected] or schedule a 15min consultation.

Blog Author - Molly Dennehy

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