Source
r/marketing•
Spavid

Any tips for marketing cars? Sudden career change is wild!

I was thrown into the position at a pair of dealerships with a background in English and education. I was given VERY little training... but I'm picking things up well and learning a ton, and I have always had an interest in both marketing & design. I've been there for over half a year now :) Still, I'd love to hear some tips or just recommended resources/reading. Thanks in advance! Also AMA if you have any questions about the job!

Posted May 16, 2015, 12:42 AM UTC

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dantrapp•

I have experience in this field. It's hyper-competitive on all platforms and your best bet is understanding what your average profit margin is (say $600) and geo-targeting PPC campaigns around that number.

You can buy leads, but they're typically garbage or very expensive. You can focus on attracting in-market buyers on the GDN (content network), run GEO-dispay ads on networks or private media-buys on automotive websites, and you can build out organic content around the makes/models.

But, in the end, you're simply gonna have to bang with the competition head-to-head at whatever the going rate is. The market for a new-car buyer is a limited window. If you can somehow be the point-of-research, you have a chance at capturing a lead. If you're advertising inventory like everyone else on PPC, it's a numbers game.

  • Master Adwords.
  • Study Your Competition (SEMrush, SpyFu)
  • Understand the previous customers and build a profile (Age/Sex/Location)
  • Attempt to find new ways to hit this audience on any platform.
  • Keep testing.
3
SpavidOP•

Thank you so much for this detailed response. I do feel like some of the marketing decisions (lead "generation") made by the owner are questionable. However, I do not feel informed enough to effectively intervene. That's my goal for one year of experience. Are there any particularly good or entertaining AdWords resources you'd recommend?

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dantrapp•

If by "questionable" you mean "cheap", get used to it. The ENTIRE industry is rife with cheapskates that are so used to walk-in traffic and so burned by the crappy lead gen industry that they don't invest the money into getting a quality lead gen system of their own.

You can do it if you focus on the platforms and they give you a budget. If not, man, I'm sorry. That's what it takes.

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SpavidOP•

Good to know. This is an option I could grow into.

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malmn•

Lie.

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Gunga-la-gunga•

What's a lie? I found this to be pretty spot on

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malmn•

The OP asked "Any tips for marketing cars?" I gave him the answer.

Source: 20 years owning a car business.

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SpavidOP•

I'm not a salesman or business owner. My job is to make our vehicles noticeable, available, and appear in such a way that potential buyers are not thrown off when they arrive. Lies do not work well here... especially when I also manage PR. We intend to actually STAY in business.

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everyone_wins•

Check out Facebook's ad platform. It can target people who are in the market for a new/used car right down to the make and model. Facebook ads are also dirt cheap. I know in my city there are about 26,000 people who are in the market for a crossover suv,according to Facebook. Now, you will not be able to convert all of those, but Hyundai was able to increase it's sales 2.1x using this method so you probably can as well.

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SpavidOP•

I've been putting thus option off in lieu of organic fb. Now that I'm up to a good organic rate, this does seem like a good tip. Thanks for the reply!

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painperdu•

I'm curious about this. Is it that the manufacturers are responsible for creating interest in their products and then the local dealers are supposed to tie into this marketing? Do the manufacturers give guidance on what the locals are supposed to be doing marketing wise?

It seems to me that since territories are restricted that if the manufacturers do a well enough job marketing then the job of the local dealer shouldn't be too competitive.

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SpavidOP•

I market used cars for an independent dealership. You're right... new cars (and old - by default) have been marketed at their introduction to the market. Years later, the reality of these vehicles is more prevalent to both buyers and sellers. Furthermore, used vehicle buyers often have budget in mind over demand for a specific make/model (though not always)... moreso, they are looking for functional value. Sometimes, they want something badass and the banks will allow it... (I'm no financial advisor... people do what they do...) As such, marketing individual used vehicles is a bit more like selling used furniture... there's just more money involved at all junctures.

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