Selling cars has traditionally been an analog business, with car buyers accustomed to visiting dealerships in-person to see vehicle options and secure deals. Times have changed with the advent of the internet and social media, and lead generation tactics for car dealers now also demand an online approach.

Today’s car buyers spend 61% of their time online searching for cars before making a purchase, and their online research results include:

• Car prices (71%)
• Finding listed cars for sale (68%)
• Comparing different models (64%)
• Finding out what current car is worth (63%)
• Getting dealer info (46%)

For your dealership to accrue leads in an online market, you’ll need to meet buyers online and provide a service experience as effective as in-person consultations.

This guide will show you how to accomplish those goals.

What is Lead Generation?

Think of a lead as a person who shows interest in your company’s products or services. Lead generation is the process of attracting these prospects to your business and stimulating their interest to convert them into customers.

While lead generation is the lifeline of a business, it isn’t as simple as it sounds. In a recent study by Prospex.ai, 58% of respondents cited lead generation as the No. 1 challenge facing their businesses.

In an age where the average consumer visits 1.6 car dealerships––a decrease from five in the last decade––before making a purchase, getting a stream of leads and growing business is becoming more difficult for dealerships.

Enter lead generation, which serves to help car dealers expand their reach, tap into new markets, and attract new leads through strategies that include:

• Social media marketing
• Email marketing
• Blogging
• Website landing pages
• Networking
• Promotions
• Live events and seminars

These approaches to lead generation result in more brand exposure, a more extensive audience base, and more sales and revenue.

Top Lead Generation Tips for Dealership Websites

The lead generation tactics below for dealership websites will guarantee your dealership more conversions and revenue.

1) Drive Interested Prospects with Facebook Ads

Facebook is still the most effective social media platform for advertising.

With 2.89 billion monthly active users and ridiculously good audience segments, you can be sure to reach your target market with paid ads. Through Facebook Marketplace, users can list products for free, and Facebook will sort this listing by category and location. Car buyers can filter the result by price, year, mileage, transmission type, vehicle make, model, etc.

In September 2020, Facebook rolled out an enhanced version of its automotive inventory ads, which serves to connect dealerships with Facebook users who visit automotive websites, pages, and applications. Now mobile-optimized, this service will redirect dealership ad clicks to a curated Vehicle Detail Page, which will allow customers to browse dealership auto catalogs, connect with dealerships over Messenger, and make car purchases.

For dealerships, the automotive inventory ads increase campaign performance, connect them with browsing customers and provide customers a frictionless shopping experience.

Facebook leads ads for car auto is another excellent product offered by this platform; it comes pre-configured specifically for auto companies with online forms pre-populated and submitted on Facebook.

Users receive these forms by email and send offers or quotes to prospective buyers. There’s also a feature that makes it easy for car buyers to call or message dealers after submitting their information.

2) Promote Limited Time Offers

A crucial part of your car dealership marketing strategy is convincing prospects to choose you over the competition. One way to achieve that is through limited-time offers.

As we mentioned earlier, 71% of shoppers are online searching for car offerings. By posting competitive, limited-time offers, you stand a better chance of piquing the shopper’s interest and compelling them to buy.

For example, you could offer all new shoppers different rebates or incentives on specified cars or free oil changes for the first two years. Limited time offers work charm to shoppers because they give them a compelling reason to make a purchase and feel supported in it.

5) Leverage Website Conversion Tools Like Trade

For automotive dealers, leveraging website lead generation tools like TradePending’s Trade can do wonders for business.

Trade converts website traffic 300 – 400% better than any other product on the market, enhancing website interactivity and conversion to provide consumers with the critical market metrics that affect trade-in values. This tool easily embeds throughout your website to power trade-in valuations and provides shoppers with quick market data to value their trade-ins.

Trade’s modern functionality also helps reduce page abandonment by allowing shoppers to complete the entire process in a modal environment, which reduces bounce rates and further increases conversions.

4) Add an Exit Intent-Pop Up to Your Website

An exit intent-pop up (or exit pop-up) is a website overlay that displays when a visitor attempts to close the browser or exit page. Your pop-up can contain an incentive or a limited-time offer to keep visitors engaged and convince them to make a purchase.

You can customize the message and graphics of the pop-up page the user is viewing, and it can also include an opt-in form for visitors who aren’t registered.

5) Provide Trade-In and Payment Calculation Information

Buying a new car requires a considerable amount of cash, and not everyone who visits your site will be ready and willing to buy a new car. Many shoppers would instead prefer to trade in their current vehicle. Many shoppers also shop by monthly payment and want to easily see and filter the cars within their budget.

Prominently displaying trade-in information and payment calculators in multiple locations on your website will substantially increase your website conversions. Don’t hide these highly desired nuggets of information in your website menus! Include trade-in details and payment calculators on your home page, VDPs, SRPs, and custom landing pages to cast as wide a net as possible.

Final Thoughts

Like many industries, car dealerships rely on repeat customers to generate revenue and profitability. By using these tips and leveraging top dealership website generation tools like Tradepending’s Trade, you’ll be in a better position to grow your business and edge out the competition with customer loyalty.

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