How to Increase Car Sales with These 10 Original Dealership Marketing Ideas
These days, with everyone glued to their computers, it’s getting more and harder for auto dealers to draw in customers through conventional channels. The crazy and thrilling strategies of the past are no longer relevant in the fast-paced world of today.
Although the inflatable tube man on the side of the road is visually appealing, it doesn’t tell the public why your dealership is any better than others at selling vehicles.
That’s where originality and creative thinking are useful!
A great lot originates from imagination.
Not everything is lost, though! All it takes to increase dealership awareness is a few original ideas and some skillful marketing, and you’ll be drawing in more customers quickly. To help you sell more cars, SimpSocial has put up a list of 10 original promotion ideas!
Car dealers can benefit from these incentive ideas if they raise sales in all departments of the business.
Every time you attempt something new, difficulties will inevitably arise. However, the biggest benefit of attempting any of these novel concepts is the feedback you will receive from prospective clients.
Gaining more knowledge about the preferences and dislikes of car purchasers will enable you to create promotions that are even more effective in increasing car sales—a process that will require constant improvement.
#1: Incentives for Hot Ticket Raffles
Although this idea is by no means novel, it is nonetheless important to discuss. Since there have been wheels on vehicles, raffles have been a tried-and-true marketing strategy in the dealership industry. The cause?
They’re thrilling!
Prizes are appealing to potential buyers, so offering them the chance to win an Apple device or a large-screen TV isn’t the worst way to close a deal. Customers find raffles highly appealing, and adding a popular item to the raffle prize could result in a spike in sales.
#2: Provide Free Car Washes with Lease Agreements
An Auto Lease with Bonus Funds? Sure, please.
Put simply, those who lease cars want a stylish vehicle with all the bells and whistles.
They constantly seek for the fresh car sensation and cherish the smell of a brand-new car. By providing customers with ongoing value in the form of complimentary vehicle washes for the duration of their lease, you may profit from this.
Among the simplest inquiries for consumers, this one can foster a relationship with current clients that can be recommended to a friend or member of their family who may become a new client.
Getting repeat business is undoubtedly one way to increase car sales!
#3: Promote a Giveaway on Social Media
Post about your recent auto purchases on social media.
These days, there’s no better place to gain attention than social media. Your clients are on all of the social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Using social media to your advantage brings something extra, and it can help you reach a much wider audience than raffles focused on certain promotions.
Since people are social creatures, social media is a fantastic tool for humanizing your brand, increasing sales, and energizing the auto industry.
People will come in to try to score your greatest discounts on cars.
You expand your reach by making people participate with your giveaway postings (likes, shares, retweets, etc.) because this exposes your offer to a whole new group of potential customers.
You could also conduct multiple social media giveaway campaigns simultaneously for very inexpensive services like an oil change or car wash.
#4: Provide Test Drives and Free Gift Cards
Test drives provide prospective customers an initial sense of the vehicle’s features and what they might be getting into, which is why they are so popular.
But it’s not an easy process to put them in charge.
But the chance of selling the car increases significantly once they pass that stage in the buying process. One method to get to this stage and get an auto salesperson ready to close is to offer a test drive incentive.
The Best Auto Offers Available Now aren’t always substantial savings
The gift card test drive offer is one of the most well-liked campaigns for SimpSocial’s behavioral-offer tool, ActivTarget. Dealers have discovered that online customers who convert on an offer (usually a $25 gas card) schedule a test drive for a certain automobile, usually for the same day. In today’s auto sales, these kinds of straightforward transactions are proving to be quite successful.
#5: Events with Themed Car Sales
Prospects and customers both appreciate a well-designed theme. An expertly executed theme may change the appearance and atmosphere of your dealership, transforming it into a more inviting space for business, whether it’s a tropical paradise or a winter wonderland.
You’ll have a hit if you combine your theme with some seriously effective promotions (hint: share themed content on social media to raise foot traffic extra). A special offer on a coconut during your Summer Surf n’ Sand sales event would be irresistible to everybody. Additionally, it can make your auto salespeople happier, which will raise their spirits and enable them to interact with potential customers in a more enjoyable manner.
Enroll me, please!
Become the dealership that appears when a person types in “car sales near me.”
Make sure you conduct a lot of internet promotion ahead of time for your large, themed sales event so that individuals searching for auto sales will discover you easily. A large event is not something you would want to plan only for it to end without anyone attending.
#6: Bonus Incentives for the Holiday Season
Holidays Present Excellent Chances for Automobile Dealerships
Holidays like Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and others can offer some of the best chances for auto dealerships to promote their brands and are also among the most dependable business trends. Customers are not just searching for discounts to get hold of, but it is also an excellent time to test out events and marketing concepts.
Try offering a special bonus auto sales incentive around the holidays, such as more cash off a new purchase, free in-home delivery, or even a free car giveaway! The holidays are a great time to try out new bargains and offers on cars because they’re one of the best times to buy them. Consumers are constantly searching for a better offer!
Additionally, the perks don’t have to be limited to clients. To maximize your campaigns, you can reward a vehicle salesperson’s motivation and productivity with small commission increments. During the holidays, dealerships sell vehicles like hotcakes, so you can provide some holiday cheer to your team and increase auto sales.
#7: Events Honoring Clients
The expense of acquiring new customers is relatively significant. So why not take care of your current clientele and spare some of that agony? Customer appreciation bonuses are something that not many dealerships provide, and it’s a chance to increase sales significantly.
Since current consumers are probably not in the market or mindset to buy a car just now, fixed operations are the best area to concentrate significantly on. By providing complimentary car washes or tire rotations to clients at the time of their appointment, you can boost service revenue.
Why? If customers consistently feel appreciated by your dealership, they are more likely to be a return client and will also be more inclined to recommend your dealership to others.
Additionally, you might convince clients to consider a new car in addition to considering how content they are with their present one with some subtle and smart service bay advertising (perhaps for a trade-in). Just a notion!
#8: Free Car Rental with Service Schedules
Rewards That Keep Clients Returning
People’s lives are busy. No one has time to wait around at a dealership while their car is being worked on; they have appointments, work, and soccer practice to attend. A small gesture such as providing a complimentary car rental can elevate your customer service experience and provide opportunities for a new potential client.
Anyone for a rental car sale?
Additionally, consumers might be open to trading in their old car for the new model if you use a lovely, new automobile for your rental. You might use it as a sort of informal test drive! It is possible to convert service clients into qualified leads!
#9: Provide a Cash Bonus in Exchange for a Car Trade In
Customers want to feel appreciated above all else. Appreciating your customers’ trade-in at a value above average is a terrific approach to demonstrate your devotion to them.
You can increase the car’s worth in terms of dollars or percentage. You must inform clients that you have incorporated such discounts in their offers, however you want to do it.
Clients will be grateful to see that additional money listed as a line item in their agreement. It is strongly advised that at the conclusion of the sales process, you give them a printout that displays all of their savings.
#10: Giveaways of Service Packages
Your service center is your dealership’s greatest source of new business, therefore any efforts you make to boost sales there will have the most effect on your dealership. Yes, the primary source of profit for a dealership isn’t the sale of cars. A great way to get engagement here is to enter customers into a special service giveaway only if they book an appointment.
There are two key benefits to coming up with identical promotion concepts for fixed operations. First, it shows customers what kinds of bundled services you offer at your dealership, and second, it gives customers a reason to book an appointment beyond obligatory vehicle maintenance.
Excellent reporting is necessary when there are fantastic incentives.
After you’ve implemented a new promotion, you have to know if your ideas truly made a difference for your bottom line. Surveys are becoming a more and more vital instrument for identifying marketing accomplishments.
You need to know specifically if the promotion was a contributing factor to the customer’s decision to visit (and ultimately purchase from) the dealership. If you find that the promotion wasn’t a factor among most customers, knowing why becomes the next important element to uncover.
Your customer’s direct feedback should become the ultimate roadmap for your next promotional campaign since customer preferences tend to vary by region and brand.
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