Used Car Marketing Strategies
Leave the Competition
In the Dust
- Overview
- Quick Wins
- Used Car Marketing Step By Step Guide
- Used Car Marketing Trends
- Case Study
- Get Help
How to Market Your Used Car Business
Rev things up by boosting your digital marketing efforts.
In a time when people are buying cars online, sight unseen, every used car dealer needs a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. Work with a pro who can help guide you through SEO, SEM, social media and more. Let's take these tactics for a test drive!
Leading used car dealers are embracing the digital marketing landscape.
"In a market where our competition is down 4%, we are up 28%. We are blowing the industry away with what we are doing together."
US Auto Sales
"New and used cars are up 15 to 25 cars per month. We delivered 130-plus Subaru intender leads monthly."
Local Subaru Dealer
Marketing Quick Wins for Used Car Dealers
Drive sales, faster, with these quick wins.
Used car dealerships aren't built overnight; but from established businesses to newbies, these tactics are low hanging fruit.
Be In Search
There's a lot of competition when it comes to online car shopping. In addition to being on the major car listing sites, having a local search campaign will take you further. They're fast to implement, but work with a pro who knows how to optimize things.
Share Your Specials
Special financing and other offers can tip the scales in your favor when someone is looking for a car. Promote these offers throughout your marketing campaigns.
Check your Rep
How are your online ratings and reviews? If they need work—or you need more of them—work with an expert in online reputation management.
Suggested Services
PPC, SEO, Reputation Management, OTT, GeoFenced Display, Email, Broadcast
Primary Key Performance Indicator
Phone Calls, Walk-ins, Click for Directions
Recommended Time Frame
12 Months
A Step-By-Step Guide to Used Car Dealership Marketing
Give your business some gas with these trends.
Your car selling approach takes careful thought. And marketing is no different. This 5-step plan can help you get more people on your lot—and more cars driving off of it.
Check Ratings and Reviews
If your online ratings and reviews need work, hire a pro who can help. Then make a plan to manage your reputation over time. Customers want to buy from a dealer they can trust, so this is an important ongoing effort to keep business going strong.
Maintain Your Socials
New used car inventory is perfect fodder for social media! Posting new cars creates urgency, especially with in-demand or specialized models. You can even run paid campaigns to increase your following, or to boost posts for which you want to widen the reach.
Bring in More Traffic
Speaking of widening your reach, you can also achieve this through other targeted channels that were previously too wide to be cost-efficient—from TV to display to car listing sites. They'll get you in front of people who are about to start (or in the midst of) car shopping. And don't forget about local paid search!
Push Repeat Business
Even if you don't have a service department at your used car dealership, you can stay top of mind with previous customers through automated email and SMS. "Happy Anniversary" emails and texts every year on the day they bought the car, for example. Then, when it's time for a trade-in or new car, they'll come back to you.
Build a Name For Yourself
The most successful used car dealers have strong brand recognition within their local community. This requires a multichannel approach—the perfect mix of digital and traditional tactics (radio, local TV, local sponsorships, display and social, to name a few). The bigger you build your brand, the more your business will grow.
Used Car Dealer Marketing Trends
Get up to speed fast with these trends.
Digital evolution hit the used car dealership world years ago, and it is having continued impact. Position yourself ahead of the evolution to succeed.
19% of those who bought a car online did it via a dealer's website
Bulldog Kia boosts phone calls by 50%
Bulldog Kia had a strong radio presence, but wanted to focus more on conversions and ROI. CMG implemented a comprehensive strategy of search, dynamic social, and display campaigns to advertise monthly updated incentives.
Double-digit percentage increases across all channels
The campaign brought a 98% increase in paid search traffic, a 69% increase in traffic from dynamic social ads, a 32% increase in traffic from display ads and a 50% increase in calls.
Get FREE Custom Insights
We have inside information on the audience and market trends affecting your used car business.
From information about the size and makeup of your local or national market to insights on your competitors and their marketing activities, we'll provide you with in-depth, free reports to help guide your used car marketing strategy in the right direction. Fill out the form to get started.
