If you are a car dealer, you must know how common it is to get car shoppers into your showroom. To ensure that your staff members are closing deals with customers, you must first give reasons to shoppers to accept your services. So, how can car dealers attract customers? Auto dealerships need to invest more in excellent lead generation tactics. 

Luckily, we have the internet, which allows car shoppers to have access to many dealers, and have greater control of the buying process then they used to. It means that potential customers are likely to visit your website, rather than visiting your dealership. An average user is expected to research for the best car dealer and car, best suited for their needs. Therefore, your automotive marketing strategies must allow your company to stand out in the first pages on search engines. Use the tactics below to drive more quality opportunities to you.

How to attract customers?

Bringing car shoppers to your dealership requires effective lead generation methods. Identify your target audience – it’s your job to reach potential clients. They’re already looking for brands like yours, so why not give them the opportunity of finding you quickly, both on the online and offline world? Let’s go into these four marketing ideas that you can use to attract more customers and increase sales.  

1. Social media

Social media is becoming a more prevalent part of people’s lives. It’s also a useful tool for anyone that looks to make purchases of any kind. 90% of car shoppers are likely to use social media for research. Facebook is a primary social media platform that people use to research brands, influencing their final decision. Social media is a great marketing tool for car dealerships to attract new customers or keep existing ones. How can you capture leads from social media? You can start by:

• Sharing posts that lead people to reliable landing pages on your website
• Add more information about your brand to your profile
• Encourage users to subscribe to your Facebook Messenger 

If you want to have the best results, you can also use LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Not only these platforms will allow you to target a bigger audience, but will also ensure you reach the most relevant audience. It’s a great chance for you to ask for phone numbers directly from these platforms. It’s not expensive, and you’ll definitely get more than clicks. 

1. Advertisements

Car shoppers spend around 60% of their time to research online, so it’s vital to maintain a strong presence on search engines. You can get your website on top of Google’s results pages by using advertisements, which allow you to increase your audience. When someone in your target market searches “the best car dealership”, your website could show up in the first organic results. You can also get more specific keywords for certain products, such as new Ford F 150 dealers. These ads can lead users to landing pages that target users in search of the requested product. Also, your website should be mobile-friendly, since many people are using their mobile phones to shop. 

1. Referral programs

A statistic from Social Media Today confirms that 78% of marketers agree on the fact that referrals are the most valuable form of marketing or sales tactic, which can also bring the highest ROI. Referral programs require little financial investment, but they bring in valuable leads. However, most salespeople think about referral programs all wrong. Every business can get a referral somehow, and it seems that everyone is doing it, for a reason. You could implement a referral program into your business, but not because it’s a trend – but because it can add value into your dealership company. Research your competitors and determine what type of referral programs they’ve used. Then reflect on what you’re doing wrong, and come up with a better version for your dealership. Marketers know that referrals are very effective, but they may not know that they drive some of the most significant conversion rates. Salespeople go wrong in two ways:

• They ask for the referral too late

• They take “no” for an answer

The conversation between you and your customers usually goes like: 

• “Do you happen to know someone interested in using our services?”
• “Hmm…I’ll ask and let you know.” 

And that’s the last time you heard of them. These mistakes might decrease your chances of getting a referral. So, address the problem differently. For example, ask the customer about the car right after they’ve made the purchase. It’s going to feel weird, but be confident. It works. After making a purchase, customers are most excited about the products. If you’ve closed the deal with them, it means that they believe they’ve made a decision that is worth their money.

So, now’s the perfect time to ask about referrals. You might ask something like: “Are you excited to go for your first drive?”. They’ll answer “yes”, so you might ask if they know anyone else that would benefit your products. It’s that simple. At the end of the conversation, make sure that you thank them for their appreciation of your products. Also, you can even create a referral program for your workers. Give them bonuses any time they come up with successful refer car buyers.

1. Host events

Finally, you can host events. Most car shoppers will decide on a car model, no matter its price when attending local events. When taking part in events, you’ll need to make sure that your guests will align well with your audience. It can be a challenge to host such a big event, and you should consider the number of factors that attract customers and increase sales. Car dealership events must worth the customers time. You’ll have to induce them to get involved, engage, and interact. With car dealership events, you’ll see positive impacts on your business. It can also ensure that your existing customers continue to invest in your brand’s services, and bring new clients, too. So, keep in mind the following car dealership event ideas:

• Know who your target is
• Ensure that the day goes as planned
• Find interesting speakers
• Be creative 
• Pick the perfect event  

Hopefully, after reading the information in this article, you’ll have a few smart car dealership ideas of how to attract new customers.