Five Tips for Car Dealerships to Turn Potential Buyers Into Leads

There are a lot of ways to approach marketing, sales, advertising, and growth in the modern era. As such, it seems professionals in these fields are constantly looking for ways to convert new consumer segments into potential leads and eventual customers. The way the buying journey happens, though, is different for everyone and can change from industry to industry. For instance, the consumer purchase journey for something like breakfast cereal is far different from the purchase journey of something like a car. In turn, the way in which marketing and sales professionals design and approach their strategies should also differ and be aligned with the product or service they’re selling. 

Car dealerships typically serve a wide range of consumers. This means that there are potential car-buyers all over the place. Finding these potential consumers and turning them into valid sales-leads can take a little bit of cat-and-mouse work. Here are a few ways in which car dealerships can convert potential buyers into authentic leads. 

The Power of Social Media

One of the most important innovations of our generation is social media. Social media emerged in the wake of the internet and the era of information, and quickly became popular worldwide. While Facebook and Youtube were two of the first and most successful social medias to take center stage in the eye of the consumer, these platforms quickly laid the groundwork for other variations of social media as well. Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok have all become wildly popular as well. 

Understanding the ins, outs, and intricacies of social media can be extremely effective in generating brand awareness, cultivating leads, and attracting web-traffic. As such, car dealerships can deploy any array of social media marketing strategies that can result in a higher volume of validated leads. 

For instance, at the bare minimum, a car dealership can hire a social media manager to create and run a comprehensive collection of social media pages. Creating organic social media content is considered a good practice to get into for content marketing which has continually been proven as one of the most effective forms of marketing in the modern era. 

Beyond building organic social media pages, car dealerships can also make use of paid advertisements on social media platforms in order to further boost their visibility, reach, and conversion rates. 

Prioritizing the Customer Experience

Another important thing to keep in mind when running and conducting business in 2022 is that the customer experience is arguably one of the most important aspects of the entire operation. As consumers continually prioritize convenience as a main factor in the customer experience, it is vital that companies, brands, and car dealerships alike remain accessible. 

Staying on top of the customer experience is important because it directly correlates with other important metrics like brand loyalty, and customer retention. In a hyper saturated marketplace, like car dealerships, providing an excellent customer experience can put your brand far and high beyond the rest. 

Implementing an SMS Marketing Strategy

Another great marketing strategy car dealerships should look to take advantage of in today’s day and age is the creation and implementation of an SMS marketing strategy. SMS marketing is typically conducted through partnering with a mass texting service. Using a mass texting service to conduct text message marketing is fairly effective because it boasts an above-average open-rate among consumers. 

Additionally, in the context of a car-dealership, SMS campaigns deployed through a mass texting service can be utilized in any number of ways, from scheduling and confirming test-drives, to updating consumers on available options in a search query, or even announcing a sales-event. 

Marketing Events 

For the car dealership that is really looking to make a splash and set themselves apart in the crowded space, there are ways to get creative and extravagant with marketing strategies that are sure to attract the attention of many consumers. 

One of the best and most readily available examples of a marketing event that a dealership could host would be a car-giveaway. The event could be promoted online, through social media, a mass texting service, and through other communication channels as well, and can be extremely impactful in developing customer interest. 

Garnering Personal Referrals 

Even in the hectic go-go-go pace of today’s modern and mobile society, there is nothing more powerful than a personal referral. We’ve all had an experience so great that we couldn’t wait to advise others to seek the same service from the same provider. By delivering a top-notch customer experience and getting creative with marketing, any car dealership can certainly boost their list of potential leads.

Wrapping up on Building Leads

There are plenty of ways to generate leads no matter what type of business you’re in. From straight up buying a list of leads from a provider or creating an SMS campaign with a mass texting service, to utilizing social media and other digital marketing strategies, resourceful brands can find new leads in just about every corner of the internet.