Your dealership website is your most powerful lead generation tool, and this is where your marketing funnels point when taking visitors through the buying process. However, simply directing traffic to your website is not enough, and converting a lead into a sale requires turning website traffic into in-person appointments.

 These automotive marketing tactics will help you do just that.

• Advertise On Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace generates over a billion visitors every month. Each one of them is a potential customer looking for something specific. Most dealerships are savvy enough to advertise there, but how does it help your marketing goals?

It helps to understand the features and rules for dealerships on Marketplace. According to Meta for Business, dealerships can only:

•   Advertise pre-owned inventory
•   Connect with buyers, not sell directly
•   Advertise up to a 40-mile radius

There are some clear benefits to this system: Marketplace visitors search exclusively for local listings, so you are advertising to people in the best position to make an in-person appointment. While paid Facebook Ads let you target an audience by location, Marketplace listings are free and take proximity as a given.  

Furthermore, your listing only has to compete with vehicles in your area, and Facebook separates Marketplace from the news feed, so listings don’t have to compete with regular posts either.

• Conversion Strategy Tools

Need support getting the most out of your digital marketing strategy? Use powerful online tools to maximize your website’s traffic and sales. Let’s look at one of the best available, designed specifically for automotive marketing.

TradePending’s SNAP trade-in tool offers better web traffic conversion than any other solution on the market. Auto dealers see a 300-400% boost in converted leads using SNAP. Best of all: it’s easy to integrate into your website.

But what makes it so effective?

SNAP works with your site to give shoppers the insights they want on trading in their vehicle while boosting site activity. The SNAP interface is also configurable for easy branding to match your site’s design.

Designed for seamless integration, SNAP fits anywhere on your website. It’s transparent and user-friendly, helping you build trust while moving visitors through the buying process. Auto dealers who embed SNAP in their websites get access to features like:

• Local market data to power their valuations
• Mobile optimized to increase conversions
• Google Analytics integration
• Support for Google My Business listings
• Customer information validation

The AutoAPR payment calculator by TradePending also provides a new opportunity to convert more leads from your website. That solution provides customers with two separate paths to understanding how much they can afford. A customer can determine what their buying power is with a monthly payment calculator, or she can shop for vehicles by her desired monthly payment.

• Funnel Leads To Vehicle Landing Pages

When generating leads, dealerships must decide where to drive traffic. Generally, they have two options: a search results page (SRP) or a vehicle detail page (VDP). Ideally, your website will have both, but VDPs are better designed for lead conversion.

A VDP is a single page on your website that displays key information about a specific car model. Vehicle detail pages have three goals:

•   Provide easy-to-read information
•   Showcase content attractively
•   Turning visitors into excited shoppers

Vehicle detail pages are website listings for specific vehicles. They display a car’s details in total but do not call attention to key selling points.

A Vehicle detail page can also use conversational paragraphs that appeal to shoppers’ motivations. It tells them why a car is a good fit for their lifestyle. 95% of vehicle buyers search for this information digitally.

• Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool to help grow your online presence. Like Facebook Marketplace, GMB gets you in front of local customers already searching for your products. When someone searches “Ford dealerships near me,” GMB listings are the first results they see.

Optimizing your listing will help your website rank higher in the Google search engine. It’s a simple but effective way to boost visibility, traffic, and clickthrough rates. Auto dealers get more website visits via Google My Business than any other industry.

Optimize your listing by:

•   Updating contact information
•   Completing the business description
•   Encouraging customers to leave reviews
•   Publishing Google posts
•   Uploading new photos

• Invest In Visual Content

Visual content is one of your greatest marketing assets. Beyond just dealership inventory photos, invest in visual content that can attract, educate, and motivate customers.

Take infographics, for example. These can teach customers about the buying process with easy-to-read information, much like VDPs. Infographics are easy to design around your corporate identity for consistent branding.

Visual content should provide free value to customers. When you educate or inspire someone with engaging content, a simple call to action is all you need to drive traffic.