The 15 Most Effective Lead Generation Ideas for Auto Dealers

Operating a car dealership means understanding that, without lead generation, your business will get left behind by the competition and eventually die out. These days, it is important to be aware of the latest methods of generating leads. Because it is by far one of the most important parts of creating a thriving automotive business, you need to learn the different methods of getting warm car sales leads.

This article will set you up for success by detailing the different strategies and tips you can use when looking to generate more car sales leads. Car dealerships run tight ships with monthly quotas where salespeople must sell a minimum amount of cars or close a certain number of deals. 

For this reason, getting plenty of new, easy-to-convert leads can be crucial for a dealership’s growth and success. There are several platforms you can work with, and all offer different high-quality features you can use to generate and nurture leads. 

One effective platform for growing your automotive business is Podium. The platform offers several strategies for car dealerships that have helped thousands of people effectively grow their businesses. As a tool for marketing, sales, and customer communication, Podium has helped businesses in the automotive industry improve their conversion rate by improving their search engine optimization as well as other marketing methods.

Moreover, Podium enables high-quality customer service as well as many automation features that increase agent productivity and help you grow your customer base.

Speed to lead is critical in today’s fast-paced market, and Podium offers an unparalleled advantage by ensuring businesses engage with leads within a couple of minutes—guaranteed.

Podium’s conversational AI is outcome-driven – it doesn’t just respond to inbound leads it guides conversations toward a specific goal, such as a sale or booking. Unlike other AI systems that focus on providing correct responses, Podium aims to drive specific customer actions to grow your business.

Keep reading to get a better idea of the latest methods of lead generation and how to put it to work for your car sales business.

The 15 Best Lead Generation Ideas for Car Sales

There are some car dealerships that provide tools for connecting you to potential customers who are looking for a new car. Other dealerships leave this process in the hands of their sales teams. For this reason, it is a good idea to do some research so you don’t fall behind in selling your cars. 

1. Rank higher for Local Searches.

To start getting more leads, car dealerships need to rank highly on search engine results pages (SERPs). This means creating optimized web pages and other types of content that provide value to potential customers and that Google will deem relevant and useful. You can get more potential customers from the traffic that your site sees. These are considered ‘high-quality’ leads and usually get you more sales. When all else fails, you should consider working with a professional company involved with internet marketing. 

Getting a professional content writer and search engine optimization (SEO) specialist will help set your website and blog up for success. These professionals understand the key aspects of SEO and how to create website copy and content around the best keywords to get the top spots on SERPs and effectively draw traffic in. 

Keep in mind, though, that optimizing a website and getting to the top of SERPs is more of a long-term project. As such, it may take a while to see the results you want.

2. Stay active on social media.

To effectively grow your car sales leads, you will need to run an active social media marketing campaign. This means creating accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms to reach your target audience. If you want to draw in a younger crowd, you should also consider having a profile on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.

Not only do you need to have these accounts up and running, but you also need to engage potential customers through interesting posts and comments. Create your post content around short, relevant pieces of information your potential clients and clients can use. Make sure to attach pictures, videos, and other media to help keep your potential client’s attention. You can even showcase the newest car models or the latest promos available at your dealership.

3. Leverage SEO.

People buying a car do tons of online research. This starts with keyphrases used in Google search bars, which lead to SEO-optimized blogs that lead to dealership sites. You want to be part of this chain of events to get more sales.

Using keywords to promote car dealerships and their websites is one of the most effective ways of getting more potential leads. You need to create relevant, useful content around the right keywords to draw the right potential audience to your business. Creating content that naturally flows around these topics and ideas will attract visitors to your site and keep them there. This will convert to leads in the long run.

Here are some things you can do to optimize your car dealership blog:

• Get your city name into the copy, preferably the headline.
• Utilize ‘how-to’ and advice articles.
• Make sure to have a ‘call-to-action’ at the end of each article.
• Place important keywords at the beginning of the article, headline, and throughout the article.

Finally, you should consider looking up frequently asked questions for cars that you sell. These may include:

• What do I need to qualify for a new car loan?
• Are there Ford Explorers for sale near me?
• Fuel-efficient car near me

Create content around answering these questions. The content will naturally show up in SERPs when potential clients search these questions and lead clients to your dealership’s website. The more visitors you get, the more potential leads you have.

4. Create interesting and attractive videos.

Content is key to developing more leads and therefore more car sales and revenue. Content comes in a range of forms, such as how-to guides, blog posts, memes, videos, and more. You have to remember that when a potential client is interested in a vehicle, they want to know all the details about it. This is a prime opportunity for creating a video that walks them through the car’s features or a walkthrough video. 

You can use a sales associate to do the video; just make sure they are charismatic and eloquent enough to get the information across. Your video should include the following features:

• Overview: A general overview of the vehicle, what it offers, the year it was made, and what features it has.
• Exterior: A 360-degree look at the exterior of the vehicle. Make sure to point out any unique features or state-of-the-art technology used.
• Interior: Take the time to record the car’s interior to give your clients an idea of the level of comfort they can expect from the car. You can also highlight advanced comfort features like seat warmers or a high-tech climate control system.
• Performance: Mention information on the car’s engine, along with any special capabilities such as towing.
• Safety: Notes about safety features, such as advanced braking systems, are important to add.
• Call-to-action (CTA): Close the video with a call-to-action such as “Set up your test drive today!” This can help convince leads to take action after watching your video.

5. Craft a referral program.

A cost-effective way of generating excellent leads is to create and work a thriving referral program. Keep your customers happy from the start and they will want to tell everyone about you. Give them incentives to let others know about your car dealership and how you helped them get into the car of their dreams. This will help encourage them to let their family members, business associates, and friends know about you and what you offer. 

You can offer rewards such as:

• Aftermarket vehicle accessories
• Gift cards
• Dealership store credit
• Discounts on services

All these are excellent ways of getting happy clients to bring more customers in.

6. Try pay-per-click and Google Ads. 

Pay-per-click advertising and Google Ads are excellent ways of getting people to notice the cars you’re trying to sell. These are ads you can tailor to your specific client base and you only pay for the times that people actually see the advertisement. As such, it’s a very budget-friendly method of generating leads.

7. Partner with local organizations and influencers.

Keeping up with trends takes a great deal of effort today. Make sure your brand is keeping up with the times by partnering with popular influencers. You can also collaborate with local organizations who may have access to leads you can take advantage of. 

Also be sure to cross-promote other businesses that complement yours, like car wash companies, gas stations, or auto detailing shops. Keeping your business visible in your local community can help to build its success. Actively participate in community events and festivals to build a positive image in your area.

8. Ensure your site is mobile-friendly.

Keeping your site in the Dark Ages will hurt your business no matter what industry you are in. Make sure to keep your website mobile-friendly so it’s always accessible to potential leads and existing customers. 

Some key aspects of setting up a mobile-friendly website are using short, concise copy, avoiding pop-up windows, and optimizing site speed.

9. Start a blog and create interesting content.

New car sales often start with potential customers going to the computer to do some research. This can be your site’s moment to shine. When you develop a blog rich in useful content, you see a steady flow of natural site traffic. Keeping this site updated with details on current cars will help you make that potential sale.

10. Follow up with lost prospects.

One of the best ways to increase your leads in the automotive industry is by following up with lost prospects. Every sale means there are a dozen people who were potential sales that didn’t close. Re-engaging with these potential car buyers is an excellent way of getting warm leads and converting them into sales. 

This can be done with emails sent through automation as well as calling potential customers. Another option is to build a quality LinkedIn profile and network within the automotive industry there as well.

Podium’s AI BDC helps dealers transform potential interest into concrete actions like booking test drives and scheduling service appointments. 

11. Trade quality content for contact information.

You can get contact information in the form of phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses to further market to your customers and generate more leads. Utilize the freemium thought process of offering free and valuable content in exchange for contact details. Keep your content high-quality, useful, and well-written and you will have tons of lead information coming in.

Examples of these forms of lead magnets are ‘how-to’ eBooks. These could be in-depth guides about topics like the following:

• Setting your Van Up for a Camping Trip
• Aftermarket Parts for Your Truck
• Getting Winter Tires for Your Vehicle 

12. Improve customer communications with CRM.

Using an excellent CRM tool will help you to track leads and follow up with potential clients. You can also use a sales funnel to manage client-sales associate interactions and track leads throughout the sales journey. There are interfaces designed to help managers connect, assign, and follow up with leads. The result is that dealerships get better conversion rates at a lowered marketing price.

If you aren’t sure which service to utilize, Podium offers a CRM built for small businesses that has many features that can help you get more leads and follow up with them in an organized fashion.

13. Design email and SMS marketing campaigns.

Building a solid SMS marketing campaign or email campaign doesn’t have to be a mystery any longer. For instance, Podium can help car dealers leverage SMS marketing to send one text that drives thousands in revenue and use 500 ready-to-use texting templates to save time and effort.

You can also set up automated emails to keep leads engaged and nurture customer relationships even after the deal has been closed.

14. Get customer reviews.

Getting customer reviews is an excellent way to get more leads, and therefore more sales. Cultivating more reviews means more business for your brand, so make sure you make it easy for customers to leave reviews of your car dealership. You can use tools like Podium’s Free Google Review Link Generator to include Google Review links in text or email messages.

15. Optimize your website.

Creating useful content is not enough; you also have to optimize it with the right keywords. There are several free tools that will help you do the research to find the best keywords and keyphrases for your local car dealership in your area. Once you identify the right search terms, you can start building content around it. You can also make your website a conversation starter by adding technology like chatbots to popular pages. See Webchat in action on your site.

Get More Customers for Your Automotive Business

Podium offers an all-in-one solution that is effective in lead generation and helping your auto dealer business experience the growth it needs. Customers have attributed their increase in leads and customers and a boost in net profit to their use of the platform. Since Podium is an all-in-one solution, the platform helps you not only get an increase in leads but also keep existing customers happy.

Speed to lead is critical in today’s fast-paced market, and Podium’s AI BDC offers an unparalleled advantage by ensuring dealerships engage with leads within a couple of minutes—guaranteed. 

Lead Generation for Car Dealers FAQs

Getting a thriving automotive lead generation process started is the first step to achieving success for your car dealership. Here are a few of the more common ones: 

Q: How much do auto leads cost?

A: While it may not be an easy number to calculate, the average auto dealership lead will cost you about $250. This is higher than most other industries. This is because the decision is more complex than average. Therefore, car buyers will do more research before purchasing their car. Because of this, car dealers tend to spend more per lead than in other industries.

Q: What are car sales leads?

A: In the automotive industry, inbound leads refer to local customers who are looking to finance, lease, or purchase a used car or a new car. These leads can be generated through email lists, phone calls, events, snail mail, and other methods.

Q: How do I get prospects for car sales?

A: There are so many methods of getting car sales that you simply need to find what works best for you. One surefire method of getting prospects for quality leads is with an email list. A few other lead generation strategies that are less commonly thought of include the following:

• Infographics that provide useful information.
• Email campaigns around car sales
• Being active on social media
• A car blog that provides useful information to potential clients
• Useful video content to share with your customer base

It’s important to remember the key objective here is to find what works for you and work it until you get more leads than you can follow up with. From this point, you will be able to grow your car sales business effectively.