As an independent or franchise dealer, you may feel like it’s impossible to compete with national auto retailers. They have huge budgets for slick Super Bowl TV ads, and even giant car vending machines by the side of the highway.
But you can compete with the “Big-Box Big Boys.” There’s plenty of market share to go around. You just need to think strategically about where and how you place ads.
No, a multi-million dollar TV spend may not be in your future. The good news is that digital marketing is a far more effective (and cost-effective) way to reach your ideal audience.
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Competing with the Big-Box Big Boys
The secret to competing with the big-box big boys? Focus on your inventory.
Feature the cars you have in stock, and aim at buyers low in the purchase funnel. That means you need to talk to shoppers who know what they want, and who are ready to buy.
But besides knowing where to buy ad space, you also need to consider what kind of ad you should run. Let’s take a look at a few popular ad types.
The three kinds of ads below all allow you to compete locally while saving money by being very specific.
Three Key Ad Formats You Should Be Using
1 – Google Dynamic Search
Google’s Dynamic Search ads are a perfect way to showcase specific inventory.
Let’s say you’ve got a 2017 Honda CRV on your lot. A shopper in your area searching Google for “Honda CRV near me” will have your ad served up to them, right at the top of their search results page. When they click on it, they’ll be taken directly to the vehicle description page (VDP) on your website.
How does it work? Google Ads uses common phrases on your website to select a landing page for the ad, and will even auto-generate a relevant headline for your ad. If you’ve got the inventory on your website, Google pulls the dynamic search ad right from your VDP and serves it up in the search.
It’s super easy because you don’t need to mess with keywords or bid on search terms on Google. (Bidding on “Honda CRV” would be too expensive because you’d be trying to outbid Honda itself!)
Save your budget and target the people looking for the cars you can sell now.
Want your inventory to show up with photos, too? Read on for the next ad type.
2- Google Vehicle Listing Ads
Google Vehicle Listing Ads are a relatively new ad format. Knowing that 89% of shoppers research their vehicles online before purchase, and a growing number are also buying their cars online, Google introduced this ad format in early 2022.
These ads allow you to advertise your inventory on Google to people who are searching for cars locally. This means they’re ready to buy (low funnel!) making this the ideal spot to showcase your inventory.
These are carousel-style ads with photos that tuck in right under Google’s search bar. The ads show the make, model, year, mileage, and location along with a photo. Shoppers can see all the most important details even before they click on an ad.
These ads link right to the vehicle detail page on your site, where a lead form awaits them.
3 – Automotive Inventory Ads on Facebook and Instagram
You can’t count out Facebook advertising. Facebook has the world’s largest social media audience, and dealers can find ideal customers with automotive inventory ads (AIA’s).
Just load your inventory on Facebook (it’s so easy with AutoSweet’s help!), along with the key details like make, model, mileage, etc., and select the audiences you want to target. Meta’s artificial intelligence will do its thing and show ads linked to the vehicle’s VDP on your dealership’s website.
You can choose from a variety of placements, like Facebook’s Feed and Stories, Instagram Feed and Stories, and ad formats like static images, carousel images, and videos.
One big benefit of these AIA’s is that you can choose your objective with them. Maybe you want to generate more leads, drive shoppers to a specific vehicle on your website, or perhaps to a vehicle listed right on Facebook where consumers can message you immediately.
These on-Facebook ads are very efficient, reducing the average cost per lead by 82% (versus sending shoppers to your website.)
You can also play with the selected audience. If you choose leads as your ad objective, AutoSweet can retarget those customers, showing them the same ads on other websites.
Bonus: Branding Ads
Differentiate yourself with a branding ad. Explain who you are and why you’re different. Maybe you’re a franchise dealership that prides itself on an outstanding service department. Or, a used vehicle dealership that prides itself on selling trucks, Jeeps, and Diesel trucks.
Communicate that with an ad.
Perhaps it’s your independent dealership’s 10th anniversary. Don’t just paint the dealership’s windows, buy some digital ads and inspire customers to check you out.
Remind people that you’re a hometown hero. Many people prefer to support local businesses rather than big corporations. Recent surveys show that shoppers who support local businesses do so to keep money in their communities. And buying local is a trend that doesn’t look like it’s fading soon.
Market Your Inventory to Compete
Remember, lower funnel (specific) searches help you get better leads. Once someone knows exactly what kind of year, make, and model they want, they’re nearly ready to buy. So show them the right kind of ads and go head-to-head with the Big-Box Big Boys.
Think one of these brand formats is right for your dealership? AutoSweet makes inventory advertising easy and affordable. Contact us today for a quick conversation with one of our digital marketing consultants.
