According to a recent study, social media and digital advertising are playing an ever-increasing role in a car buyer’s path to purchase. In fact, 77% of sales customers use Facebook and 73% have clicked on a Facebook ad in response to a promotion or vehicle listing. And that makes sense as customers are moving more and more of their research and buying online.
Because customers have made it obvious that it is no longer enough for a dealer to merely be online and have a website, we’ve spent 2019 developing strategies that deliver the best quality traffic and results in digital and social media marketing to the dealers we serve.
The outcome of this approach has been significant growth for our members.
Here’s our 2019 in review:
In 2017, Facebook identified that the campaigns managed by us were 98% optimized—meaning Gravitational Marketing utilizes their clients’ money in the most effective way possible 98% of the time. For this reason, Facebook offered Gravitational Marketing an exclusive partnership.
Thanks to this relationship, we have access to alpha and beta tests that are not yet released to the general public, allowing us to consistently be at the forefront of digital marketing innovations within the automotive industry.
This access has allowed us to test out new strategies over the course of the year before some people even get access to the features. One thing we’ve learned through this experience is that it’s paramount to have real people working in your accounts each and every day. We’ve found that algorithms and computers just can’t optimize digital marketing accounts with the same level of expertise as a real, live person. By continuing to rely on brainpower, our members have generated more traffic and more sales.
In 2019, our members reached 11,667,215 potential car buyers on Facebook and generated 173,720 leads across all accounts. We currently manage more than 2 million dollars in ad spend for our members while maintaining an average cost per lead of $13.23.
But all of these metrics can only tell you so much. Ultimately, what you want to know is how you can sell more cars using Facebook. In 2019, we matched 323 sold lists for our members, which told us that we helped them sell an additional 1,809 cars from Facebook alone.
When done correctly, Facebook can be an additional lead source that not only generates traffic, but helps you sell more cars. One way to make it work for you is by tweaking your messaging, so you tap into a larger pool of prospects than other dealerships.
You see, at any given time, only about 2% of the market is actively shopping for a vehicle. But here’s what most dealers are ignoring: the other 98% are dreaming of driving nicer car than the one they have right now.
The trick is getting these people’s attention and accelerating them into the market—and Facebook is the perfect place to do it because it gets your message in front of these people. But this is a HUGE missed opportunity for other dealers, especially on Facebook, because they’re completely ignoring this segment of the market. If you want to learn more about how to get these buyers’ attention, click here to download our free guide to Cracking The 98%.
A digital strategy for your dealership shouldn’t start and end with Facebook. Social media is a great place to target and attract the Sleeping Buyers in your market who are dreaming of driving a Nicer, Newer® car, even if they aren’t shopping for one just yet.
But when consumers decide that now is the time to buy, their first stop is likely to be Google. That’s because people don’t even remember website URLs anymore. They usually just go to the search engine and let the algorithm find what they are looking for.
That’s why we make it a point to make sure our members not only have a powerful presence on Google, but also that their presence results in leads and sales. One of the best things you can do for your own digital results is to make sure that your accounts are being optimized for the right metrics that are most likely to add to your bottom line.
In 2019, across all accounts, our members had 46,539,531 impressions that resulted in 362,699 leads at an average cost per lead of $11.51. But ultimately, the most important metric is how many cars they were able to sell from those leads.
Our members closed more than 8,000 deals from Google alone!
What we’ve found is that Google only works if you know how to work it. A lot of dealerships and advertising agencies running dealership campaigns tend to make some major (and costly) mistakes. To learn how you can get better results from your Google Ads, click here to download our free ebook.
BDC
One of the most important keys to your dealership’s success in 2020 will be how quickly and efficiently you’re able to call and connect with leads.
A recent study found that the success rate with leads drops rapidly as time passes. Not surprising. What is surprising is how quickly the value of a lead decays. Think minutes, not hours or days.
Members using our software that streamlines the process of prioritizing and calling leads were able to connect with nearly 600,000 leads and schedule 125,295 appointments.
For more information on how you can streamline your BDC’s process to connect with more customers and schedule more appointments, click here to download our Ultimate Guide To A Powerhouse BDC.
WRAP-UP
2019 was a powerful year for the dealers we serve, and we already have a plan for reaching new heights in 2020. Because if we’ve learned anything, it’s that you need a plan for growth now, not halfway through the year. If you need help putting together your own plan for growth, download our free, self-guided Roadmap To Traffic.
But we’re always here to help. If you’d like additional guidance and a plan for selling more cars in 2020, click here to learn about our members-only program.
We work with one growth-minded dealer per area. Our members know that sticking to the status quo is not the solution. They come to us looking for real, sustainable growth, and we help them understand and implement a unique approach to marketing that is the complete opposite of what everyone else is doing. If you want to join the most exclusive club in the car business, click here to learn more about our program and to see if it’s available in your area.