In most industries, the holiday season is an especially busy time of the year; in fact, some companies live or die by the sales they bring in between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. The shopping season isn’t always quite that impactful for independent auto dealers, but it does present some significant opportunities to do some holiday-centric consumer outreach—and end the year on a high note.
If you’re struggling to know exactly how to market your independent auto dealership this holiday season, here are a few ideas that might offer the results you’re looking for.
Holiday Marketing for Your Independent Auto Dealership
- Spruce up your website. First and foremost, make some simple tweaks and revisions to your dealership website. Some festive graphics or color schemes can make the whole site feel more welcoming to shoppers. Adding information about your holiday hours is a must. And of course, if you do plan to run any end-of-the-year sales events, you’ll want to promote them heavily.
- Add seasonal language to your PPC ads. Holiday-centric keywords can make a big difference in your PPC ads. You probably can’t work “stocking stuffer” into an ad for your latest SUV, but maybe you can work in language about end-of-the-year sales, or about giving service center gift cards to the auto lover in your family.
- Deck the halls in your showroom. A big part of dealership marketing is building trust—and one way you can build trust this holiday season is by making your showroom feel truly welcoming and inviting. Holiday trees, wreaths, garlands, stockings—anything you can add to make it feel cozy and home-like can go a long way toward increasing consumer comfort.
- Do something charitable. Hosting a toy drive or canned good drive at your dealership—on behalf of a local shelter or charity—can be a powerful way to build buzz and engender goodwill, all while truly doing something good and meaningful. Talk about a win-win!
- Get the full team involved. Holiday cheer starts with your team members. Something like an office ugly sweater party can put everyone in a festive mood—and as an added bonus, you can take some snapshots and put them on social media, a great way to humanize your brand.
- Fire up the email list. Some buyers will be coming into holiday bonuses, or may simply want to begin the new year with a new vehicle—and as such, it’s certainly worthwhile to send out some marketing emails, especially if you’re able to include any holiday discounts or promo codes.
Are You Ready for the Holidays?
The holiday season has really begun, which means the time to act is now. Do something to help your dealership take advantage of this special, potentially fruitful season—and if you need guidance, reach out to the marketing pros at Get My Auto right away.