Marketing for car dealers and auto services
from a listing view to a visit
A car buyer contacts three to five dealers before choosing one, and the dealer who follows up fastest and most consistently usually wins the sale, not necessarily the one with the lowest price. We build the ads, the lead follow-up and the CRM that makes that speed possible.
Where the money leaks today
Dealership marketing usually loses the sale after the ad has already done its job: an inquiry comes in and sits for hours before anyone calls back, by which point the buyer has already contacted the next dealer on their list. Inventory feeds often advertise vehicles that have already sold, wasting spend and frustrating buyers who show up for something no longer available. Service-department promotions, which often have the best margins, rarely get the same attention as new vehicle sales campaigns.
What we do
Campaigns sync to your live inventory so a sold vehicle stops being advertised automatically - the same feed discipline we apply in e-commerce, where we have found and fixed catalogues with dead links silently removing a third of products from ads. Every inquiry triggers an automated follow-up sequence - call, message, email - timed to reach the buyer before they move to the next dealer, instead of relying on one call and silence.
We build the CRM pipeline from inquiry to test drive to sale, so you can see cost per visit and cost per sale by vehicle category, plus separate campaigns for the service department, which usually gets underfunded relative to its margin. Review requests go out after sales and service visits, since reputation compounds in this category the same way it did over four years of local marketing for a tattoo studio, where profit doubled.
What we need from you
Your inventory feed or a current export, access to your ad accounts, your current lead-handling process, and the name of whoever actually follows up with inquiries, so the sequence matches how your team works.
How we measure
We report in visits, test drives and sales, not just inquiries, because a lead that never gets followed up costs the same acquisition spend as one that converts. Inventory accuracy is checked on a schedule so sold vehicles do not keep drawing ad spend.
Price and timeline
| Option | Price | What it covers | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch or audit | from $900 | Campaigns, inventory sync, follow-up sequence | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Monthly management | from $900 / month | Ongoing campaigns, CRM, service promotions, reporting | monthly, no lock-in |
| Full control, handover to your team | from $2,200 (one-time) + $400 / month for edits | Documented system, access transferred, your team runs it | 3 to 4 weeks to hand over |
Related
See sales funnels, lead magnets and CRM for the follow-up build and performance marketing for the ad side. Related playbooks: marketing for construction and renovation companies, marketing for logistics and B2B service companies, marketing for furniture and home brands. For automated follow-up, see car dealership lead follow-up. Real-world reference: CRM and lead routing for a real estate developer and four years of local marketing for a tattoo studio.
Inquiries going cold before anyone calls back? Get in touch and we will look at your follow-up speed first.
FAQ
How much does car dealer marketing cost?
Launch work starts from $900: campaigns, inventory sync and a follow-up sequence. Ongoing management starts from $900 a month. A full CRM and multi-department system usually runs $2,000 to $3,500.
How long until we see visits or test drives?
Campaigns launch in 1 to 2 weeks. Inquiries typically start within days; a reliable read on cost per visit or sale takes 2 to 4 weeks.
What ad budget do we need?
A realistic minimum is $600 to $1,200 a month for one location, with inventory-synced campaigns usually outperforming generic brand awareness ads at this budget.
What do you need from us to start?
Your inventory feed or a current listing export, access to your ad accounts, your current lead-handling process, and whoever follows up with inquiries today.
How do you report results?
Weekly: inquiries, booked visits or test drives, sales, cost per sale, by vehicle category and channel.