A Powerful & Customizable Car Dealership Marketing Strategy (FREE)

A comprehensive car dealership marketing strategy, covering the entire sales funnel and all digital marketing channels. Designed to you get more traffic and customers for your car dealership business.
Prepared by: Eduardo Yi
Created on: March 5, 2025
Your Strategy
Primary Item (H2)
Primary Item (H2)

The Sales Funnel

The sales funnel is a visual way to understand the journey your customers take, from first discovering your business to eventually making a purchase. Imagine it like a funnel shape: at the top, many people might learn about your business, but fewer move down to become actual buyers.

Optimizing your entire sales funnel, you're able to increase the number of people who move smoothly from interested browsers to loyal, paying customers.

It helps ensure every part of your business—from your website to your follow-up emails—is designed to guide people toward buying. The clearer this pathway, the easier it is to boost your sales and grow your business.

The marketing plan below includes dozens of marketing ideas and tactics to optimize your entire sales funnel.

Your Target Personas

A target persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer, created by researching and understanding the behaviors, needs, and preferences of people most likely to buy your products or services.

Think of it as drawing a detailed portrait of your best customer, including details like their age, interests, job, daily habits, and the challenges they face.

By visualizing this customer, you're better able to understand what motivates them, how to communicate effectively, and how to reach them through your marketing efforts.

Rather than trying to appeal to everyone—which can lead to wasted resources and ineffective marketing—you can specifically tailor your messages to resonate deeply with the people most likely to become loyal customers.
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Your Target Persona #1: Family-Focused Fiona
Age: 35 | Education: Bachelor's in Marketing | Occupation: Marketing Manager at a mid-sized company
"I'm overwhelmed by all the options out there and worried that I might choose the wrong vehicle for my family. I want something safe and spacious, but I fear making a hasty decision that will strain our finances."
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Visible Goals
These are the goals your target persona would tell you about.
Find a reliable family vehicle within budget
Get a good trade-in value for my current car
Secure financing with low monthly payments
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True Goals
These are the real things they want to achieve.
"I want to ensure my family travels safely and comfortably."
"If I get a good deal, I can finally afford the car I’ve dreamed of."
"I need to simplify the buying process so I can focus on my kids."
🙅‍♂️
Purchasing Objections
These are your target persona's doubts about your product.
"I think the prices are too high for what I really need."
"I'm concerned about the hidden costs involved with financing."
"I'm not confident about getting a fair trade-in value for my old car."
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Answer to Objections
These are your product's answers to your target persona's doubts.
We offer a wide range of vehicles at various price points to fit your budget.
Our transparent pricing policy ensures no hidden fees during financing.
Our trade-in program guarantees you a competitive value based on market analysis.
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Transformation
In your target persona's own words, here's how your product has improved their life.
"After purchasing my family vehicle from this dealership, I felt relieved and excited. I now have peace of mind knowing my family rides in safety and comfort. I'm also proud that I made a smart financial decision that didn't compromise our budget."
How to use this information: You should think about your target persona every time you're working on any marketing campaign. Your landing pages, blog posts, social posts, ads, videos, email copy, new products, should all be targeted at your target persona.
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Your Target Persona #2: Fleet-Focused Frank
Age: 42 | Education: Associate's in Business Management | Occupation: Owner of a small delivery business
"Choosing the right vehicles for my growing fleet stresses me out. I need trucks that can handle heavy loads without forcing me to spend a fortune on repairs, but the myriad of options and financing terms make it difficult to decide."
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Visible Goals
These are the goals your target persona would tell you about.
Acquire durable vehicles for my delivery fleet
Negotiate favorable financing terms for multiple vehicles
Establish a reliable maintenance routine for my fleet
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True Goals
These are the real things they want to achieve.
"I want my business to run smoothly with dependable vehicles."
"If I can save money on financing, I'll invest more in my operations."
"I need to be confident my vehicles won’t break down during important deliveries."
🙅‍♂️
Purchasing Objections
These are your target persona's doubts about your product.
"I worry the upfront costs will be too high for my current cash flow."
"What if the vehicles don’t last as long as expected?"
"I'm concerned I won't receive the dedicated support I need after the sale."
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Answer to Objections
These are your product's answers to your target persona's doubts.
We offer flexible financing plans designed for small businesses to manage cash flow effectively.
Our vehicles are thoroughly inspected and come with warranties to assure durability.
Our dedicated service team is here for any support you need post-purchase.
✨
Transformation
In your target persona's own words, here's how your product has improved their life.
"Now that I've secured my fleet from this dealership, my daily operations feel much more stable. The reliable trucks I purchased allow me to meet delivery deadlines without worry, boosting my business confidence and giving me more time to focus on growth."
How to use this information: You should think about your target persona every time you're working on any marketing campaign. Your landing pages, blog posts, social posts, ads, videos, email copy, new products, should all be targeted at your target persona.

Top of the Funnel

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Your Goal at the Top of the Funnel: Awareness
At this stage of the funnel, your marketing persona isn't aware of your product and isn't even necessarily looking for a product. They just know they have a problem. Your objective at the top of the funnel is for them to be aware of your business by providing value (without trying to get them to buy right away.)
New visitors to website
Total views on Instagram
Engagement rate on blog posts
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Content Marketing
Content marketing is all about creating the assets you'll promote and optimize on through the different marketing channels (SEO, social media, email marketing, and ads.) At the top of the funnel, you're creating your mass-market content, aimed to attract as many people as possible.
Content ideas:
Blog post: 'Top 10 Family Cars for Safety and Comfort in 2023' - Help Family-Focused Fiona understand her options.
Infographic: 'The Cost of Ownership: How to Budget for Your Next Family Vehicle' - Address the financial concerns of both personas.
Video series: 'Finding the Right Vehicle for Your Business: A Guide for Small Fleet Owners' - Cater to Fleet-Focused Frank’s needs.
Webinar: 'Decoding Financing Options for New and Used Vehicles' - Provide valuable insights without a sales pitch.
Social media poll: 'What do you prioritize when purchasing a vehicle?' - Engage the audience and understand their preferences.
Podcast episode: 'Real Stories from Families About Their Vehicle Purchases' - Share relatable experiences that resonate with both personas.
What to measure:
Page views on blog posts
Social media shares
Time spent on content
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SEO
With SEO, you can get your content to rank on the top of search engines for the keywords that your marketing persona is typing into Google. At the top of the funnel, the keywords you'll target will likely have a higher search volume and will be harder to rank for.
Keyword ideas:
Best family cars for safety 2023
Budgeting for a family vehicle
How to choose a delivery vehicle
Financing options for new cars
Top SUVs for families
Affordable trucks for small businesses
Car buying tips for families
How to trade in your car
Vehicle maintenance tips for fleets
Cost of ownership for family vehicles
What to measure:
Organic traffic
Impressions for targeted keywords
Click-through rate (CTR) from search results
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Paid Advertising
When it comes to ads, targeting is probably the most important predictor of a winning campaign (closely followed by ad creatives.) At the top of the funnel, you'll be looking for brand new audiences who have never heard about your company — these are called "Prospecting" campaigns.
Target audience ideas:
[Prospecting] Facebook Ads: Target parents aged 30-45 looking for family vehicles.
[Prospecting] Google Ads: Search for 'best family cars under $30,000'.
[Prospecting] YouTube Ads: Reach small business owners interested in vehicle solutions.
[Remarketing] Facebook Ads: Show ads to users who visited the 'family vehicle' blog post.
[Remarketing] Google Ads: Target those who filled out a contact form but did not make a purchase.
What to measure:
Ad impressions
Click-through rate (CTR)
New leads generated from ads
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Social Media
The hardest part about doing social media as a brand/business, is that you should look to not behave like just another business on social media. Your social media content should be native to each channel in tone, format, and style. Because of its mass usage, social media is perfect for top of the funnel content.
Social media campaign ideas:
Share customer testimonials featuring families that purchased vehicles for safety and comfort.
Run a social media contest: 'Share Your Family Road Trip Story' to engage parents.
Create educational posts about vehicle features appealing to family safety.
Post behind-the-scenes content of vehicle inspections in the dealership to highlight quality.
Monitor and respond to brand mentions on social channels regarding vehicle purchases.
What to measure:
Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares)
Follower growth
Traffic from social media platforms
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Marketing Experiments
For whatever campaign you launch, there will always be room for improvement. It's a good idea to pick a few experiments ideas and launch split tests designed to improve your most important metrics.
Experiment ideas:
A/B test different headlines on landing pages for vehicle categories.
Test variations of call-to-action buttons on blog posts to increase click-throughs.
Conduct polls about car buying preferences on the website to personalize content.
Optimize load speed of landing pages to enhance user experience.
Experiment with the placement of lead magnets (like eBooks on vehicle finance) on high-traffic pages.
What to measure:
Bounce rate on landing pages
Conversion rate of landing page CTAs
Average session duration on site

Middle of the Funnel

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Your Goal at the Middle of the Funnel: Consideration
At this stage of the funnel, your marketing persona is aware of your product but isn't ready to purchase. They are still doing research and comparing your solution against competitors. This is the time to build trust by giving them more information and provide answers to questions they might have. Your main objective at the middle of the funnel is to turn a stranger into a lead.
Return visitors to website
Leads generated (form submissions)
Engagement rate on educational content
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Content Marketing
The content you'll create for the middle of the funnel is typically called a "lead magnet." This is usually a free (or very cheap) piece of content that you'll offer to your marketing persona in exchange for their contact information (e.g. email address or phone number.)
Content ideas:
Ebook: 'The Ultimate Guide to Family Vehicle Financing' - Help Family-Focused Fiona better understand financing options and empower Fleet-Focused Frank to make informed decisions.
Video tutorial: 'How to Evaluate the Trade-In Value of Your Car' - Offer insights on trade-in strategies that appeal to both personas.
Blog post: 'What to Look for in a Family Vehicle: Safety and Comfort Features' - Address concerns about vehicle choosing for safety and comfort.
Webinar: 'Navigating Financing Options for Fleets vs. Family Vehicles' - Provide tailored advice for both Family-Focused Fiona and Fleet-Focused Frank.
Interactive quiz: 'What Family Vehicle Best Suits Your Needs?' - Engage users like Family-Focused Fiona with personalized recommendations while collecting their preferences.
Customer case study: 'How This Family Found Their Dream Vehicle' - Narrate experiences relatable to both personas.
What to measure:
Number of downloads (eBooks)
Registration rate for webinars
Engagement rate on videos
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SEO
At the middle of the funnel, your marketing persona is likely specifically searching for information about the solutions to their problem (without looking into any specific product, yet.) These keywords are considered to have "higher intent" (aka, more valuable) than the ones at the top of the funnel, but they will have smaller search volumes.
Keyword ideas:
Best financing options for family vehicles
How to evaluate car trade-in value
Safety features to look for in family cars
Guide to financing fleet vehicles
Evaluating maintenance plans for trucks
Trade-in tips for maximizing value
Top safety ratings for family SUVs
Financing considerations for small businesses
Choosing the right vehicle for families on a budget
How to manage vehicle maintenance costs
What to measure:
Leads generated from organic search
Keyword rankings for targeted content
Organic click-through rate (CTR) for relevant articles
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Paid Advertising
At the middle of the funnel, your paid advertising campaigns will zoom into people who are already aware of your brand somehow, but haven't yet become leads. "Remarketing" campaigns are great for this (although, you might also sometimes experiment with prospecting campaigns that try to convert strangers to leads right away.)
Target audience ideas:
[Prospecting] Facebook Ads: Target parents searching for vehicle finance education aged 30-45 interested in family vehicles.
[Prospecting] Google Ads: Search for 'how to get the best trade-in value'.
[Remarketing] YouTube Ads: Target users who viewed videos about comparing family vehicles and fleet options.
[Remarketing] Google Ads: Show ads to those who downloaded an eBook but haven't submitted a contact form yet.
[Prospecting] Facebook Ads: Reaches small business owners interested in flexible financing plans.
What to measure:
Cost per lead from ads
Click-through rate (CTR) for remarketing campaigns
Lead conversion rate from ad traffic
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Social Media
The social media campaigns at this stage of the funnel are designed to get your marketing persona off of the social media channel and into your own platform (e.g. your website), where you can actually capture their contact information.
Social media campaign ideas:
Share behind-the-scenes footage of a family test-driving a car, discussing its comfort and safety features.
Post polls on vehicle financing topics, drawing engagement from both target audiences regarding their pain points.
Create sneak peeks of the webinar on social platforms to encourage sign-ups.
Highlight testimonials from other families and small businesses that successfully navigated the purchasing process.
Engage in discussions by monitoring relevant hashtags about family vehicles and fleet management.
What to measure:
Engagement on posts related to content
New followers from informative content
Traffic driven to the website from social media
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Email Marketing
Email marketing is an often overlooked channel that's critical for the middle of the funnel. Email is a very effective way to reach your marketing persona directly. The most common mistake businesses make is underutilizing email in their marketing (you should think beyond just email newsletters.)
Email marketing campaign ideas:
Nurture email series: 'Tips for Choosing Your Family's Next Vehicle' - A sequence to guide Family-Focused Fiona through decision-making.
Webinar reminder emails for registrations - Detailed reminders with the agenda to boost attendance for both personas.
Educational email: 'Understanding Trade-In Values' - Aimed at easing concerns for Fleet-Focused Frank.
Monthly newsletter featuring case studies of satisfied customers - Highlight successes to keep readers engaged.
Follow-up emails after content downloads, offering additional resources or support.
What to measure:
Open rates for nurture series
Webinar attendance rates
Engagement rates on trade-in educational content
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Marketing Experiments
For this stage of the funnel, your experiments will be designed to maximize the number of leads you get from your campaigns.
Experiment ideas:
A/B test subject lines for the email series to see which resonates more with Family-focused content.
Experiment with different landing page designs for the webinar registration to improve the conversion rate.
Test various formats for the interactive quiz to determine which engages users more effectively.
Evaluate the impact of clear calls-to-action in blog posts with a split test to enhance user engagement.
Analyze time spent on landing pages and adjust content accordingly to better hold the viewer’s attention.
What to measure:
Conversion rate for webinar registrations
Engagement rate on interactive content
Performance of A/B tests results overall for engagement

Bottom of the Funnel

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Your Goal at the Bottom of the Funnel: Purchase
At the bottom of the funnel, your marketing persona already knows your product and is ready to make a purchase decision. They already have all the information they need. Your objective at this stage is to address purchasing objections and convince them to take that last step and become a paying customer.
Conversion rate of leads to customers
Average order value
Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
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Content Marketing
The content you'll create for the bottom of the funnel is purposely design to get your marketing persona to purchase. You don't have to be afraid to be sales-y or about talking about your product directly.
Content ideas:
Case study: 'How Family-Focused Fiona Found the Perfect Family Vehicle' - Showcase a relatable success story that alleviates purchasing concerns.
Video testimonial: 'Hear from Real Customers Who Loved Their Experience' - Build trust through real experiences shared by satisfied customers.
Checklist: 'Final Steps to Secure Your Family Vehicle' - A practical guide for Family-Focused Fiona and Fleet-Focused Frank that simplifies the purchasing process.
Comparison guide: 'New vs. Used Cars – Which Is Right for You?' - Help users weigh their options clearly before making a commitment.
Q&A session: 'Your Questions Answered on Vehicle Financing and Trade-Ins' - Address common purchaser concerns directly.
Promotional campaign: 'Special Financing Offers This Month' - Highlight limited-time offers to create urgency.
What to measure:
Engagement rate on case studies
Conversion rate from checklist downloads
Click-through rate on promotional campaigns
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SEO
At the bottom of the funnel, your marketing persona will be searching Google for information about your product (for example: reviews, pricing, features, etc), which is why you'll be optimizing for a lot of "branded" searches — these are searches that include your brand/product name.
Keyword ideas:
Best financing deals for family vehicles
Used car dealership near me
Trade-in value calculator
What to expect during a car trade-in
Family vehicle purchase guide
Financing options for small businesses
Vehicle maintenance services near me
Top safety features for family cars
New vs. used car buying considerations
Dealerships offering best trade-in values
What to measure:
Number of conversions from organic search
Keyword rankings for bottom-of-funnel content
Traffic from targeted phrases related to purchasing
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Paid Advertising
At this stage of the funnel, you'll be running conversion campaigns to get purchases. These will be your highest revenue campaigns, where you will be keeping a close eye on your return on ad spend (ROAS.)
Target audience ideas:
[Remarketing] Facebook Ads: Show ads to individuals who viewed trade-in evaluation videos but didn't convert.
[Remarketing] Google Ads: Target previous visitors who checked financing options without completing a form.
[Remarketing] YouTube Ads: Engage previous viewers of testimonials with direct calls-to-action to visit the dealership.
[Prospecting] Facebook Ads: Focus on families researching safe vehicles with ad copy emphasizing comfort and safety.
[Prospecting] Google Ads: Search for 'best financing options for family vehicles' targeting people ready to purchase.
What to measure:
Cost per conversion
Return on ad spend (ROAS)
Click-through rate (CTR) for remarketing campaigns
🚀 Help me execute this paid ads strategy
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Social Media
The bottom of the funnel campaigns will usually only make up a small minority of your social media content.
Social media campaign ideas:
Share customer stories focused on great trade-in experiences on social media platforms.
Create a live Q&A session discussing financing options tailored for families and small businesses.
Highlight special promotions or financing offers available for a limited time to create urgency online.
Post engaging visuals or videos of the vehicles ready for sale, showcasing their key features.
Continue monitoring and responding to brand mentions regarding purchasing experiences.
What to measure:
Conversions from social media posts
Engagement rate on promotional posts
Traffic driven to service pages from social shares
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Email Marketing
Email is perfectly tailored to run bottom of the funnel campaigns. After you've provided value to customers via your other email campaigns, you can run sales and promotional campaigns to get conversions.
Email marketing campaign ideas:
Final follow-up email sequence: 'Your New Vehicle is Waiting!' - Encouragement for leads considering a purchase.
Exclusive offer emails for current leads interested in specific vehicle types - Create urgency with bespoke promotions.
Nurturing email series: 'Why Our Customers Choose Us: Exclusive Stories' - Share compelling customer narratives to boost trust.
Post-purchase support emails - Offering maintenance tips and encouraging reviews.
Reminder emails for those who initiated finance applications but did not complete them.
What to measure:
Open rates for final follow-up emails
Conversion rate on exclusive offers
Click-through rate on nurturing stories
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Marketing Experiments
Your bottom-of-the-funnel experiments will have the objective of maximizing your profits. That could be by getting more first-time customers or increasing the amount of money you get from each customer on their first purchase.
Experiment ideas:
A/B test different layouts for the vehicle description pages to improve engagement and conversions.
Run split tests on the effectiveness of urgency tactics (limited-time offers) in email campaigns.
Test various calls-to-action on the financing information pages to find the most effective wording.
Optimize your checkout process to reduce clicks needed to finalize a purchase.
Experiment with personalized recommendations based on previous site activity to enhance lead engagement.
What to measure:
Conversion rate on landing pages
Average time to conversion
Drop-off rate at each stage of the sales funnel

Retention

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Your Goal at the Retention Stage: Increase Lifetime Value
In the retention stage, your marketing persona is already a customer of your product. Your objective is to increase the value you can extract from them directly by generating repeat purchases, upsells, or reducing churn; or indirectly by improving brand image or promoting referrals.
Customer lifetime value (CLV)
Rate of repeat purchases
Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)
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Content Marketing
The objective of the content you'll create at the retention stage is to keep your existing customers happy by providing ongoing value (even after purchasing.)
Content ideas:
Post-purchase guide: 'How to Get the Most Out of Your New Vehicle' - Help customers understand features and maintenance.
Webinar series: 'Top Tips for Family Road Trips and Vehicle Maintenance' - Provide valuable information that resonates with Family-Focused Fiona's goals.
Survey: 'How Can We Serve You Better?' to gather feedback and improve services based on customer needs.
Blog post: 'Seasonal Vehicle Checklists for Families and Fleets' - Address maintenance concerns and promote ongoing engagement.
Loyalty program announcement: 'Earn Points With Every Service or Purchase!' - Encourage re-engagement and increase repeat business.
What to measure:
Engagement rate on newsletters
Feedback response rate from surveys
Repeat visit rate to the website
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SEO
At the bottom of the funnel, you'll want to make sure your marketing persona can find all the information she needs to get the most of your product (e.g. knowledge base articles), or to solve any problems that may arise (e.g. support/contact page.)
Keyword ideas:
Customer satisfaction tips for vehicle maintenance
Best family road trip planning tips
Family vehicle care and maintenance resources
How to extend the life of your vehicle
Top features for family cars in 2023
Survey results on customer preferences for vehicle services
Common maintenance issues for family vehicles
Understanding your vehicle warranty
Loyalty programs for vehicle service
Key features that enhance vehicle safety
What to measure:
Organic traffic to retention content
Number of backlinks gained from customer stories
Increase in rankings for maintenance-related keywords
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Paid Advertising
At this stage of the funnel, you might choose to be run campaigns promoting of new features, upgrades, or promotions.
Target audience ideas:
[Remarketing] Facebook Ads: Show ads promoting the loyalty program to current customers.
[Remarketing] Google Ads: Target users who visited blog content about vehicle maintenance yet didn't engage further.
[Remarketing] YouTube Ads: Show testimonial videos highlighting satisfied customers and their positive experiences with the dealership.
[Prospecting] Facebook Ads: Target families interested in vehicle care and maintenance solutions for vehicle longevity.
[Remarketing] Instagram Ads: Remind past buyers of available exclusive services or seasonal checks for their vehicles.
What to measure:
Cost per reach for retention campaigns
Engagement rate on remarketing ads
Number of repeat visits driven by ads
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Social Media
Retention campaigns on social media revolve around building a sense of community with your existing customers. You'll do a lot of monitoring of brand mentions on social media.
Social media campaign ideas:
Run contests encouraging customers to share their best family road trip stories and experiences with their vehicles.
Engage customers through live Q&A sessions focused on vehicle maintenance and care.
Share reminders on social media about the loyalty program and its benefits.
Highlight customer reviews and success stories in posts to foster community engagement.
Monitor social media for mentions of the dealership, responding promptly to questions, reviews, or suggestions.
What to measure:
Engagement rates on posts
Growth in followers from customer interactions
Traffic driven to loyalty program pages
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Email Marketing
Retention email campaigns will be a mix of educational emails (onboarding, activation, etc), transactional emails (reports, receipts, reminders, etc), and promotional emails (upgrades, upsells, etc.)
Email marketing campaign ideas:
Monthly performance report email showcasing customer purchases or milestones - Acknowledge and celebrate their experience.
Exclusive offer emails for services to existing customers - Encourage them to take advantage of after-sale care.
Follow-up emails after service appointments to gather feedback and assess satisfaction.
Feature success stories of other customers within the email campaign to inspire loyalty.
Occasional free maintenance check reminders tailored for families and small businesses.
What to measure:
Open rates for service offers
Customer satisfaction scores from follow-up emails
Engagement with success stories shared via email
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Marketing Experiments
Your retention experiments will have the objective of maximizing lifetime value of existing customers.
Experiment ideas:
A/B test various loyalty program descriptions to enhance clarity and attractiveness.
Experiment with different email frequencies to optimize engagement rates without overwhelming customers.
Analyze surveys and adjust service offerings based on customer feedback to maximize satisfaction.
Test landing page experiences for service sign-ups to improve conversion rates.
Use personalizations in follow-up communications to increase engagement from previously purchased customers.
What to measure:
Conversion rate for service sign-ups
Engagement rates from A/B tests
Feedback scores on service satisfaction

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