Marketing
for car dealerships

How Americans shop for a car

Marketing for car dealerships starts where buyers spend most of their time: online. Most buyers research for weeks on dealer sites, listing sites, review sites and YouTube before visiting. They search "used trucks near me", "CPO" plus a model, "buy here pay here" plus a city, "best price" plus a model, and many visit only one or two dealers in person. The dealer that shows real inventory with honest prices and answers fastest gets the visit.

Inventory-based advertising

Dealer ads work best when they come from the inventory feed: vehicle ads on Google, catalog ads on Meta, search campaigns for makes and models you actually have on the lot. When a car sells, its ads stop. I connect your inventory feed, check that prices and photos match the vehicle detail pages, and split campaigns by vehicle type and price range. More on Google Ads management.

Pricing and advertising rules

Car dealers face more ad scrutiny than most retailers. The FTC and state attorneys general have taken action against advertised prices that are not available to buyers, hidden mandatory fees and add-ons sold without clear consent. A federal FTC rule aimed at car dealers was struck down by a federal appeals court in early 2025, but general rules against deceptive pricing remain, and many states regulate dealer advertising directly: requiring stock numbers, limiting "add-on" charges or demanding that the advertised price be honored.

Financing ads add another layer. Advertising specific terms, like a monthly payment, down payment or APR, can require additional disclosures under federal lending and leasing rules. On Meta, ads promoting credit offers must run in the special ad category for financial products and services, which limits targeting. My article on Meta special ad categories explains the limits. Your attorney and finance team should approve the wording.

Speed to lead

Most dealer leads also contacted other dealers. The first meaningful reply usually wins the appointment. A CRM that routes every lead to a salesperson, alerts when a lead waits too long and confirms appointments by text (with consent) often does more than a bigger budget. A chatbot can answer "is this car still available?" at 11 p.m. and book a test drive. See my article on speed to lead.

Service department

Service and parts bring steady margin. Service reminders by email and text, a Google profile for the service department, and search ads for "oil change near me" or "brake service" plus a city keep bays busy between sales.

Seasonality

Tax refund season from February to April is a strong time for used car sales. Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day and year-end bring traditional sales events. Model-year changeovers in late summer and fall move older inventory. Winter in the North brings demand for trucks and all-wheel drive.

Working with me

I work remotely with dealers across the US, from Houston to Atlanta. Calls are on Zoom before the showroom opens, and every ad account, feed connection and CRM stays in your dealership's name.