The holidays are here and that means the busy season is upon us! While interest rates may be up, it doesn’t automatically mean all holiday sales will be down. People still need vehicles to get around and they’re shopping earlier than ever to try to lock in the best financing rates possible.
If you want to capture your share of holiday sales this year, it’s time to make sure your dealership is putting its best foot forward with strategic marketing and advertising. With a little planning and effort, you can make this holiday season a success for your dealership!
1. Tis' the season for website optimization
Vehicle sales during the holidays can be a great way to boost your dealership's bottom line. One of the best ways to drive more traffic to your dealership during this time is to optimize your website. By providing accurate, relevant, and timely information on your website, you can attract more holiday shoppers to your dealership.
Here are a few suggestions to help you get started:
Update dealership hours of operation. Time is such a precious commodity. Give your potential customers the gift of up-to-date information this year so they can plan accordingly and have a successful, positive shopping experience. If your dealership adjusts its hours of operation during the holiday season, be sure to accurately reflect this new schedule on your site and on your Google Business Profile. Once the holidays are over, don’t forget to also switch everything back to your standard hours of operation.
Add some holiday spirit to your website design. Stand out among your competitors this holiday season by sharing some holiday cheer on your website. This can be done by adding a holiday greeting that pops up when someone visits your page, creating a seasonal banner, or adding festive holiday photos of your staff and customers enjoying themselves at your dealership.
Boost your sales messaging. Shoppers associate the holidays with deals and savings. Highlight opportunities for holiday savings and spotlight specials. If you have a countdown clock, it will help add a level of excitement and urgency, encouraging shoppers to buy sooner rather than later.
2. Get your ads on the NICE list
The holidays are a great time to get creative with your ad campaigns. Planning your promo deals for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, and New Year’s ahead of time can guarantee greater success in reaching your targeted audience. The sooner you have your ad campaign organized and running, the more likely shoppers are to visit your dealership first to score the best deals of the season.
Don’t be afraid to get a little crafty, either. Adding holiday colors and seasonal themes to your marketing campaigns build a sense of excitement. Whether it’s a Rudolph-themed test drive promotion or a festive trade-in offer, adding some holiday cheer to your marketing can help generate extra business during this busy season.
3. Leverage your social media channels this holiday
Having a strong social media presence is a critical part of growing a successful business nowadays. One way to stand out from the competition is to host a holiday challenge or contest on your social media pages. This will not only help to promote your dealership but will also generate excitement and buzz around your vehicle inventory.
To get started, identify which of your social media platforms has the largest number of followers. Next, come up with a creative challenge to engage your audience. For example, you could ask customers to post a photo of themselves with their dream car or a funny (and G-rated) family photo from holidays past — all while “tagging” the dealership. You could attach it to a giveaway for a vehicle service package or a gift card for the best entry. Make sure to follow all platform rules about contests and giveaways.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure you make it fun, interactive, and engaging. Use holiday-themed hashtags such as #christmascheer or #yourdealershipnameholidays (this will also help you measure engagement and campaign success!). Don’t forget to add seasonal cover images to your social channels and share posts from your followers to make a stronger connection and gain customer loyalty.
4. Make your dealership merry and bright
Just like you decorated your website, make sure your showroom is warm and inviting and reflects the festivity of the season. Keep in mind, you don’t have to go overboard with this. It could be something simple like playing festive background music or bringing in some holiday greenery, like poinsettias.
Adding even just a few small touches of the festive holiday season can make your space more inviting and will be the cherry on top of the amazing, personalized customer service your employees deliver.
5. Spread holiday cheer in your community
While traditional marketing methods can be effective, there’s one tried and true method to driving traffic to your dealership that is often overlooked: giving back to the community.
Whether it is sponsoring a local sports team, donating to a worthy cause, hosting the donation box for a toy or food drive, organizing a costume contest, or offering on-site pictures with Santa, getting involved with your community is a great way to build goodwill and encourage people to do business with you.
With a little holiday spirit and intentional marketing and advertising, you are well on your way to making this holiday season a roaring success!
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