New & used vehicle sales
Marketing for auto dealerships
A weeks-long, high-emotion, high-ticket purchase researched on a phone. The test drive is the conversion — everything is built to earn it.
Start with the buyer, not the account
Nobody buys a car on impulse from an ad. It's weeks of phone research — models, prices, reviews, financing — before anyone walks a lot. The dealership that stays in front of the buyer through that window, with the right vehicle and a reason to visit, gets the test drive. And the test drive is where cars actually get sold.
Research begins
Weeks of browsing, comparing
Inventory & price shop
Specific cars, “near me”
Dealership shortlist
Reviews & reputation decide
Test drive / visit
The real conversion
Financing & close
F&I, front + back gross
New and used are two businesses
- New vehicles — offer- and brand-led, OEM co-op, model launches. Higher consideration, thinner front-end gross.
- Used vehicles — inventory- and price-led, a wider net, faster decisions. Where a small budget can move real metal fast.
What this means tactically
- The test drive is the conversion — campaigns optimize to booked showroom visits, not clicks or form-fills.
- Buyers submit to several dealers at once — first callback usually wins, so lead speed is non-negotiable.
- Inventory is the creative — the actual car at the actual price beats the manufacturer's national spot in a local feed.
How I run each channel here
Meta Ads for auto dealerships
Fill the showroom from the platform where buyers actually browse.
Video production for dealerships
Cinematic inventory and brand films that make a lot feel like a launch.
Google & inventory ads for dealerships
Catch the “used cars near me” searcher with the exact car.
Want to see it work in this vertical?
The framework, applied — with the numbers.