10 Cost Effective Strategies to Increase Traffic to Your Dealership Website

Yes. It would be great to increase traffic to your auto dealership website but your decision could be stifled if you are discouraged by the high costs of advertising and promoting, tired of confusing terminology that some web designing companies use, and feeling bombarded with direct mail and other promotions promissing traffic increase only if you sign up for a year long contract.

It is important to know that your dealership website is undoubtedly the best source for generating leads. However, while getting help is important, you don't have to lose your shirt over it. Attracting prospective buyers to your website can be simpler and cheaper than you think.

Here's some FREE advice about brand name marketing; one of the simplest and most COST EFFECTIVE ways to increase online traffic. Brand name marketing consistently exposes consumers and prospective auto buyers to your brand. With brand name marketing, you can expect to significantly increase awareness, recognition, familiarity, trust and ultimately traffic to your business.

So, as you actively pursue steady growth for your dealership, make it imperative that your brand or in this case, your auto dealership website URL is highly visible, easy to read, and easy to remember. These simple but highly effective strategies will help you increase the traffic to any auto dealer website over time.

1. PRINT ADS: Your print ad can be a very good source for directing traffic to your auto dealership website. Whether you are running ads in newspapers or auto publications, you can get more for your dollar:

• Try placing your dealership website address at the top of the ad, centered, bold, and in larger letters.
• Offer an incentive to your readers to visit your website, like an Online Coupon.
• Use a tagline like "Need Financing? No Problem", "Visit Us Online!" or "See Color Photos of Your Choice of Cars. Visit Us Online!"

2. STATIONERY: All of your stationery items including letterhead, receipts, contractual agreements, invoices, business cards, correspondence memos, and more should have your auto dealership web address printed on it. No exceptions!

3. PLASTIC LICENSE PLATE: Does your dealership uses plastic license plate displaying the name of your dealership? On your next order of these license plates, why not redesign them to include your dealership's web address? Center the web address as large as possible. If you find yourself short on space drop the "www".

4. STORE SIGNS: Enhance the sign board you have on your dealer ship. Use these strategies to direct traffic to your dealership website.

· Add your dealership web address to your sign board offering drive-by prospects, off hours, and weekend traffic an alternative to your dealership's physical location.

· Make your message short and quick with lines like "See Pictures and Details. Visit Us Online."

· Try this: Open 24 Hours: www.TheDealership.com

· Increase the sign's effectiveness even more using a backlight or blinking neon sign.

5. WINDOW STICKERS: Assist those who are walking your lot during off hours or on Sundays by putting your dealership website address on your Window Stickers? You can be creative and add line like "For Pictures and other details, visit us online at:"

6. MOVING BILLBOARDS: Do you offer a loaner or shuttle service to your service department clients? Why not add your auto dealership web address on your loaners and shuttles in big bold letters turning your vehicles into billboards on wheels?

7. WAITING AREA: Your waiting room or sitting area is a great place to outline the benefits of visiting your dealership online.

8. EMAIL SIGNATURE LINES: Ask everyone in the dealership to use the "signature" option in their email communication. Don't forget to include your dealership's web address as part the signature along with your company's phone, address and hours of operation.

9. PROMO ITEMS: What are some of your customer's favorite promotional materials? Our favorite is the pocket calendar. If space is an issue, why not switch to a two sided calendar, six month on each side, and add a tagline, the dealership information and web address printed on both sides.

10. INVENTORY: Your inventory includes literally hundreds if not thousands of vehicles. Try displaying clear stickers with your web address on the trunk or the rear windshield of every vehicle on your lot. Chances are, your buyers will leave these stickers after the purchase, turning their cars into driving ads for your dealership.

DOMAIN NAME SELECTION TIP:
A. Easy to find. Your website address should be mentioned or written every time your dealership is mentioned or written.

B. Easy to read. Use title cased letters in your auto dealer website address. Which of these below is easiest to read?
http://www.KUNGFUCARSONLINE.com  
OR
http://www.KungFuCarsOnline.com 


http://www.FAMOUSCLASSICCARS.COM
OR
http://www.FamousClassicCars.com

C. Easy to remember. When choosing a domain name for your dealership, be sure that your prospects and customers can recognize your domain name or that the website is unique to your dealership's specialty.

Examples: 
www.GuntherMotors.com  
or
www.ForSUVs.com

Be the smartest dealer in town.