When you looked at the CRM's primary dashboard, you observed that there are 400 new form submissions this month; however, only 7 units were closed by the sales desk from this entire list. There is a large disparity between inexpensive clicks and actual vehicle sales, making it imperative for your vendor to have experience with dynamic inventory feeds, as well as matched-back data.
Partnering with top automotive lead generation companies is critical to this success. The following guide outlines the various affiliates and structural components necessary to transition from pure web visits to tracking the delivery of vehicles.
The Problem with Lead Tracking
Several store operators tend to focus exclusively on their cost per lead (CPL), overlooking the true cost per car sold.
This mentality results in a constant cycle of high volume and lack of quality causing your sales staff to burn out quickly. Today’s marketing landscape is multi-channel and must be directly tied to your sales data for success. The most successful programs are a hybrid of paid search, local map pack and retargeting, excluding previously sold vehicles from the mix.
If your vendor does not use dynamic feeds, you are spending money marketing vehicles that have been sold.
Generative engine optimization (GEO) and AI search are determining which websites receive traffic before any buyer clicks any link. The leading agencies utilize matched-back attribution to demonstrate the value of every dollar spent.
They link ad exposure to delivered vehicles through the use of deep integration between DMS and CRM systems. You need to have partners who are able to implement technological changes directly instead of just providing your web vendor with a suggestion list that will remain in an inbox for an extended period.
Evaluating Automotive Lead Generation Companies
The type of leads generated is largely determined by the size of the dealership, ranging from single-rooftop dealerships to multi-state dealer groups.
Currently, there are an overwhelming number of generic marketing organizations claiming that they have expertise in automotive sales, simply because they create local search advertisement collateral. In this instance, we examined the various automotive lead generation companies who truly specialize in assisting car dealerships, including both parts and service departments as well as larger dealer groups.
Each has a distinctive business model that supports dealership procedures and practices in relation to their respective operational methods. Below are some of the best systems and agencies based on results matching back to original lead source.
1. Dealers United
This agency operates as a full-service marketing source and reports back to you on a cost per vehicle sold basis rather than through the use of generic metrics typically associated with traditional marketing agencies.
2. DealerOn
Their primary focus is generating leads through their own conversion-focused website and search engine optimization (SEO) programs and offer many thousands of retail locations with a lead generation website platform.
Through this tight connection, when vehicles are delivered to the dealership, local search rankings and inventory indexing are performed automatically. There is no longer a disparity between your website hosting company and your marketing vendor. As a business you can benefit from their business size and how much technical capability they integrate into the business.
3. Fuel Online
Enterprise brands and corporations need an even greater technical search ability than dealerships do.
They use AI and enterprise SEO strategies to attract highly targeted buyers. They develop structured data and create established entities to allow large dealer networks to appear within AI results. Fuel Online has been in business for a long time and therefore understands the impact of changes to search engine algorithms and how it will affect fixed ops revenue.
The top tiered retainers are geared toward the largest enterprises within the mobility sector.
4. SearchLab Digital
The decision on where to take a test drive or schedule a service appointment is heavily influenced by local search intent.
SearchLab Digital specializes in local map pack optimization and management of verified customer reviews. Their focus is primarily on driving phone calls and providing map directions for consumers who demonstrate high intent seeking prompt solutions. They recently produced a case study documenting a 155% increase in leads and an 88% increase in phone calls to an automotive dealership.
They are well suited for multi-location dealer groups and busy fixed ops departments.
5. 9 Clouds
Connecting your on-the-lot inventory to your digital advertising spend prevents the client from wasting their advertising dollars on sold vehicles.
9 Clouds provides a solution that integrates the standard search services of digital advertising with a database of cars available on dealer lots through the Cumulus database. A physical location is the only thing separating your digital media and what buyers can see on the lot.
To help build relationships with those potential customers who are not quite ready to visit your showroom, they use direct email marketing as well. By combining their managed services and platforms, they are highly suited to single locations.
6. Stream Companies
In situations where high-level brand creation meets local visibility attempts, you may want to partner with a company offering both services.
Stream Companies creates local visibility through lead generation, while producing large amounts of creative content for dealer groups. Stream Companies works closely with OEM programs, including Nissan operators who produce published rate cards demonstrating that the member is in 100% compliance with factory guidelines.
Stream Companies also uses integrated marketing clouds and dynamic feeds so that all the media seen by the consumer remains current on all channels. According to their operational dealer studies, Stream Companies has demonstrated 128% month-over-month form growth.
7. PureCars
Due to their superior ability to handle multiple, rapidly changing inventory types, data platforms frequently outperform manual advertising campaigns.
PureCars creates a proprietary, data-driven solution that will directly link the number of digital advertisements seen with the number of sold units. PureCars uses dynamic cost management designed to allow for the movement of budget based on the vehicles needing to be moved off of the showroom floor this week.
A Ford Lincoln store using the platform recently reported a 71% year-over-year reduction in the cost per lead. PureCars provides a great fit for mid-sized groups that need a significant amount of data to effectively manage their budget.
8. Team Velocity
The upfront costs of mining an existing customer base are always lower than trying to lure new customers from the direct vicinity.
Team Velocity specializes solely in lifecycle marketing and equity mining using the Apollo system, linking directly to the dealer management system (DMS) to identify previous purchases by customers who have built enough equity to trade and upgrade their vehicles.
This encourages more economical unit sales by retaining current customers rather than only pursuing conquest advertising, which generally costs more to convert. The stores with larger existing owner bases receive the maximum impact from the Team Velocity program.
9. Force Marketing
Video and digital video/streaming platforms are currently attracting unprecedented attention from local vehicle shoppers.
Force Marketing creates high-quality video productions in-house to complement their targeted OTT television placements. The focus for Force Marketing is on conquest-type marketing campaigns, creating customized programming for very specific local households, starting with actual consumer data.
It is creating tremendous local brand ownership for each new dealership before consumers start to search on their own for that dealership's product or service. The marketing service works exceptionally well for single point locations and for mid-sized regional dealer groups.
10. Dealer Marketing Pros
Finding honest upfront entry-level pricing among automotive lead generation companies in this segment of the digital marketing industry is difficult.
Dealer Marketing Pros provides search engine marketing (SEM), CRM automation software, and artificial intelligence (AI) product offerings at completely transparent pricing. Packages begin at $2,349 per month, providing store operators with a level set on pricing before entering into a contract.
Dealer Marketing Pros is dedicated solely to the retail automotive industry, so every product offering has been designed to fit into a typical dealership workflow. This transparent pricing structure is ideal for independent dealerships and single-franchise locations with growth aspirations.
11. Cox Automotive
When managing performance on a large scale, you must use a different type of very large data engine to achieve your goals.
Cox Automotive uses their comprehensive data sets from Autotrader and KBB to track users throughout the entire buying process from the first moment of interest through to the completion of submitting the local dealership form. The company's attribution system makes available an assessment of which ads do not perform effectively, enabling dealer groups to spend less on ineffective digital advertising.
The program is a very comprehensive managed service that is supported solely by proprietary shopper data exclusively collected by Cox Automotive. Enterprise dealer groups are utilizing the same framework to manage their multi-million dollar monthly advertising budgets.
12. Dealer Inspire
The time between when a user browses a dealership's website and when they speak with the dealership continues to decrease.
Dealer Inspire has built a set of tools that enable dealers to allow customers to work through the full digital experience of purchasing a vehicle from the dealership, including ways for customers to message sales staff quickly. The company's platform allows them to redirect high-intent buyers directly to the sales staff that is responsible for the vehicle they are considering.
They receive high marks for their ability to develop programs that provide both advanced lead routing and attribution accuracy throughout the entirety of a potential customer's purchasing journey. Single-location and mid-sized dealer groups utilize Dealer Inspire to enhance the entirety of their online presence and digital storefront experience.
Breaking Down Costs and Daily Operations
Operators should understand what they are actually signing up for when engaging an agency retainer agreement.
Simply using cost-per-lead as a vendor measurement tool without correlation to market size and seasonal trends is flawed. In fact, a $50 service center phone call generated from a large metropolitan market will typically cost $15 if generated from a small rural area. As the industry continues to evolve, the final figures reflect that evolution.
How to Navigate Pricing Models
At present, most of today's top-tier automotive dealerships require all vendors to invoice by location to manage the complexities of OEM compliance rules and regulations.
Low-end programs generally start around $2,300 per month, which include basic visibility and standard CRM connections. Comprehensive packages range widely from $5,000 to $15,000+ per location, depending on how setup, including advanced attribution tools, dynamic inventory feeds, and total media management.
Be cautious when selecting a vendor that provides lengthy lists of services for very low prices, as they tend to overlook the essential back-end offline conversion imports that drive quality traffic to your dealership. Agreements with vendors need to clearly define all technical work to be performed by the vendor and all technology recommended by their staff.
The Shift to AI Search Engine Optimization
The generative engine optimization will impact how users interact with your website before they see it.
The majority of your target customers will query their AI assistant with questions such as, "what are the best service centers near me?" or "who has X truck?" If your vendor does not consistently maintain the highest level of entity consistency and provide a highly structured data layer, your dealership location will most likely not be included in those AI-generated results.
You need to require your vendor to provide an action plan for satisfying the requirements of answering your customers' complex wants about your dealership. The keys to winning in this area are clean local citations and specifically focused service pages for any type of fixed operation.
Moving Beyond Form Fills to Sold Units
Although large volumes of traffic indicate greater than expected numbers of site visitors, it means very little if it does not convert into vehicle sales or leads for vehicle sales.
Generic marketing firms or agencies with experience and expertise only in basic search advertising are no longer relevant in today's marketplace when buying cars. The best automotive lead generation companies today are required to establish a direct linkage between vehicle exposure via a digital advertisement and vehicle sales tracked through your DMS and CRM systems.
These vendors must establish inventory feeds, remove sold units from the feed, and provide a clear visual indication of how cost was established for each unit sold. You should not allow the vendor to hide the reality of their first party metrics (i.e. unique visitors and visits) by providing inaccurate numbers relative to your true sales metrics.
You should demand transparency to understand matched back attribution, transparent location pricing, and a clearly defined execution plan for maximizing your dealership's AI search visibility locally.