Car Dealer PPC: 752 Leads In 90 Days!

Background

Our primary objective was to create new leads and enable the sales team to engage with prospects while they were exploring the online inventory. Prior to utilising Essiem’s PPC management services, over £70,000 had been invested in paid ads over a span of slightly more than 6 years. Additionally, substantial amounts were spent on past agencies that, according to our client, “didn’t significantly impact their business.”

How did we achieve this turnaround? Let’s delve into the details:

Identifying Major Tracking Issues

Effective campaign management necessitates precise tracking. Our initial audit revealed a significant problem: the tracking setup was flawed. The account erroneously counted leads whenever a user visited any page on their site, not just the thank you or confirmation pages. This resulted in thousands of ‘leads’ that, in reality, didn’t exist. We cleared any irrelevant conversion actions that distorted our data and implemented fresh conversion tracking, focusing on actual lead generation.

Rebooting with New Search Campaigns

Our approach involved collaborating with the client to identify the key drivers of their business and their target market. Following this, competitive research helped us shape our strategy. The client aimed to reach a broad audience interested in used vehicles in their area. Given the inaccuracies in the previous campaign’s data, we initiated two entirely new campaigns: one focusing on ‘Used Cars’ and another branded campaign.

We crafted high-converting ad copy and optimised ad groups, ensuring message match for maximum click-through rates. Location targeting was also applied to concentrate the ads in the client’s local area.

Implementing High Converting Landing Pages

Previously, the account directed traffic to the homepage, which is typically not conducive to maximising lead generation. We shifted this approach to drive traffic to specific landing pages tailored to what the users were searching for, thereby enhancing conversion rates. We developed a landing page centred around used cars, which encouraged users to view the inventory and provided a way for the client’s sales team to follow up promptly.

The Results

Upon setting up accurate tracking, launching new campaigns, writing fresh ad copy, and creating custom landing pages, we activated the traffic flow. The outcome was impressive: over 700 leads generated within 90 days, comprising 528 form fills and 224 phone calls, amounting to a total of 752 leads. This achievement was in addition to over 1,033 site visits (excluding landing page visits) and 84 actions for directions. We plan to continue optimising this campaign and expanding to other vehicle-specific landing pages (such as used trucks and SUVs).

Conclusion

This case study illustrates that with the right strategy, even failing campaigns can be turned around, as demonstrated with this auto dealer. If you’re seeking to revitalise your campaigns, increase lead generation, or enhance your ads’ ROI, consider exploring Essiem’s PPC management program.