How to Boost Auto Lead Generation without Paying a Third Party

Don’t empty your pockets for auto lead generation when there are so many leads you can find on your own.

Sometimes paying a third party for auto lead generation seems like the fastest, most efficient way to get new business. After all, for a nominal price, someone else does all of the sourcing work for you, allowing you to focus more on the sale.

Except the price isn’t always so nominal. In fact, paying third-party vendors for auto lead generation can add up, making it possibly not as worth your money as it might have seemed at first.

Now you might be thinking, “How else am I supposed to go about auto lead generation?” If you’re new to the industry or accustomed to paying for lead generation, this can seem a daunting task. After all, leads don’t just spring up out of nowhere. (Well, sometimes they might, but don’t consider it par for course.)

Fortunately, there are tried and true methods of auto lead generation that are not only easy, but they’ll save you a ton of money that you might otherwise spend buying unqualified leads from a third-party vendor. And even more fortunate—we’ve got some of those methods listed for you right here.

How to get results with do-it-yourself auto lead generation 

Referral incentives

Word of mouth is probably still the best kind of advertising out there, so it stands to reason that you’d want to collect referrals as part of your auto lead generation strategy. Reach out to current and past customers and give them an incentive to send people your way. It could be a discount of some sort or a free trial—there are no limits on the creative ways you can incentivize others to refer people to your business.

Tap into past clients

Just because someone already bought a car from you doesn’t mean that they won’t do it again. In fact, they’re probably more likely to buy a car from you a second time if they were happy with their first experience. However, they may not think to give you a call, or perhaps they aren’t actively looking, but would entertain new possibilities. Past clients make some of the best current clients, and the best part is that since you already know them, you don’t have to spend as much time qualifying them!

Daily cold calling

Virtually no one likes cold calling. It can feel laborious and discouraging, not to mention time-consuming. That said, phone calls remain a very effective method of auto lead generation, even when so many people are shopping online. Carve out an hour each day to make as many phone calls as you can. (If an hour seems too long, start with thirty minutes.) The more calls you make, the more likely you are to find a connection, but you’ll need to be perseverant. Don’t let one day of fruitless calls get you down. Pick up the phone and try again tomorrow.

Be active on social media

Sites like LinkedIn and Facebook can turn into a treasure-trove of leads, but you have to stay regularly active on them if you want to bring people in. Read comments and messages that people send, and make sure to respond to as many of them as possible, so people know that you’re there on the other side. Post about any deals or sales you have going on and engage with as many people as you can. Include high-definition pictures as well. (People love looking at shiny new cars!) Before long, some of these social interactions will turn into profitable sales.

Optimize your website

All websites are not created equally. Since so much of the buying experience has shifted to online, especially in the wake of the pandemic, it’s imperative now more than ever that your website is crisp, clean, easy to navigate, and optimized for your audiences. SEO should be applied to your website so that you appear in search results. Inventories should be current. And don’t forget that you’re not only optimizing for computers, but for mobile devices as well. One helpful tip on mobile is to apply “sticky” headers or footers. These are clickable banners that will stay on the top or bottom of the screen no matter where someone navigates to. These banners should give people the opportunity to connect by simply clicking where it says, “Call us” or “Email us.” Making it as easy as possible for a sale to convert is crucial to auto lead generation.

Exchange knowledge for email addresses

Offering valuable or interesting information in exchange for an email address is another great way to build leads out of nothing. Advertise on your website that you’ll send some free information related to car-buying, and all the lead has to do is provide you with an email address. People love things of value for free, so make sure your offering is attractive enough for someone to cough up their email address! These could be short lists of things to look for in a used car, or 10 things you need to get a good deal on a car, or really, anything customers might find helpful. 

Auto lead generation does take some work, but it’s not as hard as some third-party sources would have you believe.

• Interested in an Affordable, Full-Featured Auto Dealer CRM?

  Schedule an AutoRaptor Demo Now!

  First Name(Required)

  Last Name(Required)

  Email(Required)

  Phone Number(Required)

  organization(Required)

  Hidden

  Gravity Form

  GF8_Legacy Blog Demo Form