AUTOMOTIVE CASE STUDY
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By applying our process, the dealership saw a 22% increase in "Good" website leads in their CRM.
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Increase in Paid Search Traffic
After 19.5% Cost Reduction
After 19.5% Cost Reduction
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Increase in Organic and
Direct Traffic
Direct Traffic
Case Study Overview
A Ford dealership in a community of 10,000 people was overspending on Google paid search, spending money in the wrong areas, and consistently seeing a decrease in leads. The General Manager, Craig, rarely heard from his agency rep and never had proactive ideas given to him to break the trend. They measured all leads, phone calls, and showroom visits internally with no insight as to what marketing strategies were working/not working for them. Consistent decreases in each category eventually led to hiring Cannonball Digital.
This is the first time ever our digital advertising has been dialed in. Cannonball Digital is on top of everything they do from performance to communication to constantly bringing new ideas to the table. We’re seeing more showroom traffic, more leads, and selling more vehicles. We have cut back on our overall spend at the same time.
Craig Engelland
General Manager, Vern Eide Ford
Applying the 4 As
Define the Goal
We started by digging deeper into Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Sales Data, and a handful of technology tools to understand their market, their target audience, and why their inflated spend was producing terrible results.
Fire Bullets
After determining their market landscape, we adjusted their marketing strategy to focus on areas outside of their immediate region. This would help to develop brand awareness in areas that we knew we weren’t typically a shoppers first choice due to physical location.
Drop Cannonballs
THE 2%
IN-MARKET STRATEGY
On Google, we started by focusing our dollars spent only in necessary areas. Simply put, if the dealership showed up at the top of the page organically for a search and there were no competitor ads present, there was no need to spend money. Another large adjustment made was to cater our message to car shoppers based on where they were located. Focusing on delivery options, at-home test drives, and lower prices to consumers in these secondary markets led to a large increase in traffic and leads from areas previously lacking.
On Facebook, the main focus began with developing accurate targeting. By utilizing first party website and customer data, we were able to build audience lists specific to shoppers looking for certain segments: trucks, SUVs, sedans, new/used, etc. From there, consistent messaging with Google and a focus on providing monthly offers for their top selling models (early in each month) helped to deliver high-quality, converting traffic to their website.
THE 98%
FUTURE BUYER STRATEGY
The second aspect of our strategy revolved around distributing educational content through multiple channels (Facebook, email, etc.) to in-market shoppers (the 2%) and potential future customers (the 98%). The goal was to build a following, along with credibility and trust with consumers so the dealership was their go-to for all things Ford and car ownership. When someone from the 98% decided they were ready to buy (2% in-market), the dealership was at the top of their list.
Case Study Results
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Increase in People
Reached on Facebook
Reached on Facebook
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Decrease in Google
Paid Search Spend
Paid Search Spend
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Increase in Google
Paid Search Traffic
Paid Search Traffic
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Increase in Organic
Traffic
Traffic
All Behavior Categories in Analytics Show Improvement
(Time on Site, Bounce Rate, Pages/Session)
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Increase in Direct Traffic
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Increase in Good Leads
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Increase in Sold Leads