Event Marketing to Drive More Sales Year-Round
Whether it’s a holiday clearance, model-year transition, or a weekend-only push, dealership events are still one of the most effective ways to create urgency, boost showroom traffic, and close deals fast. But last-minute campaigns often struggle to gain traction, especially in today’s data-driven digital ad environment.
This playbook will give your dealership the tools and timelines to plan, execute, and optimize limited-time promotions using strategies that work anytime of year and not just on Black Friday or Labor Day.
Why Planning Ahead Matters
Platforms like Google, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), and TikTok require time to “learn” when launching new campaigns. This learning phase can take 3–7 days (or longer), during which performance is often limited. Planning ahead is essential for generating impressions, leads, and real ROI. Be sure to finalize all event details early to avoid as many last-minute issues as possible.
Pro Tip: Launch your event campaign at least 1 week ahead of your event date to allow time for the learning phase and to build momentum. If working with a partner, they will need time ahead of the launch date for design and approval of the campaign. Before launching, check all campaign and event details to ensure accuracy and maximize results.
Understanding the Target Audience
For modern car dealers, understanding the target audience is the foundation of any successful marketing strategy or event. Automotive professionals must go beyond basic demographics and dive into customer preferences, behaviors, and motivations. By leveraging digital marketing tools and analyzing industry trends, dealership operators can create campaigns that truly resonate with their ideal customers. Attending trade shows and conferences also provides valuable opportunities to learn directly from industry experts and connect with other dealers, ensuring your strategies are always informed by the latest trends and customer insights. When dealers prioritize understanding their audience, they can create events and campaigns that drive real engagement and results.
Best Practices for Dealership Campaigns
Coordinate Across All Channels
To maximize results, it’s crucial to engage customers across all channels. A successful campaign is multi-faceted. Align your messaging across:
- Organic social media
- Your website (VDPs, SRPs, homepage)
- Paid search & display
- Paid social (Meta, TikTok)
- Email and SMS marketing
- Traditional media (radio, billboards, direct mail)
- Include a direct link to each event page or social media for easy access and to help customers engage with your content.
Need more social media tips? See Social Strategy Best Practices
What You Can Do In-Store
We’ve put together a list of our best practices for launching a limited-time promotion or event to help get you started and make more of an impact, faster!
- Post short-form videos of your team talking about the deal or event
- Boost organic posts (or ask your ad partner to do it)
- Create a Facebook event and run a small-budget boost
- Launch a TikTok ad with clear messaging and a call to action
- Send email & text blasts to leads and service customers
- Match your website banners to the promo for visual consistency
- Offer swag (promotional items) to attract and engage visitors during in-store events
- Encourage customers to participate in in-store activities or promotions for a more interactive experience
Looking to build even better creative? Increase Your Impact with Creative Video
How sMedia Can Help You
As your partner and digital marketing advisors, we’re here to help, but we need time on our side! If you want to make the most of your efforts (and marketing dollars), get our team involved in the early stages of your planning and implementation. Here’s where we can do the heavy lifting:
- Promo-specific ad copy across your live campaigns
- Banner creation and updates across your Automotive Inventory Ads (AIA)
- Custom Meta campaigns (ideally launched early to beat the learning phase)
- TikTok carousel or video ads to boost awareness
- Smart Offers with promo-specific lead generation forms or pre-event registration forms
- Coordination with your in-house team and/or 3rd party PR team
- Post-event remarketing campaign to keep your dealership top of mind
Want to convert more shoppers before they arrive? Learn how to Boost Engagement in 2025 with Creative Ads here!
Dealership Campaign Tips
- Use a Campaign Calendar: Mark holidays, seasonal moments, model-year changes, and dealership-specific events.
- Launch Early: Don’t wait for the first day of your sale. Launch ads at least a week before the event begins to build traffic and visibility.
- Set a Realistic Budget: Underfunding a campaign limits reach. Use at least $100/day per platform for short-term promotions. Structure your promotions to encourage purchase decisions, such as offering incentives or discounts that motivate customers to buy.
- Create Lead Capture Opportunities: Offer early registration or appointment scheduling to build a warm lead list before your event starts. Identify interested leads for follow-up and nurturing, so you can retarget those who have shown engagement or intent.
Don’t Forget to Measure Performance
After the event wraps up, evaluate key performance indicators like:
- Click-through rates (CTR)
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
- Lead quality by source
- On-site conversions
- Participation rates at the event
Don’t miss measuring these crucial metrics, as tracking participation and other KPIs is essential for campaign improvement.
Use the data to fine-tune your next campaign and start even earlier next time for better results.
Follow-up and Follow-through
Effective follow-up and follow-through are crucial for turning event attendees and leads into loyal customers. After every event, dealerships should have a clear strategy for reaching out to attendees, whether it’s through personalized emails, phone calls, or targeted digital marketing campaigns. Leveraging CRM systems and automation tools can help streamline this process, ensuring no opportunity slips through the cracks. By making follow-up a standard part of your event and marketing strategy, your dealership can maximize return on investment, nurture relationships, and convert more leads into satisfied customers.
Final Thoughts
Your dealership doesn’t need to wait for Black Friday to run a high-impact promotion. With the right planning, cohesive messaging, and proper execution, you can create urgency and boost sales year-round. Here’s an example of messaging:
🚨 LIMITED TIME OFFER – ACT FAST! 🚨
Drive off in your dream vehicle before it’s gone!
💥 Get up to $5,000 off select models
⏳ Offer ends this Saturday – no extensions!
📍 Only at [Your Dealership Name]
📞 Call now or visit us today as inventory is moving FAST!
Ready to plan your next limited-time offer or in-store event? Let’s Talk today!
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