Starting a used auto dealership can be difficult. There are so many things to consider before you even launch your business. Then, there’s learning how to get yourself noticed and bring in business. In this article, we will take a look at some tips to help you with starting your own used car business.
Starting Out
The idea of used car sales is straightforward; buy automobiles for under their blue book value and sell them for a profit. However, there are a few more things that you should consider. One of the most important things to do is current market research. Investigate what types of cars and trucks are popular and what prices they bring in on the used car market. This will give you an idea of what makes and models to look at, and how much you can pay for them in order to meet your profitability goals.
There are faster ways to get your business up and running, the fastest being to buy an existing business. Using services like ExitAdviser is a good way to find an existing business and cut out many of the most time consuming tasks.
6 Tips for Getting Your Used Car Business Noticed
There are several ways to inform people about your used car business. Here, we will discuss a few of them, including the benefits of each method.
- You can be old-fashioned and put up flyers or posters at other local businesses so that people will know you’re there. This is a great way to target people locally. They may be encouraged to use your company if they know it’s near them.
- Another method is to take out advertisements for the cars you’re selling in the local newspaper(s). This could generate buying interest in the vehicles you’re selling, but will also inform people of your new business. You’ll generate more interest if you figure out a unique selling proposition and communicate that to your customers. Why should they buy a vehicle from you versus the competitors?
- Get a website set up. This is one of the easiest ways to get your business seen, as anyone searching the web will be able to find it. Be sure to include your business name, address, and phone number prominently on all pages of your website. This can be in the website header or footer
- Consider social media advertising. If you think it’s a suitable angle for your business, set up a Facebook or Instagram page, and include the contact information for your business. People use social media for business a lot more than they used to. Again, think about your unique selling proposition and communicate that on your social media page and in advertisements to your customers. .
- Consider Search Advertising, such as Google Ads. Google Ads show up in search results when someone is looking for your target terms. You could advertise on something generic like used cars, or something more specific like the makes and models of the cars in inventory. Search ads are complex and a search advertising consultant can help you be more successful with your ad campaigns. With search ads, you only pay when someone clicks your ad. You can set a monthly budget or pause and unpause the ads at any moment. A search ads consultant will help maximize your return on investment and can keep up with the latest Google Ads trends.
- Something that may be especially appropriate for a car sales business would be using vehicle livery. This involves applying graphics onto your car so that you can advertise your business wherever you go. There are several benefits besides just promoting too! If you choose to use your vehicle for business, then it is considered to be your work vehicle. This will allow you to pay less on insurance, as you can apply for commercial auto insurance, rather than the more expensive personal insurance.
Conclusion
There are many ways to get your used car business noticed. It’s important to consider all the options available to you when starting out. Figure out who your target customer is and what kinds of media they consume, then figure out how to advertise or get listed in these places. Marketing a business is complex and often you may want to hire a consultant or even a full-time employee to deal with things like website development, social media, design, and advertising, so you can deal with more important matters in your business.
