Automotive Advertising University
Strategies, Insights and Advice From Over 40 Years of Automotive Advertising
The FTC Says Your Salesperson’s TikTok Is Your Ad
Credit: TikTok The Car Salesman
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The Average Buyer Myth
Every manufacturer has a promotional playbook. Monthly incentives, seasonal sales events, year-end clearance packages — the offers are pre-built, co-op funded, and ready to deploy. For a General Manager running a full operation, those promotions are the path of least resistance. And in many markets,…
The Defensive Reflex
Reacting to a competitor’s move isn’t the same as beating them to the buyer. When a competitor down the street launches a massive weekend event or floods the market with a new campaign, the natural instinct is to respond immediately. You gather your team, scramble…
The Category Trap
Most franchise car advertisements look exactly like every other dealership’s ads. They feature the same generic stock footage of a vehicle driving along a winding mountain road, the same year-end blowout headline, and the same manufacturer-prescribed promotional offers. Dealerships often rely on these pre-made templates…
Filling the Bucket
Hard Lessons from a Dealership in Omaha We recently conducted an audit of a Nissan dealership in Omaha. They were stuck in a situation that had become genuinely demoralizing. For three consecutive years, their advertising budget had increased. And for three consecutive years, their total…
The Cost Per Sold Vehicle Anchor
Walk into almost any dealership and ask to see the advertising budget, and you will see a spreadsheet that changes from month to month based on gut feel and whoever made the most noise that week. When sales are slow, the knee-jerk response is to…
The Outward Turn
Imagine you are managing a baseball team. Your team is scoring twenty runs a game, and the dugout is celebrating. But when you look at the scoreboard, the other team is scoring thirty. You are putting up record numbers, but you are still losing the…
The Strategic Void
Ask any General Manager where their time went today, and the list is always long. You were on the floor, working with your team, handling customer issues, running the F&I desk, and checking the service lanes.. In a franchise dealership, there are so many moving…
How Dealership Marketing Gets Fragmented
Ask most General Managers how their current marketing lineup came together, and the honest answer is usually the same: one vendor at a time, one decision at a time, over several years.
The “Best Sales Month” Trap
It’s Saturday night at your dealership. Your last customer just drove off the lot, the showroom is quiet, and your team is celebrating. The sales board shows a ten percent increase in volume over the same month last year. For any General Manager, this is…
Stop Guessing, Start Growing:
The Data-Driven Roadmap to Dealership Dominance Are you actually winning, or are you just spending? Most franchise dealers can’t tie their monthly ad spend to a specific sold unit. They rely on “gut feelings” or “vanity metrics” from a Google rep. If you can’t name…
Key Takeaways for the NADA Show 2026: The Most Important Lesson’s You Probably Missed
The NADA Show 2026 in Las Vegas confirmed what many have felt for months, the margin for error has officially evaporated. We are navigating a shifting economy where the traditional levers of dealership management are being tested by inconsistent hard and soft data. When job…
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Why High-Quality Car Photos Win More Buyers
In the digital car-buying world, your inventory photos are your showroom. Over 90% of vehicle shoppers start online, and according to a 2024 Cox Automotive study, good photography increases online engagement by up to 48%. That’s not a small difference — it’s the line between…
Digital That Drives Dealership Growth: Turn Online Engagement into Sales
Driving Sales in the Digital Lane The modern car buying journey doesn’t start on your lot—it starts online. Before a shopper shakes your hand, they’ve probably searched your inventory, compared financing options, watched a couple of reviews, and read dealership ratings. They might have even…
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Direct Mail for Auto Dealerships: Proven Marketing Strategy
In a digital-first world, direct mail might seem outdated—but it continues to outperform expectations, especially in the automotive industry. Backed by data and evolving technology, direct mail marketing remains one of the most profitable and reliable channels for dealership growth. In this post, we’ll explore…
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No More Wasted Ad Spend: How Dealerships Can Drive Growth with Smarter Advertising
https://youtu.be/yb6VBRirre0 Where’s the ROI? If you’re a car dealership in today’s hyper-competitive automotive market, you’ve likely wondered: “Why am I spending more on advertising and seeing less return?” You’re not imagining it. The automotive industry has exploded with tools, platforms, and “plug-and-play” ad packages. Yet…
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How AI is Changing the Way Auto Dealers Do Business
AI is truly transforming the way we connect with customers, making communication more personalized and efficient. At automotive dealerships, tools like virtual assistants, chatbots, and AI-driven customer relationship management (CRM) systems are becoming the norm. These friendly AI tools are available 24/7 to answer customer…
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The Power of Paid, Owned & Earned Media in Auto Industry Marketing
The auto industry is one of the most competitive markets out there. With buyers researching every option before stepping foot in a dealership, standing out takes more than just flashy ads or a strong social media presence. A successful marketing strategy isn’t about throwing everything…
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Top 10 Tips for Automotive Digital Marketing in 2025
The automotive industry is evolving quickly, so it’s important to re-evaluate your digital marketing strategy for 2025. Consumers are more connected than ever, and the landscape is becoming increasingly competitive. Here are 10 essential tips to boost your digital marketing game and drive success in…
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How Auto Dealers Can Use Co-op Opportunities to Enhance Sales and Marketing
Co-op programs, in their traditional sense, involve a collective pooling of resources to benefit the individual members of a group. In the automotive industry, this concept is effectively applied by many prominent brands to provide dealers with valuable resources for marketing and sales initiatives. The…
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Driving Impactful Campaigns: Bedford Ads’ Expertise in Automotive Video Production
At Bedford Ads, we pride ourselves on delivering world-class production services tailored to the automotive industry. From concept to completion, our in-house production team brings a wealth of expertise to every project, ensuring each piece of content stands out in a competitive market. Our award-winning…
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How to Navigate Auto Sales Seasonality with Effective Marketing Strategies
The auto sales industry, like many others, is influenced by various factors throughout the year, including seasonality. From the highs of summer sales to the slow start of the new year, understanding these cycles can help both buyers and sellers navigate the market more effectively.…
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[Infographic] Google CTR Breakdown: Ranking Position Insights for 2024
When it comes to investing in digital marketing, understanding how often each type of search result is clicked can be a game-changer. Google’s search engine displays an array of results, including ads, organic listings, snippets, and question boxes—all vying for attention. In this blog post,…
Read More>> [Infographic] Google CTR Breakdown: Ranking Position Insights for 2024
Top 6 Game-Changing Lessons from Digital Dealer 2024
The Digital Dealer Conference & Expo is a goldmine of marketing insights and strategies for the automotive industry, and this year’s event was no exception. At Bedford Advertising, we left the conference armed with valuable takeaways that can help dealerships supercharge their marketing efforts and…
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Creating Connections: How Valuing Customers and Teams Drives Success
When I began my career in sales, there were no cell phones for quick messaging, and email wasn’t even a thing. I can’t recall all the details of my first sale, but I vividly remember receiving a handwritten note expressing sincere gratitude. That simple gesture…
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3 Burning Questions for Vendors Attending Digital Dealer 2024
Let’s face it, the world of automotive marketing changes faster than a Vegas magic act. That’s why visiting the booths at Digital Dealer is the perfect way to stay updated on what’s hot and what’s not in dealership advertising. You’ll discover the latest trends, clever…
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Using Graphic Design to Build Brand Identity and Customer Trust
Graphic design plays a crucial role in shaping a brand’s identity. The visual elements of a brand—its logo, colors, typography, and imagery—are like the face of the company. These visuals aren’t just for show; they help convey important messages, stir emotions, and create connections with…
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Understanding Pay-Per-Click Ads: A Beginner’s Guide to Paid Advertising
You know when you do a Google search, and you see those ads at the top of the page? Ever wonder what those were and where they came from? Those are pay-per-click ads and are generated exclusively to match your search intent. As to where…
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5 Myths about Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Let’s be real, most people think everything about SEM is a myth. Having been in the SEM game for over a decade, I’ve seen it all. Here are the top 5 myths I’ve found most important to debunk. Why should you trust me? Well, in…
Boost Auto Dealership Sales with the Bedford Dynamic Ad Network
Last week I presented to a boardroom of 20 dealers and automotive group executives at DealerPoint, a Digital Dealer event in Orlando, FL. Each of them had very similar concerns about their advertising: What is the most important channel for increasing sales? How can I…
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Why it’s Crucial to have Both SEO and SEM Work for You
In the digital marketing landscape, search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) are two crucial strategies that auto dealerships use to increase their online visibility and drive traffic to their websites. While they are often managed as separate strategies, integrating SEO and SEM…
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4 Reasons to Diversify Your Advertising Budget at Your Dealership
The auto industry is competitive and it takes more than just a great product or service to stand out from the competition. One key factor in staying ahead of the curve is diversifying your advertising budget. Here are four reasons why this is so important:…
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5 Ways To Save Money on Dealership Google Ads
Are you looking to save money on your dealership’s Google Ads? Here are 5 tips to help you get started: 1. Choose the right keywords. 2. Set your budget based on results, not clicks. 3. Target your audience with precision. 4. Use negative keywords to…
5 Simple Advertising Tactics To Increase Auto Sales
While every dealership has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, we’ve discovered there are a few key advertising strategies that any successful GM should utilize. After 40 years of working with dealerships from all over the place, here’s our top 5 ideas to level up…
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“Must-Do” Automotive Advertising Strategies in 2023
Invest In Google’s Vehicle Listing Ads Are you a car dealership looking to increase your online sales? Look no further than Google’s Vehicle Listing Ads. Google Shopping is already one of the most popular platforms for e-commerce, and Vehicle Listing Ads allows automotive dealers to…
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How to Measure the Success of Your Direct Mail Campaign
If you’re like most car dealerships, you’ve been using direct mail as a way to reach out to potential customers for years. But how do you know if your direct mail campaigns are actually working? In this blog post, we’ll show you how to measure…
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How to Get the Most Out of Your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign
Direct mail can be a great way to reach new customers and grow your business. But how do you make sure you’re getting the most out of your direct mail campaigns? In this blog post, we’ll share some tips on how to maximize your return…
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