Advertising Platforms and Campaign Strategies
Google Ads
Dynamic Search Ads (DSA)
Dynamic Search Ads are ads dynamically generated by Google based on the content of your website. They are displayed at the top of search results pages when users look for terms related to the content in your website feed. These text-based ads include a headline, description, display URL, and extensions, and they help guide potential customers directly to Vehicle Detail Pages (VDP) on your site, making it easier for them to find what they’re looking for quickly.
Highlights
Precisely matches the customer with the VINs you offer, the ads are always relevant and updated as you update your inventory.
Dynamically generate headlines based on your vehicles, no keyword selection is needed.
Help fill in the gaps of your keyword-based campaigns, don’t miss relevant searches on keywords you may not have thought of.
Vehicle Listing Ads (VLA)
Vehicle Listing Ads enable automotive advertisers to showcase their inventory to potential car buyers directly on search results. These ads provide a visual display of your available vehicles and can appear when users search for terms relevant to the VINs in your feed.
In August 2023, Google transitioned VLA campaigns to Performance Max, allowing car dealerships to connect with customers across a broader range of platforms during their research and shopping journey, including YouTube, Display, and Gmail.
Highlights
Highly visual format featuring vehicle images, prices, and key details about your car.
Prominent placement as VLA appears at the top of Google search results, helps attract more attention.
VLAs are mobile-friendly and perform well on smartphones, where many users start their vehicle search.
Benefits of running both DSA and VLA campaigns
Increased Exposure: These two campaigns work together to provide more comprehensive coverage across different types of searches. By complementing each other, they form a more robust marketing strategy that maximizes visibility.
Broader Search Query Coverage: Don’t miss relevant searches as you encompass a wide range of queries. Help fill in the gaps of your keyword-based campaigns, ensuring coverage for both broad and more specific, detailed queries related to your inventory.
Enhanced Local Reach and Visibility: Maximize your dealership’s presence in local search results with highly engaging visual content and dynamic ads. This strategy helps you capture both high-intent buyers and a broader audience by automatically targeting relevant search terms connected to your vehicles.
Meta
Meta Carousel Ads
Meta Carousel Ads allow you to showcase multiple VINs that users can scroll through, with each card featuring a different vehicle. These ads, composed of images or slideshows, highlight key details like the year, make, model, and price of each vehicle. They can appear across Facebook (desktop and mobile), including in users' feeds, Stories, and Marketplace, as well as on Instagram. Each card is linked directly to its corresponding Vehicle Detail Page (VDP), driving users to specific pages for further engagement.
Highlights
Displays multiple vehicles in a single ad, enabling you to promote various inventory options, increasing the chances of matching a user's specific preferences.
Encourages users to swipe or scroll through multiple vehicles, making it more engaging than static ads.
For a product as visually appealing as a vehicle, this format helps attractively illustrate and showcase each car.
Microsoft Advertising
Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) and Automotive ads
Similar to Google’s offering, Dynamic Search Ads are ads dynamically generated based on the content of your vehicle feed. These ads appear prominently at the top of search results whenever users search for keywords that match the content in your website feed.
Microsoft Automotive Ads are used to display your models and inventory. They showcase up-to-date listings of new and used cars to attract potential buyers. Automotive ads are dynamically generated based on the data contained in your feed files, such as vehicle photos, special prices, and other relevant details.
Highlights
Attracts an older demographic, and more affluent audience, which could be valuable, as these groups may have more purchasing power.
Lower Competition since It's often underutilized compared to Google Ads. Since it has fewer advertisers, the competition is often lower, resulting in potentially cheaper cost-per-click (CPC) rates.
Offers cross-device reach since it covers not only Bing and Microsoft products but also Yahoo and AOL networks, increasing the reach beyond just Bing searchers.
Performance Comparison
We can always test the waters by running a small, controlled campaign to compare performance with existing Google and Facebook ads. Return on investment (ROI) could be worthwhile, even with a smaller audience.
