This post was updated on 12/5/16. 

It’s December. The trees are up, your favorite holiday songs are set on repeat, and you’re ready to take the 2016 holiday season by storm. The question is, is your dealership as ready for the holidays as you are?

Sure, you’ve probably begun to see the big brand commercials like Lexus’s “December to Remember” or Honda’s “Happy Honda Days”— and who could forget the infamous Mercedes Benz commercial where Santa Claus deems the red cars as “naughty” and the white cars as “nice”.

To be fair, local car dealerships often don’t have the resources for big campaigns like the ones I just mentioned, however, that doesn’t mean they can’t do a great job marketing themselves this holiday season.

Dealers, this time of year offers so many opportunities to get creative with your marketing strategy—so take advantage of it! Here are five tips to get your dealership in the holiday spirit:

Jingle Bells in Your Showroom

Your dealership’s showroom is often the first chance to make a good, lasting impression on your potential customers (besides your website – but we’ll get to that.) WOW potential customers this holiday season by putting up a huge Christmas tree, garland, bright lights, big red bows, and organizing red, white and silver cars neatly across the showroom floor.

Want to make your customers feel like part of the family? Have a camera on hand to take photos when someone buys a car from Thanksgiving through Christmas Day, for example, and hang them as ornaments on your tree and offer them a complimentary hot cocoa.

Make Your Website ‘Merry and Bright’

Have your graphic designer or digital marketing agency freshen up your website, logo, and/or social media posts with some holiday touches. Just by adding a few new graphics and holiday colors, you can show your dealership’s personality to online shoppers who are thinking about coming to visit your dealership.

Host a Holiday-Themed Social Media Contest

Ask your customers to interact with your dealership on social media this season by hosting a contest for a special prize, like a pair of tickets to a local concert or sporting event. For example, you can have your customers submit their family Christmas photo or a picture of their decorated tree including a special hashtag. Whatever you do, just be sure to create either a Facebook event, or a landing page on your website, listing all the details—and make sure to share it across all of your dealership’s social accounts!

Send ‘Seasons Greetings’ Through Email Marketing

Spending your year-end marketing budget on direct mail may not be the best for your bottom line. In other words, don’t waste your time and money sending out mailers unless they’re red and green or topped with a big, red bow. Check off everyone on your mailing list this year by sending out holiday e-cards featuring a picture of your dealership’s staff and coupons for a service— it’s cost-effective AND measurable.

Which leads me to…

Track All of Your Holiday Marketing Efforts

Remember those coupons for service and the social media contest? Or maybe you’re creating holiday-themed email blasts with special offers or festive blog posts inside. Whatever it is, make sure you’re measuring the effectiveness of your efforts by adding Google Analytics UTM tracking codes to all holiday-related links within emails or landing pages. This way, you can have even more fun planning next year’s holiday marketing strategy!

So dealers, grab a peppermint latte, a string of lights, and your creative team, and get to work! PCG wishes you a prosperous holiday season!

About the Author

Gina Orlando is the Marketing Manager at PCG and is passionate about learning new things and keeping up with the latest marketing, social media, and pop culture trends. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to country music, online shopping, and anything chocolate.