Ad Spend & CPVS

I’ve spent the better part of two decades in the automotive space. I’ve been on the floor during Saturday morning rushes, I’ve sat in the back office fighting with banks to get a deal bought, and for the last several years, I’ve been the guy behind the screen managing millions in ad spend for dealerships […]

Picture this: It’s 1995. You’re flipping through TV channels on a Saturday afternoon when suddenly your screen explodes with chaos.A man in a cowboy hat is shouting at the camera while standing next to an inflatable gorilla. Behind him, colorful balloons dance in the wind as a banner screams “WE’RE PRACTICALLY GIVING CARS AWAY!” The

Running a successful dealership involves much more than just advertising your vehicles. Yet many dealerships are caught in a cycle of ineffective marketing strategies, making the same mistakes over and over. These mistakes can waste valuable resources, time, and opportunities. Let’s dive into the biggest mistakes dealerships make and how to fix them to ensure you’re putting your best

very month, it’s the same conversation. A dealer calls me frustrated about their marketing costs spiraling out of control.When I ask them to break down their spending, the pattern is always identical: “Well, we spend $4,500 on CarGurus, $3,200 on Cars.com, $2,800 on AutoTrader, plus another $1,500 across smaller listing sites. That’s… wow, $12,000 just on

If your dealership’s marketing feels like throwing money into a black hole, you’re not alone. Too many dealers waste thousands on ads that bring in tire kickers, not buyers. Here’s a battle-tested, no-BS guide to fix that mess and turn your marketing into a sales machine. Step 1: Audit Your Marketing — Kill the Waste

In my fifteen-plus years in the automotive trenches—moving from the sales floor to managing multi-million dollar ad spends—I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. Most dealers are still operating on a 2010 mindset in a 2026 market. They are obsessed with the “Lead.” They treat their CRM like a digital lottery and their marketing budget like a

Your dealership’s social media isn’t working. You’re posting. You’re paying for ads. But your engagement looks like a ghost town, and your DMs are quieter than a library on Sunday. Here’s the truth: Most car dealerships are doing social media wrong. Not because they’re lazy, but because they’re repeating the same tired mistakes that make

You’re spending thousands: maybe tens of thousands: on digital ads every month. Facebook says your campaigns are crushing it. Google Analytics shows decent traffic. Your ad agency sends you colorful reports filled with impressive-looking metrics. But here’s the gut-punch: You have no idea which ads actually sell cars. Welcome to the attribution black hole where