Google Ads for Auto Transport Companies

Are you thinking about using Google Ads for your auto transport company? Maybe you’re looking for a way to lower your cost-per-lead. No matter what medium (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, YouTube Ads, etc.) you choose, in the end it’s all about getting qualified leads that turn profit.

This blog post shows you real data of what goes on within Google Ads when marketing an auto transport company. We will also talk about an alternative if these numbers in Google Ads don’t make financial sense for you.

There are some pros and many cons when running ads on Google.

Pros and Cons of Using Google Ads for Auto Transport industry

PROS:

·        You can show hyper-targeted ads to show only in your city

·        You can show ads in Google Maps

·        Constant stream of leads (if you can keep it profitable

CONS:

·        It’s hyper competitive

·        It’s expensive and in many cases, not profitable

·        You need a big budget if you’re targeting a nationwide audience

Quick Tip to Lower Cost-Per-Click

If you’re already using Google Ads, you may want to get Google Seller Ratings to help increase your CTR (Click-Through-Rate) while dropping your CPC (Cost-Per-Click). This will increase your AdRank and lower your Cost-Per-Conversion. Basically, Google Seller Ratings will show your star ratings directly on your ads. Credibility starts at the search engine. Here’s an example:

Cost to Advertise on Google Ads for Auto Transport Companies

Ready for a heart attack? Let’s say you make on average a $300 profit whenever you ship a car. Also, let’s assume each cost per click costs about $1.00 and your conversion rate was $30 to get a lead. In this situation, by the time you get 30 clicks, you would get 1 lead. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to close 100% of the incoming leads. At best, you might close 10%, and even that’s a really high closing ratio coming from Google Ads.

Following our example, $300 profit ÷ $30 per lead = 10 leads needed at a 10% closing ratio just to break even. In other words, if your closing ratio (an actual sale) was 10%, each click only costed $1, and a lead costed $30 each, then your Cost-Per-Sale would be $300!

If you’re getting qualified leads, then you could most likely raise that closing ratio from 10% to 20%.

Here’s the Heart Attack!

This screen shot is from a real Google Ads campaign for an auto shipping company. In our hypothetical example, we used $1 per click. In reality, you’ll need to bid anywhere from $3 per click to $30 per click just to be eligible to show on the 1^st page of Google!

If you paid $3-$5 per click, would you be profitable? Would Google Ads even be worth it?

Notice the column Avg. CPC. How can this account get clicks when not even being able to get on the 1^st page of Google? That’s because some people are actually going to the 2^nd page of Google. These keywords are so competitive that people actually go to page 2 of a Google search.

Alternatives to Google Ads for Auto Transport Companies

Here are 2 alternatives to Google Ads. Decide which one works better for your situation. The first alternative provides a jump start while the second one will take time.

Pay per lead

If you want to skip all the headaches and the heart attacks of getting Google slapped, you should look into buying leads at a much cheaper price. You can get shared leads starting at $1.75. You can get exclusive auto transport leads for no more than $9 per lead. Compare that to our $1 per click example above. In reality, if you look at the snap shot above, it costs about $50 - $115 Cost-Per-Conversion (each lead).

Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator for Outreach

What is LinkedIn Sales Navigator? LinkedIn Sales Navigator allows you a send messages to the right target audience. You use unique filters to find the exact people you are looking for. Make a list of these prospects and make notes. When you are ready, you can send these people a message on LinkedIn Messages.

Who should you target via LinkedIn? Target C-Level people at auction sites like CoParts or IAAI. Target the sales managers at auto dealerships. Maybe you can logistics coordinators for moving companies. There are many target audiences you can create within LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Think about LinkedIn Sales Navigator as a way to network with people who can send you repeat business. You’re not on here looking for the end customer. You’re on here to build referral sources.

Don’t Waste Money On Social Media

By the way, do not waste money in Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads, or other social media avenues. You don’t know if these people are in the market to ship a car. The only time to use social media platforms to attract sales in the auto shipping industry is if you are remarketing to people who have already been to your website.

Conclusion

In the end, most auto transport companies are going to want the lowest cost per ‘qualified’ lead. If paying more than $3 per click on Google Ads is not financially feasible, do not bother with it.

If you’re in a position to pay $9 per qualified lead, by leads! This can be lucrative if you have strong sales skills and are on top of contacting leads. If you are lazy and don’t call back leads within the same day, you’ll most likely miss out on the sale.

If you have time to dedicate to learning LinkedIn Sale Navigator, go for it!

LinkedIn Sales Navigator starts at $99/mo and you can cancel at anytime. Maybe you should try both buying leads and LinkedIn Sales Navigator to see which one lands more sales.