Car dealer marketing in Madison, WI

Dealers in Madison sell into a market with its own seasons, events and communities. The best campaigns follow the weather and the local calendar, so the right vehicles and offers are in front of shoppers when they’re thinking about them.

What to promote in Madison

• AWD and winter tires for snowy winters
• EVs and hybrids for an eco-minded city
• Affordable used cars for UW–Madison students
• Rust protection after salted roads

A seasonal plan for Madison

The full month-by-month plan, including US holidays, is in the car dealer marketing calendar.

Local dates to plan around

• Badgers football (September to November): game-day posts
• UW–Madison move-in (late August): first cars
• Dane County Farmers’ Market (Saturdays, spring to fall): community presence
• First snow (November): changeovers

Make the posts a week or two ahead so they’re ready to go. The seasonal ad ideas have ready-made themes for the big national dates.

Get found on Google in Madison

Shoppers search for dealers on their phones, and your Google Business Profile is often the first thing they see. Post an update each week with a vehicle, an offer or a service special, and reply to every review. People also search by their own community, so name the places you serve in your posts and captions: Middleton, Sun Prairie, Fitchburg, Verona, Monona, Waunakee and Stoughton. Here’s how to post on Google Business Profile.

Ads, email and print for Madison dealers

Shoppers in Madison see your dealership in more places than social media. Use the same look and the same offer everywhere, so each place backs up the others:

• Social and Google posts: a vehicle spotlight, an offer or a service special every week. Social media posts come in every size, with captions written for each platform.
• Email campaigns: new arrivals, service reminders and seasonal offers to past customers, following the CAN-SPAM Act: a real reply address, your dealership’s mailing address and an unsubscribe link. Here’s how to plan dealership emails.
• Print and showroom materials: postcard mailers, flyers, showroom posters and window stickers with a QR code that counts every scan, so you know which vehicles shoppers look at on the lot. See print ads.
• Video: short Reels, TikToks and YouTube Shorts from your own vehicle photos. See video ads.
• Weather-timed ads: have the ad ready before the forecast turns: batteries and tires ahead of a cold snap, AC service before a heat wave, storm-ready checks before severe weather. More in weather and winter marketing ideas.

Rules to know in Wisconsin

Wisconsin uses its own version of the FTC Buyers Guide, so check the state version before you print. Advertised prices, payments and rates need their full disclosures (Truth in Lending and Consumer Leasing), and email follows the CAN-SPAM Act. The guide to advertising payments, rates and leases covers the disclosures to include, and DealerAdGen’s compliance check flags a payment or lease offer that’s missing them as you type.