2026 Full-funnel marketing playbook

For many dealers, digital marketing often feels like a click-and-convert race. The logic is simple: spend on SEM, watch the leads roll in, and track ROI. But over-relying on bottom-funnel tactics — those focused only on active buyers — can limit long-term results. These approaches often make dealers vulnerable to partners who leverage their website data for their own benefit, while neglecting the critical stage where buyers first form perceptions of your dealership: top of the funnel (TOFU).

Awareness campaigns may not generate instant leads, but they play a vital role in building familiarity, trust, and brand confidence — all of which drive downstream engagement and sales.

Understanding the role of awareness

Awareness marketing is the first stage of the shopper journey — where potential buyers start to form opinions about which brands, vehicles, and dealerships they trust. It’s not designed to generate immediate conversions, but to ensure your dealership is part of the conversation from the moment interest begins.

In a crowded digital environment where shoppers see between 4,000 and 10,000 ads per day¹, being visible early helps your brand stand out and stay top of mind.

Top-funnel marketing serves several key purposes:

• Build familiarity and trust: Repeated exposure to your brand increases the likelihood that shoppers will consider your dealership later in their journey.
• Prime engagement downstream: Shoppers who see awareness campaigns are more likely to visit your website, explore inventory, and interact with mid-funnel content.
• Reduce long-term acquisition costs: Early brand visibility makes subsequent clicks and leads more efficient and cost-effective.
• Protect first-party data: Awareness campaigns can reach validated audiences without over-relying on low-funnel partners who may use your data for their own models.

Despite these benefits, many dealers undervalue awareness because it’s harder to measure immediate return. Understanding its long-term influence — and how it interacts with mid- and low-funnel tactics — is key to building a balanced, full-funnel strategy.

Busting the myths about awareness

When it comes to top-funnel marketing, there are a few common misconceptions. Effective awareness isn’t about blanket reach — it’s about precision targeting that builds recognition and intent among the right shoppers.

Myth 1: “Awareness doesn’t sell cars”

Reality: It does — just not overnight.

With CPCs rising and lead quality softening, dealers can’t rely on last-click attribution alone. Research shows that 93% of car shoppers use marketplaces early in their journey², long before they submit a lead or visit your website.

Awareness helps put your brand in that early conversation — shaping trust, familiarity, and future intent before shoppers even start comparing offers.

Myth 2: “Clicks equal customers”

Reality: Clicks are a signal — not a sale.

Search continues to grow more competitive, often with diminishing returns. Many dealers see strong clickthrough rates but softer conversions because the work of influencing purchase decisions starts earlier.

Early visibility and repeated exposure shape perception and intent, making mid- and bottom-funnel tactics more effective.

Myth 3: “Casting a wide net checks the full-funnel box”

Reality: Precision matters more than reach.

Only about 5% of U.S. households are actively in-market³ at any given time — and just a few percent more are likely to purchase in the next six to nine months. That means broad targeting can waste spend on audiences who aren’t close to a purchase decision.

The key is targeting the right portion of early-stage shoppers: those beginning to explore options and forming brand preferences.

Myth 4: “All in-market audiences are equal”

Reality: Modeled intent ≠ real intent.

Not every “in-market” signal is created equal. Many advertising networks rely on modeled third-party data to guess who might be shopping.

Cars Commerce audiences, by contrast, are validated daily for 90 days using first-party behavioral data from millions of real marketplace shoppers — ensuring your ads reach people actually researching vehicles now.

How awareness drives downstream success

Awareness marketing isn’t just about visibility — it’s the foundation for every click, lead, and sale that follows. Dealers who invest early in brand visibility see stronger engagement metrics and lower cost per sale later in the funnel.

That’s because awareness campaigns powered by real shopper data reach buyers before they start actively comparing offers. When those same shoppers move down the funnel, they already recognize — and trust — your dealership. Instead of paying to introduce your brand at the moment of purchase, you’re reinforcing familiarity and intent that’s already been built.

This is where Cars Commerce Media Network (CCMN) gives dealers a measurable edge. By leveraging first-party data from 26 million monthly marketplace shoppers, CCMN connects your ads directly to real in-market buyers — not modeled audiences. That precision targeting makes awareness more efficient and directly impacts mid- and bottom-funnel performance.

Awareness fuels engagement:

Cars Commerce Media Network campaigns provide measurable results:

• In-Market Video (IMV): Viewers visit 3.4× more pages on dealer websites than non-viewers.⁴
• Cars Social: Cars Social drives 12x more new users to your dealer website than Marketplace-only.⁵
• VIN Performance Media: +29% average increase in sales influenced by Cars.com campaigns.⁶

Data-driven targeting outperforms channel addiction

Over-reliance on platforms like Google creates platform risk and inflated costs. Using first-party, validated in-market audiences improves efficiency and lowers downstream costs.

Awareness strengthens full-funnel strategy

Think of marketing like a football team:

• TOFU: The offensive line – primes and protects the play
• MOFU: The quarterback – guides buyers toward action
• BOFU: The receiver – closes the sale

A strong top-funnel presence increases the effectiveness of mid- and low-funnel tactics, improving overall ROI.

Top-funnel best practices for dealers

To maximize the impact of awareness campaigns, dealers should approach top-funnel marketing with strategy, measurement, and consistency.

Target strategically

Focus on early-stage in-market shoppers rather than trying to reach everyone. Precision targeting ensures your brand is introduced to the right audience at the start of the journey, setting up stronger engagement and lower acquisition costs downstream.

Measure holistic metrics

Evaluate success beyond clicks and impressions. Track cost per unit sold, engagement metrics, and overall funnel influence to understand how awareness contributes to long-term results.

Vet vendors carefully

Not all audience targeting is equal. Vetting vendors ensures your first-party data is protected and your campaigns reach the most relevant shoppers.

Ask your vendors:

• How do you prove your audience is truly in-market?
• How often is your audience refreshed?
• What do you take from my data versus give back in performance?
• Who else has access to my data, and do you sell it?

Coordinate messaging across the funnel

Align creative and messaging across top, mid, and bottom-funnel tactics. Consistent messaging reinforces your brand and increases the likelihood that shoppers move smoothly through the buying journey.

Refresh and optimize

Rotate campaigns, messaging, and creative regularly to maintain relevance and prevent audience fatigue. Optimized creative ensures your awareness campaigns stay engaging and continue to prime buyers for mid- and low-funnel conversions.

Building a foundation for funnel marketing success

Top-of-funnel marketing isn’t just an add-on — it’s the groundwork that makes every other tactic work harder. Dealers who invest in awareness are not only seen more often by shoppers, but also recognized and trusted when those shoppers are ready to buy.

With AI reshaping search, visibility at the start of the journey is increasingly critical. If your brand isn’t part of early consideration, it becomes more difficult and expensive to break in later.

Cars Commerce Media Network simplifies this challenge:

• Connects dealers to real in-market shoppers across video, display, social, and inventory campaigns.
• Provides turnkey solutions that reach, engage, and influence shoppers at every stage.
• Ensures measurable full-funnel outcomes while protecting your first-party data.

Full-funnel marketing starts with a solid foundation. Build awareness with precision, measure its influence holistically, and treat every impression as an introduction that primes future intent.

What’s next: Chapter 2 — Middle funnel: guiding consideration

Awareness is just the beginning. In Chapter 2, we’ll explore how mid-funnel tactics on the marketplace and through search and social guide shoppers through the evaluation stage — keeping your dealership front and center as intent strengthens.