Ad Spend That Pays
May 4, 2026
Retargeting & Remarketing for Dealers: How to Re-Engage Website Visitors and Turn Them Into Buyers
May 15, 2026
Banner/Display Ads That Actually Work
You've Run Banner Ads Before. So Why Don't You Trust Them?
If someone mentions "banner ads" or "display advertising," you might roll your eyes a little. Maybe you ran a display campaign once, got a report full of big impression numbers and a tiny click rate, and your GM called it a waste of money.
That frustration makes sense. A lot of display advertising is run badly because it pointed at the wrong people, was designed without a plan, and measured by numbers that don't connect to anything real.
What's also true is banner ads, when built the right way, are one of the most powerful tools a dealer has for staying in front of the right buyers, especially buyers who already visited your website and didn't reach out yet.
What Banner Ads Actually Are
Banner ads (also called display ads) are the visual ads you see while browsing websites, reading news, or using apps. They show up as rectangles or strips at the top and sides of pages. They can be still images, animated graphics, or short videos.
The most important thing to understand: banner ads are not search ads.
When someone searches "RV dealer near me," that's a search ad, they're actively looking right now. When someone reads an outdoor blog and your ad shows up, that's a display ad. They may not be searching at this exact moment, but they might have looked at your website last week, or be saving up right now.
That's where banner ads live. And that's why they need to be part of your strategy.
The Numbers Behind Display Advertising
The U.S. automotive industry spent an estimated $21.22 billion on digital advertising in 2024, an 11.1% increase from the year before. Digital channels now represent about 72% of all dealer ad spending. Demand Local / J&L Marketing
Global display ad spending hit $247 billion in 2024, and display now represents about 35% of all digital ad spend worldwide. Programmatic buying (meaning automated, data-driven ad placement) accounts for roughly 91% of all display ad spend in the U.S. Keywords Everywhere / eMarketer
The average click-through rate for display ads on Google's Display Network is about 0.46%. Marketing LTB
That sounds low but display ads aren't primarily built to get clicks. They're built to keep your dealership in front of buyers who are already in your market, so when they're ready to act, your name is the one they remember.
The click is a bonus. The impression is the real job.
Why You Need Both Search Ads and Display Ads
Most people don't buy an RV, motorcycle, or boat in a day. The process takes weeks or months. They browse, price-check, visit your site, get busy, and come back later. According to Cox Automotive's 2024 Car Buyer Journey Study, buyers spend an average of more than 14 hours researching online before purchasing. Cox Automotive
And 95% of website visitors don't convert on their first visit. Marketing LTB
So what happens to all those people who visited your site, looked at your inventory, and left without reaching out? If you have no display ads running: nothing. You hope they remember you.
If you have display ads running: your dealership follows them. Your banner shows up on the next site they visit. You stay visible during their decision window.
This is why retargeting display ads are the most valuable banner campaign a dealer can run. Retargeting ads generate 3 to 4 times higher click-through rates than standard display ads. They can increase conversion rates by 150 to 200% compared to cold campaigns. Marketing LTB
You already paid to bring those people to your site. Retargeting makes sure that investment doesn't disappear.
The Three Types of Banner Campaigns Dealers Should Run
1. Prospecting Campaigns — Reaching New Buyers These ads reach people who've never been to your site. You target based on location, interests, and browsing behavior. A powersports dealer might target adults within 50 miles who've been browsing off-road content or camping forums. An RV dealer might target people who searched for campgrounds recently. These campaigns fill the top of your funnel with fresh potential buyers.
2. Retargeting Campaigns — Following Up With Warm Buyers This is where most of your display budget should go. Retargeting shows ads to people who visited your website but didn't submit a lead. These buyers already know you but something made them leave. A well-placed retargeting ad brings them back.
The best retargeting ads are specific. If someone spent five minutes looking at Class A motorhomes, your ad should show a Class A motorhome, not a generic dealership logo. Dynamic retargeting (where the ad automatically reflects what the visitor was looking at) delivers 3 to 7 times better ROI compared to static banner ads. Marketing LTB
3. Conquest Campaigns — Targeting Buyers Considering Competitors These ads reach people visiting competing dealership websites or searching competitor brands. To make conquest campaigns work, you need a real offer. Something specific and useful like "Get an instant trade-in value" or "See what your budget gets you per month." A general ad won't pull a buyer away. A better offer will.
What Makes a Banner Ad Actually Work
Most dealer display campaigns fail because the creative is boring. A photo of a unit, the dealership name, and a phone number. Nobody clicks that.
Here's what works:
Lead with a value, not your name. "What's your trade worth?" speaks to a buyer's real question. Your name should be visible, but not the headline.
Use visuals that match the buyer's interest. A pontoon boat buyer responds to a clean image of a pontoon boat, not a lifestyle photo or a wall of text.
Use a clear call to action. Ads with clear CTA buttons increase click-through rates by approximately 45%. Marketing LTB "Get Your Trade Value" and "Browse by Payment" work far better than "Learn More."
Rotate your creative regularly. Ad fatigue (when people stop noticing an ad because they've seen it too many times) typically sets in after 5 to 7 impressions of the same creative. Plan to refresh every 3 to 4 weeks. Marketing LTB
Design for mobile first. Mobile display ads achieve about 37% higher click-through rates than desktop, and mobile accounts for around 70% of all display impressions. Focus Digital A banner that doesn't look good on a phone is a banner that doesn't perform.
The Landing Page Is Everything
A great retargeting campaign can still fail completely if the landing page is weak.
A buyer clicks your ad. They land on your homepage. There are 12 things competing for attention. They get confused and leave. You paid for that click. Nothing came from it.
Here's what should happen instead:
Your ad says "Find out what your trade is worth." The buyer clicks. They land on a dedicated page with your trade-in estimation tool front and center. They enter their info. They get a value. You get their name, number, email, and details on what they own. That's a warm lead.
Or your ad says "Shop boats under $400/month." The buyer clicks. They land on a payment calculator, like PayCycle. They filter by budget. They see real inventory. They feel confident enough to reach out.
This is exactly the gap Digital Power Solutions helps dealers close. Paid traffic is expensive. Every click deserves a landing page that captures the lead. Our TradeCycle and PayCycle tools give buyers a real reason to engage and turn that visit into a conversation your sales team can work with.
How to Set Your Display Budget
There's no perfect answer, but here's a smart starting framework:
Display should support your other campaigns, not replace them. If you're spending $5,000/month on Google search ads, a retargeting display budget of $500 to $1,500/month makes sense. It recaptures people who clicked your search ad and left without converting.
For prospecting and conquest, starting at $500 to $1,000/month and measuring results for 60 to 90 days before scaling is a reasonable approach.
- Cost per lead from display (not cost per click)
- Return visit rate from retargeting
- Tool engagement rate — are people coming back and using your trade-in or payment tool?
- Assisted conversions — display ads often help close deals that started with a search click
Common Banner Ad Mistakes to Avoid
- Running display ads without retargeting — and missing your highest-ROI opportunity.
- Sending display traffic to your homepage instead of a dedicated landing page.
- Using the same creative for months without refreshing it.
- Measuring only clicks and ignoring view-through conversions.
- Ignoring mobile design and performance.
What You Can Do Immediately
1. Launch Retargeting Display Ads — This Week
Retargeting generates 3 to 4 times higher click-through rates than standard display ads and can increase conversions by 150 to 200%. Set this up immediately.
2. Fix Our Banner Ad Creative
Lead with a value proposition that speaks directly to what buyers are actually thinking:
- "What is your trade worth?"
- "Shop inventory under $400 a month"
- "Get an instant trade-in value"
Have clear CTA button on every ad and redesign everything for mobile first since mobile accounts for 70% of all display impressions.
3. Set Up Dedicated Landing Pages for Every Ad
Going forward every ad points to a dedicated landing page that delivers exactly what the ad promised. Trade-in ad goes to a trade-in tool. Payment ad goes to a payment calculator. It's one job is to capture the lead.
4. Add TradeCycle and PayCycle to Our Site
TradeCycle gives trade-curious buyers an instant answer to their biggest question. PayCycle gives budget-driven buyers confidence to move forward. Both tools capture a name, number, and email in exchange for something the buyer actually wants. That is exactly the landing page experience our display ads need behind them.
5. Refresh Our Ad Creative Every 3 to 4 Weeks
Place a recurring calendar reminder to review and rotate creative every 3 to 4 weeks and assigning someone on our team ownership of that process so it actually happens.
The Bottom Line
Banner ads aren't a standalone solution. They're one piece of a connected system. Your search ads capture buyers who are actively looking. Your social ads build awareness with buyers who are still exploring. Your display and retargeting ads keep you visible during the weeks or months between a buyer's first visit and their final decision. And your trade-in and payment tools convert those visitors into leads.
When all of these pieces work together, and when your landing experience is built to capture buyers instead of just show them a page, you stop losing the traffic you've already paid for.
At Digital Power Solutions, we've helped over 1,400 powersports, RV, and marine dealers get more out of every visitor their advertising brings in. We don't run your ads. We make sure that when your ads work and someone lands on your site, something valuable is waiting for them.
Book a free demo at digitalpower.solutions or call (866) 618-8998.
Someone’s ready. Are you?
Ready to see it in action?
Sources
- Demand Local / J&L Marketing (2024) — U.S. automotive digital ad spend $21.22B; 72% digital share: https://www.demandlocal.com/blog/dealership-advertising-spend-statistics/ | https://www.jandlmarketing.com/a-guide-to-automotive-digital-paid-media-benchmarks/
- Marketing LTB, Display Advertising Statistics 2025 — $247B global display spend; 35% of digital; 0.46% avg CTR; retargeting 3–4x CTR lift; 150–200% conversion increase; 95% of visitors don't convert on first visit; ad fatigue at 5–7 impressions; CTA buttons +45% CTR; dynamic retargeting 3–7x ROI: https://marketingltb.com/blog/statistics/display-advertising-statistics/
- Keywords Everywhere / eMarketer (2024) — Programmatic = 91.3% of U.S. display spend: https://keywordseverywhere.com/blog/display-advertising-stats/
- AI Digital (2025) — Display ad CTR benchmarks: https://www.aidigital.com/blog/ctr-for-display-ads
- Focus Digital (December 2025) — Mobile display CTR 37% higher than desktop; 70% of impressions are mobile: https://focus-digital.co/average-display-ad-ctr-2025-benchmarks/
- Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study, 2024 — 14+ hours of online research before purchase: https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights-hub/cox-automotives-car-buyer-journey-study-reveals-record-high-satisfaction-among-new-and-ev-buyers/
- Demand Local (2025) — ROI Metrics in Automotive Campaign Statistics: https://www.demandlocal.com/blog/roi-metrics-in-automotive-campaigns-statistics/
