How to change dealership digital marketing agencies

What to check before you decide

Get ahead of the handoff. Before giving notice, request administrator access to every account and export the history: ad performance, audiences, keyword lists, creative files, call recordings and lead data.

Keep the copies where the dealership controls them. Confirm who pays the ad platforms directly and move billing to the store's own card if needed.

Plan the transition so nothing pauses. Ask the new agency to set up in parallel, match tracking and call numbers, and launch before the old campaigns stop. Check that leads still reach the CRM with the right source, and that manufacturer co-op documentation continues to be filed.

Brief the new agency well. Give it the last year's results, the cost per sold vehicle by channel, the brand's advertising rules and the list of approved vendors.

Afterward, compare. Judge the new agency on cost per matched sale and on lead-to-close, using reports pulled from the platforms and your CRM, for at least three months before deciding.

Hold a handoff call with both agencies, if the old one is cooperative. Walk through campaigns, tracking setup and pending co-op claims.

Write a one-page summary of what was agreed. If the old agency is not cooperative, rely on the exports you took before giving notice.

Be careful with audiences and pixels built over the years, since the lookalike lists and retargeting pools that live inside an ad account are one of the most valuable things the old agency holds, and they can only be kept if the account belongs to the dealership.