Bolstering Social Presence and Marketing for a Car Sales App

Overview

Bumper, a UK-based platform for buying and selling vehicles, was launched with the goal of simplifying and reducing the costs of car transactions across the country. Despite securing agreements with car dealerships and verified purchases, Bumper’s user base remained below expectations, raising concerns about the app’s viability in a competitive market dominated by larger platforms like eBay, Gumtree, and Auto Trader. The infrequent nature of car purchases made user retention a challenge, prompting Bumper to seek a strategy that would drive more frequent engagement and boost visibility.

Challenge

With a limited budget and significant competition, Bumper needed to expand its social presence, optimize its app store listings, and develop cost-effective digital marketing campaigns to attract more buyers and sellers. The challenge was to create a sustainable growth model in an industry where users might only need the platform sporadically, and to stand out against major competitors with much larger resources.

Our Approach

• App Store Optimization (ASO):
  Our first step was to overhaul Bumper’s app store presence. We revamped the visuals, ensuring that preview screens were modern and engaging, while rewriting the copy to focus on key selling points and user benefits. By optimizing ‘above the fold’ content, we aimed to improve conversion rates and attract a relevant audience to download the app.
• Social Media Growth Strategy:
  With no budget for digital advertising on social media, we devised an innovative strategy to target potential users through competitor channels. We employed automation software to engage with audiences who were interacting with competitor content, using a whitelist of criteria to identify promising leads. In addition, we launched a direct messaging campaign targeting existing users, encouraging specific actions to qualify them as leads before using an organic call-to-action.
• Repurposing Content for Digital Marketing:
  To further stretch Bumper’s limited budget, we repurposed the app store visuals for ads on competitor platforms like Gumtree. These Featured and Spotlighted ads highlighted Bumper’s better value offerings in comparison to the competition. Although we initially planned to run parallel Google Ad campaigns, budget limitations led us to prioritize Gumtree ads for broader reach.

Results

• Increased Social Engagement: By targeting competitor audiences and leveraging automation tools, Bumper saw an increase in engagement across social platforms without the need for paid ads. This innovative approach enabled Bumper to connect with potential users in a cost-effective way.
• App Store Conversion Rate Boost: The revamped app store listings led to higher conversion rates, with more users discovering and downloading the app. Improved visuals and optimized copy helped Bumper stand out in the crowded marketplace, driving increased downloads.
• Effective Use of Marketing Budget: Our strategy maximized the available budget, allowing Bumper to compete with larger, well-established platforms. The Gumtree ad campaign generated visibility and helped Bumper reach users who were actively in the market for car listings.
• Actionable Insights: The campaigns provided key insights into user behavior, especially in critical markets like London and Manchester. These insights allowed Bumper to refine its approach, tailoring future campaigns and improving its product offerings based on real-world data.