Catalyst IQ Case Studies

How a Volkswagen Dealership Achieved 846% Increase in Conversions

Written by Catalyst IQ | Jan 7, 2026 1:12:52 AM

Ever wonder what happens when a dealership gets strategic with their digital marketing—without spending more? Safford VW of Fredericksburg teamed up with Catalyst IQ, and the results speak for themselves. By rethinking their campaign structure and making smarter budget moves, they saw game-changing growth across every key metric. Here’s how they did it.

The Challenge: Maximizing Digital Marketing Performance in a Competitive Market

Safford VW of Fredericksburg has been a valued partner for over two years. In early 2025, the dealership and their DSM identified an opportunity to further optimize their digital marketing performance to reach today's car buyers even more effectively.

The dealership was particularly focused on improving performance for their new vehicle inventory, which represented approximately 80% of their marketing budget allocation.

The Solution: Strategic Digital Marketing Optimization with MarketAI

Our team implemented a comprehensive digital marketing strategy leveraging MarketAI technology to optimize campaign performance across multiple channels. The approach focused on three key areas:

Phase 1: Campaign Structure Optimization:

Our team began by analyzing the dealership’s existing campaign performance and restructuring their digital advertising approach. This included optimizing their Vehicle Listing Ads (VLA) campaigns and refining their paid search strategy to match what shoppers in their market were actually searching for.

Phase 2: Strategic Budget Reallocation:

Rather than increasing spend, our team reallocated the dealership's existing budget to the campaigns that were actually delivering results.

Phase 3: Performance Maximization:

Once their campaigns were optimized, the team focused on continuing to improve campaign performance through data-driven adjustments and real-time optimization using MarketAI insights.

The Results: Exceptional Growth Across All Key Metrics

After six months of budget and campaign optimization (January 21 - July 21, 2025), Safford VW of Fredericksburg achieved remarkable results compared to the previous period:

Digital Traffic & Engagement Success:

  • 846% increase in overall conversions for Vehicle Listing Ads campaigns
  • 146% increase in Paid Search conversions

Lead Generation Performance:

  • 138% increase in form submissions from Vehicle Listing Ad
  • 363% increase in form submissions for Paid Search campaigns
  • 168% increase in phone calls

Key Takeaways for Dealers

Safford VW of Fredericksburg's success shows what's possible when dealers partner with Catalyst IQ. By using real market data, our team could quickly make changes that delivered measurable results. Our MarketAI-powered campaigns reached car buyers throughout their entire shopping process, while ongoing improvements helped the dealership see steady growth over time.

As a certified provider for Volkswagen dealers, Catalyst IQ provides the real-time insights needed to stay competitive in today's market.

Ready to see how strategic digital marketing can transform your dealership's performance? Schedule a free MarketAI demo to discover your optimization opportunities.