Advertising

[fixops]

I've noticed several articles from time to time, (DealersEdge included) stating dealerships are abandoning traditional media (newspaper, radio & TV) and directing their advertising dollars towards internet & ecommerce. These articles usually include how much LESS they're spending in these areas, and getting more tangible results.

We're a 5 store Auto Group that's about 3 months away from the end of our commitments for traditional media. We're currently doing 40 to 50 internet deals a month with NO budget or advertising dollars. We now want to direct our dollars toward internet & ecommerce.

How are these big guys spending their internet budgets? How should we start?

[JoeTarell]

Before you invest, make sure you are ready for the increased traffic. Having good solid follow-up processes and knowing where your customers are coming from and why they chose to contact your store will help you to close a higher percentage. J.D. Power says that the average consumer visits a store 1.7 times before making a purchase and that number was six visits, ten years ago. Many consumers do the bulk of their shopping online before they reach your store and you must communicate effectively with them to get them to visit.

The number one way is a very good, well-maintained website. Many dealers are now spending money online through Search Engine Marketing or Paid Search. With most consumers beginning their shopping process online and many of those beginning their search on a search engine, this makes good sense. The newspaper sites are also a good place to be as the print versions keep losing circulation and they focus more of their energy online. Any place that you can post your inventory is a good bet as well. Autotrader and cars.com are the two best known, but there are others that are local market specific.

The key is to use the fact that everything is digital and track your results. Track phone calls as well as email because more and more consumers are using the web as a phone book.

Truth in advertising, I am a consultant who specializes in online marketing and Internet sales. I am convinced it is the place to spend your budget, but don't forget that the last place consumers look before visiting a store is many times the newspaper auto section. It still has it place, just a smaller one.

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Joe Tarell

[DealerProfit]

E-Leads all day long. No contract, No bull****. It just works. If you want contact info send me an email.
dealer.profit14@gmail.com

No I don't work for them, they don't spiff me, and I don't sleep with anyone who works there.

I'm the hardest guy on earth to please and they do it every single time.
Darin




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Why hire a consultant and pay for what I am giving you free. I'll tell you when you need to hire one.