The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is cracking down on the automotive industry and that requires dealerships, advertisers, and consumers to adapt to how cars are sold. Hidden fees, misleading messaging and other deceitful practices have been on the FTC’s radar in the past few years, and they are working on making changes to create a more transparent buying experience.

Transparency

The cookie-less future is creeping closer and closer into our reality, resulting in business-to-consumer transparency becoming more prevalent. Itemized statements and paperwork from dealerships will need to explicitly state what fees are being processed so consumers can have a better understanding of where their dollars are being spent. Hidden fees are a thing of the past as customers are demanding an open door into what they are purchasing.

Advertising transparency needs to be monitored to ensure that vehicles advertised are vehicles that are eligible to be sold. False promotions and rates cannot be used to bring customers in the door because consumers are then misled and aggravated on being sold inventory they were not looking for. Transparency is key in maintaining your clientele and reputation.

1^st Party Data Solutions

Consumers are reluctant to share data because privacy is important. However, this does not mean that advertising is dead. Advertising with 1^st Party Data, or data acquired through lead generation, transactions, etc., is even more effective in reaching customers who know or are highly interested in your brand. Additionally, providing users with how their data is being collected through your website is crucial. Many websites have pop-ups or banners at the top or bottom of their page explaining the use of their data with terms to accept or decline. Allowing users to opt-in or out gives them control of their information and user experience.

Technology like AutoMiner, a solution made by dealers, for dealers, provides clean data to utilize in advertising campaigns. Acquiring more qualified leads at a lower rate is the goal, and this tool can assist in advertising and spending efficiencies. AutoMiner allows dealerships to stay compliant with 1^st Party Data regulations, so utilizing this tool can keep you ahead of your competition by running campaigns while others are working through updates and changes in the system. Digital to Dealer Direct utilizes AutoMiner with our clients to produce the highest quality leads at the best price while maintaining reputability as a dealership following regulations.

Website Changes

With the FTC’s regulation proposals, website changes need to be made in addition to showroom changes. When a customer walks through the door at your dealership, they have a salesperson guiding them through the process, where and what to sign, and sharing information. With a transparent future, customers can get direct answers to their questions while face-to-face with a team member. However, with digital retailing tools, online car buying is the leading choice for many due to its simplicity and capabilities of being done anywhere at any time. This means that any changes made in person need to be reflected in the online car buying experience presented on your website. Consistency can turn a one-time sale into a lifetime customer.

It is no surprise that with the evolving times, come updated policies and requirements. Stay compliant with regulations and provide open and honest communication with your clients to maintain good standing as a dealership in your community and online. These changes need to be enforced both on the showroom floor, as well as on your website, and through your digital retailing tools.

As an automotive advertising agency, it is our goal to stay ahead of changes for our clients. Digital to Dealer Direct is focused on helping dealerships succeed in a well-rounded way. To learn more about how you can improve your advertising, strategies, sales and on/offline reputation and presentation, contact us today.

Google Analytics 4 Updates

Google Analytics 4, more often referred to as GA4, is Google’s newest analytics tool that will soon be replacing Google’s current platform, Universal Analytics. Continue reading to see what you need to know about the launch of GA4, its capabilities and connections.

Official Launch

Come July 1, 2023, GA4 will officially replace Universal Analytics. On July 1^st, your current Google Analytics property will stop collecting new data, which means that setting up GA4 immediately is crucial to obtain historical data. If you did not initiate setting up your GA4 property, Google Setup Assistant is slowly creating these GA4 properties with accounts lacking them. By doing this, Google can ensure that all users will have basic access to their data with the switch. Customizations and configurations to the account will still need to be done manually.

Google estimates that after July 1^st, users will still have access to previous data for at least six months at which point past reports can be exported or viewed. Once Google permanently shuts down Universal Analytics, that data will no longer be accessible, so be sure to compile any historical data sooner than later.

Reporting Changes

GA4 has a built-in reporting tool called Explorations. There are a variety of templates available to drag and drop your data into, as well as a free form chart to have full customizable control over what data is compared. For those who prefer a separate reporting platform, Google Data Studio, now referred to as Looker Studio, is another great option to create reports. It is important to remember to change the data source within Looker Studio to be connected to your new GA4 Property. Doing this will result in updated metrics that are available as GA4 prioritizes event-based actions over session-based actions. If you have an automotive digital marketing agency, make sure they are prepared to handle the changes that will come in the data provided.

Integrations

Currently, Universal Analytics is focused on session-based activities, including metrics like Pages per Session and Average Session Duration. GA4 prioritizes event-based activities with data points such as Events per Session and Engagement Rate. Some standard events are included in the setup of GA4, and custom events can be created specifically for your business using tools like Google Tag Manager. Utilizing Google Tag Manager is an effective tool to keep all your website codes and additives in one central hub.

Next, GA4 has the capabilities to integrate your current website and apps all within one reporting dashboard. Rather than switching to different views, GA4 allows you to see all your traffic and conversions in one location. In addition to connecting your website and app to GA4, GA4 can also connect to multiple other Google integrations, like Google Ads. By connecting your Google Ads account to your analytics account, you can monitor spends, conversions, and more in one convenient location.

Lastly, we are moving into a cookie-less future that relies on first-party data. GA4 is optimized and ready to move and adapt to the next phase of our digital world.

We understand that this transition and updates to your current workflow can be overwhelming, but as an automotive digital marketing agency, D2D is equipped to handle GA4 maintenance and reporting for your dealership. In addition to this blog, we have a downloadable white paper with the 5 W’s of GA4 to answer your pressing questions. If you are ready to jumpstart your GA4 journey and change your website traffic for the better, contact us today!

There are many benefits to hosting a dealership event. They can drive traffic to your dealership, build brand awareness, increase future sales, bring in potential new customers and repeat customers. Events will also help strengthen your relationship with the community and give you the opportunity to give back. Event marketing is crucial to making it a success. With digital marketing and social media being so prevalent in today’s world, there are many different avenues to get the word out. How you market your event will depend on which type of event you are hosting.

Two main reasons to have a dealership event is to bring in business and fundraising. There are many different types of events you can host within these two categories.

Fundraising Events:

Fundraising is a great way to be active in your community and raise money to give to local foundations, charities, and businesses.

• • Car Show – Hosting a car show is a great way to combine fundraising and brand awareness. You can raise money by donating the ticket price to participate in the car show. This event can be more than just a car show. You can bring in local businesses and food trucks for vendor exposure. Car show prizes can vary from different giveaways and services at the dealership.

  • Street Fairs/Town Festivals – Support your local street fairs and town festivals. You can sponsor them to get your name out there, or even host a booth and participate in networking with people. This is an opportunity to bring some vehicles and have people meet your brand. You can raffle for giveaways during the event and give the raffle proceeds to a foundation.

  • Food, Toy or Clothing Drives for Charity – Hosting a charity event such as a food, toy or clothing drive will help your customers feel good about supporting your dealership. This type of event can also reach customers that might not have normally stopped by your lot. It gives them a reason to check out vehicles they could be interested in. A lot of dealerships participate in Toys for Tots around the holiday season. This is something you can sponsor and support, without having to put on an event. Being a toy drop off station doesn’t require the hassle of event planning.

  • Sponsoring Local Events – This can range from youth sports to your local hospital fundraiser, galas, school events, business summits, etc. Staying busy within the community is important to build a good relationship with your customers. Joining business networking groups will help keep you informed about community events.

Brand Awareness Events:

Brand awareness is key to building your reputation and bringing back repeating customers. These types of events can bring in sales for the future.

• • Food Trucks/Ice Cream Trucks – A great way to bring in business is to have local food & ice cream trucks stop at your dealership. It gives people another reason to come to your business and makes shopping for a car that much better. With social media it’s easy to get the word out on when the food vendors will be at your dealership.

  • Ticket Giveaways/Raffles/Social Media Giveaways – Giveaways are always a fun way to bring attention to your dealership. Everyone loves to participate in something that’ll give them a protentional prize at the end. Utilizing social media for your giveaways is a great way to build your social media presence. Create a post with a giveaway of a service, gift card or product. The rules of the giveaway can be to follow your account, repost to their social media pages & tagging their friends. This gives your dealership 3 points of brand exposure online. Raffling off services or discounts at your dealership is a way to bring customers back to your dealership.

  • Test Drive Event – This is a great way to have customers meet your lineup and meet your dealership while having a great experience. Offering an incentive such as money towards charity, a gift card, or a product if they participate in a test drive is motivation for people to come. This will give them time to check out a vehicle of interest, and time for you to show off all the benefits of why they would love to own that vehicle. Even if they don’t buy a vehicle, they can still get the incentive they came for. This builds a relationship and the potential for them to come back in the future.

  • Holiday Events – The holidays can bring people together, so why not do that at your dealership?

    • BBQ/Block Party – Host a BBQ or a Block Party for holidays such as Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, and Labor Day. People enjoy eating good food and socializing on their day off. This is also a great opportunity to invite your current customers to come back to the dealership. Building relationships will help with referral business.

    • Photo with Santa/Easter Bunny – Set up a holiday background and have photos at the dealership with Santa, or the Easter Bunny. You can charge a few dollars to charity or keep it complimentary.

    • Trunk or Treat – Many dealerships are participating in Truck or Treat for Halloween. This can be a great way for people to bring their kids to a safe trick-or-treating environment, while also being able to show off your vehicles.

  • Customer Appreciation Event/Anniversary Celebration – This can be anything from a luncheon, a BBQ, free car washes, testing out new vehicles or learning about their vehicles. Something to say thank you to anyone who has supported your business.

How To Market Your Events:

Ideally, you’ll want to work together with your automotive digital marketing agency to build a cohesive marketing strategy, but here are some basic pointers to help you get started! You need to start by identifying your target audience. This will depend on the type of event you are hosting. After you have your audience, you want to start creating your event promotions. This can include flyers, invites, digital marketing, and email templates.

Utilize social media when it comes to promoting your event. Post in community pages, share with local businesses and share on all your accounts. Use your database to invite current customers and potential customers by email invites. Share the event details throughout the showroom when selling. Hand out flyers to any customers at the dealer, and at surrounding businesses.

Create custom digital campaigns towards your event. Have a specific look and use that across all digital avenues. Keeping everything cohesive will help the word reach your target audience. This would be a good time to increase digital spending to boost those event messages.

If you don’t have an agency and would like help developing and marketing the perfect event, Digital 2 Dealer Direct can handle all your event marketing. With experience in every event we covered above, we can handle whatever you’re looking to do from start to finish. Utilizing both avenues will help increase a successful event.

Call us today at 877-958-4524 or contact us online to get started today!

There is no question that we are living in the digital age and social media consumption is growing. Having a strong, consistent, and cohesive brand on social media will help you stand out from competitors and provide your customers with information about who you are and what they can expect when arriving at your dealership. Continue reading to explore the significance of understanding your brand’s messaging and voice, as well as how to stay on top of a posting schedule to keep your brand on track.

Brand Messaging

Whether you are just starting to post on social media or you are rebranding, it is important to first decide on the type of content you intend to share with your clients. This can include customer testimonials, dealership photos, automotive tips, sales posts, employee highlights, and so much more. The posts can be a mix of photos, graphics, videos, and gifs. Any or all of these messaging types can be utilized on one social media page with a carefully thought-out strategy.

If your social media followers are familiar with your dealership posting photos of available inventory and current specials, they may be confused by an off-brand message such as a photo of the amazing meal you cooked for dinner last night. There is a time and a place for sharing delicious food pics; however, if keeping a professional brand is important to you, save the lifestyle photos for your personal page!

Brand Voice

Once the decision is made on what content will be shared, the next step is the style in which it is shared. Brand voice is the language you use in order to represent your dealership in a way that you would like to be perceived. Would you like to represent yourself as a serious and sophisticated dealership? Do you want to share that you are a family-friendly establishment? Brand voice is built by learning about your audience through interactions with customers in the dealership. You can take that knowledge and continue to the conversation online.

Examples of variations in brand voice could be the use of punctuation, capital letters, and emojis. Tonality changes drastically based on the voice used:

1. 1. BIG NEWS!!! We are offering 0% APR financing ALL MONTH LONG 😀 

   2. This month, ABC Motors is offering 0% APR financing on all new vehicles.

Both captions provide the same message but are said in very different tones. The best part is, neither is right or wrong! Your brand voice is what resonates best with your customers and followers, so experiment to see what sticks.

Consistent Schedule

Have you ever struggled to find something to post? As an automotive digital marketing agency, we understand the importance of social media management. We have strategies in place to make sure posts are going out on a consistent schedule and we are happy to share them with you!

We prioritize our social media posts because we know how important it is for customers to receive regular reminders from your dealership. Content calendars are built to align each date with a specific message. Every post has time to be strategically thought out in terms of what message we will share and when. These posts are then scheduled through a variety of tools available to automatically post your social post to a designated platform on a given date and time. Planning ahead prevents rushing the morning of a posting day in order to just throw something online. Without planning, brand messaging and voice may not receive the attention they deserve.

Cohesive Across Platforms

After deciding the type of messaging you are going to share with your audience and how you present that information, it is time to make sure that this message is cohesive across all of your social media platforms. Yes, LinkedIn is a more formal platform than Instagram; however, your brand should not be unrecognizable between platforms. If you are a family-oriented business, your brand messaging should target parents and discuss relevant information to that audience. By keeping a uniform strategy, your brand will be recognized wherever it is seen across the internet.

Content can be reused as well. With the amount of effort and planning put into your social posts, you want to make sure it shows up on as many phones, tablets, and computers as possible. Everyone has a different preference of where they like to look for information or what they scroll through while they are eating breakfast. By repurposing content, you are saving yourself time and resources, while enhancing your reach.

Social media is a big part of a company’s online presence and at Digital to Dealer Direct, we have the skills to build a strategy into your current automotive dealership marketing plan. We ensure that all messaging and voice is cohesive across all your brand assets including your social media, website, emails, print ads, and any other advertising. We understand what it takes to build a strong brand that is recognized by your customers. To learn more about building your social strategy, contact us today!

If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I would say NADA 2023 was like a virtual reality trip into the future. Most sessions and discussions focused on things that were once only a thought that are now in play or in the very near future! If you missed the show or never made it out of your hotel room after the Gilly’s party, read on for a few of our key takeaways.

All Things Robotic

Virtual & Augmented Reality as well as Artificial Intelligence and robotics are changing automotive as we know it. AI was a huge component of all the newest and greatest companies and technology. Whether it’s for advertising, website interaction or predictive shopping behavior and customization, AI is becoming crucial for dealerships in a variety of segments.

Robotics are making a big impact at the manufacturer level and soon, the fixed-ops world. Robotics will potentially help with a quicker and more efficient production line possibly lowering costs for rooftops and customers. In service drives, robotic arms could be changing tires saving time for technicians to focus on other work. The question for robotics is “With a large investment necessary to get there. When will the efficiency pay off?”

Electric Avenue

While this might strike the tune of the 80s song in your head like it did in mine, this is what the NADA themed the area where dealers talked all things EV. From preparing your dealership for EV sales, service and customers to marketing for more EV sales, dealers had quite a lot of information coming the electric zone. Here are a few snippets:

• • Do you have enough charging stations at your dealership?
  • Do you have the right safety tools in place? Electric vehicles run differently with different troubleshooting points and different possible danger zones in fixed-ops.
  • Did you know that currently, only 1% of vehicles on the road are electric?
  • EV sales more than doubled in 4 years between 2017 and 2021 and continue to rise.
  • Customers are financing EVs – which makes sense given the investment of charging. EVs account for more than 5% of all new vehicle financing.

Digital Retailing

Online car sales was more dominant than ever at this expo with a variety of companies talking about end-end retailing capabilities on dealership’s sites as well as personalized online retailing and marketing to your consumers. Now this one isn’t all that new, but it’s becoming more and more vital to a dealership’s success and future. According to a study conducted by Cox Automotive, 44% of consumers only plan to look on websites that allow them to complete the desired steps entirely online.

If you have a digital retailing tool on your website, you’re one step ahead. However, ask yourself the following questions:

• • Does my tool have end to end technology?
  • Does my sales team know how to handle follow-up and showroom ups from someone who stopped the online process?
  • What am I doing to attract more buyers to my online retailing tool? For tips on marketing to these buyers and driving more traffic to your tool, download our white paper on digital retailing marketing for a step-by-step guide.

Beware of the “Know-it-all”

While the auto conferences are typically a great place to learn new things and connect with knowledgeable companies and industry experts, occasionally there are one or two out there giving out misinformation.

As an automotive digital marketing agency, we have been diving ahead and into the changes coming around the corner for quite some time. With that has come a lot of in depth knowledge on things like AI, Google Analytics and other big marketing changes. So, we know false information when we see it! If you are confused by anything you might have heard or read and you’re looking for some clarification, better understanding or help navigating through his ever-changing field, our team is here to answer your questions.

Contact us today to speak to a digital expert at no obligation to you! D2D is here to bring you success in 2023!

Everyone knows how vital customers are to your dealership, where would your dealership by without them? Fun fact: every third Thursday of January, April, July, and October is Get to Know Your Customers Day! This national day is annually and is a great reminder to get out of the same old routine and do something a little fun or different in your dealership to surprise everyone who walks through your doors! A great part of this day is the story, what stands behind it and what you can do within your dealership to take part of this fun time.

The Story

Get to Know Your Customers Day gives you an opportunity to reach out to your customers, get to know them and their needs more personally rather than just business. Every customer has a reason they do business or choose not to buy from your dealership – learn why. Learning about the good and the bad reviews is a key indicator about your general customer base. You can learn what makes them happy and disappointed about how your dealership runs, your employee’s interactions and your overall sales. This is key. Use both the good and the bad for your dealership’s advantage to see where you can improve on to build customer’s trust. If a customer is that unhappy, chances are, they will not be a repeat customer.

What Can You Do?

Making a customer happy all stems from your employees ranging from answering phones, financial and the process through landing the sale. They are the face of your dealership, the people who greet the customers and the people who make the customers feel secure about their decision. Having employees that are thoughtfully trained on customer engagement will only benefit you! The more your employees feel confident in their abilities, the easier sales will be with your customers. For those employees that were notable by the customer should get some recognition!

The next thing you always do is learn who your customers actually are! Learning about your current customers’ needs and spending habits will help you organize how to gain them as repeat customers. When customers become repeat customers, they are often more prone to recommend you to others because they are so happy with their experience and never had any problems.

As a business you can do a couple things to help learn about your customers that are fairly simple! Show off great testimonials through social media, your website and in advertising. Everyone reads reviews and will make their decisions based off reviews. Respond to your customers reviews. This shows there’s a person behind the computer actually reading what you say and what you say is important. Another great idea to do is surveys. Such a simple thing but it can really let customers open up. It can be things about what they like about your dealership, what they don’t like, and what they are looking for in a vehicle buying process.

Have Some Fun

Customers are the lifeline of your dealership and should often be evaluated on how you can make this the best buying experience for them. Happy customers mean more business, more business means more profit. That sounds like a win-win to me! Take some time out of your typical day to day to ensure your employees are ready to go and recognized with their hard work. Reaching out to your customers to see what they REALLY think about your dealership and how you can improve will only make them feel more comfortable. And when in doubt… there’s always buying some donuts for your customers and employees on “Get to Know Your Customers Day.” Who doesn’t love donuts?! D2D has managed everything from websites, reputation revival, Facebook lead ads and so much more. If you need help making sure your dealership stands out against your competition, contact us today

After more than a year away, NADA Show was once again live and back in action in the city that never sleeps, Las Vegas! From Thursday, March 10^th to Saturday, March 12^th professionals from every aspect of the automotive world gathered at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This year, there were over 600 exhibitors, 100+ workshops and an “A” list of keynote speakers. Didn’t get to make the trip? Continue reading to see some highlights you may have missed (and we found interesting)!

Technology in Auto Retailing

I’m sure it’s no surprise here, but technology was a HOT topic this NADA, especially electric vehicles (EVs) technology. The auto industry is going to see more change in the next 10 years that it has in the past 100. The biggest question, what are the next steps when it comes to EVs? During the convention, NADA announced a partnership with the Center for Sustainable Energy and Plug In America to ensure dealerships nationwide are prepared and educated at all levels for what’s to come. At this point, it seems as if every OEM has some sort of plan in place when they’re releasing their first EV model or additional EVs models. There’s excitement for Ram’s 1500 pickup due in 2024 while Nissan is planning 15 battery-electric models by 2023 and expects EVs to account for 40% of it’s US sales by then. Dealerships can take advantage of these new and exciting vehicles by hyping them up for potential customers, especially the younger generations, who will become the long-term customers.

Preparing for Electrification

So, OEMs are planning for the EV launches, whether it’s one at time or several, but how do dealerships sell these vehicles if surrounding businesses and properties are not prepared for them? According to Sean Gouda, Executive Vice President of Future Energy, dealers should start the conversation now with utility companies. “It’s really important to get out ahead of this,” Gouda expresses. “Dealers need to coordinate with the utility to ensure the supply is there for your business.” He cautioned that the line is already very long, and this is a long-term capital project that could take several years to complete. He also urged that dealers that plan to invest in these changes look at a long-term plan and build the foundation to set themselves up for the EV world of the future.

Google Vehicle Ads Search

Google will be launching a platform that enables auto dealerships to place inventory ads within search results. Displaying at the top of the search results page in a carousel-style display, the ad will show consumers searching for a particular model the price, milage and location along with photos of the vehicle. Google said, when paired with paid search, vehicle ads experienced a more than 25% increase in conversions.

Gen Z Marketing

As Gen Z starts approaching their middle 20’s, they’re getting that better paying job, moving into their own homes, starting their lives, they are now the largest population purchasing new vehicles. Unlike previous generations, Gen Z has lived their entire lives with a phone in their hand and a laptop at their fingertips. So, when marketing to this generation, the old tactics will no longer work. Dealers need to start finding new approaches to attract a generation that treats buying a car like it’s an appliance. They want frictionless and EASY!

Fixing Your Website

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but your website is your digital storefront, and the best asset after your own sales team. In a world that has seen a huge increase in online sales, you want your website to be the BEST that it can be. As an automotive digital marketing agency, we work on our fair share of websites, but a refresher is always a plus! Some quick tips that we picked up at the conference:

• • Paid and organic work together. Paid advertising supplements for the traffic that you’re organic does not get enough of
  • Find a way to make your website unique from others, even if you’re selling the same things.
  • Ensure your pages have enough content – approximately 500 words or so.
  • Manage your dealerships information on Apple Maps, Google Business and Bing!
  • Google knows where you’re located, so don’t try tricking search engines by including a bunch of zip codes in your SEO
  • Make sure everything has tracking
  • Give your CTAs time to measure. They don’t typically convert the first 4, 8 or 12 times – give it 45-60 days and measure from there.

Looking Ahead

According to the 2022 Dealer Outlook Survey by Automotive News, Dealers are cautiously optimistic for 2022. Despite the War in Urkraine adding concerns to the supply chain, NADA Chief Economist Patrick Manzi said “Despite some larger macro-economic concerns, auto dealers are set for another great year of solid growth, solid employment gains and ‘really good auto sales.’” Manzi also stated that “real GDP growth will still be high compared to the long-term average. I’m forecasting 3.5%-4%. In 2023, we’ll return to long-term trend growth rate of 2%-2.5%.”

For more information on anything you might have missed at NADA 2022, or for a little help tackling some newly addressed marketing challenges above, contact us today!