Ever see the magic word “SALE” come across your email from your favorite clothing or sporting goods store? As an experienced shopper, I will never buy anything full price. I will usually always wait until I receive that email or see on their website a sale is going on. You could even define me as a “low funnel” shopper almost 100% of the time.

That being said, that word entices me to shop (even though I know I don’t need any more clothes!). So, why can’t car dealerships use the same marketing tactic? A new influx of people who are shopping for a car filter in every 60 days or so. In order to entice those higher funnel shoppers, (or even the lower funnel people who are just waiting for the right deal like myself), your dealership should be advertising a sales event.

Over more recent years, manufacturers have begun to instill Sales Events in their advertising efforts. These campaigns are usually seasonal – like Happy Honda Days, the Subaru True Love Event or the Jeep Celebration Event. While not all manufacturers require dealerships to advertise these campaigns, it is still beneficial for your dealership to follow suite. During the months where you aren’t advertising say Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, or any other holiday, your dealership should still be advertising its own event to help increase website and foot traffic for those slower months. We compiled the top benefits and reasons of why your dealership should take advantage of advertising with headlines/and or campaigns.

1. Consistency with Tier 1/Tier 2 Ads

In the case where the manufacturer has a sales event: manufacturers want your dealership to maintain consistent with their brand. This also ensures you aren’t straying from what they want their brand to be represented as. From a consumer’s opinion, if they saw a local dealership advertising the same sales campaign that they already saw in a Tier 1 commercial, they would be more inclined to shop at that dealership. That Tier 1 commercial would act as a free advertisement for you since the customer will make that connection once they see your ad. Cohesiveness between Tier 1 and 3 ads enhances the influence to make consumers shop at your dealership.

2. Consistency Across the Board on Your Campaigns

If you advertise a specific headline, it makes it even easier for your campaigns to be consistent and gives a face to your creative as well as differentiates you from your competitors. Hypothetically speaking, if a consumer visits your website, they will see your homepage banners with your sales event/headline. Then, they leave your site, get retargeted by an ad – again, with the same creative and offer. Next, they receive an email blast. They see that headline again and instantly make that connection. And so on. Even if they are a high funnel shopper and won’t come in right away, the consumer still knows maybe you’ll be running a different or similar sale when they are ready to buy. After all, it usually takes about 5-7 touch points to close a sale. Consistent headlines can help guide that. Consistency is our #1 rule in automotive digital marketing.

3. Creates a Sense of Urgency

Like I mentioned before, I usually won’t buy anything full price. So, when I see a sales event going on, I know it isn’t going to last forever and I better get on it. This is where your sales event becomes particularly important for the low funnel shoppers. Luckily, sales events usually last the entire month. You are giving the consumer time to complete their research and ask questions. Then they’re not rushed into making a decision. But at the same token, they still only have a few weekends to take advantage of the savings you’re offering for that month which will light a fire under some people.

4. Customers Ultimately Want to Save Money

Aside from your dealership’s reputation, one of the most important things to a car buyer is price. Once a consumer sees the words “Sales Event”, “Savings Event”, or something similar, they will automatically think they are going to get a great deal or a discount on their purchase (which maybe they will). The headline itself is meant to get the customer into your dealership, or to call for more information. But at the end of the day, it is still up to your sales team to offer the customer the price they will accept and close the sale.

All these points have a common end goal: that sales events entice shoppers to come into your store because who doesn’t want to save money? We always recommend advertising a sales event to make your pricing a little more attractive and urgent to help draw customers into your dealership. During the months the manufacturer doesn’t have any required campaigns, your advertising agency should have headlines already pre-selected for you. No holidays going on that month? You could go the route of a seasonal headline such as Summer Sales Event, Fall Savings Event and so on. Go the extra mile and promote all assets of your dealership: new car sales, used car sales and service. Use a sales event to your advantage as a tactic to get people into your dealership and use this across the board in all your campaigns. If you have an automotive advertising agency, they should be strategizing these sales and campaigns with you every month.

For more information or help on how to effectively advertise and execute a full campaign each month for all your departments, give us a call today at 877-958-4524 or contact us today!

The automotive business is no stranger to lead providers. At any given time, you can probably sign up for about a dozen different providers depending on what you’re looking for. From used cars and new cars, to trade-ins and service, there is certainly no shortage. However, there comes a point when you can’t have them all. Due to budgeting reasons or organizational purposes, most dealerships want to trim down the amount of these lead providers. Here are some ways you can evaluate third-party lead providers.

Take the Time

Too often, dealerships sign up for tools and products and then don’t meet with the rep. Guess what? It’s their job to meet with you, and you have every right to do so. Set up monthly meetings with all of your lead providers to review your account and results. Going over it in person is a great way to make sure you’re digesting the information. Everyone at the dealership is busy, and I know this first-hand, but it will be worth the time, and once you get into a rhythm, it might not take more than 15 minutes per month.

Connect the Dots

I don’t think there is a single third-party lead provider that doesn’t have their own dashboard to show all of the data from your campaign. However, that often doesn’t tell the whole story. In order to connect the dots, make sure your traffic from these sources is being filtered into both your Google Analytics (GA) and your CRM. To filter them into GA, you’ll want the provider to add a UTM code to any traffic they send your way. They will also have to code the leads in order to pipe them through the CRM. You’ll then want to make sure you set up a source code in your CRM for this lead type. Depending on your system, it might happen automatically. This is vital so that you can measure beyond what the dashboard tells you including website conversions and sales. This might be information that is missing in their dashboard, or it might be supplemental. Either way, it will help you determine a more accurate ROI.

Ask for the Data

If you’re unsure of how to navigate GA and look at the data, don’t be afraid to ask! Either the lead provider can show it to you, or your automotive digital marketing agency can help you with this. We regularly pull reports and show analytics to our clients of campaigns for their other providers. We want to make sure the overall picture is healthy, and we love discovering great providers who can help our dealerships. Either way, don’t be afraid to ask to see the data. It’s yours after all!

Do the Math

Don’t worry this math isn’t any that you aren’t used to doing especially is you’re a GSM or GM. It’s time to calculate your ROI. Once you have all of the above set up for about 3 months, you can begin to analyze your sources for a true ROI. You’ll want to take all the leads from their dashboards, your GA, and your CRM and eliminate any duplicates. Next, you’ll want to do the same for sales. Once you know how many sales each brought you, you can generate a standard ROI. Some things to consider when looking at your ROI include the fact used cars will likely bring you more revenue even at a lower volume and selling a car and getting a good trade could be the most valuable. Another thing to consider is if your sold ratio is very low for the amount of leads a provider brought you, you might want to examine how those leads were addressed before dismissing that provider. Sometimes, BDC members might be unsure of how to handle a certain lead or might just need a little guidance. This is an important thing to look at before cancelling any campaigns.

If you’d like some additional help in determining which third-party lead providers are right for you, we can do that. Our digital audit will take a look at everything you’re currently doing and provide valuable insights for your dealership. To set one up, simply contact us here or call 877-958-4524.

Each year, we plan New Year resolutions or prepare for a fresh start in some aspect. 2020 is just around the corner so it’s time to start thinking about your new sales and marketing goals for the New Year. If you start your planning now, you’ll have a better chance of creating successful strategies for the upcoming year. You may have had a strong 2019 – keep that train going! Don’t fix what’s not broken – although, you should still have goals regardless. Did your sales and ROI meet your expectations overall in 2019? What did you spend in advertising this past year and did it pay off? If you didn’t have the strongest year, there are a few things to consider before diving into a (possible) new marketing strategy.

1. What worked for you in 2019?

Find out what worked best for your dealership overall, throughout the entire year (or even what didn’t work). Or, if you had one particularly strong month – what did you do differently that month? Did you achieve your desired results from the campaigns you ran? Do an overview of all the campaigns you ran, compare the results and see if it met your expectations and go from there. If a campaign didn’t meet your expectations, it doesn’t necessarily mean to kick it to the curb. One of the best parts of digital advertising is that you can always analyze and adjust as needed. It is possible you didn’t have a big enough budget, you weren’t hitting the right areas, or may even be as simple as your creative lacked luster or quality calls to action. If you already went through this process, then we would suggest it might be time to try other avenues and start fresh this New Year with new campaigns and new marketing ideas.

2. Analyze what your competitors are doing vs. what you’re doing

Each month, manufacturers will send out reports of how all the dealerships in the region and state rank against each other in overall sales, sales by model, etc. If your competitor is always ranking above you, take a peek into what they’re doing. Of course, some things like your competitor having a much larger inventory than you or if they have a better location are out of your control – which could have something to do with why they are always ranked so high in those sales reports. There are strategies that are in your control, though. Are you advertising competitive numbers? Are your SEM ads showing lease offers and other incentives? While things like geography, keywords or targeting can be important to get right for your digital advertising, check to see what content your competitors are advertising and see if there is anything you can replicate or do to “one up” them. Focus on what sets your dealership apart from others and use that to your advantage.

3. Set your goals for 2020

There should always be a clear and attainable goal with every advertising investment you make. Of course, every dealership’s goal may be simply to sell more cars. However, your goals should be more specific – how many cars, which models do you want to push, etc. It doesn’t have to stop at sales – perhaps you want to also exceed in your service department. How will your dealership reach these goals? We are big believers in various digital marketing solutions such as, Search Engine Marketing, Advanced Retargeting, Facebook Ads (just to name a few). However, your content is also one of the most important parts of your marketing and goes hand-in-hand with many of the marketing strategies we offer. After all, it is what your potential customer will be viewing before they come into their dealership. It is also what gets their attention and hooks them.

4. Finally, make your budget for January 2020

Now that you mastered the “big picture” of 2020 and set your goals, it is finally time to dive into the detail-oriented part of budget planning. What are you comfortable spending on a monthly basis? Factor in how much you will be reimbursed by co-op each month. Normally, as an agency, we plan out our client’s budgets on a month-to-month basis. Your automotive advertising agency should be able to give you recommendations on which strategies will work best for your dealership and budget recommendations on each marketing solution you decide to use. For example, SEM budgets are based on your location, your competitors and even the size of your inventory. After the first month of 2020, you can analyze again and adjust as needed for the next month and so on.

Remember the key steps to a successful New Year are to analyze your past marketing strategies, what your competitors are doing and of course what your goals for 2020 are. Automotive advertising is not a “one size fits all” approach. Different campaigns and tactics may work for one dealership, and not the best for others. Your budget, location, brand, creative, etc. all play a part in whether or not a particular campaign will be successful. Each year, new developments are made in the marketing world to help further advance your dealership’s success – so if a current digital tactic didn’t work the best for you, keep your eyes out for a new one!

If you’re interested in revamping your current marketing strategies and budget recommendations based on your 2020 goals, please give us a call at 877-958-4524 or email us at info@digital2dealer.com.​

The term “CTA” is nothing new to the marketing world. In fact, it’s probably one of the oldest marketing terms out there. The whole point of marketing is to get consumers to purchase your product or use your service — a strong call to action (CTA) will help do just that. According to ConstantContent.com, more than 90% of visitors who read your headline will also read your CTA, so you better make it a good one.

What exactly is a call to action?

So, there’s no point of automotive digital marketing if you aren’t going to make any sales, right? Your advertising – whether it’s an ad in the local paper or a Google display banner — should have a clear and concise direction for your viewer to take now that they’ve laid eyes on your ad. The rise of digital media has made it so simple for the consumer to take an action just with the click of a button. So, you want that button to be seen!

Let’s dive right in and take a look at four tips to perfect your Call To Action:

1. Establish your End Game

The #1 pain point we hear when entering a new dealership is “we’re not getting enough leads.” The dealer’s answer to this usually is to sign on with as many third-party lead generators that walk through their dealership door. While this can certainly help generate leads, it’s going to cost you. As a true Automotive Digital Advertising partner, we like to have you take a step back, evaluate what you currently have in place, and make recommendations based on your current efforts. Most of the time, small tweaks can be made to help generate leads, which in-turn, will help generate sales. Take a peak at your website to start, do your SRPs (Search Results Page) and VDPs (Vehicle Description Page) have clear CTAs for the customer to learn more about a specific vehicle? Do they have the option right on those pages to calculate a payment? As important a CTA is in an ad or an email, your website is your biggest advertisement. Customers came there for a reason, so it’s your job to give them what they came for.

Once you have your end game goal set, put yourself in your customer’s shoes and go through each ad as if you were in search of a new vehicle or service shop. The easier you make it for the customer to reach their goal, the easier it will be for you.

2. Keep it short

It’s not groundbreaking news that people don’t want to read through a paragraph of text to find what they’re looking for, and the same thing goes for your CTA. You want to make it as simple as possible for your customer to convert so you want your CTA to be short and sweet. “View Inventory, Learn More, Shop Now, Get Quote, Join Us” are all great examples of CTAs that say exactly what you want your customers to know in just seconds. You’ve already spent the time and money getting your ad in front of them, so let’s be sure they have no reason to leave without taking a deeper dive into what you have to offer.

3. Catch your customer’s eye

There’s no point of a CTA unless your customer can see it, right? Your ad might have the catchiest headline and most beautiful creative, but if your CTA is isn’t in the forefront your customer might not even know it exists. That means no conversion, and, in turn, no lead.

As digital marketers, it’s our job to take the consumer’s eye throughout the ad, bringing them to that CTA. You want it to be bright, and eye-catching, without being offensive. Moving from traditional to (mostly) digital advertising has been great for the CTA. We now have the ability to make the CTA an actual button. Not only can we make it look like a button (which we used to do a lot anyways) but now you can actually click on that button. If a customer sees something they like, they no longer need to rustle through the ad looking for your contact info, all they’re looking for can be found right at their fingertips – literally!

4. Create urgency

FOMO – we all know it, we all experience it: the “Fear of Missing Out.” We use this A TON in marketing. Thinking about those emails you get that lead with subject lines like “HURRY IN” or “LAST CHANCE TO SAVE.” Phrases that create urgency can tip someone over the purchasing edge. Automotive marketing isn’t any different, and in many cases, a dealership actually means it when they say it. As an owner or manager, you’re challenged with hitting (usually sky high) sales goals and will do what needs to be done to hit those numbers. You might as well make it known to the public. All advertising should relay the same urgent message to try and strike a cord with that customer who’s still up in the air.

Strong CTAs should be a part of your overall automotive marketing strategy. Keeping these four tips in mind when building your marketing campaigns will make your end goal a bit more attainable and a little less daunting. CTAs aren’t earth-shattering news to the marketing world but they’re one of the core fundamentals that will be the difference between you and your competition. For tips on incorporating CTAs into traditional marketing, download our guide on Bridging the Gap Between Traditional and Digital Advertising.