If you’re looking for ways to maximize your presence on Google when users are searching for vehicles or your dealership itself, you’re in the right place! Below are some great ways that you can get your dealership ready to use all the features that Google has to offer for a business.

Google Banners

There are about 34 billion searches done every month in the U.S. on Google. That’s a lot of people to influence. You will want to have your best shot in front those looking for your business. One way to do that is by using Google Banners. The Google Banner post allows you to feature a small incentive such as a monthly payment, 0% down, or a financing special. When users in your area search for a certain vehicle or a dealership near them, your Google My Business account can appear not only with your website, phone number, and hours and directions, but also with a visual incentive to attract users to click your dealership’s listing rather than the other five or 20 in the listing!

Google Message Extension

The Message Extension feature is a relatively new one, and one that is not used by many dealerships yet. Here is your chance to stand out! This feature allows you to interact directly and instantly with users who are searching for your make, a used car you might have in stock, or just a dealership close to them to come browse or get service.

Once you’ve set this up in your Google user account, users will now have an option on your listing to text the business. You can connect this function to a cell phone in the BDC or a sales manager’s cell phone. Whatever phone you use, it’s important to make sure the employee has the phone on them at all times and can answer quickly. 18.7 billion searches on Google per month are from a mobile device. That means these potential customers aren’t going to stay on for long. It’s a quick swipe of the screen and they’re out. So, you’ll want to get back to them as soon as you can.

Need Help?

These features can be a great tool for you to capture the relevant searches in your market. However, if you’re not sure your dealership is set up properly on Google, that could be a problem. Maybe you’re not sure who set it up or what the password is. Has someone claimed the dealership listing? If you need a little more help getting started, you can use our blog on Getting your Dealership Ready for the Next Level of Google. This will help you get through those beginning stages and then you can set up your features as outlined in this blog!

Of course, there is still the task of making sure your sales staff, management and BDC department are prepared and equipped to handle incoming messages and potentially an influx of calls and website visits from setting up your Google My Business listing.

If you have an automotive digital marketing partner, they might be able to help you get this process started. At Digital to Dealer, we help set up our client’s pages all the time and keep them up to date which is very important as well! You would be surprised how quickly service hours can change or tracking phone numbers get switched and your Google listing is left in the dust with outdated info. We also upload different Google Banners every month so that our clients are serving the most relevant and attractive banner for potential customers.

You’re on a Roll!

There are so many ways to leverage the power of Google for automotive digital advertising and reputation management. Don’t forget to check back for part three of this blog series to learn more about Google and your dealership!

If you need more help with Google, you can come watch my session at the Digital Dealer Conference in August in Las Vegas. We will be speaking on all the ways Google can help you! You can also email me at csmith@digital2dealer.com.