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  1. Ryan Everson

    Bulk email blasts don't work!

    Dealers: It's 2024, bulk email blast campaigns are long dead. For the last decade as marketers, we've all been familiar with this recurring request: "We need to drum up some extra business and get the word out to the masses, let's send an email blast!" While this tactic may still work (for...
  2. Ryan Everson

    How much is a slow website costing me? $$$

    New year, new website? Website speed is critically important, but how can you quantify the impact? Here's how: First, calculate how much ad spend you're flushing down the toilet: 1) Gather the click data from your Facebook and Google Ads. 2) Compare this to the session data from GA4 for the...
  3. Ryan Everson

    "Why are third parties running Google VLA ads on MY vehicles? Shut it down!"

    "Why are third-party platforms like Autotrader or CarGurus running Google VLA ads on MY vehicles? Shut it down!" Sound familiar, car dealers? Let's dissect this common concern with a sharper lens: What if allowing third-party marketplaces to run VLA ads on your inventory isn't a curse, but a...
  4. Ryan Everson

    GA4 ASC Wishlist

    Am I getting ahead of myself dreaming up a GA4 Automotive Standards Council 2.0 wishlist? In my deep dive into GA4 over the past couple of months, I've identified 7 event parameters that could add significant reporting value: 1️⃣ item_location = A must-have parameter for group sites, rollup...
  5. Ryan Everson

    Another digital marketing attribution metric bites the dust

    Farewell email click reporting. Another digital marketing attribution metric bites the dust. Apple has released a new feature in iOS17 (turned on by default) that removes the ability for marketers to track which users clicked on a link in your email campaigns. Email open stats had already...
  6. Ryan Everson

    ☠ RIP to the Carvana of Canada

    ☠ RIP to the Carvana of Canada - Canada Drives "Canada Drives says its business model, based on a fully online purchasing and trade-in experience, has proved popular among car buyers, but is no longer viable in the long-term" Instead, they will be reverting back to a marketplace-like model and...
  7. Ryan Everson

    Artificially inflating your internet lead closing percentage?

    Dealers: You may be artificially inflating your internet lead closing percentage and not even know it... All too often BDCs and salespeople direct customers to the dealership website to fill out a credit application. Those credit app "leads" then import into the CRM, and depending on your CRM...
  8. Ryan Everson

    Have a High School Student? Send them to Northwood's Automotive Summer Camp!

    Hey DealerRefresh Members - Are you a parent of a high schooler who's into cars? If so, you won't want to miss out on the opportunity to send them to Northwood University's Automotive Summer Camp from June 11-16, 2023! This isn't just any old summer camp - your student will get to stay on...
  9. Ryan Everson

    CDP - Customer Data Platforms?

    It seems like everyone in automotive is talking about CDPs (customer data platforms), the latest buzzword in the industry. But with so many vendors claiming to have one, how do you know which CDP can truly deliver on its promises and help you power better customer experiences? The truth is...
  10. Ryan Everson

    Car Dealer SEO x Robots?

    Exposé: Automotive SEO vendors aren't using human writers. Yes, you heard that right; many of the top SEO vendors in the automotive space use Jasper.ai, an artificial intelligence content writing software, to quickly crank out blog articles for their clients. So, should car dealers care if...
  11. Ryan Everson

    Facebook Settles w/ DOJ - Special (Lookalike) Ad Audiences for Car Dealers Are Going Away

    Goodbye special (lookalike) ad audiences; it was nice knowing you. This week, Facebook announced that they are eliminating special ad audiences for housing, employment, and credit ad categories after settling with the US DOJ. (All car dealers fall under the credit special ad category) For...
  12. Ryan Everson

    CarBravo - GM Missed a Massive Opportunity

    GM missed a massive opportunity with CarBravo - they should have gone all-in with CarBravo and created their version of Sonic's EchoPark used car chain. Imagine thousands of CarBravo branded used car buildings across the country. Suddenly they are competing against both Carvana AND CarMax...
  13. Ryan Everson

    22 Retail Automotive Predictions for 2022

    Happy New Year everyone! I threw together this quick list of some 2022 predictions for retail automotive dealers. What are your thoughts and what else did I miss? 1) More Lenders Will Enter the Digital Retailing Space Expect other lenders to jump on the bandwagon after Capital One managed to...
  14. Ryan Everson

    Avalanche of Lender-Specific "Digital Retailing" Website Buttons Coming in 2022?

    Dealers - what are we going to do when every other lender sees Capital One's "success" of getting their lead navigator "digital retailing" button installed on thousands of dealer websites? Are dealers going to end up having 5 different website buttons for each lender? Now not only do we have...
  15. Ryan Everson

    Boycott the Third Party Sites like it's 2010!

    Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of dealers speak out against third-party classified websites like AutoTrader, Cars.com, CarGurus, etc by stating that dealers hold all of the power with their inventory. Is it 2010 still? Let’s be real, that ship has long since sailed. The third-party sites now...
  16. Ryan Everson

    Third-Party Marketplace Battle Unfolding? Legacy vs Startups

    For the last decade-plus, dealers (and consumers) really only had 3 major third-party marketplace sites - Autotrader, Cars.com, and Cargurus. However, the third-party landscape appears to be on the verge of changing, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. What's causing this...
  17. Ryan Everson

    Lifelike Humanoid Robots That Walk Around and Greet Customers 24/7 on Your Dealership Lot!

    BREAKING NEWS - Has anyone seen this on the news? Our dealer group recently partnered with an innovative company that offers lifelike humanoid robots that walk around and greet customers on our dealership lot 24/7 for only $500 /mo! They sure try their best to help answer customers' questions...
  18. Ryan Everson

    PR & News And Another One....PureCars Acquires Tru Shop By Payment

    ATLANTA, July 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PureCars®, a leading martech and advertising intelligence provider for automotive retailers and marketers, today announced its acquisition of shopping personalization (DXP) and fintech platform, truPayments®, further solidifying its commitment to helping...
  19. Ryan Everson

    PR & News Another One! J.D. Power Acquires Darwin

    TROY, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--J.D. Power, a global leader in data analytics and consumer intelligence, today announced it has acquired Superior Integrated Solutions, Inc./Darwin Automotive, a leading provider of automotive finance & insurance (F&I) software used by automotive dealerships. The...
  20. Ryan Everson

    PR & News Reynolds & Reynolds Acquires Gubagoo

    Last week CDK acquired Roadster. Today, Reynolds & Reynolds announced that they have acquired Gubagoo. Who's next? Here's the press release I just received from them: It’s an exciting day here at Gubagoo! Today, we announced that Gubagoo has been acquired by our friends at Reynolds &...