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jscole86 · 2025-03-06T13:38:20-0500

bironwarner said:
Increasing blog traffic is essential for growing your online presence and building a successful blog. Here are some of the most effective strategies to boost traffic:

Focus on Quality Content: Content is king. Make sure your blog posts are valuable, well-researched, and offer solutions to your audience's problems. High-quality content naturally attracts readers and encourages them to share it.

SEO Optimization: Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for ranking high in search engines like Google. Use keyword research tools to target relevant keywords, optimize your content, and ensure proper on-page SEO (meta tags, header tags, internal links).

Promote on Social Media: Share your blog posts on all relevant social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.). Engage with your audience and encourage them to share your posts, which will expand your reach.

Guest Blogging: Writing guest posts for popular blogs in your niche helps you reach new audiences, build authority, and drive traffic to your site.

Use Email Marketing: Build an email list and send out newsletters with updates, blog posts, or exclusive content. Email subscribers are more likely to return to your blog, increasing traffic over time.

Leverage Pinterest: Pinterest is a powerful visual search engine, especially for blogs in lifestyle, fashion, food, and home improvement niches. Share eye-catching images linked to your blog posts to drive targeted traffic.

Participate in Online Communities: Engage in communities related to your blog's niche (like Reddit, Quora, and niche forums). Provide valuable answers and subtly link back to relevant blog posts without spamming.

Use Long-Tail Keywords: Long-tail keywords are less competitive but highly specific. Target these to capture niche traffic and increase your chances of ranking for those terms.

Create Evergreen Content: Evergreen content stays relevant over time. Create how-to guides, tutorials, and resource lists that continue to provide value long after they are published.

Analyze and Improve: Regularly monitor your blog’s analytics (Google Analytics, etc.) to understand which traffic sources work best. Use this data to refine your strategies and improve your content.

Remember, growing blog traffic takes time, but consistency and dedication will pay off. By implementing these strategies, you’ll build a steady stream of traffic to your blog.

Should we use AI for this like you did?

CarlAutofusion · 2025-03-05T16:51:17-0500

We've had a few clients go through the exact same situation. I would suggest video verification but like you said, you have to hustle to get everything done in the time frame they provided and it could still be rejected. A few pointers....

I would do this early in the morning because we found out you can't put people's faces in the video.
Don't swivel around or pan the camera too fast.
Plan your route to keep the recording as short as possible.

Good luck!

jscole86 · Tuesday at 9:40 PM

BillVaughnAlWestNissan said:
Daily? WOW.

definitely not every car, I guess for us it's just dependent on the market changes for that car.

jscole86 · Tuesday at 8:59 PM

BillVaughnAlWestNissan said:
Used tags will also have a brief list of hot button items.

Man, that would be a full time job replacing those pricing sheets on used. Prices get changed daily sometimes.

Alex Snyder · Tuesday at 6:30 PM

ing and clapping for prices on your products!

joe.pistell · Monday at 10:23 AM

1 Agreed.
2. Not agreed with sharing hire/fire decision making. You have a small team, they are looking to you to make them successful. If your payplan is team oriented, then this happens organically: "we ARE, in fact, a team fighting in the trenches together"
3. Solid leadership to me.

Recapping your talking points:
1. I decided not to allow a salesperson that put in their notice to stay.
2. We sat down as a team and made the decision whether or not to replace this person together
3. I also promised that anyone providing notice would not be let go immediately and that they would be able to see through their notice.

Tallcool1 · Monday at 9:53 AM

The decision to have the outgoing Sales Person leave immediately was a good one. It isn't a reflection of who you are but more so a reflection of WHERE you are. If it were 6 months from now your decision would be different and I am certain you made that clear to the remaining staff members.

Including the staff in the decision to replace or not is likely a good "culture" decision as long as the three remaining are actually trying to embrace the direction you are trying to take the business. I am guessing that they are and that is the reason you elected to ask their opinion. If you have three sales people that understand and can execute the processes then training a new hire down the road will be much easier.

I am neutral on the third one. I really don't know if someone is more or less likely to give notice. I think it was a good idea to have that talk. I just don't know the answer to your question Bill.

Tallcool1 · Monday at 9:42 AM

Jim touched so many lives in the Retail Automotive Industry.

The first time I met Jim was at an NADA Convention. I was a young CFO for a dealer group but had come up through the Sales Side of the business. I would always try to sneak into a couple of Sales related Education Sessions because the ones geared toward me were usually so damn boring that it could be hard to stay awake. I got into the room early and sat toward the front of the room. Jim approached me, introduced himself, and asked what I was expecting from the upcoming session. I explained my situation and he laughed his ass off that I had snuck into his session to escape the boredom for an hour! Anyway, he sat with me and visited for nearly an hour.

Jim was legendary in the Industry, but he was also a really good guy.

He is going to be missed by many.

Alex Snyder · Monday at 8:15 AM

Jim Ziegler's Family said:
With profound sadness, we share the passing of James A. Ziegler—Jim, the Alpha Dawg, a pioneer, mentor, and leader in the automotive industry. Jim passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his beloved Debbie and family.
For decades, Jim’s voice shaped the way dealerships operated, how sales teams performed, and how professionals across the industry approached success. He didn’t just teach—he transformed. He didn’t just speak—he inspired. His passion, his fire, and his unwavering belief in people set him apart as one of the most influential figures in automotive.
Jim built a legacy that will never fade. His presence, his knowledge, and his impact stretched across generations. If you ever had the opportunity to hear him speak, work with him, or learn from him, you knew you were experiencing something rare—something unforgettable.
We invite all who knew and respected Jim to join us in honoring his life and the impact he made:

Visitation: Thursday, March 6, 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Funeral Service: Friday, March 7, 2:00 PM

Location: Memorial Park South Funeral Home, 4121 Falcon Pkwy, Flowery Branch, GA 30542
For those traveling, Hampton Inn Braselton on Golf Club Drive is a good option for accommodations.
Jim always believed in things that endured. In his honor, Ms. Debbie is creating a garden in their backyard to celebrate his life and legacy. Flowers are welcome, but for those who wish to contribute to this lasting tribute, outdoor potted flowering plants are also a meaningful option. A personal favorite florist of the family is Lovin Florist in Braselton, Georgia.
Jim may no longer be with us, but his influence, his lessons, and his impact will never leave us. His voice may be quiet now, but his words will be carried forward by the countless people whose lives he touched.
Please keep Debbie and the Ziegler family in your thoughts. And as we come together to honor Jim, let’s remember—he built something that will last far beyond his time.

Those of us who knew Jim are sad to hear this news. We knew it was coming, but it is still a tough one to hear. RIP Jim - you taught us a ton!

Here is the Facebook Post if you wish to leave a comment for his family: Jim Ziegler- Car Guy

jscole86 · Saturday at 11:01 PM

sukoseo said:
SEO on your VDP is a lost cause and mostly due to them not ranking to begin with, as mentioned here. Just write the descriptions to help the user understand features, etc. etc. Leave SEO to the static pages.

Thank you! I had heard that before, but it was a long time ago. So I figured I'd ask. Thanks for clarifying!

joe.pistell · Feb 27, 2025

Bill, you know that changing operations is easier than changing ppl that hate change.

Nothing makes my blood boil more than 'passive aggressive' stalkers that are waiting for a new leader to make a mistake then use it to 'divide and conquer' the team.

flosho · Feb 27, 2025

BillVaughnAlWestNissan said:
I will have to try to come up with some kind of goal. As crazy as it sounds, I've been more obsessed with the details so far than even selling cars. Just feels like today is already lost and if I keep focusing on the short term we will be chasing it forever. So I've just been buckling down and focused on getting as much done as I can to set us up for success later.

This is of course, your focus and goal, but from the standpoint of how many people work at the dealership that simply show up at work to do their job and at 5pm punch out to go home and don't think about work again until 8am the next morning.

You find motivation in building towards these future successes and the long term stability of the dealership, but not everyone at the dealership has that big picture field of view. Hopefully some of the managers and supervisors have that view.

I don't think the goals need to be simply sales based. They could be customer satisfaction based or simply the fact that they've made it 4 weeks of fixing a row of cars each day.

Something worth celebrating but something achievable with some effort to build on. Then of course some longer term goals. 6 months / 12 months.

flosho · Feb 26, 2025

gemini / chat gpt to the rescue to tidy up those loose ends.

flosho · Feb 26, 2025

What happened here? Video is removed. There's a sus Reddit post with the same gmail that was also removed from reddit.

No website or SM accounts popping up on a quick google search and overlapping NY based dealer with similar name (also marked permanently closed on GBP).

flosho · Feb 26, 2025

BillVaughnAlWestNissan said:
The team is starting to suffer from "change fatigue." Slow down or tear the band-aid off?

Interesting. It's been a whirlwind of change simply reading the thread, let alone living it there at the dealership.

I doubt you are at the point of pushing these folks off the bridge to quiet quitting but no doubt it is stressful for them.

Perhaps beyond the "low morale pizza party fix" which is a meme at this point, set some sort of short term goal to achieve together as store and celebrate as a store.

Take the Dave Ramsey baby steps/snowball approach of building on these consistent little victories into the larger ones.

Alex Snyder · Feb 26, 2025

The biggest factor: ignorance.

SEO companies love ignorant businesses they can sell a monthly subscription to that barely does any work.

joe.pistell · Feb 26, 2025

DrewAment said:
I have offered to put a few vendor reps/support/sales/whoever "in store" for 1-2 weeks, to see what a car dealer is really like. I make this offer at least 1-2 times a month. I have NEVER had a vendor/person take me up on it.

BOOM. Nailed it. If @Carsten took his engineering mind into a store, he'd be shocked at the 'organized mayhem'. The industry is so ripe for knowledge based systems. Look at Tekion burn millions $$ struggling with bringing order to the mayhem.

DrewAment · Feb 25, 2025

^^^^ THIS!!

DrewAment · Feb 25, 2025

BillVaughnAlWestNissan said:
Vendors who have not worked directly in automotive would be stunned to learn all of the moving parts that happen in a dealership just to sell one car.

I have offered to put a few vendor reps/support/sales/whoever "in store" for 1-2 weeks, to see what a car dealer is really like. I make this offer at least 1-2 times a month. I have NEVER had a vendor/person take me up on it.

Alex Snyder · Feb 25, 2025

BillVaughnAlWestNissan said:
The email numbers surprised me. It's higher than I thought.

The opt-in number is lower than I expected, but the click rate was higher than expected.

Interesting how much higher the click rate was on text over email even though the open rate is higher.

The equity amounts surprised me.

Will be using the repair order costs in store. I passed these numbers along to our team.

Email: I think this medium is overlooked and under-appreciated. People who have just done business with you are more likely to engage with your email. Especially true for service customers.

Texting: this medium is being abused. Texting is still the fastest way to get engagement, but the spammers have figured this out too.

Equity: every dealer says this because you're dealing with people who have elected to be in market. We are looking at your entire database. And that's the key - most dealers do not have a good communication process for staying connected to people who have bought cars or done service at their store.

Glad you found a use!

Alex Snyder · Feb 25, 2025

kylewilliam said:
I'm an electric vehicle lover and study Marketing in the UK. I have been paying attention to electric cars for a long time since I first saw a Tesla Model X on the road in China in 2017. It was a really amazing car that I cannot move my eyes from it. However, when I came to the UK for my master degree, I found the electric cars are not very popular. So I'm curious about the reasons why people will choose electric cars especially the high-end/ luxury electric vehicles from top brands like Tesla, Jaguar and BMW etc. For me, I like the performance and high tech provided by the electric vehicles.

By the way, l have to say all responses are anonymous and individual respondents will not be identified by name in the final report. You are also advised that you may withdraw at anytime. The project has been subject to ethical review in accordance with the procedures specified by the University of Reading Research Ethics Committee and has been given a favourable ethical opinion for conduct.

Can you share it with us?

Alex Snyder · Feb 25, 2025

2024 Stats from FRIKINtech are out: 2024 Automotive Dealer and Consumer Benchmarks Report | FRIKINtech

Alex Snyder · Feb 25, 2025

2024 Automotive Dealer and Consumer Benchmarks Report | FRIKINtech

frikintech.com

Enjoy!

There are a few that stuck out to me:

Dealership loyalty is way off. This is going to take years to fix, and those who are actively addressing it will reap the rewards. I believe this has to do with the supply issues of the past few years mixed with a changing of worker attitudes. It all adds up to bad customer experience.
Service inflation is no joke! Customers are getting tired of these high repair/maintenance bills and are wanting to get rid of that car. Are you there to help them?
Despite higher interest rates more people are financing. With these higher vehicle prices it may be the only way we can all afford something ...not funny.
There are a lot of people using your service drive who didn't buy that car from you.
Most of your database is in a good equity position. Any one of them can decide to do something at any moment. You there for them?

Ryan Thompson · Feb 24, 2025

I'm looking forward to this thread! I was in a similar situation back in 2016. I attempted to create a "Dear Diary" right here on DealerRefresh. Don't give up on documenting Bill! It sounds like we are going to witness a serious turnaround.

My biggest advice - Don't worry about fancy marketing and driving traffic to the srote without the process in place to CONVERT (People + Process). This is something I overlooked.

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FRIKINtech All the stats! Loyalty, Service, Engagement, all of it from 2024

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