Websites, SEO, SEM, Display, Social, Marketing

A newcomer to the automotive industry asks whether to attend Digital Dealer or DrivingSales Executive Summit in Las Vegas, prompting experienced professionals to share their recommendations. Most respondents advise attending both conferences if possible, with Digital Dealer recommended as a better starting point for newcomers due to its broad foundational content and vendor information, while DrivingSales is praised for higher-level speakers and raising industry standards. A minority opinion cautions that Digital Dealer can feel too introductory and suggests exploring more specialized bootcamps and regional events alongside major conferences.

Rick Buffkin shares an observation about Google displaying expanded quick links (sitelinks) prominently in search results for dealership websites, asking if others have noticed this change. Several participants confirm they've recently seen Google roll out this feature across dealerships and speculate on its benefits, with Jeff Kershner noting he appreciates the additional real estate it provides while pushing competitors down the page. The key insight is that this Google feature represents an opportunity for dealerships to optimize their deep linking strategy with stronger calls-to-action on the displayed quick links.

A dealer group managing multiple brands seeks advice on email marketing strategy—whether to send one unified monthly newsletter to their entire database or separate brand-specific campaigns with targeted alerts. Respondents emphasize that success depends heavily on audience segmentation (customers care about their specific brand, not competitors) and data quality, with experienced dealers noting that targeted, sales-driven content performs better than generic newsletters, but only if the underlying database contains properly opted-in contacts with accurate email addresses.

CarGuy2011 asks automotive professionals whether they're using or considering HomeNet's VOL app, which enables dealership staff to easily record and auto-distribute vehicle walk-around videos to YouTube, AutoTrader, and other platforms. Respondents identify the core barrier to adoption: despite the technology's potential, dealerships struggle to implement it due to lack of available staff time, customer traffic interruptions, and employee reluctance to appear on camera. The key insight is that even powerful marketing tools fail without willing, available personnel to execute them.

A dealer named Emily is struggling with Google Places automatically merging her separately-verified listings for 6 franchises, 1 used car center, and 1 collision center across 4 addresses, with jumbled information appearing on each merged page. Community members advise that Google's merging is often triggered by shared phone numbers across listings and inconsistent data on third-party directories, and recommend either contacting Google's paid support team (Google Boost) or consulting local search experts like Blumenthal for guidance on unmerging Places pages. The key insight is that while many dealers try to handle this themselves, paying for Google's direct support or professional help is more cost-effective than the labor involved in fixing the problem independently.

Dealers share free Facebook tools and apps to help build out dealership Facebook pages, with contributions from both users and vendors. Key resources mentioned include GOSO's four free Facebook apps (welcome pages, offers/coupons, sweepstakes, and video tools with analytics) and carsforsale.com's included Facebook integration feature. The thread serves as a crowdsourced resource collection for dealers seeking cost-effective ways to enhance their Facebook presence.

A dealer asks about free online marketing strategies beyond SEO to drive traffic to his dealership website. The main response recommends leveraging free platforms like Craigslist, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and even photo/blog sites to build backlinks and boost visibility, while noting that paid services primarily offer convenience and expertise rather than fundamentally different opportunities. The key insight is that dealers can handle free marketing themselves if they have the time, but should consider hiring help if their efforts are better spent on other business activities.

Dealers discuss GOSO, a new social media application that enables dealers to showcase inventory and promotions directly on Facebook, with BMW of Minnetonka highlighted as a well-executed example. While respondents praise the product's visual design and innovative approach to social selling, concerns emerge about pricing transparency and whether the sales-focused functionality truly serves a genuine social media purpose. One suggestion for differentiation is integrating service scheduling capabilities to create a more complete customer experience within Facebook.

Internet sales professionals share strategies for improving lead response rates, with a focus on calling techniques and follow-up timing. Key recommendations include making multiple calls per day (up to four) with strategic voicemail placement, using casual auto-responders, sending personalized quotes within 5-10 minutes, and persisting through repeated contact attempts over several days without being discouraged by lack of initial response. The consensus emphasizes that persistence and strategic calling patterns—rather than giving up after one or two attempts—significantly increase the likelihood of connecting with leads who may simply be unavailable rather than uninterested.

The thread debates whether pricing should be considered a marketing strategy or merely a tactic in automotive sales, with ed.brooks arguing that pricing becomes strategic when dealers use internet transparency to justify their asking prices relative to market data. Participants agree that pricing is far more than a tactic—it's a philosophy and core business definition—and criticize "Internet Experts" and outdated consultants who advise dealers to employ old-school tactics (like withholding inventory) that undermine necessary digital transformation. The underlying theme emphasizes that modern dealership success requires fundamental organizational change where pricing strategy, digital integration, and management leadership work cohesively rather than relegating internet marketing to an isolated department.

Dealers debate whether to adopt Google's +1 button as a social sharing tool, with early adopters like Kevin Frye arguing it's essential for search visibility, while skeptics like John Quinn question the return on investment given the effort required to manage multiple social platforms. The thread reveals tension between proactive positioning (jumping on new features before competitors) and pragmatic resource management, with Billfred and Jeff Kershner acknowledging that +1 integration likely affects Google search results for logged-in users, making the effort worthwhile despite Google's mixed track record in social media.

Joe_Castle argues that dealers shouldn't fear bad online reviews, citing data that 70% of consumers consult ratings before purchasing and trust unknown reviewers' recommendations. The post emphasizes that with reviews increasingly shared across social platforms like Facebook, Yelp, and Twitter, they significantly influence foot traffic and purchasing decisions. The key insight is that online reviews have become a critical factor in the customer acquisition process and dealers need to engage with them strategically.

Joe Pistell curates resources on local SEO best practices for automotive dealers, sharing links to GetListed.org seminars, David Mihm's local search ranking factors guides, and Google Places optimization strategies. The thread emphasizes that dealers need to actively learn and manage local search marketing or hire experts, as Google's expanding local search capabilities represent both an opportunity and a competitive necessity. Billfred adds perspective that while Google's dominance in local search may disrupt third-party review platforms, dealers' reputation management processes are adaptable enough to survive this shift.

Automotive professionals discuss the value and ethics of mystery shopping competitors, with JesseJ sharing frustration about not understanding whether competitors' aggressive pricing is sustainable or bait-and-switch tactics. Contributors agree mystery shopping is useful for competitive intelligence on pricing, templates, and sales tactics, but note that without knowing a competitor's true business model and incentives, it's difficult to benchmark fairly. A key warning emerges: competitors can potentially identify the source of mystery shop leads using IP tracking tools, so dealers should conduct this activity from non-dealership computers.

Automotive professionals debate whether remarketing (serving targeted ads to previous website visitors across the internet) is a sustainable marketing strategy or a passing trend, with supporters praising its ability to maintain top-of-mind awareness during the lengthy car-shopping cycle, while skeptics question its effectiveness due to privacy concerns, browser changes, and lack of measurable ROI data. The discussion reveals a split opinion: advocates like Joe Pistell and Jeff Kershner emphasize impressions and brand recall with sophisticated audience segmentation, while critics like Eley Duke cite failed campaigns with poor lead attribution and suggest that PPC/SEM deliver more tangible results. The emerging consensus suggests remarketing has staying power but requires careful measurement, proper segmentation by vehicle type, and clear branding in ads to justify the investment.

A dealer principal shares a Guy Kawasaki video about "enchantment" to argue that dealers fail at social media because their culture prioritizes short-term commissions over creating genuine value and trustworthiness. The thread explores the tension between dealers' transaction-focused mentality and what social media actually rewards—authentic engagement and culture—with participants debating whether early adoption matters and how social media's role in dealership strategy will evolve.

The thread examines how Tier 2 OEM ad agencies and third-party sites like Edmunds bid on dealership names in Google AdWords, effectively intercepting customers searching for specific dealers. Debate centers on whether Tier 2 agencies are deliberately targeting dealer names or simply failing to add negative keywords, with the consensus leaning toward negligence over malice. Practical advice includes trademarking your dealership name, sending attorney letters to offenders, and conducting weekly branded search audits to catch unauthorized bidding early.

A dealer seeks solutions for creating simple mobile landing pages with QR codes to promote vehicles, wanting to include videos, vehicle details, pricing, and conversion forms. The community recommends WordPress-based solutions, specifically WPTouch Pro for mobile optimization and Pretty Link Lite for QR code tracking and A/B testing. The key insight is that WordPress plugins offer flexible, cost-effective alternatives to dedicated mobile site builders for dealers looking to quickly launch mobile campaigns.

Dealers report extremely low chat engagement on Cars.com despite maintaining online availability, with one user noting only 2 abandoned chats from 545 "present impressions" in a week. The consensus diagnosis is that Cars.com's chat icon lacks prominent placement and clear call-to-action visibility on vehicle detail pages, compounded by the absence of proactive chat invitations (which competitors and third-party providers support but Cars.com chooses not to implement). A chat software provider representative confirms that platform implementation decisions are entirely up to Cars.com and AutoTrader, not technical limitations, suggesting dealers could see significant chat volume increases if these platforms prioritized visibility and proactive features.

Facebook enabled users to convert personal profiles to business pages, addressing a common problem where dealers were unknowingly using profiles instead of the proper page format for their businesses. Multiple forum members confirm they regularly fielded questions from dealers about this conversion and note that many dealerships had been operating with profiles rather than pages, though the practice was becoming less common by the time of the post.

A marketing professional shares a success story about Big Red Sports & Imports in Norman, OK, which increased car sales from 82 to 206 units in one year by investing exclusively in digital marketing (SEO, SEM, and AutoTrader) while completely avoiding traditional media like radio, print, and TV. The thread demonstrates that a smaller, strategic digital marketing budget can outperform competitors' significantly larger traditional media spending, with one commenter noting that SEM is both cheaper and more effective than television advertising.

A dealership seeks advice on responding to a false negative review where a customer claims they were promised new tires but received slashed ones. The consensus among industry professionals is to avoid defensive or confrontational replies—instead maintain professionalism, acknowledge the concern briefly, and focus on building a strong overall review base rather than engaging in debate with unreasonable customers. The key insight is that responses are written for potential customers, not the reviewer, and any defensiveness will backfire; if you have solid reviews overall, one false review matters little and shouldn't be "paid off" through appeasement.