Websites, SEO, SEM, Display, Social, Marketing

Christian Ferrer asks the dealer community to identify and share the best resources for accessing dealer cooperative advertising funds available through manufacturers. The post invites ongoing community contributions to build a comprehensive, continuously updated reference list of coop dollar sources for automotive dealers.

Marc McGurren asks whether Callbright call tracking can be integrated with Google Analytics to track phone conversions on his microsites. Multiple respondents confirm this is possible through call tracking "pings" that trigger conversion events in Analytics, though LarryBruce and others note this provides limited value beyond the call tracking provider's native reports; Jerry Thibeau suggests Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI) as a superior alternative that links each unique phone number to individual customer browsing behavior, though it comes with technical tradeoffs.

Jeff Kershner solicits participation in a brief online survey about whether dealership owners/principals actively manage their dealerships' online reputation, with results intended for an upcoming blog post and conference presentation. The thread generates minimal engagement, with only two brief replies indicating the survey's ease of completion and a bump request for visibility. No substantive discussion or insights about reputation management practices emerge from the thread itself.

The thread appears to be a survey post by Jeff Kershner focused on dealership online reputation management, but the original content could not be recovered. Without the body of the post or replies, no key insights or conclusions can be drawn from this thread.

The thread is a vendor profile for Dealer.com featuring a mix of praise from satisfied dealers and complaints about the Search Marketing Upgrade Package's lack of transparency and ROI. A notable controversy emerged when a Dealer.com executive publicly referenced details of a customer's account in a forum reply, which drew criticism from a prospective customer who cited it as a dealbreaker. Despite the friction, most issues were ultimately resolved through direct executive outreach, with at least one complainant later praising the company's response.

Anirban discusses how trust-building becomes critical for e-commerce success, particularly when selling high-ticket items like cameras, TVs, jewelry, and watches—unlike low-priced products ($5-$25) that require less trust establishment. He emphasizes that in competitive online retail markets, especially for small businesses, website presentation and design sophistication are key differentiators that can help retailers outperform competitors and drive productivity.

TuneyFish created a feedback survey for attendees of Digital Dealer 9 (DD9), requesting participants to evaluate sessions and speakers while noting specific takeaways and implementation strategies. The organizer planned to compile and publish results after a month and encouraged sharing the survey link widely across email and social media. This was a straightforward request for post-conference feedback collection rather than a discussion thread.

Dealers discuss their experiences with third-party lead providers like AutoTrader, Cars.com, Dealix, AutoBytel, and AutoUSA, sharing mixed results and noting that most perform similarly. A key insight is that inventory listing services (AutoTrader, Cars.com) should be evaluated separately from dedicated lead generation platforms (Dealix, AutoBytel), as they serve different purposes and may have different conversion metrics. The thread suggests that dealer success with these vendors is highly variable and context-dependent, making it difficult to identify a universally superior provider.

Dealers discuss whether Paper.li—a tool that auto-generates Twitter-based "newspapers" from curated content—is worth using for dealership marketing. The consensus is that generic papers become repetitive and dominated by popular accounts, but creating a curated Paper.li from a targeted Twitter list of industry thought leaders produces more relevant, valuable content worth sharing across multiple platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.

The thread discusses Yahoo Answers as a promotional tactic for automotive websites and dealerships, with Anirban arguing that search engines increasingly favor Yahoo Answers content in results because it provides practical, user-generated perspectives. Replies reference account level requirements for link inclusion and share historical examples of dealers testing this strategy years prior, suggesting the tactic has been around longer than some may realize and warrants revisiting with current knowledge of platform mechanics.

Jonathan Conn asks whether dealership owners can view all customers checking into their Facebook Place page, and learns from TuneyFish that check-in visibility is limited to friends only and requires the business owner to be checked in themselves, with data available only temporarily. The thread also touches on a secondary issue about adding subtitles to Facebook Place pages, which remains unresolved despite Jonathan adding information to the place description. The key takeaway is that Facebook Places check-in analytics are restrictive and not ideal for business owners seeking comprehensive customer tracking data.

This thread discusses whether Bing's search algorithm prioritizes social signals (Facebook likes, Twitter mentions, blog links) over traditional website backlinks, with the poster claiming a Facebook-Bing partnership has shifted SEO strategy away from Google's approach. Participants debate the legitimacy of these claims and share anecdotal evidence that social engagement metrics are becoming more relevant to search rankings. The key insight is that automotive professionals should consider diversifying their SEO strategy to include social media optimization alongside traditional link-building, though the thread lacks definitive sources to validate the specific Bing-Facebook collaboration claims.

A dealer inquires about third-party lead management companies to handle follow-up on new and used car leads, but the discussion doesn't yield specific vendor recommendations. Instead, a respondent suggests an alternative approach: assigning leads directly to salespeople known for consistent follow-up rather than outsourcing to a third party, implying that internal accountability may be more effective than external lead management services.

The thread explores how Google's integration of Google Places into organic search results is affecting automotive SEO strategies. The original poster notes that despite initial concerns, Google still rewards exact match domains and highly optimized sites, suggesting traditional SEO remains valuable. A follow-up raises an interesting point about Google's website preview tool potentially shifting focus toward site aesthetics and user experience as a factor in click-through rates.

Automotive professionals debate whether email will remain viable for business communication as social platforms like Facebook develop messaging features, with younger generations increasingly preferring texting, social media, and other channels. While some contributors speculate about future communication methods, the consensus is that email will endure for professional dealer business despite changing personal communication habits, since industry contacts prefer to keep vendors out of their social media networks. The thread also explores how modern messaging platforms (BlackBerry, Facebook, etc.) are consolidating multiple communication channels into unified inboxes rather than replacing email entirely.

The thread discusses PrestoReviews, a dealer review platform that collects customer feedback in-dealership and aggregates reviews across a national site, with claims of 90%+ participation rates. A brief debate emerges about whether "social media reviews" meaningfully impact Google Local search results, with participants clarifying that star ratings and reviews appearing in Google Places (not social media itself) are what actually influence local search visibility.

A dealer asks for feedback on a video marketing program (likely from MsgWorx) designed to drive service business through online campaigns. A respondent acknowledges the concept has merit but argues that similar results can be achieved more cost-effectively through cheaper alternatives or existing service providers, and notes the program's value depends heavily on whether a dealer already has online service marketing infrastructure in place.

A dealer inquires about fusionZONE Automotive's website and service offerings. Two respondents share positive feedback, with one dealer reporting strong results over five years and another service provider noting that fusionZONE sites consistently generate significant traffic and chat leads. The thread suggests fusionZONE is a reputable platform in the automotive dealer marketing space, though the sample size is small.

The thread begins with a 2009 press release announcing Cox Auto Trader's strategic restructuring, including shutting down AutoMart and AutoExtra print magazines while consolidating digital properties under AutoTrader.com. It quickly devolved into years of off-topic replies from guests venting about corporate corruption, trademark disputes, monopoly accusations, and personal job loss stories. The forum moderator himself acknowledged losing track of the thread and called for it to be closed, underscoring how far it had strayed from DealerRefresh's intended focus.

A lead generation service operator asks dealers how much they'd pay per qualified buyer lead, proposing a $300 referral fee per deal closed through their reverse-auction platform. Dealers respond skeptically, pointing out that the business model resembles broker services they typically avoid, with suggested fair compensation ranging from $100-200 (comparable to traditional "bird dog" referral fees), and questioning whether charging both buyers and dealers $300 each is reasonable.

The thread explores how location-based mobile apps like Foursquare, Gowalla, and Yelp's check-in feature create new reputation risks and opportunities for car dealerships. Participants agree that empowered smartphone users can instantly post reviews on-site, making proactive reputation management and excellent customer service non-negotiable. Key takeaways include running check-in loyalty programs in service departments, monitoring brand mentions across platforms, and leveraging campaigns like SCVNGR to drive word-of-mouth.

A dealer asks for industry benchmarks on lead-to-appointment conversion ratios for phone and internet leads, and experienced professionals share their frameworks—notably MullerToyota's "60% rule" applied sequentially across contact, appointment set, show-up, and close rates, with expectations of 20% close rates on first-party leads and 10% on third-party leads. The original poster then reveals his dealership's specific performance goals (45-50% for internet leads to appointments, 56-60% for phone leads), which align reasonably well with industry standards shared by the group. The thread reinforces that lead source tracking and aggressive multi-touch contact strategies are critical for maximizing conversion, and that departmental handoff protocols (not contacting customers after appointment set) can create friction with sales teams.