Websites, SEO, SEM, Display, Social, Marketing

The thread argues that dealer reviews of automotive vendors are a critical and underutilized resource, drawing a parallel to how consumer reviews transformed retail purchasing decisions. The core insight is that dealers, like everyday consumers, benefit from peer-sourced transparency about vendor performance — and that the industry should embrace structured vendor review platforms to counterbalance vendor-controlled marketing spin.

The thread argues that traditional lead form submissions are declining as a reliable measure of buyer intent, as modern car shoppers have become increasingly wary of submitting their personal information online. The post makes the case that page engagement metrics — such as time on site, pages viewed, and content interactions — are more meaningful indicators of purchase intent in today's market. The key insight is that dealership marketing teams should shift focus from chasing form fills to analyzing deeper behavioral signals to better identify and prioritize genuine in-market buyers.

Ed Brooks sparks a discussion questioning whether simply being 'found' through paid search is enough for dealers, given that automotive advertisers will spend $3.93 billion on paid search in 2016 — 45.1% of their total digital spend. The thread explores whether that massive investment in visibility actually translates to influence and purchase decisions, or whether dealers are just competing loudly for attention without meaningfully differentiating themselves. The key insight is that presence in search results is table stakes, but influencing the buyer at the right moment requires a more strategic approach beyond just showing up.

Tony Schlotter asks Canadian dealership professionals to share which sales campaign strategies have proven most effective for their businesses—such as private sales, staff phone lists, or trade-in programs for existing clients—and how their teams are allocating their time. The post seeks insight into what types of campaigns work rather than execution details, acknowledging that the Canadian market operates differently from the US market.

A Harley-Davidson dealer group's internet manager seeks advice on reducing customer confusion about which store location carries specific motorcycles in their shared multi-location inventory, despite already using color coding and location labels. Multiple respondents recommend UX improvements including: adding location information directly under product images, making location a primary filter on the search results page, prominently displaying store addresses and map links on vehicle detail pages, and labeling images with location banners. The original poster implements several suggestions, including removing the new-window VDP behavior, adding dealer logos to detail pages, and improving location visibility.

Alex cancelled CDK's PowerBrand service after discovering poor PPC conversion rates (high bounce rates, low lead quality) despite strong traffic metrics, then shared his plan to manage campaigns in-house with Logical Position. The discussion evolved into peer advice on PPC campaign management, with Joe Pistell providing practical resources like negative keyword lists and emphasizing the importance of proper tracking and KPI selection (VDP views, Hours & Directions visits, organic traffic) to accurately assess campaign performance. The key insight is that high traffic volume alone is misleading—dealers need to dig into conversion metrics and consider whether managed services are delivering actual quality leads before paying for volume.

This thread explores why one-third of dealers plan to switch AdWords agencies, with participants identifying multiple root causes: agencies lacking transparency about spend allocation, making unrealistic promises without delivering ROI, failing to invest in staff training, and dealers themselves not understanding PPC fundamentals or establishing proper measurement KPIs. The emerging consensus is that distrust stems equally from vendor misconduct (hidden commissions, poor campaign execution) and dealer passivity—the solution requires both more honest, transparent agency partnerships and dealers investing time to learn basic AdWords management and performance metrics.

A dealer struggles with generating quality backlinks and receives advice that traditional directory submissions (DMOZ, Yellow Pages) are largely ineffective for established dealership sites. The consensus recommendation is to pursue local backlinks through community involvement and event sponsorships, which increasingly offer links as a perk and align with Google's focus on local search rankings.

Several marketing professionals discuss their experiences with Google's Gmail Sponsored Promotions (GSP), highlighting benefits like strong click-through rates, low costs-per-click, and unique features such as embedded videos and click-to-call buttons. However, the original poster ultimately abandoned the strategy due to the time-intensive manual process of extracting unconverted email addresses from their CRM and uploading them to Google for retargeting, exposing a significant operational friction point that could be solved with better CRM API integration.

A vendor (mwpistell) offered fee-free testing of a new real-time ad creative platform to DealerRefresh members, with several dealers expressing interest in participating. The thread garnered positive responses from multiple GSMs and dealers willing to allocate display budget for the test, with one participant noting the lack of existing solutions tailored to dealer inventory needs. The key insight is that dealers recognize a market gap for better ad creative tools and are receptive to testing innovative solutions that could improve their digital marketing effectiveness.

Facebook has updated its carousel ad feature to allow dynamic product feeds from product sets without requiring the "Promote Product Catalog" campaign objective, enabling advertisers to combine website traffic goals with dynamic product displays. This is particularly valuable for automotive dealers running promotions like lease specials, as they can now target in-market audiences while dynamically populating carousel ads with inventory from their product catalog. The poster presents this as a long-awaited capability that removes a previous technical limitation in Facebook's ad platform.

A recap of the 7th Annual DrivingSales Executive Summit held in October 2016 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, covering keynote addresses from global business leaders, breakout sessions, a Best Idea Contest, the Innovation Cup, and the co-located AutoVentures Summit. The event drew nearly a thousand dealers and industry thought leaders, with several keynotes focusing on themes relevant to the future of auto retail. The post serves as a summary for those who attended or want to stay current on key takeaways from one of the industry's most prominent dealer executive conferences.

Chandra Dickson questions DealerRater's certification requirements for employees on dealership websites, specifically frustrated that review quotas reset by calendar quarter (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct) rather than on a rolling basis, making it harder to maintain certification during slower months. While craigh acknowledges the system isn't perfect, he defends it as a reasonable way to keep reviews active and notes that achieving 5 reviews per month is typically manageable for most dealerships.

Dealers debate whether live video chat with customers is worth implementing, with most skeptics arguing that customers won't use it due to app requirements, poor connection quality, and liability concerns around staff safety. The discussion evolves over a year to reveal that video is actually gaining traction—but not through traditional one-on-one video chat; instead, dealers are finding success with one-way video streaming on platforms like Facebook Live and Periscope, where customers can ask questions and engage asynchronously. The key insight is that video marketing works for dealerships when it's low-friction, reusable content rather than real-time video chat interactions.

A dealership marketer asks whether to use 301 redirects when migrating a blog from a subdomain to a subfolder structure. The consensus recommendation is to proceed with 301 redirects, but first audit external links pointing to the blog via Google Webmaster Tools and disavow any spammy sources before the migration, since Google will consolidate the link equity to the new location and stop recognizing the original domain once the redirects are processed.

The thread discusses whether dealership websites are optimized for autofill features (like iOS 10's AutoFill) on lead forms and third-party tools, noting that mobile form conversion rates are already problematic. A commenter suggests additionally leveraging Google Places autofill to streamline lengthy forms like finance applications and service appointments. The key insight is that implementing autofill compatibility could be a practical way to improve mobile lead form conversion rates by reducing friction in the form-filling process.

The thread explores strategies for dealers to convert third-party automotive site visitors — such as those from Cars.com or AutoTrader — into actual buyers on their own dealership websites. It covers tools, traffic-driving tactics, and the growing consumer expectation for seamless digital engagement. The key insight is that dealers who strategically leverage third-party platforms to funnel quality traffic to their own sites are better positioned to close sales in today's digital-first market.

A forum member discusses key factors to consider when purchasing a universal car cover, emphasizing that despite the "universal" label, proper sizing for your vehicle is essential. The post highlights important selection criteria including UV and weather resistance, ease of installation, and secure fastening mechanisms to protect stored vehicles from environmental damage. The thread appears to provide practical guidance for dealers and industry professionals advising customers on vehicle protection products.

• Poll

A major DDoS attack hitting major internet services prompted dealers to report whether their websites and industry-specific tools were impacted. Responses indicate mixed results, with some dealers experiencing downtime on their websites and critical industry platforms like RouteOne and Dealer Center going offline, though it's unclear whether all outages were directly caused by the DDoS attack or coincidental infrastructure issues. The thread captures real-time reports during the incident but doesn't reach a definitive conclusion about the full scope of dealer impact.

The thread examines whether print advertising still holds value for car dealerships in an era of declining newspaper readership and rising mobile device usage. The original post draws on nostalgia for the traditional newspaper experience to frame a broader question about how dealerships should reassess their print ad spend. The implied conclusion is that shifting consumer habits toward digital and on-demand media consumption are forcing dealers to weigh the diminishing returns of print against more targeted, measurable alternatives.

A dealer inquires about experience with Iprecheck, a tool relevant to digital marketing and online operations. The thread seeks peer feedback on the platform's effectiveness and whether it delivers value for dealership use. No substantive responses or conclusions are evident from the original post provided.

A dealer asks whether to use both Vimeo and YouTube for video marketing or stick with one platform. The consensus strongly favors YouTube due to its superior reach, integrated advertising/reporting tools, social media compatibility, and dominance as a search engine (owned by Google), though one respondent notes Vimeo's advantages for high-quality cinematography if visual perfection is the priority. The takeaway: YouTube should be the primary focus for automotive dealers, as the percentage of potential customers on Vimeo is negligible compared to YouTube's massive audience.