Websites, SEO, SEM, Display, Social, Marketing

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Dealers discuss the costs and logistics of photographing vehicle inventory, with pricing ranging from $14-$20 per car depending on whether it's new or used stock and whether photography is handled in-house or outsourced. Key insights include that taking photos of new inventory significantly improves online engagement metrics, that 25-40 photos per vehicle is standard practice, and that quality matters beyond just cost—including shooting technique, lighting optimization, and avoiding photo editing to maintain customer trust. The thread also touches on the operational challenge that photography typically consumes two-thirds of the time spent on digital inventory preparation compared to data collection.

A dealer group owner asks whether to use a splash page that redirects to individual dealership URLs or consolidate all inventory under one group domain with separate sections for each brand. Respondents strongly favor Option B—consolidating under one group domain (www.jonker.com/honda, www.jonker.com/nissan, etc.)—citing both SEO benefits from domain authority concentration and marketing advantages, since customers can easily browse multiple brands without feeling directed to different dealerships.

Dealership marketing professionals discuss using Facebook's custom audience feature to retarget existing customers and leads, with emphasis on service department marketing as a high-value application. The key insight is that success depends heavily on data quality—specifically having accurate email addresses and phone numbers properly entered into the CRM/DMS—with realistic expectations of 75-85% match rates when uploading customer lists to Facebook. The thread also mentions Google Sponsored Promotions as a complementary tool for email-based targeting.

Bill Simmons discovered a new Google Maps feature displaying a "menu" link on some business listings that, when clicked, opens a box for adding menus or services—a feature typically designed for restaurants that requires a $79/month Constant Contact subscription to claim. He questions whether this paid feature is worth the investment for car dealerships and asks other dealers for their opinions on its utility. The thread explores whether this Google Maps enhancement is relevant or cost-effective for automotive retail businesses.

A dealer asks for guidance on implementing automated service reminder emails (maintenance checkups, tire replacements, oil changes, lease reminders, trade-in offers) and seeks input on delivery methods: in-house CRM, managed services like Naked Lime, or third-party email platforms like Constant Contact. The post appears incomplete but aims to benchmark industry best practices and identify which approach delivers the best results for increasing service revenue.

The thread challenges dealers to think like a service customer — searching for common repairs on a smartphone — and exposes how aftermarket chains like Firestone and Midas dominate those local search results while dealerships are largely absent. The core insight is that dealers are losing service business not because customers prefer the competition, but because they're invisible online when customers are actively looking for help. The author pushes dealers to take immediate, practical steps to improve their local search presence and capture that high-intent service traffic.

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Scott Zagurski seeks recommendations for an API that provides current leasing data (money factors and residual values) across all new car manufacturers, mentioning he's already exploring Edmunds' API. VVAuto1 suggests AIS as a legitimate alternative, noting their system appears robust and the company is cooperative, though they paused their own integration project before full implementation.

Brad seeks a multi-dealership website solution that allows customers to search across all his brands' factory incentives and specials in one place (e.g., filtering for lease deals under $300/month). While several vendors and technical approaches are suggested, the thread's key tensions are OEM compliance concerns, the debate over whether a unified mega-page or targeted landing pages drive better results, and practical questions about SEO discoverability when branding multiple dealerships under one domain. No definitive vendor solution emerges, but the discussion surfaces useful constraints—like the need for searchable leasing payment data across inventory and the importance of verifying working examples on competitor sites.

Rick Tala asks for advice on restructuring his dealership's ZAG lead management, noting that slow response times due to his predecessor's dual responsibilities (lead follow-up and car sales) are hurting competitiveness among seven nearby Honda dealers. A respondent introduces the classic dealership debate between using a dedicated Business Development Center (BDC) versus having salespeople handle leads "cradle to grave," highlighting the tradeoff between response speed and relationship-building quality.

A dealer asks how to obtain detailed VDP (Vehicle Detail Page) listing reports from Cars.com and CarGurus that include specific VINs and search zip codes, intending to match this data against sales records to measure attribution. Respondents suggest contacting executives directly on Twitter, mention upcoming improvements to Cars.com's reporting tools, and reveal that CarGurus only provides summary VDP view counts rather than granular detail—though one vAuto representative offers to enable SRP/VDP tracking data that may provide the needed insight. The thread ultimately shows that while Autotrader readily shares this data, Cars.com and CarGurus have historically lacked or restricted access to the VIN-level, zip code-specific reporting dealers need for accurate attribution analysis.

A dealer seeks recommendations for monthly newsletter platforms to improve long-term customer follow-up and track ROI, with participants endorsing services like 3 Birds Marketing, IMN, and 1to1 Newsletters. Key debate centers on whether to grant DMS access to vendors (recommended for better reporting and ROI tracking) versus managing newsletters in-house, with experienced users emphasizing that vendor-managed solutions provide superior open rates, click-throughs, and profitability insights. The consensus is that newsletters drive service offers more effectively than sales promotions and should target all customers regardless of buying stage.

Dealers struggle to identify website visitors before they arrive at the dealership or make a purchase, despite 85% of car shoppers visiting dealer websites during their buying process. The discussion explores technical solutions (tracking pixels, coupons, social login requirements) but concludes each has limitations—they either provide only historical data, require repeat visits, or risk driving shoppers away through friction. The underlying insight is that dealers' invisibility problem stems from broader industry reputation issues (aggressive sales tactics) and the complexity of multi-channel marketing attribution, making it nearly impossible to identify anonymous browsers in real-time.

A Honda and Nissan dealer near Vancouver seeks advice on choosing between three Nissan Canada-approved web vendors: Strathcom, Dealer e-Process, and e-Dealer. Industry professionals debate the merits of each platform, with Strathcom emerging as the strongest recommendation for design and functionality, though Dealer e-Process receives praise for conversion rates and e-Dealer gains points for recently improving its offering with an open WordPress-based CMS. The consensus suggests all three are viable options, but the choice ultimately depends on the dealer's priorities regarding design, support, conversion capability, and CMS flexibility.

A dealer asks for feedback from the community about carloans.com, seeking information on whether other automotive professionals have experience with the site. The thread appears to be a straightforward inquiry with no substantive responses or conclusions documented in the provided content.

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A car dealership faced severe online reputation damage after posting a video mocking a pizza delivery driver over a $7 tip, resulting in thousands of 1-star reviews across Yelp and Google, plus website and phone outages from the backlash. Forum members discussed the incident as a cautionary tale, with one noting they would immediately quit rather than work for such an establishment. The thread was closed due to duplicate discussion in another forum post, indicating this became a notable case study in how social media can rapidly amplify negative business behavior.

Eric Miltsch shares his annual automotive marketing predictions for 2015, centered on two core themes: growth and simplicity. He argues that dealers have reached a point of 'information obesity' after years of new products and services, and that the industry is ready to mature and trim the excess. The thread invites discussion around how dealerships should refocus their marketing and technology strategies with that lens in mind.

A VW dealer seeks peer recommendations on three vendor options (Adpearance, Search Optics, Pixel Motion) newly available through Volkswagen's expanded digital marketing program beyond Cobalt. While one respondent offers to connect the dealer with existing clients, another user critiques these standardized vendor programs as eroding dealer identity similar to canned social media solutions, drawing a cautionary comparison to heavily factory-controlled markets like Mexico. The thread appears incomplete but raises concerns about dealer autonomy within manufacturer-mandated digital programs.

Shane Tyler, a new forum member, asks the automotive industry community to share their New Year's digital marketing priorities and strategies for 2024. The post invites dealers and marketing professionals to discuss updates, new tactics, or resolutions they're planning to implement across websites, SEO, SEM, display, social, and other marketing channels. No substantial responses or conclusions are documented in the provided thread content.

A dealer demonstrates a poorly handled outsourced chat interaction where an off-hours chat agent provides incorrect product information (confusing a Nissan 4Runner with a Toyota model) and fails to recover the conversation, prompting debate about whether bad outsourced chat is worse than no chat at all. Respondents argue the core issue isn't outsourcing versus in-house chat, but rather inadequate vendor training, dealer accountability in monitoring transcripts, and whether dealers are paying enough for quality service—with the key insight that chat vendors should be held to the same service standards as in-house staff, including having pre-defined recovery strategies for common problems like zero inventory situations.

Daniel Mondello argues that most dealerships execute their digital marketing in the wrong order of operations, drawing an analogy between building high-performance muscle cars and optimizing dealership websites. The core insight is that there is a specific, strategic sequence dealers should follow to maximize output from every marketing dollar, with SEM and other channels needing to be layered correctly rather than deployed haphazardly. The thread is aimed at dealers who want to move beyond basic digital tactics toward a more disciplined, comprehensive strategy.

AutoTrader partnered with DealerRater to integrate 1.8 million dealership reviews directly into AutoTrader.com, a strategic move that positions the platform competitively against Cars.com while eliminating the need for dealers to manage reviews across multiple sites. Most participants view this as a smart consolidation that reduces redundancy in the industry and enhances consumer trust through reviews on a high-traffic purchase platform, though some speculate it could be a precursor to AutoTrader acquiring DealerRater outright. The key insight is that review aggregation on major automotive listing sites has become essential for both competitive positioning and dealer value.