Websites, SEO, SEM, Display, Social, Marketing

Dealers share their online advertising spending benchmarks, ranging from 12-23% of total ad budget with inventory sizes varying widely (65-700 units), to help peers understand if they're spending appropriately in their market. The discussion reveals that in-house website management can free up budget for other digital channels, though outsourcing site development may not provide significant cost savings relative to total marketing spend. Key insight: most successful dealers allocate 15-20% of their overall advertising budget to digital efforts, but individual circumstances—like inventory size, facility setup, and staffing—significantly impact optimal spending levels.

Dealers ask whether states regulate per-lead vendor pricing, with discussion focusing on the distinction between charging per lead (generally allowed) versus per sale/performance, which constitutes "bird dogging" and is restricted in many states. Replies suggest that most states have some form of bird-dogging restrictions but with varying rules, making it necessary to consult legal counsel rather than relying on a simple state-by-state list. The key takeaway is that per-lead charges are typically permissible nationwide, but performance-based pricing models face legal restrictions that vary significantly by state.

The thread debates a study claiming Americans discuss auto purchases on social media 30,000 times per day, with participants skeptical of the figure given their own limited firsthand observations. Several commenters note the study was conducted by a social media agency with an obvious interest in inflating the numbers. A practical takeaway emerges around dealers encouraging organic customer posts through small incentives like gift cards rather than relying on vendors or paid social strategies.

A Ford dealer asks whether it's legally permissible to create geo-targeted microsites using Ford brand names and model names (e.g., "ford-focus-newyork.com") to capture local search traffic. While participants debate trademark and domain law nuances, the consensus suggests Ford likely won't aggressively pursue a franchised dealer's geo-targeted sites, especially if they provide customer value, though the company reserves contractual rights to restrict brand usage outside official dealership domains.

Aaron Wirtz, Social Media Manager at Suzuki of Wichita, shares hands-on experience using Instagram at a dealership, arguing it opens genuine conversations with local community members in ways other platforms cannot. Commenters build on the idea with tactics like mailing Instagram photo magnets to customers post-delivery, using local college sports pride as engagement hooks, and leveraging iPad-friendly display tools like Padgram and Pintacular. The thread's key takeaway is that Instagram's visual, low-drama nature makes it an accessible starting point for dealerships looking to humanize their brand and form local partnerships.

Ryan Leslie shares a Los Angeles Times article about the importance of online reviews beyond just marketing positive ones to prospects, though the original substantive discussion is derailed when Yago makes a joke about an even "cheaper plug." The thread devolves into friendly banter between DealerRefresh members about past conference experiences, with Yago offering to buy drinks for active members at upcoming industry events, and JessicaRuth expressing interest in holding him to that offer. **Key insight:** The thread never develops the original marketing insight about reviews—it's primarily valuable as a glimpse into the community's casual networking culture and in-group dynamics among active members.

A dealer seeking data on internet lead buying timelines for a BDC follow-up presentation discovers that automotive industry conversion data is difficult to source publicly, unlike eCommerce benchmarks. Respondents suggest he compile his own CRM and analytics data, while also recommending external resources like Google's automotive shopping behavior studies and Cobalt's white papers. The original poster successfully resolves the issue using Google research materials and Ford resources.

The thread examines how Google's Jelly Bean mobile SERPs affect dealership visibility, highlighting key differences between Android and Apple search results and how proximity, local citations, reputation management, and social signals all factor into rankings. Brice Englert explains that roughly 80% of dealer search traffic comes from branded and locale-plus-manufacturer searches, making mobile SERP optimization critical. A notable side discussion challenges an AutoTrader rep's claim that SEM and SEO are wasted spend, with a dealer reporting that nearly all tracked buyers came through Google, not AutoTrader.

A Lab42 infographic on car-buying frustrations sparks debate among dealers, with the top four pain points — salespeople, finding the right vehicle, time spent, and financing — all pointing back to the dealership experience. Participants push back on two statistics: whether 73% truly want one fixed price and whether 52% of buyers genuinely have no idea what they want, with the consensus being that consumers arrive well-researched but often leave with something different than planned. The deeper takeaway is that decades of negotiation culture have conditioned buyers to expect haggling even when they claim to prefer simplicity, and that trade-in valuation keeps the door open to back-and-forth pricing.

A VW dealer discovered that third-party lead providers are reselling consumer leads across competing manufacturers, with the same prospect receiving conquest emails from Hyundai and Mazda after submitting information through Cars.com. The thread discusses how this practice undermines lead quality and consumer trust, with participants agreeing that while third-party leads have some value, dealers should prioritize owned digital marketing and be cautious about OEM-mandated lead programs that lack proper deduplication. The key takeaway is that the third-party lead industry's lack of transparency and data control practices make it increasingly unreliable for dealership ROI.

Dealers discuss whether third-party leads from GM are worth the investment, with most reporting conversion rates of 1.5-3% compared to 15-19% on their own website leads. The consensus suggests these leads are poor quality due to being shared with multiple dealers and sourced through aggressive SEM tactics, making them a poor ROI despite manufacturer tracking of response times. Several dealers conclude that the labor costs and time spent on third-party leads outweigh the returns and would be better allocated to higher-converting internal website leads.

A Hyundai dealer asks whether hosting both GetAutoAppraise (NADA) and AutoTrader's Trade-in Marketplace on the same website page creates problems, offering customers a choice of trade-in valuation tools. Responses are divided: some warn that customers will simply choose the higher value and create unrealistic expectations, while others defend the approach as providing useful consumer information and note that optimization efforts should focus on business outcomes rather than technical perfectionism. The thread devolves into a debate about whether dealers should build custom trade-in forms or use third-party tools, with no clear consensus on the original question.

Dealers discuss creative alternatives to generic "No Photo Available" placeholder images on vehicle listing pages, viewing this overlooked digital real estate as a marketing opportunity. Contributors share examples including meme-based humor (the "Y U NO Guy" and "I Can Haz" cat) and branded content like dealership awards, with the consensus being that personality and humor can differentiate listings and drive engagement, though some caution about potential offensive content.

A dealer seeking help choosing among Chrysler's six certified SEO providers receives detailed guidance on evaluating vendors, including critical questions about planning, execution, reporting, and accountability. Experienced community members emphasize the importance of understanding SEO fundamentals (distinguishing between branded "White Pages" and non-branded "Yellow Pages" search optimization), vetting vendor track records and scalability, and independently auditing their off-site link-building practices and on-site technical performance using free tools like Open Site Explorer and Google PageSpeed.

Dealership professionals debate best practices for managing social media accounts across multiple platforms, particularly regarding account ownership and succession planning when employees leave. The consensus recommendation is to create dedicated dealership email accounts (rather than personal ones) to register and manage all social profiles, with multiple admins/users assigned where possible, and to use management tools like Hootsuite to centralize control and prevent ownership complications. A secondary discussion highlights the importance of vetting third-party vendor integrations on dealership Facebook pages to ensure they drive customer action rather than simply serving as vendor branding.

Dealer consultants and professionals debate whether email lead conversions are a valid metric for website success, with consensus emerging that conversion rates alone are misleading without context—factors like franchise type, inventory, marketing spend, and regional competition matter far more than website design alone. The thread reveals industry frustration that dealerships chase high lead volume (often 400+ leads per month per person) at the expense of quality, resulting in stagnant conversions despite increased traffic, and that aggressive follow-up tactics have conditioned consumers to distrust dealer outreach. The key insight is that dealerships have created their own problem by over-prioritizing lead quantity and invasive marketing practices rather than improving customer experience and respecting consumer preferences for less pushy engagement.

Aaron Wirtz addresses a common roadblock in dealership social media: camera shyness among staff, both in front of and behind the lens. The thread shares practical tips for getting employees comfortable with video creation, with commenters agreeing that even a top-down mandate may be needed to push adoption. A key insight is that content quality matters less than content existence — a walkaround video with one view that sells a car is a success.

A digital marketing analyst asks automotive industry professionals to share their benchmarks for test-drive closing ratios, noting a lack of published research on this metric. The post seeks real-world data from dealers and vendor partners to establish what constitutes a "good" closing ratio when consumers complete test drives. This appears to be foundational research to help the analyst better advise dealer clients on the effectiveness of their digital marketing campaigns in moving prospects through the sales funnel.

A dealer asks whether changing the default contact method from email to phone on lead forms would increase phone number capture, prompting discussion about form field optimization and lead quality. Responses emphasize that results depend on testing and variables like vehicle type and buyer segment, with one Dealer.com representative recommending dealers measure baseline yield before making changes. The thread also includes tangential questions about multi-location inventory display and WordPress blog integration with Dealer.com sites.

Matthew Danskin inquires about Sendmeafriend.com, a referral management platform, seeking details on cost, functionality, and effectiveness for his dealership (which already generates 25% of business through referrals), but discovers the service cannot operate in Tennessee due to state laws prohibiting paid referrals. A respondent clarifies that while referrals themselves are legal, compensating referrers may be restricted, suggesting Matthew investigate his state's specific regulations before pursuing such a system.

Dealers and marketing professionals debate the vague and overused term "reputation management," which lacks a clear industry definition and gets lumped together with disparate practices. One contributor breaks down what reputation management should actually encompass—social reputation, SERP rankings, third-party review sites, and review collection—while another highlights how some vendors exploit the term's ambiguity to justify questionable practices like generating fake reviews. The thread's key insight is that "reputation management" has become a junk-drawer term that obscures meaningful discussion and enables misleading sales tactics until the industry defines its components more precisely.