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Automation in digital marketing? Get with the times!

Gavin, you're the COO of a 2-month old company that is targeting Automotive and VIN specific ad creation. You're company is already claiming to have it figured out in our space. I think the better approach would have been to just state who you are and what your company does and then start asking for insight and help in diving into our industry. Looks like you're flanked in your leadership team by a couple 25-year veterans of automotive as well. The response you got was like many that come into the forum without just being direct as a vendor. You'll find a number of vendors within the forum that just state the facts and don't dance around. I was suspect that you were asking the question to only reveal later that "we can help you with that". Automotive has advanced in the tech space, with many smaller companies, quite well. Some of the larger players are slower to move and some dealers are still operating behind-the-times. You're in the right forum, just make sure you are fully transparent with who you are and what you want.
Great advice Dan! I will edit my initial post with a short intro.
 
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Hey World,

Here is set of questions that I expect to receive super detailed answers in response to.

It is 2024 and it seems certain practices in the automotive industry are outdated, archaic and strenuous. My question is geared towards the marketing side of this industry. (Digital ad display, email marketing, social media marketing, SEO, PPC, analytics)

We got on board with automated self-driving cars so why not automated digital marketing practices?

Is there something I am completely unaware of that is holding back the advancement of new technology, being created, to refine and automate the arduous world of digital marketing execution?
Or does no one dare to take on such a daunting but yet very accomplishable feat in creating the ultimate solution?
Quick disclaimer.

This isn’t to drop bread crumbs into selling my services. We offer a super niche solution with the goal to move up market and broaden our offerings. I am new to the automotive world but have a sales/tech background. I love a good brainstorming thread with engagement from industry professionals. This post was typed out in search for a spark of some sort. I believe a technology advancement can ease typically arduous processes in the automotive industry. I know the people of DealerRefresh are super informative and eager to share their knowledge. Looking forward to more engagements!
 
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26 year old with a dream for advancement in this space.

This and the following responses you gave were a good pivot.

Full transparency, I didn't have the guts to leverage a forum like this when I was 26 and I should have. So, kudos for jumping in.

You'll get some tough love around here. I'm still learning myself.

Two ears, one mouth typically works.

Now that the crowd knows you're a vendor just trying to learn and improve, you should be set.
 
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This and the following responses you gave were a good pivot.

Full transparency, I didn't have the guts to leverage a forum like this when I was 26 and I should have. So, kudos for jumping in.

You'll get some tough love around here. I'm still learning myself.

Two ears, one mouth typically works.

Now that the crowd knows you're a vendor just trying to learn and improve, you should be set.
Thank you sir. Not sure I am too happy I managed to go from Green Pea to Lot Lizard, but I think it’s all good fun .

I have only ever been on Reddit, but I found this forum while doing some market research, so decided to join the crowd.
 
Congrats on the new product launch!

I built something somewhat similar internally about 4 years ago for our dealership group, so I know firsthand everything that is involved with something like this!

I'm actually working on launching version 2.0 this year! It admittedly took a little bit of a back seat the past few years, because I launched v1 a month before covid broke out (bad timing), and we all know what that did to inventory and specials-based advertising...


1708608585131.png


The few suggestions I have regarding the PowerPoint on your website:
  1. If this is a brand new product, why are the examples promoting 2017 models with Nissan's old logo?
  2. What does $299mo/325mo mean?
  3. .09 APR? Most interest rate offers would be advertised as "0.9% APR for 60 months"
  4. Do you have variations for the different OEM compliance guidelines? This Nissan example would definitely get rejected for several reasons
1708608920027.png
 
Congrats on the new product launch!

I built something somewhat similar internally about 4 years ago for our dealership group, so I know firsthand everything that is involved with something like this!

I'm actually working on launching version 2.0 this year! It admittedly took a little bit of a back seat the past few years, because I launched v1 a month before covid broke out (bad timing), and we all know what that did to inventory and specials-based advertising...


View attachment 8608


The few suggestions I have regarding the PowerPoint on your website:
  1. If this is a brand new product, why are the examples promoting 2017 models with Nissan's old logo?
  2. What does $299mo/325mo mean?
  3. .09 APR? Most interest rate offers would be advertised as "0.9% APR for 60 months"
  4. Do you have variations for the different OEM compliance guidelines? This Nissan example would definitely get rejected for several reasons
View attachment 8609
Hey Ryan,

Great questions.

This idea was brought to light during a meeting with Lithia Motors in 2016. Our developer, Jason, then put together a rough V1 of our tool, that banner was a part of Ancira Nissans site in TX who was the pilot store for this product at the time. To condense a long and sad story short, the then website company my business partner had, came to an abrupt stop due to personal matters and stagnation across the members of the board. After years of dormancy with his website company and shelving this idea, Dax and I met a year ago selling RVs. We sat down and discussed his previous business venture from years ago and how the company was inches away from getting "over the hump". I decided to pick one of his ideas I felt we could catch fire with fast, because selling websites is like asking to pull someones teeth. Then became our new business together. It is on our list to update our power point once our product goes live on our new pilot stores site. Should be as early as next week. All compliance measures being in order is my main concern. With the new FTC rules laying it out clearly and having access to all of the OEM Advertising Standards, we are sure our new launched version of our tool will provide a non-strikable advertisement. I want to thank you for viewing our website and reaching out. Lets continue any further conversations privately. I do not want to inadvertently promote our software.
 
Hey Ryan,

Great questions.

This idea was brought to light during a meeting with Lithia Motors in 2016. Our developer, Jason, then put together a rough V1 of our tool, that banner was a part of Ancira Nissans site in TX who was the pilot store for this product at the time. To condense a long and sad story short, the then website company my business partner had, came to an abrupt stop due to personal matters and stagnation across the members of the board. After years of dormancy with his website company and shelving this idea, Dax and I met a year ago selling RVs. We sat down and discussed his previous business venture from years ago and how the company was inches away from getting "over the hump". I decided to pick one of his ideas I felt we could catch fire with fast, because selling websites is like asking to pull someones teeth. Then became our new business together. It is on our list to update our power point once our product goes live on our new pilot stores site. Should be as early as next week. All compliance measures being in order is my main concern. With the new FTC rules laying it out clearly and having access to all of the OEM Advertising Standards, we are sure our new launched version of our tool will provide a non-strikable advertisement. I want to thank you for viewing our website and reaching out. Lets continue any further conversations privately. I do not want to inadvertently promote our software.
Gotcha, best of luck!

You definitely have some stiff competition in the website specials space that I'd recommend looking into and seeing how you compare both features-wise and price-wise - AET, Fuse, DealerTeamwork, AutoSigma, DealerScience, etc. Not to mention OEM's themselves syndicating out banners that many dealers are ok using and then OEM co-op'ed website packages that include banner creation credits.
 
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