Help Needed in Choosing Digital Advertising Company

[Linda Hoffman]

Here are a couple of thoughts for you.

1) The provider does not need to be industry specific. It sound good on the surface, but not necessary. But they do have to be a compnay that's on top of their game. There are plenty of SEM / re-marketing "experts" out there and there it the problem. I sold into the dealerships years ago for one of the largest. They did do a good job, but you're right they can be pricey.

2) Pricing. Unlike traditional marketing, it's very easy to tie the Digital to ROI. Pricing should be a secondary concern. Example, if company A can get you a ROI of 4-1 and Company B gets you a ROI of 8-1 (hypothetical figures for sure) it's obvious who you would choose. But if you are basing it completely on price, you would have most likely went with A. That is a lot of missed opportunity!

The technology is available for a company that is not Automotive specific to do a great job. Maybe even a better job because they don't cater to hundreds or thousands of dealers.

If you've researched Mudd, and feel good, give them a try. Good company's will work on 30 contracts. (an option I could not offer with mega vendor) And why shouldn't they. If they are doing good for you, why would you leave. keep in mind you should see improvements in month 1. Ask questions, understand which analytics really matter. Ask how can they lower cost per click and at the same time increase conversion. They should be talking about targeted ad groups, specific landing pages and ongoing A/B testing.....

Hope that helps

I would not go with Mudd. They are notorious for over charging and putting accounts on auto pilot. Bounce rates rise and conversions decline. Deal with google directly if you to do SEM but quite frankly paid search is old school. There are so many newer products out there.

 

[AdamMurray]

Benchmark your data now and review constantly. You must know your #'s better than your agency does. I've been on the agency side (both traditional and digital) and on the dealer side...there are not many traditional agencies in our space that are true experts on the digital side (and vice versa). They will both do everything in their power to protect the budgets that reflect their strengths and overall profitability, leaving one of your flanks open for mediocrity.

There is something to be said for consistency, though, and meeting with fewer vendors. Just keep up with your analytics and reports and make decisions based on data, not relationships.

Good luck and keep us posted on your results!

 

[Alexander Lau]

There are loads out there.

Here are my favorites:

1. DealerOn (now that Greg Gifford of AutoRevo is there)
2. Strong Automotive (former employer) does a good job and cares
3. AutoFusion (have used with stunning results)
4. Dealer Authority (does a solid job and they understand automotive, very well)
5. Dealer Inspire's Launch Digital is also pure quality

 

[Alexander Lau]

Benchmark your data now and review constantly. You must know your #'s better than your agency does. I've been on the agency side (both traditional and digital) and on the dealer side...there are not many traditional agencies in our space that are true experts on the digital side (and vice versa). They will both do everything in their power to protect the budgets that reflect their strengths and overall profitability, leaving one of your flanks open for mediocrity.

There is something to be said for consistency, though, and meeting with fewer vendors. Just keep up with your analytics and reports and make decisions based on data, not relationships.

Good luck and keep us posted on your results!

See http://www.clarivoy.com or for automotive attribution

 

[Linda Hoffman]

Do not use Mudd Adv. They are charlatans who are commissioned based. Their account managers have to make 80calls a day. That's not an agency, that's a factory line. They talk you into spending a lot of money into paid search and do not change expired ads so you end up paying for a lot if fraud clicks. Deal with google directly. At least you know what you get.

 

[Linda Hoffman]

Our group is looking for a digital advertising company to start SEM, Display Advertising and Retargeting. We are expanding our digital advertising with all 10 of our dealerships and want to make sure we choose the right company.

We previously used dealer.com for digital advertising at a few of our dealerships, but cancelled due to lack of communication of results. We are now considering Mudd Advertising but don't really know who else in the industry to consider as we are fairly new to this form of advertising.

Who do you guys recommend and why?
Also, who do you use and what do you like or dislike?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!


*UPDATE: Would like to hear from dealerships only. No product or service pitching from vendors. :thumbup:

Mudd sucks! Deal with google directly.

 

[Alexander Lau]

Mudd sucks! Deal with google directly.

You really don't like Mudd, huh? When you say "deal with Google directly.", do you mean maintain your own SEO and PPC, rather than outsourcing it? That's a tough task for a lot of dealerships.