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Should mobile websites be free with your regular website?

Gumiyo is great but not a complete solution. If I go to mykcford.com on my phone, I should go directly to the dealer's mobile site. I don't believe Gumiyo completes that gap. That piece has to be done by the dealership's website provider. So really you need a mobile sensing website and texting go codes both for full coverage!

DSpec, along with our sister companies, are already offering the solution Mr. Kershner is referring to - mobile sites, send to mobile, etc. We also encourage our dealers to market themselves correctly if they are using this type of solution. Obviously, SMS mobile only works if the marketing is in place, and so far it's been a challenge getting some of our customers' heads wrapped around the whole idea. Billboards up, etc. as one poster stated earlier has been the best solution so far, but there are a great many challenges with this type of technology. I agree with Matt that a website designed to detect a mobile phone is a good start. However, there needs to be more than that to capture this segment of the market, and I think we are all in agreement there is a lot of progress still to be made there.
 
It seem that more and more of your website companies are coming out with mobile sites and wanting to make money selling them. I agree this should be a value added service... Maybe this is an easy question for some but in the area I live in new/change can be costly to advertise...how do you advertise your mobile site without taking too much $$ from your budget?
 
It seem that more and more of your website companies are coming out with mobile sites and wanting to make money selling them. I agree this should be a value added service... Maybe this is an easy question for some but in the area I live in new/change can be costly to advertise...how do you advertise your mobile site without taking too much $$ from your budget?


Just say "visiting our website at mattford.com on your computer and now even on your smart phone!"
 
We use Gumiyo as well...however I struggle with getting the message out there. my sales guys think its a way they lose personal contact with customer...SILLY I know but how are you guys promoting it on the cars, just through window sticker?
 
Why would they be free? to me, it would be up to the vendor. I wouldn't expect it because I think you get what you pay for. I am sure some vendors will include it while others will mark it up or perhaps provide enhanced features for an upcharge. If the website was free, would you also expect SEO/SEM to be free as well?
 
We use Gumiyo as well...however I struggle with getting the message out there. my sales guys think its a way they lose personal contact with customer...SILLY I know but how are you guys promoting it on the cars, just through window sticker?

Steph, get the message out in all of your traditional advertising as well, especially your print.
 
Thought I would bump this thread since mobile is and as it should be - the "buzz".

Should mobile websites be free with your regular website?

Are you paying extra for your dealerships mobile site or is this something your website provider offers at no additional change?


We use DealerOn for our websites and there are No additional charge for their mobile sites. They're quite nice too!
 
Why would they be free? to me, it would be up to the vendor. I wouldn't expect it because I think you get what you pay for. I am sure some vendors will include it while others will mark it up or perhaps provide enhanced features for an upcharge. If the website was free, would you also expect SEO/SEM to be free as well?

Couldn't agree more. As a vendor I have this dilema all the time:

If I provide a mobile site for free, how much do you expect me to invest on R&D? How many people should we have to support them? Should we have a person dedicated and becoming an expert on that subject (so how do we add a bonus or performance to his salary!)?

You get what you pay, no more no less.
 
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Couldn't agree more. As a vendor I have this dilema all the time:

If I provide a mobile site for free, how much do you expect me to invest on R&D? How many people should we have to support them? Should we have a person dedicated and becoming an expert on that subject (so how do we add a bonus or performance to his salary!)?

You get what you pay, no more no less.

Mobile websites should be provided by the same provider who provides the dealer's website. Be it VinSolutions, Dealer.com, Cobalt or whoever it is. A mobile website should be part of what is provided to the dealer as part of the basic product offering. So it isn't provided for free, but should be part of the overall product the dealer purchases, not an expensive add-on.

At VinSolutions we decided to include, at no additional cost, a basic mobile website for all dealers who purchase a regular website from us. Mobile websites are really simple. Dealers shouldn't pay a bunch of money for them.