- Jun 1, 2018
- 74
- 68
- Awards
- 5
- First Name
- Brian
When I co-founded Dealer Authority back in 2013, I wasn’t trying to build just another digital marketing company. I had already spent years in the automotive industry working for some of the biggest names. I saw what worked, what didn’t, and more importantly, what was missing. I knew there was a better way to help car dealerships take control of their digital presence, and I was determined to create it.
This is the story of why I started Dealer Authority, what makes us different, and why I believe that now, more than ever, dealerships need a partner like us.
But I wanted something different. Something with more energy, more creativity, and more opportunity to challenge the status quo.
That’s when I made the move to a quirky little startup I had only heard about once before when they beat me for a website deal. That company was Dealer.com. And I’m glad they beat me, because joining them was one of the best decisions of my career. I got a front-row seat to their explosive growth. I saw firsthand how a company could innovate quickly, break the mold, and deliver massive value to dealers when they put their foot on the gas.
But even at Dealer.com, I saw gaps, especially as companies grow and scale. The service becomes less personal. The products become more templated. The creativity gets watered down. At a certain point, it felt like dealerships were buying products, not solutions.
We weren’t just going to run campaigns. We would partner with our dealers in a way that made them feel like we were part of their team, like we had a desk in their store.
That’s always been our core principle. I’ve said it probably a thousand times over the last twelve years: We want to fill the gaps in your digital marketing. If you’ve got a team that handles social, but your SEO is falling behind, we’re there. If your paid search needs more strategy and less waste, we’ve got it covered. If you’re tired of feeling invisible on Google or want to stand out in a sea of cookie-cutter content, we’ll make sure your voice is heard.
We’ve got team members who have been with us since the very beginning. That kind of loyalty is rare in this industry, and it speaks to the culture we’ve built. Our team is bought in. They understand the mission. They care about our clients like they’re part of the dealership’s own staff. When a dealership partners with us, they don’t just get access to technology or a strategy. They get a dedicated group of people who are all-in on helping them succeed.
We collaborate, we problem-solve, and we stay ahead of the curve because we truly care. That’s what makes our service different. It’s personal, it’s strategic, and it’s backed by a team that brings everything they’ve got to the table.
At Dealer Authority, we don’t believe in templates. We build every strategy from the ground up. We take the time to understand your goals, your challenges, and your market before we even write a single word of copy or launch a single ad.
And we’re fast. When Google launched Vehicle Listing Ads (VLAs), we had a live solution within three days. Our first client was up and running the following week. Larger companies might take six months to respond to a shift like that. We move quickly because we’re built to. Layers of approvals, committees, or red tape do not weigh us down. We adapt fast so you don’t fall behind.
Over the years, I’ve seen that as soon as a vendor signs on for an OEM-approved program, quality drops, prices get inflated, and products become standardized. Everything is built for scale, not for performance.
Dealerships suffer in those situations. You get a watered-down product that costs more and delivers less. You lose flexibility. You lose control. And you’re stuck with a solution designed to check boxes, not move the needle.
We’ve never taken on an OEM contract at Dealer Authority. We never will. That’s a decision we’ve made on principle, and I’m proud of it. It allows us to build real, custom strategies that serve the dealership first, not the manufacturer.
When you work with us, you get exclusivity in your market for SEO. We won’t work with your direct competitor. And we won’t build your content around whatever the OEM pushes that month. We build it around what works for your store, customers, and growth.
Today, there’s more noise than ever. More platforms. More algorithms. More distractions. Dealerships are being pulled in a hundred directions. And honestly, many vendors are still selling solutions from five years ago.
That’s not us.
We’re laser-focused on what’s working right now. Whether it’s zero-click search, short-form video, changes in Google’s local pack, or Meta’s latest ad format, we are in it every day. We test. We adapt. We execute.
More importantly, we communicate. Our clients don’t wonder what we’re doing behind the scenes. They see it. They talk to real people who understand the automotive space. People who aren’t just reading scripts or checking in once a month.
That level of service matters. You’re not just hiring us for a product. You’re hiring a partner who cares about your results.
We’ve helped stores double their website traffic, outrank big-name competitors on search, launch Facebook campaigns that generated leads for under ten dollars, and do it without bloated contracts, empty promises, or one-size-fits-all packages.
We earn our clients business every month with month-to-month contracts. We are constantly developing and improving our solutions to stay up with technology changes and the needs of our dealerships.
If you’re ready for a marketing partner who treats your business like their own, who moves fast, thinks strategically, and gets results without the runaround, then let’s talk.
We’d love to be the missing piece in your digital strategy.
Let’s win together.
This is the story of why I started Dealer Authority, what makes us different, and why I believe that now, more than ever, dealerships need a partner like us.
Learning from the Giants
I started my career at Reynolds and Reynolds. For those who know the space, Reynolds is a legacy player. They were, and still are, a powerhouse in automotive technology and systems. It was a great place to learn the ropes, understand the industry’s structure, and see how the big machine operated.But I wanted something different. Something with more energy, more creativity, and more opportunity to challenge the status quo.
That’s when I made the move to a quirky little startup I had only heard about once before when they beat me for a website deal. That company was Dealer.com. And I’m glad they beat me, because joining them was one of the best decisions of my career. I got a front-row seat to their explosive growth. I saw firsthand how a company could innovate quickly, break the mold, and deliver massive value to dealers when they put their foot on the gas.
But even at Dealer.com, I saw gaps, especially as companies grow and scale. The service becomes less personal. The products become more templated. The creativity gets watered down. At a certain point, it felt like dealerships were buying products, not solutions.
A Different Kind of Agency
When I launched Dealer Authority, I knew I didn’t want to replicate that model. I didn’t want a one-size-fits-all solution. I didn’t want to force dealerships into product bundles or boxed-in service plans. I wanted to build a company that acted like a true extension of each dealership we served.We weren’t just going to run campaigns. We would partner with our dealers in a way that made them feel like we were part of their team, like we had a desk in their store.
That’s always been our core principle. I’ve said it probably a thousand times over the last twelve years: We want to fill the gaps in your digital marketing. If you’ve got a team that handles social, but your SEO is falling behind, we’re there. If your paid search needs more strategy and less waste, we’ve got it covered. If you’re tired of feeling invisible on Google or want to stand out in a sea of cookie-cutter content, we’ll make sure your voice is heard.
It’s All About the Team
You can’t build an amazing managed services company without an amazing team. From day one, I knew that if we were going to be different, we needed people who fully believed in what we were trying to build. Today, I’m proud to say we have that team.We’ve got team members who have been with us since the very beginning. That kind of loyalty is rare in this industry, and it speaks to the culture we’ve built. Our team is bought in. They understand the mission. They care about our clients like they’re part of the dealership’s own staff. When a dealership partners with us, they don’t just get access to technology or a strategy. They get a dedicated group of people who are all-in on helping them succeed.
We collaborate, we problem-solve, and we stay ahead of the curve because we truly care. That’s what makes our service different. It’s personal, it’s strategic, and it’s backed by a team that brings everything they’ve got to the table.
Custom, Not Cookie Cutter
One of the things I’ve always believed is that dealerships are not all the same. Your store is different. Your community is different. Your competition is different. So why would your digital strategy be exactly the same as someone else’s?At Dealer Authority, we don’t believe in templates. We build every strategy from the ground up. We take the time to understand your goals, your challenges, and your market before we even write a single word of copy or launch a single ad.
And we’re fast. When Google launched Vehicle Listing Ads (VLAs), we had a live solution within three days. Our first client was up and running the following week. Larger companies might take six months to respond to a shift like that. We move quickly because we’re built to. Layers of approvals, committees, or red tape do not weigh us down. We adapt fast so you don’t fall behind.
The Anti-OEM Agency
Let me be clear about something. I’m not anti-OEM. I’m anti-OEM contract.Over the years, I’ve seen that as soon as a vendor signs on for an OEM-approved program, quality drops, prices get inflated, and products become standardized. Everything is built for scale, not for performance.
Dealerships suffer in those situations. You get a watered-down product that costs more and delivers less. You lose flexibility. You lose control. And you’re stuck with a solution designed to check boxes, not move the needle.
We’ve never taken on an OEM contract at Dealer Authority. We never will. That’s a decision we’ve made on principle, and I’m proud of it. It allows us to build real, custom strategies that serve the dealership first, not the manufacturer.
When you work with us, you get exclusivity in your market for SEO. We won’t work with your direct competitor. And we won’t build your content around whatever the OEM pushes that month. We build it around what works for your store, customers, and growth.
What Dealerships Need Today
The digital landscape has changed a lot since 2013, but the core challenge is still the same: how do you get more qualified traffic and leads to your dealership without wasting time or money?Today, there’s more noise than ever. More platforms. More algorithms. More distractions. Dealerships are being pulled in a hundred directions. And honestly, many vendors are still selling solutions from five years ago.
That’s not us.
We’re laser-focused on what’s working right now. Whether it’s zero-click search, short-form video, changes in Google’s local pack, or Meta’s latest ad format, we are in it every day. We test. We adapt. We execute.
More importantly, we communicate. Our clients don’t wonder what we’re doing behind the scenes. They see it. They talk to real people who understand the automotive space. People who aren’t just reading scripts or checking in once a month.
That level of service matters. You’re not just hiring us for a product. You’re hiring a partner who cares about your results.
Real Results, Real Relationships
We’re proud of the results we’ve delivered over the years, but we’re even more proud of the relationships we’ve built. Some of our earliest clients are still with us today. That’s not an accident. It’s because we show up, we follow through, and we keep pushing.We’ve helped stores double their website traffic, outrank big-name competitors on search, launch Facebook campaigns that generated leads for under ten dollars, and do it without bloated contracts, empty promises, or one-size-fits-all packages.
We earn our clients business every month with month-to-month contracts. We are constantly developing and improving our solutions to stay up with technology changes and the needs of our dealerships.
Final Thoughts
Starting Dealer Authority was personal for me. I didn’t want to build the biggest company. I wanted to build the best partner for dealerships that wanted more from their marketing. That still drives everything we do today.If you’re ready for a marketing partner who treats your business like their own, who moves fast, thinks strategically, and gets results without the runaround, then let’s talk.
We’d love to be the missing piece in your digital strategy.
Let’s win together.
