I’ve heard third-party listing sites described as a necessary evil in automotive. They provide valuable information to consumers and valuable leads to dealerships but many argue that these connections should happen without the third-party and their additional cost to dealers. Everyone is right here: some organic customer/dealer connections do happen, but I believe the … [Read more...] about The Real Value of Third Parties in Automotive
Marketing
How Will the COVID-19 Pandemic Change the Way Dealers Market to Customers?
In the early months of 2020, many auto industry observers believed the industry would be looking at an annual pace of approximately 16.5 million new vehicle sales for the year. When the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, this forecasted number had plunged to about 12 million, as hundreds of millions of potential shoppers stayed home and away from auto … [Read more...] about How Will the COVID-19 Pandemic Change the Way Dealers Market to Customers?
They Called it Facebook for a Reason
A phone rings in the middle of the night, startling a grumpy middle-aged college dean back into consciousness. The computer servers at Harvard are crashing. A sophomore student named Mark Zuckerberg has hacked together a little program called Facemash that allows students campus-wide to vote on which undergraduate's pictures are hotter. Harvard's limited computing … [Read more...] about They Called it Facebook for a Reason
Brand Building Tips for Dealerships During COVID-19
While we can’t be 100% certain how strong it will be, the demand for vehicles—whether it’s due to an expiring lease, delayed upgrade, or repair issue that was put on the backburner—will return. When coronavirus restrictions start to lift and the economy begins to hum again, you want to be the dealer that shoppers turn to. Even though it may feel like activity has come to an … [Read more...] about Brand Building Tips for Dealerships During COVID-19
Essential Things to Know About Handling Customer Reviews
It's no secret that online reviews hold more clout with potential customers than ever before. Digital word of mouth is having an outsized impact on your dealership, whether you like it or not. But, it is absolutely possible to use online reviews to your advantage. Dealing with customer reviews of your dealership boils down to two essentials: engaging with those customers in … [Read more...] about Essential Things to Know About Handling Customer Reviews