Note to readers: spoiler alert in regards to Game of Thrones!
They say that when you play the Game of Thrones either you win or you die.
Thank goodness for us the same is not true for Search Engine Marketing with Google AdWords. In the world of advertising, many forms of media that an advertiser may use to get their message to the masses is just as cutthroat as the Rains of Castamere, and we all know how we felt after that mess was over. Lucky for you, this viciously violent scene won’t have to enter your mind once when we start thinking about how proper SEM management can benefit you and your brand. With search engine marketing an account manager is able to keep tabs on their account and control exactly where the budget is being spent, all while tracking how this spending is having an effect on your return on investment. So think of yourself more as the mind controlling younger brother Bram Stark and less like the over zealous, mis-stepping and very dead Robb Stark.
Despite the level of control that AdWords gives you over your campaign, you are still facing armies of other advertisers that are hoping to claim the Iron Throne or in this case, the top three positions in any Google search. Imagine you and your fellow Search Engine Marketing team are standing tall against these foes with bow and arrows in hand. You can each launch dozens and dozens of these arrows aimed in the right direction, but from a distance it’s hard to tell which ones will actually make it to their target. Again, luckily this is Adwords we are talking about and not a fictional world where all of your favorite characters die. This is because our arrows are keywords and we can see exactly when they hit their mark.
By using keyword targeting in our search campaigns, we can identify which phrases and keywords will most accurately match what a user is searching for. Over time, we are able to identify which keywords are reaching the most users and driving traffic to the pages that they are looking for and we want them to find. When we identify keywords that are not at successful we can just as easily edit them or remove them without impacting the businesses bottom line. So sharpen your arrows, aim true and keep firing. All your favorite characters might already be dead by the end of season 3, but your Google Adwords campaign will win the Iron Throne every time with consistent keyword management.
“Branding” is a term heard all over the advertising industry, but what does it mean? Simply put, it’s the way you want others to view your dealership. It’s providing potential customers with the understanding of what you represent. Branding is important because it’s an opportunity to provide an image of your dealership; it’s what can help make you recognizable.
This sounds simple enough right? Not exactly. It’s not just enough to come up with an idea of what your brand means, it’s developing a complete campaign that resonates this brand image to viewers throughout everything you do. You must ensure that the image you provide remains a constant through all forms of media – traditional, digital, social, and so on.
Websites, especially social media sites, provide a great opportunity to tell your customers who you are. Provide these details in web panels, status updates, tweets, blogs, etc, keeping in mind that each of these elements should reflect your dealership’s “personality”. You might think that this is distracting from your efforts to sell cars, but in fact this a tried and true way to increase sales. It’s important to showcase more than just current vehicle specials. Show visitors how you helped the local school raise money in a food drive, or how you volunteered at the local humane society. This helps make you more than just another dealership to potential customers, and therefore makes you have a deeming quality that makes you more memorable. Why would you want to be memorable? I think the answer is obvious, don’t you? If you’re memorable, when someone thinks ‘I need to buy a new car’, they’ll think of your dealership, and possibly buy their next vehicle from you. If you don’t stand out, they might not remember you and might not go to your dealership for their next car.
Are you ready to stand out in your local community as more than just a dealership? Contact us now, to get the ball rolling on branding your dealership!
SCHENECTADY, NY- On November 22, Paul Potratz, founder and COO of Potratz, and Cory Mosley, Principal of Mosley Automotive Training, will be hosting Closing Ratios: A 20% Increase in 7 Steps. Held at 2:33pm EST, the Friday webinar will showcase all that dealers need to know about closing ratios, the figure that determines how many leads are turned into sales. Every month, dealerships analyze their overall sales as a means to measure their progress. However, if a dealership wants to accurately gauge a sales team’s success and determine a plan to get a higher closing ratio, they must configure a few different numbers. Highlighting the formula needed to calculate a closing ratio as well as the seven steps necessary to increase this ration. The webinar will feature insight from Potratz and Mosley on how dealers can improve their bottom line and determine what part of their sales funnel needs adjusting.
Both Potratz and Mosley boast noteworthy careers in the automotive industry. Paul Potratz is COO of Potratz, the industry leader in automotive advertising and Cory Mosley is the Principal of Mosley Automotive Training, a nationally recognized automotive training and consulting company. Throughout their careers, both men have participated in all aspects of automotive sales and marketing, making them knowledgeable and reputable leaders in the industry. Together, they have crafted this webinar to equip attendees with the tools to improve customer loyalty and draw in additional sales with minimal effort.
For more information on Closing Ratios: A 20% Increase in 7 Steps, click here or to receive more tips from Paul, click here.
Heat mapping is an analytic tool that allows you to see where visitors are clicking on your website. Using this tool enables you to visualize different types of data, including which images, buttons and links people are clicking on. If one of your goals is to consistently improve the consumers’ website experience by analyzing their behavior on your site, heat mapping is a must. Knowing where they’re going, what they’re clicking on, what is NOT getting any clicks and making changes based on this information will lead to more conversions.
There are a few different types of heat maps such as click heat maps, scroll heat maps and mouse movement heat maps. Click heat maps shows the exact locations where visitors’ cursors clicked on a webpage, such as which images and links are most clicked on. Scroll heat maps show you what percentage of visitors are reaching the different portions of your web page, which helps you decide where and what to move to increase more profitable traffic. Mouse movement heat maps shows where visitors are looking on your site by tracking where the visitors’ cursors hover.
With being able to visually see what is working and not working on your site enables you to make changes that will lead to more conversions and profit for your business. If you’re on the advertising and marketing side and evaluating clients’ websites, these tools are extremely handy and beneficial. One example is that you can take screen shots and show your client exactly where visitors are going and what they’re doing on the site. With this colorful visual data, yourself or a client, can make informed decisions on what changes to make and why to make them.
There are a number of different heat mapping programs out there. Before choosing which program to use, make goals of what you wish to accomplish and choose the program that has the features that suit your needs. Here is a list of just a few of the heat mapping programs available: Attention Wizard, ClickDensity, ClickTale, Crazy Egg and Seevolution. Once you have chosen which heat mapping tool works best with your desired goals, implement and use with the rest of your analytic tools and use this information to make the best possible decisions for greater improvement of your website for your consumer and in the end your business.
By: Nick Yocono
You may have heard that you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. But that may not be true, at least when it comes to your new car’s engine.
With gas prices continuing to rise, manufacturers have shifted away from the big engines in favor of smaller engines that produce improved mileage. At the same time, consumers don’t want to lose the power they were accustomed to getting from previous models. So, how do manufacturers give consumers the best of both worlds?
Ford has responded to this new demand with “Ecoboost”. These new engines boast the same specs in horsepower and torque as their bigger displacement opponents, but with much improved mileage and emissions. Ford is not the only one doing this either, other companies have also started utilizing this engine setup, under different names, for their new models. So what is the secret?
The answer is quite simple: turbochargers. A Turbocharger uses exhaust gasses to spin its turbine and suck more air into the engine. That, along with more fuel, will create bigger explosions in the cylinder and therefore more power will be generated. A Ford F-150 equipped with an “Ecoboost” engine has a twin-turbocharged V6 instead of the traditional V8. What the turbocharger allows the engine to do is act like a V6 and get mileage similar to one while driving around. Most of the time you don’t need full power from the engine, such as when you’re maintaining your speed or during deceleration. When you actually do need some power, the turbocharger can spool up and provide that extra boost in power to make the engine perform similarly to a V8. This equates to a engine that will get better mileage and perform the same as a bigger, naturally aspirated, competitor.
Engines similar to Ford’s “Ecoboost” are being used in various new cars. Dodge recently released its new Dart, which on certain models, comes equipped with a 1.4L MultiAir Turbo engine option. The Chevrolet Cruze is equipped with a 1.4L Turbo “Ecotec” engine option. Even luxury manufacturer BMW has switched out the inline six in their 3 series base models for 2.0L Turbo engines. These cars all boast similar performance with much improved mileage to their predecessors.
Fuel mileage is the name of the game when it comes to selling cars in today’s market. Each year more and more small engine turbos show up on the market. If you’re in the market for a new vehicle that gets better mileage than the one you drive now, be on the lookout for setups like these.
How have your dealership’s sales been this year? If you said “better than expected”, you’re in the same boat as many dealerships in the country.
Industry experts predict that U.S. auto sales per dealership may climb to a record in 2012. Annual sales per dealer will increase to an estimated 805 vehicles from a previous estimate of 785, with an annual sales estimate of 14.3 million vehicles. The previous record was 784 per dealer in 2005.
What is the reason behind the numbers? One is that automakers have kept their networks relatively flat, meaning that existing dealerships have the opportunity to take advantage of increased sales volumes. Dealers are making a profit for the first time in more than three years without having to rely on their service departments to do so.
Another element that’s fueling sales is an increase in pickup truck sales. Experts believe that people who are buying trucks need them, and have put off buying them for a long time.
NADA points to new-vehicle incentives and rebates as well as declining prices on used vehicles as a couple factors that will contribute to this increase as the summer comes to an end. Reports show that August sales thus far matched July’s pace and could go even higher.
To make sure that your dealership is cashing in on the uptick in sales as much as your competition probably is, use your advertising to push not only manufacturer incentives, but also your used car inventory.
Having trouble getting your message out there? Contact us – we know exactly how to get the numbers you’re looking for!
By: Yasmine Syed
If you’re not yet familiar with the twitter hashtag #takemymoneyhbo, you ought to be. This hashtag has been utilized by a conglomerate of individuals who petitioned HBO to allow them to subscribe to HBO Go without having to subscribe to a cable TV provider. HBO Go is an app that allows you to stream the HBO programming of your choice to any digital device via the Internet or through a cell phone signal. The app is available for free to HBO subscribers. Adding HBO to your cable package usually costs $10-$15 a month. If HBO Go was available for this same monthly price, it would be a bargain compared to the roughly $100/month that most people pay for cable service.
This petition points to a possible transition of TV to an a la carte service rather than bundled together in expensive packages. After all, does anyone really watch all 300+ channels that come with premium cable packages? We may see a TV platform similar to iTunes in the future, where consumers can purchase individual songs rather than entire albums. It’s also likely that TV will follow in the footsteps of music providers like Pandora and Spotify, which will change how advertising will be disseminated. Audiences may be much more targeted and the potential for wasteful ad spending will be diminished. That being true, the explosion of digitally consumed media is making it possible for marketers to produce original programming and distribute it without the active support of a traditional media channels i.e. broadcast TV channels.
Branded content is gaining in popularity and consumers aren’t hostile to it, so long as it’s good. Brands like Nike, Virgin and American Express have all successfully built a following of their brand-led YouTube channels. One example of brand-created content was Pepsi’s live-streamed concert starring Nicki Minaj, which was available for viewing via twitter.com/pepsi and pepsi.com. Had Pepsi gone the traditional sponsorship route, it would have cost them several millions in ad spending. By producing, creating and digitally disseminating the content, they undoubtedly saved in overhead costs and penetrated their target market more effectively. This is all good news for advertisers.
Over the course of the next five years, the cost of advertising will be reduced as more specific modes for targeting emerge. The challenge is staying ahead of the digital wave, which is something we do best at Potratz.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Honda has recently adopted a new advertising tactic. Well-known and well-liked music has taken a front sesat in their commercials. This makes them memorable and effectively grasps the attention of potential consumers. According to Honda, the reason behind this is to ‘conjure up the rush consumers experience when they first drive off the lot in a new vehicle’.
It seems to me that Honda is on to something. Music is a great advertising technique for any business, but it’s particularly practical for car dealerships. Of course, the songs being used in Honda commercials come at a high price,, but there are still opportunities for dealerships to include catchy theme music to help draw a consumer in.
Why is music a sensible element in a car commercial? Think about it this way: what is one of the first things you do upon entering your car? You turn on the radio. In my opinion, cars and music go hand and hand. Personally, I don’t drive anywhere without my music on. So why not take advantage of putting a catchy musical undertone to your commercials? As Honda says, driving and music go hand in hand, and having music in your commercial can help the audience relate to the car driving experience more realistically. Contact us now to see how we can help you make your commercials more memorable, and invoke that ‘rush’ for your potential consumer.
By: Hayley Berger
When we think of intros we usually think of the song a baseball player walks out to, or a little :10 second clip before a TV show starts, but what about for car dealerships? What can an intro do for your dealership?
People buy cars from friends, not dealerships
You’ve heard this saying before, but think about it. Would you be more comfortable buying an ipod from your friend that works at The Apple Store, or through an online electronics store? Regardless of price, people like buying from someone they can trust. The product is the same, but we want to feel like we are getting taken care of, cared for, and of course “hooked up” with a deal. With any big investment, we want to feel like we’re getting a good deal, and that any future problems will be addressed. So why should our advertising be any different?
Center your advertising around “who” a customer is buying a car from, not about the product. They know your dealership, they know the cars. A car is a need. What a customer wants to know is who they are buying from. Rather than portraying your dealership as a big scary dealership that has no face, personalize your advertisements. All your advertisements, from TV commercials to print ads to internet ads should feature people – your sales staff or General Manager, for example. Have your BDC department send personalized emails with videos talking about why customers should schedule a test drive with them.
Don’t let technology fool you
In this day and age, most people find it much more convenience to send an email or text message rather than pick up the phone and dial. But when it comes to making a decision about buying a car, something that the average consumer researches more than a home loan, face time is essential. It’s crucial to realize how putting your face on digital and traditional advertising brands your dealership and can earn someone’s trust. Make the customer feel like a friend, show them your goofy side, your excitement to give them what they want and make them feel like they know you. It’s amazing to see the difference when someone walks in a dealership and feels like they know they guy in charge. Price no longer matters, they trust you and want to buy from you not another company.
Potratz is a pioneer in advertising strategy and has created countless success stories by personalizing our client’s ad campaigns. Need help with your strategy? Give us a call!
By: Kimberly Roselle
Simple fact: I take care of my cars. In the 17 years I have been driving, I have only had three cars. I am currently driving a 2005 Chevy Cobalt. I bought the first run of this car during Employee Pricing. Despite some issues with the fit and finish I have no serious complaints. But now after seven years and 120 thousand plus miles there are some issues. I can no longer ignore the fact that it’s time for a new car, and therefore the hunt has begun.
This weekend I test-drove three cars: The Chevrolet Cruze, The Ford Focus, and The Honda Civic. My experience at each dealership was as varied as the cars.
Lets start with Chevy Cruze. My husband and I drove onto the lot and quickly found the Cruze. We walked through and peeked in at a few. Then the salesman arrived. I will call him Junior Joe. He was full of energy and knowledge and was very excited; he actually reminded me of a puppy. I went for a test drive and I was honest that I was not looking to buy today. Today was all about test drives and gathering info. Junior Joe never pushed me, and before I left he gave me a brochure and his business card.
At the next dealership, we drove around and did not see a single Focus, so we decided to walk around and look at Fusions. While we were perusing, no one came over, so we walked next door to the Honda dealership. We barely stopped at the Civic when salesman Safari Sam approached. He was not overly knowledgeable about the car and barely knew any incentives. Before I left Safari Sam gave me a brochure and his business card.
While at the final dealership of the day, we found one Focus. We hadn’t even gotten out of the car when the salesman came over. I’ll call him Mafia Max. He kept pushing me to drive it and then during the test drive tried to insist that we stop so my husband could also drive it. This was problematic to me because I had made it very clear to Mafia Max that this was to be my car. We got back to the dealership and he tried to push for the sale but I stood my ground informing him yet again, that I am only researching. Before I left he gave me a brochure and his card.
We arrived at home and that’s when the true comparisons began. Of the three brochures. Ford was the worst, containing no specs and no details. Chevy and Honda were both comparable. As I was looking at the brochures I realized the Honda wasn’t for me and I quickly crossed the Civic off my list. Now it’s a duel between the Chevy and Ford.
As of now I have yet to make up my mind, but there are various factors to weigh before making my decision. Obviously this includes the features available for each of the vehicles, including fuel economy and safety. But, I have found myself also analyzing my decision based on the salesmen themselves and the experience they provided me while I was at their dealership. I have many factors to consider, but after reading this I’m wondering, which dealership would you choose?
