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Dealership Marketing EFG Companies Featured

Building Brand Trust and Customer Advocates

In the highly integrated world of online reviews and social media, many dealerships and lending institutions are struggling with building consumer confidence online. According to recent studies by R.V. Polk/Auto Trader and Google/Shopper Sciences, the average car shopper begins researching online. After hours of research and referencing about 18 sources, they narrow down their dealerships and financing options to only one or two before making the first hand shake.

These sources range from friends and family to anonymous reviews. Dealers and lenders now operate in this strange new world where they no longer control the flow of information. It’s no longer just about getting the customer to your door, but also about directing the conversation and what people read about you.

So how do you build trust in your brand online? The answer is simple – open consistent communication.

Before the internet, businesses held the power of information. Selling practices focused on sharing that information with customers on site, rather than over the phone. Now, the customer has the power of information and you need to openly communicate with them via any means available, including:

  • email;
  • phone;
  • social media; and,
  • on your website.

But the buck doesn’t stop there. Before you even begin to engage with your customers, you need develop your core message, whether it’s family, customer service, or engagement focused. That core message will impact all avenues of communication.

By remaining consistent and active, you can direct the conversation rather than react to it. Build consumer advocates by encouraging people to share their stories and by quickly responding to both positive and negative feedback. In fact, ignoring or deleting negative posts is one of the worst things you can do online as it demonstrates lack of empathy. By responding, you prove to the general public that you take your customers seriously and will work with them to provide the best experience both online and off.

With over 35 years of consumer insights and a dedicated team of marketing professionals, EFG Companies can help you take a proactive approach to your online reputation with proprietary tools that broaden and deepen your reach and expertise. If you are ready to direct the conversation, contact us today.

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Dealership Marketing EFG Companies

Auto Dealership Marketing: Positioning Your Dealership for More Online Leads – Part One: Research and Monitoring

Today begins a two-part series on improving auto dealership marketing and online lead generation by both researching and actively working to improve your dealership’s online presence and reputation.

Part One of this series will suggest steps to take to determine how your dealership looks online and what potential customers are saying about you and your industry. Part Two will detail methods to turn reviewers or commenters into a solid online sales lead.

Let’s start by exploring where your dealership currently stands in search engine results and customer review sites. Gauging the temperature of what potential customers see when they search your dealership is the first step in determining if you are primed for online leads.

Leverage the Power of Search Engines

 What do the search engine results tell your potential buyer when they Google your dealership or the kinds of vehicles you sell? Have you Googled yourself lately?

If you’re not ranking well in the search results you need to make SEO a priority in your monthly marketing spend. EFG has found that even the smallest efforts on behalf of our clients have a big impact in SEO. We took one client from non-existent in search results to appearing on the first page, and for some keywords, in the number one search return, just by updating content, meta information and navigation. Remember, 64% of customers used a search engine to research the cars they bought last year, before ever setting foot in a dealership.  If your website isn’t easy to find, you’ll lose the business to someone whose website has the right SEO strategy in place.

Utilize New Techniques in Social Media Monitoring

 Do you remember when YouTube used to be a place where people stored their personal videos? And now it’s the second largest search engine? Your online customer is creative with how they search for information and it goes beyond Google. EFG has helped clients understand the importance of video and how little effort it takes to build an online video library. Do you perform walkarounds with your sales team? Why not video them? Have you ever captured a first time car buyer’s excitement about their new car? You don’t have to purchase a light kit and professional video equipment – the iPhone you might be holding in your hand is sufficient, or a small flip camera.

Both Facebook and Twitter have released more sophisticated search capabilities in 2011 that make it easier for users to more readily track customer feedback.

Facebook recently updated its search options to include filters, allowing users to search public status updates of personal profiles. If someone’s talking about you on Facebook and they’ve got a public status update – your potential customer can find it there.

Twitter also enables users to search public tweets in the same way a search is conducted on Google. Visit search.twitter.com and type in your dealership’s name. If a user has mentioned you, their tweet will appear in the results below. Twitter Search is also a great way to locate potential sales leads. Consider searching for phrases such as “I need a new car” to find users who are actively online and Tweeting about their car search.

So why is social media monitoring important? Again, consider the customer’s perspective. If a person is pricing out Chevy cars in Phoenix and sees mulitple users complaining about your dealership, they may choose to go with another option. A bad online presence means lost leads.

Have questions about researching how your appears dealership online? We’d be glad to help.

Please feel free to contact us or join our social communities for more information.  And stay tuned for Part 2 of this series, where we’ll cover tactics car dealers can use to improve and better capture online leads.

 

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Dealership Marketing

Auto Dealership Marketing: EFG Companies Gives You Five Ways to Better Market Your Dealership

Your customers under the age of 30 rarely read a newspaper or magazine article. They consume more than 50 percent of their information electronically. Print advertising is no longer reaching them because, for the most part, they are not seeing it.  It has never been more important to review and revise how you are marketing your auto sales to existing clients and potential customers.

EFG Companies has a full range of added products and services that can help you and your dealership create marketing campaigns that will utilize the Internet and social media sites to notify, recruit, educate and retain existing clients and potential customers. The messaging could promote internet auto sales as well as service promotions offered by your dealership.  Here are five effective ways to market your dealership to new and existing customers:

  • Your website – Do you know what constitutes a good or bad website? Your customers do. Make sure your site is up-to-date and easy to use.  Images of your vehicles in inventory should be high quality, and the site should include plenty of information about your inventory, specials, incentives and reasons to buy from you.
  • Search Engine Optimization – According to a study done by iPerceptions in March of 2011, search engines accounted for 25-33% of the paths used to reach automotive retail sites worldwide last year. Is your site search-engine friendly?
  • Get social – Social media is here to stay. Many auto purchases start with a web search. 45% of new vehicle buyers and 43% of used vehicle buyers used the Internet when shopping for their vehicle, using the web to compare car models across different makes.
  • Use email to recruit and encourage referrals from your current customer database.
    • Create a contest that features a drawing for a popular ticket item (Laptops/iPads) for referrals that result in a sale.
    • Stay in touch with your customers about your service specials and other incentives
    • Be visible.  Participate in your community by partnering with other community businesses to give back.  Sponsor a local sports team or volunteer at a local charity.

It’s a good bet that the costs to implement any of these tips will be less than what you are currently spending in print advertising for auto sales.  While it is not time to abandon print advertising altogether, it is time to reassess and re-allocate your resources to increase your visibility and presence online and in your local community.  EFG Companies creates lifetime customers.  They can assess your current online and traditional marketing programs and assist you in creating a winning solution that will have your customers returning for generations to come.