Getting Local with your online advertising

There’s lots of mediums to advertise online. They are almost all cheaper than any other sort of advertising you can do. In fact, large dealers like Courtesy Chevrolet have gone 100% online with their advertising budget, with huge success!

But if you’re not big time in it yet, which most dealers aren’t (a big competing dealer down the road still isn’t, I just don’t get it!) then you need to start local. And you need to enhance your local web presence.

We’ve gone some big time with YouTube, eBay, with good success. But it’s the local stuff that pays the everyday bills.

#1) If you’re not on AutoTrader.com, get with the program. We sold 4 cars directly last month out of 45 phone calls with AutoTrader, but the real success is it’s local market potential. The truth is, it’s hard to say how many customers bought because of our advertising on AutoTrader, but it’s safe to say 70% of our used car sales are because of it. It’s the #1 car shopping site for a reason.

With that said: PICTURES PICTURES GOOD PICTURES and GOOD DESCRIPTIONS. I actually went shopping for a car myself for my wife, and began to notice the quality of pictures and descriptions were varied. Some were great, most were mediocre or poor, and some were nonexistent. This is what drives the buyers to want to buy your car, next to price. You still have to be competitive there. But the whole reason they’re online is to make their experience EASIER.

#2) Respond to your leads. After shopping, I would say 80% of the dealers I contacted NEVER RESPONDED. What? That doesn’t make sense, you say. But it’s true! And one of them was even rude. I mean, people are online to get away from this!

#3) Your dealer website is your #2 resource for local business. People know there’s a Nissan/Toyota/Dodge dealer nearby, so they search for them. Search for your dealership and make sure you pop up at the top.

Next, when people get on your site, make sure it takes no more than one very very obvious click to get to your pre-owned and new inventory. If it takes more, people click off. There’s another dealer down the road.

And make sure you have pictures, 9-15, on every car. If you have a lot service then you should be good in this area, just make sure they’re coming on a day during the week when you normally get cars from the auction. And if you’re doing them yourself (like we’re moving to do), then stay on it! There’s no excuse not to take 15+ pictures of every car. People buy or not buy based on the pictures.

Remember, there’s two main reasons people are searching online. #1, they’re tired of being lied to and drug around by salespeople (or think they are anyways). And #2, it’s more convenient. And if you have the better presentation online, they’re more likely to come see you because they feel better informed. And that’s your goal for the internet, to make your customer better informed about your product. Because if you don’t, I will, and I’ll earn their business.

By the way, there was just an article in Digital Dealer about local online ad spending going up 48% for 2008!

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