Monthly : December 2007

The Internet is changing the way people buy cars. A recent video released by Capgemeni suggests that: 29% referred to consumer-to-consumer sites like blogs and forums when researching information 78% of respondents rely on search engines. 1 in 5 say they are likely to buy a car online. 2 of 3 say personalized offers influence [...]

When it comes to the idea of Big Brother, Google really tops the list these days. Google knows more about your website than you do, which makes search engine marketing all that more interesting because even when you are implementing ineffective or harmful methods of which you are not aware, Google and the other engines [...]

There is so much jabber in the automotive blogosphere today about how blogging and social media/netoworking/marketing are becoming relevant to automotive retail you would think it is becoming the “next big thing”. But just like PPC 3 years ago became the prominent buzz word in automotive online retail promising dealers the opportunity to become their [...]

As stated in previous posts, the idea of brand marketing is not a new concept for car dealers. They have been doing it off line for decades with conventional advertising such as radio, TV, and print. But the car business has manifested in such a limited way on the Internet with its emphasis on conversion [...]

Short-term thinking is a dangerous practice no matter what business you are in. For auto dealers, however, it seems that the consequences for it are not as dire. Or are they? Earlier this year, an auto group was formed which acquired a handful of dealerships. Naturally, along with the acquisitions also came vendor relationships and [...]

When speaking recently with a dealer friend, we got on the subject of brand awareness. His auto group consists of nearly a dozen stores concentrated in one metropolitan area. They have been around for some time now and naturally they are a well-known brand in their physical geo market. However when we got on the [...]

As stated in a recent DDM article by Aimee Romero, one of the most important aspects of advertising is repetition. Romero goes on to suggest that when “many marketing media multiply that repetition, it becomes more powerful.” Some suggestions that she cites are: All of your marketing should include links to your web site. Your [...]

Search Engine Brand Marketing is an important beast for dealers to wrap their heads around. The reason why is because of where the Web is headed, not because of where it is today. Your dealership is a local community business with regional reach and part of multi-billion dollar franchise brand. Unleash the power of YOUR [...]

When you explore the topography today on the topic of search engine marketing throughout the auto industry, you will find there are common misuses and misunderstandings about certain key concepts and terminology. This causes long-term problems for dealers because they are getting caught up in contracts with the wrong expectations. It’s like PPC all over [...]

Your site is well-optimized. Your page titles are well-researched and carefully selected. Your keywords are consolidated, dense, and relevant. You are now in position to quickly become the authority in your targeted search markets. In fact, a few weeks go by and you are climbing the ranks, “top of the pile” as some say. But [...]