Dealers that get it

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 and lead generation that when you talk about online brand marketing it can be difficult for dealers to grasp.

“How can I measure the number of leads/sales I get from showing up high in the search results?” is one question often asked.

The great thing about marketing your business online by way of Search is YOU CAN MEASURE its impact through what is known as quantification.

When you advertise your autos on 3rd party sites such as Autotrader.com and Cars.com, not only can you expect leads to come in by way of vehicle inquiries from these sites, but also you can expect increased traffic to your website and your showroom because these shoppers also seek you out virtually and physically. Tracking the increased business not accounted for as email leads is a challenge, but as time goes on you should be able to “quantify” a general increase in business for your retail center which you can attribute some, if not all of it to your 3rd Party subscription depending on your other marketing efforts. The reason why is because by subscribing to these 3rd Party sites you not only benefit from lead generation, but you also are benefiting residually from limited forms of online brand marketing.

With Search Engine Brand Marketing you have the inverse. Your purpose is to create long-term residual online brand awareness of your business by way of Search Marketing, Link Building, and Social Media. Although you can expect to see an increase in leads from your website, you also can expect a general increase in business everywhere else, including on your 3rd-Party lead generator subscriptions. Your success however is not measured by the number of leads you receive, but by quantifying the overall impact this has on your business through time.

A good example is that of an Internet searcher discovering your dealership for the first time by seeing you appear in Search (PPC and Organic) and maybe even on a social site or two over the course of 2-3 months. Then, when the shopper becomes actively engaged in a search he goes to Cars.com, bumps in to some dealers, including yours, and WHAM!, the user is jolted with a sense of familiarity of having seen you around here and there recently. Suddenly, your retail center has an increased amount of credibility and recognition with this person which makes it all that more likely he will inquire with you.

Dealers that grasp this have an edge on their competition. A simple philosophical shift in how you use the Internet to market your business can have tremendous impact for you in the short-term and the long-term. Applying these principals today will place you a step ahead over the next several years. Failing to do so will make it all that more expensive and cumbersome to do so down the road.