Best Practices for Search Engine Marketing

 

Auto Lead Providers vs. Auto Dealer Websites

 

There is no doubt the search engine Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing campaigns increase automobile dealership sales and offer a favorable advertising Return on Investment (ROI).  It works so well that Third party lead provider company’s like Autobytel, Dealix, Auto Trader, Next Tag, Vehix, etc. are currently using search engine Pay Per Click to assure top positioning on the first page of search engine results. When a prospective auto buyer clicks on the third party lead provider’s listing, they are directed to the third party’s website and persuaded to register to receive free competitive quotes on vehicles from various local dealerships.  The third party lead provider subsequently sells the inquiry as a lead to as many of the local dealerships as possible. 

An important question to ask is, “why pay third party lead providers, when a dealership can utilize Pay Per Click and bring prospective automobile buyers to its own website?”  The dealership’s website has more tools than the third party lead provider, and shields the buyer from competing dealerships.  

Third-party online lead referral services continue to supply Internet leads to the nation's top automobile dealership Internet operations. Dealers are becoming increasingly skeptical about the value of these services and below are some recent dealer comments regarding third party lead providers:

 

One Internet manager, who is in Wards top 100, relies only on his Web site for leads. He is signed up to receive leads from manufacturer sites, only because they're free.  He says that he is saving money and that he can get the same amount of leads and even more sales through his website

 

The Internet director for the Jim Koons Automotive Group, relates that Web Marketing Campaigns are working to bring qualified buyers to their website. 

 

The Internet Director for Trophy Nissan, the largest volume Nissan dealership in the Nation,  brought Internet sales from 40 to 60 a month to averaging over 15 per month via Pay Per Click Marketing Campaigns.

 

Successful Web Marketing

 

One strategy for a successful online marketing campaign is to obtain leads directly from a dealership website via Pay Per Click search engine campaigns.  However, simply directing a searcher to a website will not necessarily result in a lead or sale to the dealership.  The website must be constructed and maintained to engage visitors and encourage their contact with the dealership

 

A successful web-based lead generation campaign will include the following phases:

 

1. Driving qualified traffic to your site -- CONNECT

2. Creating the proper selling environment -- CAPTURE

3. Utilizing techniques to convert visitors into customers -- CLOSE

4. Measuring the results and adjusting as needed -- QUANTIFY

 

Phase1: CONNECT - Drive QUALIFIED Traffic to Your Website

The visitor that comes from the search engine is actively looking for information on a specific make and model car – Cadillac. This is similar to someone who opens the Yellow Pages to look for a company that sells a specific product or service. In both examples, the visitor is often ready to buy and is just looking for the best seller.

 

So, depending on how competitive your offering is compared with the offerings of other online merchants, often is a deciding factor for the prospective buyer.  If you have the strongest selling environment and your price is competitive, then you will be in a good position to convert the visitor into a customer.  If your competition has a stronger selling environment or a better price, then you may lose the order. 

 

On the Internet, it is absolutely crucial that Specials, Rebates, Incentives, Special Pricing, and Low Interest Rates be clearly positioned for the prospective buyer to read and understand. 

 

Phase 2: CAPTURE - The Proper Selling Environment

The Selling Environment is what will convince your website visitors to become your customers. Everything that visitors experience AFTER they arrive at a Web site is part of the Selling Environment. Some examples include:

 

• Design of the site

• Sales copy

• Mechanisms to capture names and email addresses of your prospects

• Communication methods such as a toll-free number and live chat

• Following up with your prospects via a time tested process that produces positive results

 

It's important to create the proper selling environment BEFORE the initiation of the Pay Per Click Campaign. Otherwise, time and money will be wasted by attracting visitors to the website.  

Phase 3: CLOSE - Utilize Proven Techniques to Convert the Prospect into a Customer

The sales processes implemented in the vast majority of dealerships are tried and true and have produced excellent results for decades.  There is no reason to further discuss this phase as we are truly not the experts.

 

Phase 4: QUANTIFY - Measure the Results and Adjust as Needed

No one can predict the outcome of any marketing campaign with perfect accuracy. Successful marketing comes out of a never-ending cycle of testing and refining.  The sales copy and the selling environment must be examined over and over again to determine if these elements are doing their job effectively, or if they could be improved.

 

Automobile dealerships must continually analyze their websites to ensure that once the visitor is there, that he or she will do what the dealership wants him or her to do – phone, email or visit the dealership so that they can be converted from a visitor to a customer.  There is really no doubt about it, web marketing is a journey, and a continual examination of the content and functionality is important to maximize sales results.