We know that one of the key issues facing dealers at the moment is how to best manage their internet presence – in terms of resources, budget and time. Following we have compiled some of the most common questions we receive from dealers, and our views on them.
How do I maximize my online presence in line with my budget and resources?
Put your stock where the most people are looking. It makes sense to choose a provider who gets the most traffic – Trade Me runs auctions and classifieds and they put a great deal of money and effort into optimizing their search results in Google, so you don’t have to! We suggest following this plan. Put 60% of your marketing spend into online classifieds, 30% into promoting those listings so they stand out, and 10% managing leads and your staff to make sure those leads are being followed up.
How do I encourage people to look at and buy from my online listings?
Once your inventory is online, use any upgrade features that your provider offers as ‘arrows’ to drive viewers to your listings. Feature your listings so they are highlighted and pushed to the top of searches. If you have a website add a hyperlink to your listings. This will drive traffic into your website. Showcase your vehicles all together with your company branding, logo and promotional text. The more arrows pointing to your stock = more views = more enquiries.
How do I create a point of difference within my online advertising and differentiate my dealership from others who advertise in the same place?
Once you get your stock online, you need to drive traffic to it.
- Make sure your main photo for each listing is fantastic, showing the vehicle at its best.
- Make sure there is as much information as possible about your stock and dealership. Tell a story about each vehicle. Include as many descriptive keywords, features and unique selling
points as you can - Promote your dealership’s services – what extra services do you offer? Focusing on service attracts.
more leads. - Entice viewers by running a campaign or special deal. Do you have any specials coming up for the Christmas period? Are you running any competitions? Are you giving anything away with purchase? People love a bargain, so promote any services, competitions or deals in all your listings as well as your website.
How do I bridge the gap between online and offline sales?
Develop a solid marketing and sales plan:
- Work the 60/30/10 plan and use your classifieds website and all it provides to its capacity.
- Put the same effort into selling your car online as you do into selling your car offline on your yard.
- Ensure your staff following up on all enquiries and provide easy directions to your dealership.
- Provide a rapid connection with the customer.
How do I promote my website and get more traffic to it?
You can pay for Search Engine Optimisation to drive more traffic to your site, but why not utilise a classified website already available and working successfully? Promote your website by adding the address to all of your business cards, email signatures, signage, stationery and brochures. Even better, get a hyperlink to your website from all of your online listings. When someone is already sitting at their computer there is much more chance of them clicking into your website rather than trying to remember the address. The more arrows that point viewers to your website, the better.
How do I get better qualified leads and drive a higher conversion rate from those leads?
To give online viewers the confidence to make an enquiry, ensure that you have quality listings with good photos and lots of information about your business and services. This is essential. Make sure that you have a tight follow up process for your staff to help bridge the gap between conversions and sales. It is vital that your staff are following up on all internet enquiries quickly and effectively. Speed is extremely important to consumers. Invest in a smartphone so you can reply to emails immediately. No matter how odd every enquiry should be followed up. We know that enquiries that are answered promptly are significantly more likely to convert to sales.
What are the tools required to convert internet leads to sales?
- Reply to email leads immediately
- and appropriately (get a smartphone). Give prospects confidence that you know what you are talking about, and be happy with the customer service they are receiving. Ensure that your replies include:
- Knowledge – Answers are thorough and informative to create creditability with the customer
- Proposition – What is your point of difference? Are you running any deals? Do you offer any special finance packages? Do you have similar vehicles?
- Offer – Have a call to action. Offer other vehicles within their budget, a test drive, or a chat over a coffee or beer (if it’s Friday of course!) to discuss your vehicles and proposition further.
Other than using online classifieds, what should I be doing regarding advertising, such as a banner ad on Trade Me?
Look at the plan – put your money into the place that will get you the most sales. Most large sites have banner advertising starting at around $10,000 per week, which is often shared with other advertisers. Go back to the 60/30/10 plan and distribute your budget accordingly - where you are getting the most exposure and the most bang for your buck?
Try this - pull out a piece of paper and draft up a 60/30/10 plan using the budget you spent last month. Try some of these suggestions, utilize others strengths, follow up every enquiry and make sure you take great photos and use the maximum allowance. Every little bit helps to make a difference once you have these things in place. And once you do, work on fine tuning them and enhancing them. As Dale Carnegie said: “Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.”
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