Ally Next Practices - A11

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

for: a sunroof, not a "rearview dimming
mirror" or other lackluster factory
descriptions. And if you are selling a car
with a sunroof, make sure there's a photo
of that sunroof. "Once you post your
inventory, your
cars are going to
appear in hundreds
of online searches,"
says Jasen Rice,
founder of Lotpop,
Jasen Rice
which helps
dealerships manage their inventory.
"Regularly double-check what is going to
be posted online, and make sure no cars
are missing from your inventory."

GIVE THE
CUSTOMER
REASONS TO
CHOOSE YOU-AND NOT
JUST A PRICE: "Dealers
need to be students of the market and
understand what their competitors are
doing-and what they offer compared
to you," says former dealer Adam
Tobias, co-founder of DealerCue, which
provides software to dealerships. "Give
the customer a reason to choose you,
and give your salespeople something
to talk about with their customers."
If you offer free maintenance after a
purchase or free car washes or pick up
and delivery on service visits, use that
information on your website and in your
messaging on social media. Explain the
250-point inspection you do on preowned inventory, and tell shoppers that
you put new tires on every pre-owned
vehicle. "Let customers know everything
you have done to set yourself apart,"
Tobias says.

Don't forget about paid search ads:
Although organic search is a successful
source for leads, a dealership shouldn't
ignore paid search ads. "Yes, the vast
majority of consumers will skip the paid
ads at the top of search results," says
Greg Gifford, vice president of search for
DealerOn. "But we know that if you're
showing up in paid ads, the people who
do click on those paid ads convert at
a high percentage. You want to catch
those people, the 10 percent to 15
percent who will click on the ads."

REMEMBER THAT
SOCIAL MEDIA IS
NOT JUST ONE
TYPE OF MARKETING
OPPORTUNITY: The variety

"Dealers need to
be students of
the market and
understand what
their competitors
are doing-and
what they offer
compared to you."
- ADAM TOBIAS,
co-founder of
DealerCue

of social platforms-and their ad
opportunities-allows you to reach
different customer groups in different
ways. "One of the most important first
steps in attacking social is getting your
social strategy organized," Jackson
says. "There are so many channels, and
people use them in different ways; it
can be complicated. The first step is
to determine the goal of your social
efforts: Is that driving customers into
the dealership? Brand building? Building
service business? Social media can
be used in so many ways." Although
Facebook is still king, with the largest
number of users, the opportunity to
reach Facebook users with organic
posts is limited. "With Facebook, you
need to have a plan before you use paid
ads," Jackson says. Instagram is more
popular among younger people and is
all about photos and videos. Snapchat,

JUNE 2018 | ally | 11
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ally Next Practices
