Internet search engines are becoming a crucial way for dealers to connect with car buyers. Times are gone when you could place and ad in the newspaper, television, or radio and watch customers swarm into your dealership. The Internet has now emerged as one of the most popular devices for consumers to educate themselves regarding purchasing a new vehicle. According to a recent study by Insight Express for Google, “3 out of 4 online consumers looking for an automobile dealer use a search engine to find the dealer.” Chances are that if your marketing message is not displayed in front of those consumers, you will miss out on a potential sale.  Many dealers mistakenly believe that because they are conveniently located to their targeted clientele as compared to their competitors that search engine marketing is not a good fit for them. Well, think again…. search engine marketing allows dealers to target various areas, and many target within a 50 mile radius of their location, which could mean that a customer in your own backyard might end up at one of your competitors if you aren’t represented in the search engine listings!

While more auto dealers are shifting money from traditional advertising to search engine marketing, there are still many dealers that have yet to take advantage of the Internet as a tool for bringing in new customers. Many dealers are still spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on traditional methods without a clue as to what’s working. With the current economic conditions, including advertising budget cuts, now more than ever dealers need to know where every allocated dollar has been spent.

The great thing about partnering with Search Optics for your SEM needs is that dealers don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Search Optics has over a decade of experience in generating custom SEM programs specifically for the retail automotive industry that deliver measurable results. Our reporting system gives you precise details as to how your campaign is performing in the form of calls and emails into your dealership, not just “clicks” that other Internet marketing firms tout.

It’s clear that the Internet had changed the way that auto dealers do business.  Dealers who understand the significance of effective SEM will benefit greatly, but those that do not may quickly find themselves going through budgets with no return.

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If you want clicks, I can get you clicks – just say the word. I know a guy who knows a guy. Leads, not clicks, should be the focal point of your monthly reporting since leads are more relevant than clicks. It’s easy to adjust your PPC campaign to bid on broader keywords which will result in more clicks. Would you rather have 1 click from a local user on the keyword, “Honda service san diego” or 10 clicks from national users on the keyword “Honda”? That’s a no-brainer, assuming you’re a Honda dealership in San Diego of course.

Another reason cost per lead is more relevant is because you can compare it to other marketing methods. You’ll find cost per lead for online marketing is far less expensive than TV or radio; as you probably surmised. TV & radio are extremely expensive compared to online marketing. How many people viewed your commercial is less relevant than if it was viewed by the right audience and how many leads it generated.

Do you know for a fact that the commercial you ran generated 5…10…50 leads? Would you rather have 1 warm lead looking for a specific car or 10 cold, shot-in-the-dark leads who aren’t interested in your services at all?

I promise that you wont receive any award at the end of the month for most clicks. It would be rather impressive if your PPC campaign brought in more leads, which result in sales. A famous saying here at Search Optics is that you “can’t close a click.” Meaning that a click is not worth nearly as much as a lead.

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In case you haven’t heard, Microsoft Live Search is now Bing. Microsoft released Bing on June 3, and it’s becoming a strong contender within the industry. Bing offers comparison pricing, reviews, images, and more. Search Optics clients have presence on the new engine, and we will track Bing’s share of search volume and visitor conversions to ensure our clients receive optimal visibility.

Bing

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The surge of social media and networking sites such as Myspace, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook have revolutionized the way that companies are able to connect with their customers. As a result, the need to effectively manage your online identity has become an essential part of an effective online marketing campaign

Social media, when managed properly, can improve your web presence and give you more authority in your field. But, if managed poorly- which can include failing to update regularly or if you start updating then stop, your credibility could decrease. On the Internet the content you create or don’t create isn’t just a reflection of your company-it is your online brand identity. Think about it, what type of message do you want to convey? With over a hundred different social media sites you could easily forget to update, and continuously updating each profile with fresh content can prove to be time consuming and difficult as some sites require programming knowledge.

To streamline the process, Search Optics now offers a social media and reputation management program. Our social media specialists will monitor and create separate profiles on each Web 2.0 site for your dealership, which will reflect the look and feel of your website. We will also update each profile on a weekly basis with fresh content related to the dealership, so you don’t have to. As an added benefit, we will provide you with once a month reporting-including the organic rankings for your dealership name- so you will know exactly how your social media program is performing.

Social media is all about visibility and using Web 2.0 sites to build relationships with the consumers that you want to target, at Search Optics our ultimate goal is to provide you with the tools needed to dominate your niche. If you are interested in learning how your company could benefit from reputation and social media management Contact Search Optics for a free consultation.

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