The 2010 car models are here. With MPG still a very big factor in determining which cars we buy, let’s take a look at a few of the 2010 coupe models logging 30-40 MPG.

'10 Cobalt

2010 Chevrolet Cobalt

The 2010 Cobalt is a 2- or 4-door, 5-passenger family coupe, or family sedan, available in 9 trims, ranging from the Base Coupe to the SS Turbocharged Coupe.

Upon introduction, the Base Coupe is equipped with a standard 2.2-liter, I4, 155-horsepower engine that achieves 25-mpg in the city and 35-mpg on the highway. The SS Turbocharged Coupe is equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I4, 260-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 22-mpg in the city and 30-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard on both trims.

The 2010 Cobalt is a carryover from 2009.

'10 Focus

2010 Ford Focus

The 2010 Focus is a 2- or 4-door, 5-passenger family coupe, or family sedan, available in 6 trims, ranging from the SE Coupe to the SEL Sedan.

Upon introduction, both trims are equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I4, 140-horsepower engine. A 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional.

The 2010 Focus is a carryover from 2009.

'10 Genesis

2010 Hyundai Genesis

The 2010 Genesis comes standard with enough room for 4 passengers, a Manual transmission, a L4 engine, and a RWD drivetrain. . You can compare the Hyundai with other submodels, and find other information on this Coupe like photos, specs, rebates & incentives, crash test ratings and safety facts, basic warranty of 5 yr. / 60,000 mi, EPA fuel economy rating and gas mileage of 30 miles per gallon, and much more.

*Car descriptions courtesy of autos.yahoo..com

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“Trying to increase sales simply by driving more traffic to a website with a poor customer conversion rate is like trying to keep a leaky bucket full by adding more water instead of plugging the holes.” - Bryan Eisenberg

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Now I know a lot of people will disagree with my title, but before you make a decision to disregard this post take a look at these statistics

• 80% of consumers in the new car market use the Internet in their buying process-J.D. Power & Associates.
• Insight Express for Google states, “3 out of 4 online consumers looking for an automobile dealer use a search engine to find the dealer.”
• 92% of all people who call your dealership have visited 3 or more automotive web sites.  1 out of 3 are looking for price….2 out of 3 are looking for a place to do business.

I am in no way downplaying the importance of a good salesperson, merely pointing out the fact that what people find or don’t find out about your dealership on the Internet plays a vital role as to whether or not they show up at your dealership for a test drive. Think about it this way, actual salespeople on the floor are only able to work with people that come into the dealership. If you have an ineffective Internet presence, then the chances are slim to none that online car shoppers will find you. Even worse, they might end up finding your competitors.

Instead, turn your website into an additional member of your salesforce with a customized virtual showroom combined with our proven search engine marketing techniques. These strategies work together to make a powerful statement about your dealership, and assist you in completely dominating your market. We have a variety of programs aimed at increasing your online brand awareness, as well as no cost consultations to help you formulate a program specific to your goals and objectives.

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As many of you know President Obama recently signed into law the Cash For Clunkers federal stimulus program, which provides up to $4,500 to car owners who trade in their old “clunker” for a new, more fuel efficient vehicle. Consumers can begin to qualify for the program starting July 1st and it continues until November 1st– specific rules for the program are still being worked out by the NHTSA and should be announced by the end of July.

Since its inception, several websites have been set up to offer assistance regarding the legislation. On of the most popular tools is the Clunker Calculator found on www.CashForClunkersInformation.org which helps consumers quickly determine if their current vehicle meets the 18 mpg or fewer requirements to qualify for the $4,500 voucher, as well as a list of vehicles that are ideal candidates for the vouchers. The site also offers consumers the ability to get product and pricing information directly from dealers online.

According to a recent article by Wards Dealer Business dealers can start to prepare for the new legislation by:

1. Preparing the dealership staff members ensure they are knowlegable enough to field basic questions from customers.
2. Increasing your advertising-now is a great time to increase your Internet marketing budget to ensure you are the go to source for people interested in taking advantage of the new legislation.
3. Getting the right inventory- Ideally smaller vehicles with high gas mileage, for a more detailed listing refer to website listed above.
4. Establish a process for the paperwork for scrapped vehicles.
5. Working with your finance companies. Be proactive and establish back-up financing, in case of rejected loan applications–most people driving older vehicles are doing so because they don’t qualify for newer ones.

Search Optics offers a variety of programs including microsites, plug-ins and marketing programs to assist you with promoting the new cash for clunkers program.

Cash for Clunkers

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It makes sense if you think about it.  When times are tough financially, people are going to try and cut costs any way they can.  And one of those ways is by trying to fix things on their own.  Although some auto makers have taken a hit in the current recession there is one area that has experienced an increase in sales: service and parts.  In fact, according to a recent CNN article service business is up as much as 16%.

In addition to spending more money to make sure their current car keeps running by getting service, some consumers are going even further.   They are taking matters into their own hands and trying to fix their cars at home.  In fact, stores that specialize in selling auto parts, like The AutoZone have seen a rapid increase in parts customers. More and more people are trying to avoid purchasing a new car or even paying for service by trying to get the parts and fix their cars themselves.

Some dealers are choosing to capitalize on the boom of DIY car owners by creating custom part sites, or adding targeted parts campaigns to their PPC.  According to Google Insights for Search this is a good move.  This Google tool, which lets you see trends in searches, reveals that searches for various car-related terms are up as much as 180%:

In order to help our customers take advantage of the boom in parts business, Search Optics works with dealers to create custom parts sites.  The sites allow customers to shop for OEM parts online and then have them shipped to anywhere in the country.  Recently we’ve seen many of these sites experience an increase in traffic as customers take a more hands-on approach to their car maintenance.

With more people rolling up their sleeves and taking repair into their own hands, parts sites are a great way to gain new customers.  And having sites that can ship anywhere in the entire country is a great way to expand business.  If you’re looking to explore an exciting new avenue for your dealership, ask your Search Optics representative about our custom parts sites today!

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For all you tweeters, Twitter is a two-way street. You’ll only get out of it what you put into it. You should be on Twitter at least 2-3 times per week seeking out and following Tweeters related to your industry. You should also make it easy for other Tweeters find you. The first tip involves logging on to Twitter and searching for Tweeters related to your industry. For example, if you’re a Honda dealership I would start by searching for the word Honda. There are a lot of relevant results to build your following list. The more people you follow, the more will follow you. After all, you’re trying to have your Tweets gain as much visibility as possible.

The second approach is making people aware they can follow you on Twitter. Your customers already know they can find you on your website; don’t just place a “Follow us on Twitter” logo on your homepage. You need to give your customers a reason to follow you on Twitter. “Follow us on Twitter for Twitter-exclusive specials”. Twitter can be more for your business besides an everybody-is-on-it-so-I-should-be-on-it thing.

eMarketer.com reports that “comScore reported that Twitter.com drew 4 million unique visitors from home, work and college/university locations in February 2009, up from 340,000 a year earlier—a 1,086% increase.

Nielsen Online reported 7 million unique visitors to Twitter.com during the month, up even higher—1,381%—from 475,000 the prior year.” Those are pretty gaudy numbers for a simple micro-blogging site. Twitter has certainly grabbed the attention of every major player in Silicon Valley; the keyword “google buy twitter” on Google.com has 250,000,000 search results.

Whether Twitter fizzles out over time or not, it’s currently the hottest site on the internet. Take advantage if you can to build and communicate with your customer base. Be active on Twitter and it can help grow your brand.

To help dealers further enhance and protect their brand image online Search Optics offers a social media and reputation monitoring program that monitors, manages and updates your profiles on popular web 2.0 sites so you don’t have to. Contact Search Optics today to learn more.

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“The Google SERPs are like the 10 seats in the front row of a hot concert. If you can get some strong friends to help you fill up the front row and keep the bum rushers and hecklers away – you’ll enjoy a perfect view with no hassles or interruptions.” Brett Borders

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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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