June 17, 2009 – Dealer.com, the leading provider of online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, today announced that Mark Bonfigli, CEO, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2009 Award in the technology category in New England. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses. Mark Bonfigli was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a gala event at the Marriott Newton Hotel on June 16th.
"I am excited to receive this great honor. I accept it on behalf of the Dealer.com team members who help our clients succeed every day," commented Bonfigli. "Their hard work, dedication and creativity are the driving force behind our industry leadership. From the beginning, we have always had a strong research and development focus to keep our clients two to four years ahead of the competition and this strategy is a significant reason ...

At the NADA show this year I spoke to many, many dealers that when asked if they were doing video they said,

"Yup, I have my TV commercials on my website."

Well, that’s a good start, but that’s not really a video strategy.

Plopping video on your website is fine, but I believe you’ll get better results if you plan your attack and measure your results.
Start with an outline for your dealership website and then fill in the blanks.

Every department should benefit from video. Here’s an example of how you might get started.

Equipment:
You can spend a ton of money on video equipment, but I suggest you walk before you run. Go out and buy a flip video camera for about $200. You may also want to buy a cheap banner with your dealership URL on it for interview purposes etc.

Sales:
Inventory Videos – Look for a product that creates high quality automated videos with no effort on your part. Be sure the product you use has real human voices instead of text-to-speec...

Many of us interact with Dealerships on a daily basis and try to convey how best we can help them save money and acquire new business during these difficult times… however, many of us get so technical with dealers that it’s very easy fly over the heads of our audience with techno-babble and statistic after statistic.
I’ve personally found that when attempting to convey complex theories to those that aren’t exposed to them all the time, it helps to remove ourselves from the dealership world and talk about how folks interact with the internet on a daily basis outside of the microcosms they are in every day.
For example, I was working with a dealership the other day and felt that I wasn’t getting through when talking about Inventory Merchandising. It was a dealership that felt convinced that giving little to no information would prompt website visitors to “call”. We all know that those days are long gone, but the mindset still persists out there…
The point is that ther...

Digital marketing provides your dealership a complete competitive advantage when employed with effective Search Engine Marketing (SEM) strategies. While directing your dealership’s online marketing strategies toward the most effective and profitable website solution, there are a few key questions concerning SEM that you should ask your vendor to ensure digital marketing success.

Google possesses 70% of the market share, which means your SEM strategies must utilize the great advantage Google can offer your SEM, as well as your dealership. More importantly, you need to ask your vendor questions about their pay-per-click programs such as:

* Do I have to commit to a long-term contract?
* How much do I have to spend per month?
* Do I have control over that spend?
* Can I divide my spend throughout different departments such as new and used car sales, service, parts, finance, specials etc.?
* What kind of flexibility do I have to move my spend up and down? ...

Hi guys:

With all the talk in the space today about what solid customer service really means I thought I would post some thoughts...

At the end of the day, regardless of what industry we’re in, we’re all essentially in the customer service business. So the bottom line is that if we’re not taking care of our customers in the most attentive way possible, a competitor will be more than happy to do it. The Internet marketing game is no different. As you consider entering into a relationship with a provider, you’re going to hear a lot of promises, particularly when it comes to customer service. And unless you’re careful, you’re going to learn a really hard lesson about the difference between full service and lip service.

Profit from experience.
In any business, particularly one as dynamic as Internet marketing, it pays to work with someone who understands what’s happening today and who knows enough to make an educated guess as to what will happen tomorrow. So it stan...

When your dealership is in the market to purchase a new web solution, it’s difficult to wade through the sea of differing opinions and sales pitches you will receive. Some vendors offer custom solutions to bring a dealer’s vision to life, while others offer customized template solutions that incorporate proven, time-tested designs.
Which is better for you? Keep in mind there are a number of important factors you should keep in mind when choosing a new vendor. Design, customer service and search engine marketing and optimization capabilities are all critical components to a successful dealer/vendor relationship.
But ultimately, you must never forget the purpose of your web site, which is to convert visitors into leads. If your web site is drawing a large number of visitors every month but only a small percentage are submitting their information or calling you, then there’s a problem. When it comes to your web site, conversion is the only metric that really matters.
Keeping this...