With click-to-call ads, we can call businesses at the click of a mobile search result. But most of us, as consumers, don’t really like to call (or wait on hold). So it’s no surprise that Google has been working on something that fits our “make-it-even-more-convenient” mobile preferences: 

Consumers can now text businesses from search results, thanks to Google AdWords “click-to-message” ad extensions. 

Click-to-message extensions were announced in Google's AdWords blog this morning, but they’ve been in beta for a few months. (Actually, Contact At Once! helped Google beta test message extensions using our own AdWords account and Mobile Text Connect platform!) 

How It Works

Your dealership probably already invests in Google AdWords. With the new message extension, consumers searching for dealerships or service in your area will see a “Text” call to action icon if your Google ad appears in their mobile search results. Tapping the icon connects you (the advertiser) to the consumer using their native messaging app. Sleek and simple!

To get started, you need... 

• A Google AdWords account 
• A text-enabled number (or AdWords-specific numbers if attribution tracking is important to you)
• The right processes in place to manage business-to-consumer texting, so consumers get the excellent, seamless experience they want—and you get the answering, tracking and compliance help you need. (Check out this article for more details.) 

You (or the agency that handles AdWords for you) can then...

• Add your text-enabled number(s) to Google AdWords campaigns as part of your "message extensions." 
• Create the copy that will auto-populate as the consumer’s message to you when they tap to text. (“Tell me your current specials.” “I want to schedule a service appointment.” etc.)
• Watch this how-to video for a quick example...and follow AdWords Help Center as needed!

What Shoppers Get

One of the biggest click-to-message benefits for the mobile shopper is the improved experience. Like I mentioned earlier, texting is often preferred over calling a stranger (even a friend). In fact, more than 80% of auto shopper respondents to a recent Contact At Once! Consumer Survey said they’d prefer to use mobile messaging to communicate with a business about purchases. 

Thanks to Google’s click-to-message ad extensions, such shoppers can get an additional opportunity to text with dealerships if they’re ready. They won’t have to be in a time and place where they can make a phone call. They won’t have to download or set up anything new on their phone. They simply type in a search term (like to find a local dealer location or service hours), text their question and go about their business.

Why Dealers Benefit

Letting people text from Google results is one more way to…

• Connect with even more people when it matters most to them - You’ll always be there, ready to talk with consumers wherever they find you, whenever they’re ready to reach out.
• Increase opportunities (sales AND service) - It’s an easy, natural next step for mobile shoppers searching for a local dealership, so why not make it easy for them to connect? Easy methods can mean more inquiries, which can lead to more appointments and deals.
• Turn a one-time search into a long-term conversation - Handle that initial text conversation correctly, and you could keep it going as you guide the shopper through the entire purchase or fixed ops process. Talk about a customer loyalty booster!

So if, like me, you’re excited about what Google click-to-message ad extensions could mean for your business, keep watching your AdWords account for them. Use this time to ensure you have the processes and people in place to open your messaging doors a little wider, guiding more shoppers inside!

People are lazy, including you and me—at least when we’re acting as consumers. It’s not really surprising when you consider that the average adult (25-54) spends most of the day working, according to the American Time Use Survey. We guard our short moments of leisure, putting off what’s not convenient. 

With the right approach, though, your dealership can benefit from such consumer “laziness.” How? You make life easy for car buyers, from sales to service. Dealerships who do, win. 

First, Remember This 

Mobile technology feeds the expectation of everything at our fingertips, from information to paying bills and purchasing items. Even desktops or laptops may seem like too much effort. Why go through the hassle of logging on if I can do it all from the screen at hand (my smartphone)? In fact, my family doesn’t even own a desktop computer or home phone. 

There can be a hefty price for mobile inconvenience, too. A business I used frequently didn’t allow account updates on their mobile site; I had to visit their desktop site. So I did...and canceled. Maybe I’m a lazy consumer, but I’m not alone: 49% of consumers recently changed service providers due to experience-related factors (per a 2015 IBM and Econsultancy study). 

Oh, and that consumer laziness? It extends to phone calls. Just because people spend so much time on their smartphones doesn’t mean they like calling businesses, not if there are other mobile-friendly options. I’m in my mid-30s, and I put off any errands that require a phone call until the very last possible moment. And I’m not alone: Text / mobile messaging has displaced talking as consumers’ preferred interaction, per a recent IDC InfoBrief. 

With That In Mind, Here’s What You Can Do

Become the convenient part of the customer’s day and lower barriers to interacting with your dealership. These four steps are a good start:

1. Empower consumers to do everything via your mobile site or app (or desktop if they so desire). Google followed one shopper through 900+ digital interactions in her search for a car, 71% of which occurred on mobile. Would you have been ready for that shopper? From asking questions to scheduling test drives or service appointments and possibly even making payments or starting finance paperwork, what processes could you move online (or at least start)? Then test those processes on different devices as if you were the customer. That way you’ll know where any hang-ups or irritations are, so you can streamline.
2. Let them choose how to talk with you: text, chat, in-app messaging, phone, etc. If you let them choose their engagement, they may reach out earlier with a question, giving you the chance to win their visit. Plus, the phone calls and in-person meetings you do have may be more effective because they chose to interact with you that way (they weren't forced). 
3. “Remember” them. You’ve been there, filling out the same information about yourself again and again each time you visit the doctor or call your insurance company. So make interactions quick and personal when people engage with your dealership. With text or in-app messaging, for example, you can easily identify customers if they reach out hours, days or months later, pick up conversations where they left off and build on that relationship. 
4. Create a sales-to-service mobile messaging network (here's a quick video example). By offering mobile messaging at every customer touchpoint, you fit into their busy lifestyles. They’ll stay connected with you because it’s easy. They can re-engage with you at the tap of a button, get questions answered, schedule appointments, etc. (That can mean good things for your fixed ops business, not to mention the lifetime value of a happy customer.)

Multiple studies have found that people would buy cars more often if the process wasn’t so difficult—we consumers are lazy, after all. So make the process painless and more mobile-friendly. Appeal to the "lazy" in us all. You’ll likely win more often if you do.