Facebook has started a push to attract car dealers into their Facebook Marketplace which is powered by Oodle. The image shown above was part of an email solicitation campaign that reach one of my dealer clients to offer their automotive advertising package.

According to the Facebook marketing website, your subscription with Oodle Pro will display your cars on Facebook as well as a number of other websites in the Oodle network.  Do you think that Facebook could create a competitive automotive marketplace challenge to Autotrader.com and Cars.com?

The Facebook Marketplace Pitch

Here are some excerpts from the Facebook Marketplace website:

• Showcase vehicle inventory on Facebook Marketplace. Your listings get top placement in search results on Facebook Marketplace and across the Oodle network to maximize exposure.
• Open your dealership to millions of potential buyers across Facebook Marketplace and the Oodle Network. Reach local audiences and millions of prospective buyers. Access to more than 500 million people on Facebook Marketplace.
• With Oodle Pro, one service automatically lets you post to over 250 sites including: Oodle, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace Classifieds, and more. Manage all of your listings in one place, making it easy to stay on top of your business – no more need to post your listings on website after website.
• No social media experience needed — a simple, easy to use setup, gets you up and running quickly, and makes it easy to begin reaching millions of people right away. Hassle-free product support, detailed help topics, and feature-specific tutorials give you all the support you'll need to be successful.

If anyone has been using the Facebook Marketplace for their car inventory, please share your results. I am familiar with the Oodle network outside of Facebook but not their ability to market cars within Facebook. I was also a bit suspicious that they are hawking this service to advertising car inventory on Twitter and MySpace, which qualify for "Weak Ideas of the Week".

Shopping For a Car on Facebook

Once you reach Facebook Marketplace, you can click on Cars in the top navigation as shown below which pops up a box to help you narrow down your search criteria.

Once you click on "submit" you will see a listing of cars for sale, not unlike any other automotive advertising portal. So I clicked on a 2007 Chevy Cobalt that appeared in my list, and this is the Vehicle Detail Page I was presented.

I wanted to experience how I would communicate with the seller so I clicked on the RESPOND button at the top of the listing and I had to give Facebook Marketplace access to my profile. This is where things started to go off the tracks for me. Recently I accepted an App that wreaked havoc on my friends so we have to assume the Marketplace will not abuse this access.

Once I granted permission to access my profile, a message box appeared which will allow me to contact the seller as shown below:

Car Dealer Inventory on Facebook

I decided to look at car dealer listings that appeared for my search and Sheehy Ford of Springfield appeared in the list. The car did not have any photos and in fact, all the dealers that I saw on the first few pages had photos missing. Here is what the Vehicle Detail Page looked like:

This is one ugly Vehicle Detail Page in my opinion. Since I gave access to my profile, the form at the bottom of the page to contact the dealer is pre-filled with some bacsic information from my profile.

How Much Does it Cost?

As you can see from the pricing chart below, you can list up to 500 cars a month for $499 if you go month to month. If you want to syndicate more than 500 cars, you need to request special pricing.

What Do You Think?

So what do you think about Facebook Marketplace for automotive advertising?

The Marketplace application was very slow from my computer so I would like some feedback is speed was also an issue from your PC.

Our recent survey of automotive shoppers indicated that "ease of use" of the shopping interface was the most important factor in selecting a website to shop for a car.  This current version falls short in my opinion of creating a positive shopping experience.  What do you think?

Facebook has started a push to attract car dealers into their Facebook Marketplace which is powered by Oodle. The image shown above was part of an email solicitation campaign that reach one of my dealer clients to offer their automotive advertising package.

According to the Facebook marketing website, your subscription with Oodle Pro will display your cars on Facebook as well as a number of other websites in the Oodle network.  Do you think that Facebook could create a competitive automotive marketplace challenge to Autotrader.com and Cars.com?

The Facebook Marketplace Pitch

Here are some excerpts from the Facebook Marketplace website:

• Showcase vehicle inventory on Facebook Marketplace. Your listings get top placement in search results on Facebook Marketplace and across the Oodle network to maximize exposure.
• Open your dealership to millions of potential buyers across Facebook Marketplace and the Oodle Network. Reach local audiences and millions of prospective buyers. Access to more than 500 million people on Facebook Marketplace.
• With Oodle Pro, one service automatically lets you post to over 250 sites including: Oodle, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace Classifieds, and more. Manage all of your listings in one place, making it easy to stay on top of your business – no more need to post your listings on website after website.
• No social media experience needed — a simple, easy to use setup, gets you up and running quickly, and makes it easy to begin reaching millions of people right away. Hassle-free product support, detailed help topics, and feature-specific tutorials give you all the support you'll need to be successful.

If anyone has been using the Facebook Marketplace for their car inventory, please share your results. I am familiar with the Oodle network outside of Facebook but not their ability to market cars within Facebook. I was also a bit suspicious that they are hawking this service to advertising car inventory on Twitter and MySpace, which qualify for "Weak Ideas of the Week".

Shopping For a Car on Facebook

Once you reach Facebook Marketplace, you can click on Cars in the top navigation as shown below which pops up a box to help you narrow down your search criteria.

Once you click on "submit" you will see a listing of cars for sale, not unlike any other automotive advertising portal. So I clicked on a 2007 Chevy Cobalt that appeared in my list, and this is the Vehicle Detail Page I was presented.

I wanted to experience how I would communicate with the seller so I clicked on the RESPOND button at the top of the listing and I had to give Facebook Marketplace access to my profile. This is where things started to go off the tracks for me. Recently I accepted an App that wreaked havoc on my friends so we have to assume the Marketplace will not abuse this access.

Once I granted permission to access my profile, a message box appeared which will allow me to contact the seller as shown below:

Car Dealer Inventory on Facebook

I decided to look at car dealer listings that appeared for my search and Sheehy Ford of Springfield appeared in the list. The car did not have any photos and in fact, all the dealers that I saw on the first few pages had photos missing. Here is what the Vehicle Detail Page looked like:

This is one ugly Vehicle Detail Page in my opinion. Since I gave access to my profile, the form at the bottom of the page to contact the dealer is pre-filled with some bacsic information from my profile.

How Much Does it Cost?

As you can see from the pricing chart below, you can list up to 500 cars a month for $499 if you go month to month. If you want to syndicate more than 500 cars, you need to request special pricing.

What Do You Think?

So what do you think about Facebook Marketplace for automotive advertising?

The Marketplace application was very slow from my computer so I would like some feedback is speed was also an issue from your PC.

Our recent survey of automotive shoppers indicated that "ease of use" of the shopping interface was the most important factor in selecting a website to shop for a car.  This current version falls short in my opinion of creating a positive shopping experience.  What do you think?

Car dealers are turning to a second career to jumpstart their online sales: movie director.  Consumer engagement in social media coupled with the popularity of online review sites has forced car dealers to rethink their automotive advertising strategies.

Video production which was once was cost prohibitive for dealers to do themselves has now become an affordable tool for creative automotive professionals. In growing numbers, car dealers are turning to FlipCam video cameras to create video testimonials for their customers, walk around car videos and now a move to create social media viral videos.

These videos are being integrated into their websites, Google Maps, Facebook and loaded on popular video websites like YouTube to extend the reach of their brand.  Customer testimonial videos are becoming standard operating procedure as studies show that consumers trust their peers five times more than a statement from an automotive dealer. 

One of the newest place to leverage a car dealer's video testimonials in on Google Maps. 

I recommend that you load a new car, used car and service testimonial video to your Google Maps listings. 

You should also add 3 or 4  good photos of customers getting delivery of cars and delete those photos of your building.  When you enhance you Google Maps listings with positive eneergy, watch what happens to your click through statistics.

Pioneers in this field of FlipCam videos include Tim Jennings, Ken Beam, Christine Knowles, and a host of advance thinkers who have made their websites come alive with multimedia.  One of the rising stars in automotive videos is Acton Toyota who first made me laugh with their A++ Toyota Warranty videos.

Get Ready To Laugh - Can You Translate Boston Speak?

If you want to see a great video for a revenue source that most dealers ignore, click on this link:  Toyota Extended Warranty

Toyota Dealer Shines for FlipCam

One innovative car dealers has been nationally recognized for their innovative videos using a FlipCam is Acton Toyota.  The Boston Toyota dealership was recently featured in the national magazine "Toyota Today" for their spoof videos that were inspired by the popular Mac vs PC TV commercials.

Acton Toyota had no previous film or editing experience yet their videos have attracted thousands of visitors to their websites. The recent article in Toyota Today highlights that car dealers are just beginning to embrace social media communications that include these creative viral videos.

With the ease of which the FlipCam can create videos, more car dealers should investigate how they can bring their static websites alive with tutorials, testimonials, better display of the cars they sell and warm introductions for the services they offer.

I would estimate that less that 10% of all car dealers in the United States have testimonial videos on their website or integrated into their social media processes.  He who acts first will increase their marketshare and brand awareness.  Are you ready? 

Car dealers are turning to a second career to jumpstart their online sales: movie director.  Consumer engagement in social media coupled with the popularity of online review sites has forced car dealers to rethink their automotive advertising strategies.

Video production which was once was cost prohibitive for dealers to do themselves has now become an affordable tool for creative automotive professionals. In growing numbers, car dealers are turning to FlipCam video cameras to create video testimonials for their customers, walk around car videos and now a move to create social media viral videos.

These videos are being integrated into their websites, Google Maps, Facebook and loaded on popular video websites like YouTube to extend the reach of their brand.  Customer testimonial videos are becoming standard operating procedure as studies show that consumers trust their peers five times more than a statement from an automotive dealer. 

One of the newest place to leverage a car dealer's video testimonials in on Google Maps. 

I recommend that you load a new car, used car and service testimonial video to your Google Maps listings. 

You should also add 3 or 4  good photos of customers getting delivery of cars and delete those photos of your building.  When you enhance you Google Maps listings with positive eneergy, watch what happens to your click through statistics.

Pioneers in this field of FlipCam videos include Tim Jennings, Ken Beam, Christine Knowles, and a host of advance thinkers who have made their websites come alive with multimedia.  One of the rising stars in automotive videos is Acton Toyota who first made me laugh with their A++ Toyota Warranty videos.

Get Ready To Laugh - Can You Translate Boston Speak?

If you want to see a great video for a revenue source that most dealers ignore, click on this link:  Toyota Extended Warranty

Toyota Dealer Shines for FlipCam

One innovative car dealers has been nationally recognized for their innovative videos using a FlipCam is Acton Toyota.  The Boston Toyota dealership was recently featured in the national magazine "Toyota Today" for their spoof videos that were inspired by the popular Mac vs PC TV commercials.

Acton Toyota had no previous film or editing experience yet their videos have attracted thousands of visitors to their websites. The recent article in Toyota Today highlights that car dealers are just beginning to embrace social media communications that include these creative viral videos.

With the ease of which the FlipCam can create videos, more car dealers should investigate how they can bring their static websites alive with tutorials, testimonials, better display of the cars they sell and warm introductions for the services they offer.

I would estimate that less that 10% of all car dealers in the United States have testimonial videos on their website or integrated into their social media processes.  He who acts first will increase their marketshare and brand awareness.  Are you ready? 

Dealers spend thousands of dollars a year on designing a good website. Then they spend thousands of dollars a year to add video, chat, vAuto, SEO and SEM to their websites. They invest in branding on radio, TV and newspaper as well.

Then dealers unknowingly make decisions to make sure consumers DO NOT GET to their website for popular search phrases on the search engines.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

One day, dealers were told it was a "good" idea to send their inventory to 3, 5, 8 or 10 "free" inventory listing websites that promised to create significant leads and relevance to their business.

Inventory feed providers, website providers all bought the sales pitch. Funny, not many dealers have gone back to look just how many leads are coming in from these "free" sites? Even less have decided to take any action once they saw that these free sites were NOT producing meaningful results.

Dealers concluded, what can it hurt me to send my inventory....it's free. Guess what. It's NOT free. It has a real Cost.

So, I wrote a post this week that I though would elicit more responses, but it didn't. I think I just gave too much information, so I'll say it one more time, using graphics. Dealers are allowing their inventory to be used against them.
 

They are allowing free websites to push their own websites off of Google Page One.

I did a simple search on Yahoo, which was: " Indianapolis Silverado for sale" and I documented Page 1 and Page 2 of the search results. You should test a few local phrases and see who comes up on Page One.

Take a look at the screen shots at the bottom of this page and take note that:
 

1. There are NO car dealers in organic search results on Page One or Two.
2. Go back and read point #1.
3. Free listing websites that sell your leads or show competitor listings are on Page 1 and 2 and NO car dealer websites are one Page 1 or 2.
4. KBB is using your inventory feed to create car detail pages with lead generation links to:
   
   1. Cars.com
   2. FundingWay.com
   3. Presenting competing dealer banner ads
   4. Presenting banner ads that go to OEM websites
5. Oodle is using your inventory feed to create car detail pages with lead generation links to:
   1. Your competitors using Google Adsense
   2. Presenting banner ads that go to OEM websites
6. LemonFree is using your inventory feed to create car detail pages with lead generation links to:
   1. Your competitors comparable listings in their network
   2. Competitors using Google Adsense

Do I have to keep going?

Many dealers are PAYING Autotrader.com to advertise their cars and even AT is being pushed down in the ranking by free and pseudo-free websites that are NOT dealer centric models. The irony is that dealers are sending their inventory to free sites that are pushing even AutoTrader.com down in the rankings.

Anyone looking for a reason WHY Autotrader.com leads may be down in your market? It just may be your own actions!

How many leads a month are you getting from these FREE sites?

Driving Sales Members..please listen.

STOP SENDING YOUR INVENTORY to "free" sites that are using your inventory to create landing pages by car model that: 

• sell your competitors cars
• create leads that are sold to your competitors
• generate ad revenue for someone else
• that push your own website pages off Google Page One

Call your inventory management service like HomeNet, Dealer Specialties, etc. and tell them to ONLY send your inventory advertising services that DELIVER results like Autotrader.com, Cars.com or any site THAT YOU HAVE PROVEN is not hurting you and is delivering real sales each month.

Get it in writing and then search for VIN numbers that you have in stock the following month. Need proof? See the images below.

Does ANYONE think that at least ONE Chevrolet Dealer should be showing up on Yahoo Page One or Page Two???
 

What is your response?

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing

http://twitter.com/automotiveseo

http://facebook.com/pcgdigitalmarketing

Dealers spend thousands of dollars a year on designing a good website. Then they spend thousands of dollars a year to add video, chat, vAuto, SEO and SEM to their websites. They invest in branding on radio, TV and newspaper as well.

Then dealers unknowingly make decisions to make sure consumers DO NOT GET to their website for popular search phrases on the search engines.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

One day, dealers were told it was a "good" idea to send their inventory to 3, 5, 8 or 10 "free" inventory listing websites that promised to create significant leads and relevance to their business.

Inventory feed providers, website providers all bought the sales pitch. Funny, not many dealers have gone back to look just how many leads are coming in from these "free" sites? Even less have decided to take any action once they saw that these free sites were NOT producing meaningful results.

Dealers concluded, what can it hurt me to send my inventory....it's free. Guess what. It's NOT free. It has a real Cost.

So, I wrote a post this week that I though would elicit more responses, but it didn't. I think I just gave too much information, so I'll say it one more time, using graphics. Dealers are allowing their inventory to be used against them.
 

They are allowing free websites to push their own websites off of Google Page One.

I did a simple search on Yahoo, which was: " Indianapolis Silverado for sale" and I documented Page 1 and Page 2 of the search results. You should test a few local phrases and see who comes up on Page One.

Take a look at the screen shots at the bottom of this page and take note that:
 

1. There are NO car dealers in organic search results on Page One or Two.
2. Go back and read point #1.
3. Free listing websites that sell your leads or show competitor listings are on Page 1 and 2 and NO car dealer websites are one Page 1 or 2.
4. KBB is using your inventory feed to create car detail pages with lead generation links to:
   
   1. Cars.com
   2. FundingWay.com
   3. Presenting competing dealer banner ads
   4. Presenting banner ads that go to OEM websites
5. Oodle is using your inventory feed to create car detail pages with lead generation links to:
   1. Your competitors using Google Adsense
   2. Presenting banner ads that go to OEM websites
6. LemonFree is using your inventory feed to create car detail pages with lead generation links to:
   1. Your competitors comparable listings in their network
   2. Competitors using Google Adsense

Do I have to keep going?

Many dealers are PAYING Autotrader.com to advertise their cars and even AT is being pushed down in the ranking by free and pseudo-free websites that are NOT dealer centric models. The irony is that dealers are sending their inventory to free sites that are pushing even AutoTrader.com down in the rankings.

Anyone looking for a reason WHY Autotrader.com leads may be down in your market? It just may be your own actions!

How many leads a month are you getting from these FREE sites?

Driving Sales Members..please listen.

STOP SENDING YOUR INVENTORY to "free" sites that are using your inventory to create landing pages by car model that: 

• sell your competitors cars
• create leads that are sold to your competitors
• generate ad revenue for someone else
• that push your own website pages off Google Page One

Call your inventory management service like HomeNet, Dealer Specialties, etc. and tell them to ONLY send your inventory advertising services that DELIVER results like Autotrader.com, Cars.com or any site THAT YOU HAVE PROVEN is not hurting you and is delivering real sales each month.

Get it in writing and then search for VIN numbers that you have in stock the following month. Need proof? See the images below.

Does ANYONE think that at least ONE Chevrolet Dealer should be showing up on Yahoo Page One or Page Two???
 

What is your response?

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing

http://twitter.com/automotiveseo

http://facebook.com/pcgdigitalmarketing

“What is your opinion on the effectiveness of sending a dealer’s inventory to be published on free listing websites”.

• 457         Everycarlisted.Com
• 21          Vast.Com
• 15          Lemonfree.Com

• Car detail pages are free from competitors’ banner ads.
• Car detail pages are free from Google text ads
• Car detail pages have live links back to the dealership website
• Car detail pages that clearly show dealer name, address and phone number
• Car detail pages are optimized for organic search in the dealer’s primary PMA

“What is your opinion on the effectiveness of sending a dealer’s inventory to be published on free listing websites”.

• 457         Everycarlisted.Com
• 21          Vast.Com
• 15          Lemonfree.Com

• Car detail pages are free from competitors’ banner ads.
• Car detail pages are free from Google text ads
• Car detail pages have live links back to the dealership website
• Car detail pages that clearly show dealer name, address and phone number
• Car detail pages are optimized for organic search in the dealer’s primary PMA