Google Adwords is utilized by many dealers for paid search marketing, which is no surprise to readers.  However, what is surprising are the "sloppy" campaigns that are being operated.

Dealers have not been coached on how to inspect the work of their search marketing partners.  

I hope that this article will bring to light a need to manually spot check paid search campaigns each month. 

Here is a simple example that I randomly found on Tuesday when I was teaching a workshop on Paid Search marketing for Fixed Operations.

Is It Hard to Create Fixed Operations Campaigns?

You will notice that the Greater New York Toyota Tier 2 advertising "fund" is running PPC on behalf of dealers in the NY/NJ metro area.  I typed in a specific search for Toyota brakes and they are serving up an ad that has nothing to do with service.  

If a consumer clicks on the ad highlighted in red, they are taken to this page:

This page has nothing of value for a consumer who is searching for information, pricing, or scheduling service for their  vehicle's brake system.  It would be very easy for this "new car" campaign to add "negative keywords" that are associated with service to prevent this ad from showing.

What this looks like is that this campaign is programmed to display whenever a consumer types the word "toyota" in a search phrase. That is sloppy. There should be no reason why a Tier 2 agency doesn't have a targeted service campaign in place that includes the common keywords related top Fixed Ops.  Those ads should take consumers to a targeted landing page for service appointments and coupons for NJ/NY dealers.

Where Are All The Local Dealers?

A second thing to notice is that no franchise dealers are showing at the top of paid search.  Fixed Operations is the orphan in regards to digital marketing strategy and budget allocations. So, the most profitable division in any car dealership gets no "love" from the paid search team.  That's also sloppy.

What you can see is that the INDEPENDENT service centers are having a field day taking away business from franchise dealers.  They are not complaining.  It would seem that dealers believe consumers use the Internet to shop for cars but NOT for service.  Sloppy.

Fixed Operations digital marketing is an investment that will pay off with immediate results.  Julie Chisum, from PCG Consulting, shared this week how by adding a plug-in tire module to a Toyota dealer's website, they went from selling 150 tires a month to 600 tires a month.  

Some Dealers Are Taking Action

Not all dealers are asleep at the wheel in regards to their paid search campaigns.  In the example below, you can see that Tom's Ford is not only buying the right keywords for Ford Fixed Operations shoppers but they also have an advertisement that is clear and compelling. 

For full disclosure, I did not create the landing page nor do I manage their PPC.  This dealer attended the workshop I was teaching this week and I came across this example because they are in the marketing radius of the conference center. 

So, please take the time to act like a consumer and search common terms that you want your dealership to appear in paid search.  Make sure that the ads is relevant and the landing pages are appropriate for conversion.  If you want more Fixed Ops sales and profits, get a digital marketing campaign setup that connects with local consumers looking to service their cars.

Paid search campaigns can be very powerful when the right keywords, ad copy, and landing pages are in place.  Take the time each month to refine your keyword strategies and test the success of your landing pages based on conversion measurement.

Just get rid of the sloppy errors, there is really no excuse to let that continue.   If you enjoyed this article, please share it on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook.  

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Consulting

http://www.pcgconsultingservices.com

732.672.2356

I was reviewing active paid search marketing campaigns that were focused on MOBILE devices and here are some summary stats from the last 30 days:

The mobile campaign uses "conversion" data as a combination of mobile phone calls and leads.  Are your mobile campaigns delivering the same value for you dealership?  Over 20% of dealership website visits are from mobile devices so what is your paid search strategy for mobile shoppers? 

The mobile marketing results for this dealership were very attractive. Why buy 3rd party leads for more money when you can generate 1st party mobile leads at half the price?  Mobile marketing MUST be a separate marketing strategy and NOT combined with other strategies.

Mobile Frustration

Recently I had a dealer "panic" about the fact that message links that were sent via Twitter were not directly accessible to consumers surfing on mobile devices.  The issue was that the dealer's mobile website intercepted the visitor on a mobile device and sent them to a generic mobile website home page.  

Anyone identifying with this issue?  

Welcome to the emerging challenges with mobile websites and marketing strategies that don't understand how dealership mobile websites work.   I'll be writing more on on this topic in coming weeks.

Is Organic Search Marketing Dead?

As I have been reviewing the latest changes in the Google search algorithm, it is clear to me that Google wants to minimize the impact of SEO and encourage the investments in paid search.   With that said,  I have been very active in testing:

• Paid Search Marketing (SEM)
• Display Advertising
• ReTargeting
• Video Pre-Roll
• Mobile Apps/Games Banner Advertising

I bring this up because there is a CHANGE going on with search marketing and if you don't have a plan that is TESTING the opportunities with the latest changes in Google, you better invest some time researching the latest marketing choices.

I will be sharing some of my latest findings for search marketing at the Fall Conferences because the MAJOR shifts in digital marketing are happening right before your eyes.

Brian 

Brian

 Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Consulting

732.672.2356

http://www.pcgconsultingservices.com

The final keynote speaker at the 2012 Automotive Boot Camp was Patrick Kelly, President and COO of CAR-Research.  Prior to this event, I never had the pleasure to see Patrick speak. I've attended many conferences and it is an understatement that I was blown away with his passion and knowledge of the car business.

I was already familiar with the CAR-Research CRM product called "XRM", which won the Dealer Satisfaction Award for CRM software presented by DrivingSales.  

What I did not know is that CAR-Research has a full-time call center and research center that dealers can leverage to ensure that sales and customer service processes are being followed.

Handling Current Opportunities

We all have read statistics on how poorly leads, phone-ups, and existing customer follow-up is handled in the automotive industry.  If you haven't seen the stats, take a peek at this study published by Dealix.

Every dealership employee knows that there are times when too many leads, calls, or ups flood the dealership and processes go out the window.  

Do you work at a dealership? Are staffing and training levels at your dealership insufficient  to handle the current lead volume? 

What inspired me about Patrick's presentation is that he showed the "lift" is sales and service performance when dealers recognized their human resource weakness and leveraged a process "backstop" service like CAR-Research.  

The improvements in net profits was so impressive that I was compelled to share my excitement here on DrivingSales.

It Is OK To Ask For Help 

I don't sell CAR-Research products or services. I am sharing my excitement based on a simple observation.  The more I visit dealerships across the US and Canada, everyone is struggling with finding good people to work at their dealership.  Most every GM admits to having leaks in process and procedure. They recognize that they are losing sales each day and are working hard to improve sales however the 30-day sales clock is ticking.

Leveraging a call-center and research center ensures that Dealer Principals and General Managers can know if their processes are being followed.  They can leverage on-demand resources to pick-up leads, calls, or follow-up when the dealership staff drops the ball.  

I recently visited a dealership that was so overwhelmed with sales leads that they admitted that they NEVER call back existing customers for service or to "data mine" in equity owners for new sales opportunities.  Imagine if this dealership hired a call center as a back-stop until more staff could be hired and while their new facility was being completed.

This is a no-brainer to me, but each dealership has to come to that realization on their own. While each dealership works toward building stronger processes and investing in staff training, why not get some help; on demand. 

Meet Patrick Kelly

Here is a video that Patrick recorded at Boot Camp that I thought would connect with members of DrivingSales.  It is clear that he is passionate for our industry and wants to help car dealers succeed.  If you have an opportunity to meet Patrick or hear him speak, don't miss it!

Anyone who has been watching the grow of Google Analytic's feature set may not surprised by today's announcement that Google Website Optimizer is being shutdown and a similar feature called "Content Experiments" will be added to Google Analytics.

Google Website Optimizer was used to create A/B testing scenarios to see which elements of your website design could be changed to increase desired outcomes.  A/B testing is very popular in other industries however in the automotive retail industry, design changes are normally mandated by the OEM or rarely tested by the dealer once installed. 

On a different but related note, Google Analytics has also added a very important set of  "Social Media" tools and has introduced a new concept called "Social Media Assisted Conversions".  Google Analytics is becoming a very important software platform that dealers need to leverage to investigate the ROI of their marketing investments.  I'll be writing more about social assists in coming months.

Here is the official letter regarding Website Optimizer:

If you have any questions about the more advanced features of Google Analytics, start the conversation here on DrivingSales.com

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Consulting.com

732.672.2356

http://www.pcgconsultingservices.com

Have you been frustrated with Google Places?  If you have, you are not alone.  

Be patient because good news is on the way.

To recognize the inevitable changes that are planned for Google Places, you just need to step back and look at Google's current business focus on Social, Local, and Mobile (So-Lo-Mo).

Google Places is an old technology that is broken.  Dealers have reported that their reviews appear and disappear on a regular basis.

Google Places business addresses and phone numbers have been reported to revert back to older versions that were updated.  

Have you had any Google Places horror stories?

Google+ For Businesses

When Google announced that business owners could create a Google+ directory page for their business, it was the first sign that change was underway.

When dealers create their Google+ business page, it should be no surprise that dealers are displayed with matching results of a phone number search from none other than Google Places.

Google+ and its integration with social and search is the future for Google and keeping separate business data in Google Places makes no sense.  So, in the coming weeks you will see that Google Places will be replaced with Google+ business pages.  

This should make our lives much easier. It will be interesting to see how reviews are integrated into the business Google+ page.

Why Google+ ??

Google+ must be part of a comprehensive automotive digital marketing strategy.  

It will now become the primary business directory on the Google network.  Google+ also has powerful impact on local search results.

If you have not taken the time to setup your Google+ business page, get started immediately.  

Take a minute to connect with me on Google+, here is my page:  Brian Pasch Google+ . 

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing

732.450.8200 ext 1

Brian Pasch

The other day a long time friend shot me a note to say that my Facebook account was hacked.  I really appreciated the call but when I checked my account, it was not hacked.  

I had allowed the "would be hacker" permission to post on my Facebook page.

What had happened was that I saw a "funny" video posted on a friends website.  When I clicked to view the video, it requested that I use my Facebook login to view it.

The implied permission gave the video website the ability to post what I watched to my Facebook profile any time I watched a video on their site.  

Needless to say the video was not one I wanted to broadcast to my friends and colleagues; a parody of Wallmart shoppers caught in what you might call embarrassing poses.

As more websites use your Facebook account as the login key, I wanted to advise everyone to conduct an AUDIT of all the websites you have given access to your Facebook account.  

When I did my audit I was shocked just how many sites had varying degrees of access.  A handful of sites I could not recognize while others have been closed for a long time.

Review Your Apps and Permissions

To view the websites you have used your Facebook login to grant access, you will need to click on the down arrow in the upper right hand corner of your Facebook page, as shown on the left.

You will want to click on the "Account Settings" menu choice to reveal a larger set of options for your account.  

I never really took the time to review all my Facebook settings, but this experience made it very clear that we should all AUDIT our Facebook accounts.

Then, you will need to click on the "Apps" menu choice on the left, as shown on the graphic below.  

This menu choice will show you all the companies that you have used your Facebook account as a primary login method.  I don't know about your list, but mine was very long.

Delete Accounts That Are Stale - Edit Others

Any website accounts that are no longer used should be deleted.  I had a number of sites that I deleted, and on a humorous note, a few of them were once "hot" social media website properties that have faded into the sunset.

To change permissions or to delete an App, you need to click on the "Edit" link next to the app, and this will be displayed:

As you can see, by using my Facebook account to login into MetaCafe, a popular video sharing website, I am granting a great deal more that I would have thought about.  Are you comfortable that many of these sites have this type of access to your Facebook account?  

Why would I want MetaCafe to have access to my friends? This AUDIT was important for me because it made me think that I should be using a standard email (gmail) login for social media websites and NOT my Facebook account.  (i.e. brianpaschsocial@gmail.com)

Yes, the Facebook login method is easy, but at what point does your information get in the hands of too many people?  Do I want to subject my friends and my reputation to unwanted posts?

If you want to change the level of access granted for each app, you can click on the "x" next to each feature to remove that level of access.  I had much work to do and I think many readers will also.

Take a minute to do an AUDIT and let me know what you found!  Of course website companies would love to have more then just your login name and password, but do we want to give that information away?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, and your other social networks.  

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing 

Brian Pasch

Mobile Adwords campaign investments are becoming an important aspect in dealership digital marketing strategies.  Smartphone advertising is a unique opportunity to get to the top of the smaller screen which consumers view multiple times a day.  If a business is marketing to consumers that would search for their products and services "on the go", mobile pay-per-click and mobile display advertising is a must.  All dealers should be using mobile Adwords formats.

I was reviewing the success that our clients are having with mobile paid search and was thinking that body/collision shops could be an ideal candidate for paid mobile search.  If a consumer is involved in an accident that does not disable their car, they will be searching for a local body shop to fix their car immediately.  

How many consumers will do that right after the accident on their smartphone?

If not right away, isn't it worth running Adwords campaigns on all platforms (web, video, and mobile) to encourage consumers to come in for a free estimate.  I called a few clients with body shops and they said that over 70% of customers that they give an estimate to, will get their car fixed at their shop.

Start a Digital Marketing Strategy For Your Body Shop

With this data, it makes sense to me to proactively go after local consumers with a paid search campaign because the window of time in which they are considering a body shop is very short.  

Also, most body shops do not have any SEO strength; they lack content on their websites in order to rank very strongly.  

So, I would recommend that owners of body shops focus on a few things:

• - Develop strong online reviews.  Most collision shops have bad reviews. (Social & Local Investment) 
• - Start an effective paid search campaign. (Mobile & Local Investment)
• - Expand/Create Body Shop website that have testimonials, before/after photos, and a clear call to action to get the consumer to come in for a free estimate.
• - Consider products like "HookLogic" to get the consumer in for estimates for a premium.

Body/Collision shops are often the LAST things dealers invest in for a digital strategy.  That is great news for dealers that take action now.

Are you ready to shift again?

My team and I have been very busy this year producing dealer assessment reports.  

The goal of these reports are to benchmark the dealer's current Internet/BDC operations, staff phone skills, website merchandizing, budget effectiveness, and the strength of their digital marketing investments.  

The research culminates with a final report which often includes:

Failing Grades Are A Great Motivator

There is always a bit of concern when our assessment reports are presented. We never want to imply that a dealership isn't doing a good job running their business.  We do want to identify opportunities and ways to achieve the desired outcomes of the dealership; sell more cars and achieve greater profits. 

Most dealers assume that their operations are basically efficient and that defined processes are being followed.  To date, there has never been a case where the dealer or General Manager didn't read our assessment and find a number of "holes" in their strategy that required immediate action.

Common Holes in The Dam

• - When a dealer is confronted with recorded calls that clearly demonstrate phone scripts are not being followed, it becomes clear that sales opportunities are being lost daily.
• - When email records show that leads are not being followed up in the prescribed workflow setup in the BDC, it is hard to claim that leads are being handled properly.
• - When Adwords campaigns are not running for important keywords that pertain to the dealer's new car models or conquest opportunities, it is clear that each day opportunities are being missed.
• - When online reviews on Google Page One show negative that is being ignored by the dealer, a discuss can start to why online reviews matter to in-market shoppers.

Holding Up The Mirror

I want to encourage dealers to hold up the mirror to their budgets and operations.  Make the investment to get an honest assessment of your BDC/Internet processes, your website merchandizing, and your marketing strategy.

The opportunity cost is significant.  In the past 60 days I have personally inspected failed processes that are costing clients over $100,000 a month.  Can dealers afford to be blind to such holes?

PCG Consulting is just one of many great companies that can help dealers find the leaks in their BDC/Internet department.  Companies like Kain Automotive, DealerKnows Consulting, Mosley Automotive Training, and Joni Stuker are all well known names that can help dealers.

The DrivingSales Vendor Ratings section of this website lists great resources that can help dealers in all aspects of their business operations.   Have you utilized this resource?

With a variety of choices, why do dealers not get an honest assessment from third parties?  I am not sure there is just one answer but it surely is costing dealers a lot of money and market share!

To all Dealers and General Managers reading this article, I have one simple question. Are you ready to look into your mirror?  

Brian 

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing
Brian Pasch

I love the automotive business and the diversity of people that I meet at conferences, 20 Groups, and of course online on DrivingSales.com.  

There are so many success stories in automotive retail but in order to sustain success, car dealers need to be developing the next generation of leaders.

How is your dealership developing leaders?  Passing the torch from generation to generation is not easy.  

Second and third generation dealer principals may struggle to grow on the past success of their parents or grandparents.  

Others have flourished to build a multi-generation, multi-million dollar business enterprise.

One thing I know from personal experience, is that there are many smart people in the world that we all can learn from.  Many of these leaders have published books that are a wealth of knowledge to develop leaders.  Are you an avid reader?  Does your dealership have a leadership reading library?

Two Books You Must Read

I'm on pace to read at least 60 books this year and I would like to assist members of DrivingSales to build their leadership library.  Here are two books that you should read this month:

Don't Eat The Marshmallow Yet! -  By Joachim de Posada

This is a great book for new dealership managers, partners, or anyone that is experiencing some degree of sucess in their lives.  Do you have people in the dealership that are spending their new found wealth or increased salary on things that have little value?  This is a must read for anyone who wants to build a long-term, sustainable, enjoyable lifestyle.  It is a FAST read, and highly recommended.  If you have children, they MUST read this book before they leave home!

Lead by Greatness - By David Lapin

This is a book for people who want to be leaders or want to improve their leadership skils.  People that want to impact their dealership by living a life that creates a nuclear force for positive change at the dealership.  This is a short book that is very powerful with concepts that you will want to read slowly.  

If you like the idea of a DrivingSales leadership book library, maybe Jared can create a forum and build out recommendations from DrivingSales members that have been an inspiration in their lives.  There are number of great books to start the library that include:

• - The Go-Giver - By Bob Burg and John David Mann
• - Multipliers: How The Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter - By Liz Wiseman
• - The 10x Rule - By Grant Cardone 

What 3 books would you recommend be added to a dealershhip's leadership library?  Share them as a comment beow.

Now, it's time to read!

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Consulting

http://www.pcgconsultingservices.com 

YouTube is the second most popular search engine, so my question to you is how are you leveraging this platform?   I've been writing over the past year about the importance of video marketing and video optimization. I wanted to enhance those marketing suggestions with a quick discussion about the YouTube promoted video program.  It's the Adwords equivalent on YouTube.

Take a look at the search I did on YouTube for a keyword "2012 Honda Accord" below.  Notice that only ONE video was "promoted" for this keyword (highlighted in green) and it was not for a local dealer.  Promoted videos are like PPC ads that dealers run on search engine results pages.

Notice how many VIEWS the four videos under the promoted video received for this keyword, which are highlighted in red.  Over 110,000 views on four videos for this keyword.  It is clear that this keyword, or a variation on it, is being used by consumers. The videos that organically appear on page one are getting views.

Why not jump to the top of this list with a pay per click strategy?

Optimized Local Video Marketing

If you are a Honda dealer, is there any reason why you would not create an optimized video on the 2012 Honda Accord and pay for your video to be in the green box for your local market?  

If the video title and description was properly labeled to show your locality and if your YouTube advertising radius was near your store, wouldn't you want to be at the top of video search results?

Dealers looking to leverage video must test and invest in promoted video advertising as well as YouTube video pre-roll advertising.  The clients that we have be doing this for have been showing very favorable results.

Since dealers are looking for NEW ideas on how to increase online visibility during the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT), paid video marketing is another way to connect with consumers.

Don't miss out on this strategic opportunity!

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing

http://www.pcgdigitalmarketing.com