You Can Do This!

You see, video supercharges the senses and evokes emotion as the consumer watches. It’s captivating, interesting and something we feel compelled to share. If people enjoy it they will share it with friends, family and even on social media. It’s also very inexpensive to produce and free to broadcast to millions of YouTubers.

According to statistics, the estimated number of global internet users who visit YouTube is over 40 percent mobile users. Four out of every 10 human beings on the planet who log on to the Internet via their phone visits YouTube on a daily basis. YouTube exceeds 4 billion viewers a day, more than doubling the prime-time audience of all three major U.S. broadcast networks combined. Over 4 Billion Viewers Per Day. Think about that!

Did you start yet? No! Just look at these Mind Blowing YouTube Statistics ->http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/youtube-statistics/#.U7iJnrGPNvY  ..Now Get Started!

The first thing you need to understand is that ALL Search Engines Love Video. Google Loves Video so much it bought YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006. Even Donald Trump would have to be impressed with that number. If the search engines love video that much, why don't you? Start Right Now! Because you want all of the search engines to absolutely love you too, Right!

You're still not doing it, Are you? Get Up And Do It! It takes 10 minutes to change your life!

No matter the size of your dealership, you can compete with larger dealers. A simple video explaining the different features in one model from another can give your video a top-five organic placement in a Google search, competing with millions of websites. Yes, you can compete with the big dealer down the street. Positive Thoughts = Positive Results. You can not only compete, you can dominate!

Next is the WOW FACTOR. This is where you sell more cars - make more profits, and set yourself apart from the rest. As online shoppers work their way down the funnel, they eventually begin to engage the dealers. On average, they will shop five or six dealers online and they will visit less than two. So there is a definite selection process going on. What shoppers encounter is an unmistakable sameness when they submit their inquiry, especially by email or an Internet form. The auto responses all say pretty much the same thing: “We’ve been in business for 30 years. We have the largest selection, the best lenders, we will give you the most for your trade-in, we have the lowest prices, and we are here to make your experience fast and easy.”

The shopper’s inbox begins blowing up with templates, irrelevant content and invitations to come on in for a test drive when that is exactly what the consumer chose not to do in the beginning. They want to buy a car in a different manner. Now you bring video into your process and you immediately cut yourself from the herd or sameness, if you will. You become different and memorable. You are now climbing their short-list very quickly.

What kind of videos should you send? Here is a list of videos you can use to WOW your customers:

1. Video auto-response

2. Introduction videos

3. Customer testimonial videos and reviews

4. Short video walk-around of the car they are asking about, or one similar in price and size

5. How to use their Fancy Radio, MP3 player or Navigation

6. How you open the gas hatch and where the gas goes (Never put Regular Gas in a Diesel vehicle!)

Your longer video walk-arounds make for a great resource to include in your YouTube library for use in the future. You can even use them as virtual test drives. As that library grows, so does your name, your brand and your search equity. It's a Win-Win for you and your dealership!

Video is a great way to bring showmanship and salesmanship to an otherwise boring, left-brain buying process. It gives you the chance to show your own personality. People will feel like they already know you, and trust you more. It's an emotional process, remember? Since buying a car is such an emotional act for your customers, video can bring that emotion into the equation and give you an advantage towards being the dealer they want to do business with, Now! Remember people only visit 1.4 - 1.6 dealerships before making a purchase decision. Don't be afraid to be different!

The downside to video is...... There really isn't a downside to video and for the most part it’s FREE. NO 'We Can't Afford It' EXCUSES! A YouTube account doesn’t cost anything; neither does broadcasting on YouTube. Ask your ad agency to broadcast to millions, and millions of people for you for FREE and see how that goes. You’ll need to buy a camera or smart phone. Some dealers invest in green screens and editing software, but that is not necessary. Your time, creativity and effort represent your biggest investments.

Take into consideration that sometimes your customers can’t view YouTube videos at work because YouTube is blocked by their Web filters. You can use Twitter, Facebook or simply post your videos on your own website for viewing to get around this. You have to think outside of the box at times. You can't be stopped!

So what are you waiting for? Do you want to reach more customers, improve your dealership’s search engine performance, WOW your customers and get your salespeople more involved in the marketing, and selling process. It's Free, its Amazing, and it's Here to Stay!

       You Can Do This!

You see, video supercharges the senses and evokes emotion as the consumer watches. It’s captivating, interesting and something we feel compelled to share. If people enjoy it they will share it with friends, family and even on social media. It’s also very inexpensive to produce and free to broadcast to millions of YouTubers.

According to statistics, the estimated number of global internet users who visit YouTube is over 40 percent mobile users. Four out of every 10 human beings on the planet who log on to the Internet via their phone visits YouTube on a daily basis. YouTube exceeds 4 billion viewers a day, more than doubling the prime-time audience of all three major U.S. broadcast networks combined. Over 4 Billion Viewers Per Day. Think about that!

Did you start yet? No! Just look at these Mind Blowing YouTube Statistics ->http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/youtube-statistics/#.U7iJnrGPNvY  ..Now Get Started!

The first thing you need to understand is that ALL Search Engines Love Video. Google Loves Video so much it bought YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006. Even Donald Trump would have to be impressed with that number. If the search engines love video that much, why don't you? Start Right Now! Because you want all of the search engines to absolutely love you too, Right!

You're still not doing it, Are you? Get Up And Do It! It takes 10 minutes to change your life!

No matter the size of your dealership, you can compete with larger dealers. A simple video explaining the different features in one model from another can give your video a top-five organic placement in a Google search, competing with millions of websites. Yes, you can compete with the big dealer down the street. Positive Thoughts = Positive Results. You can not only compete, you can dominate!

Next is the WOW FACTOR. This is where you sell more cars - make more profits, and set yourself apart from the rest. As online shoppers work their way down the funnel, they eventually begin to engage the dealers. On average, they will shop five or six dealers online and they will visit less than two. So there is a definite selection process going on. What shoppers encounter is an unmistakable sameness when they submit their inquiry, especially by email or an Internet form. The auto responses all say pretty much the same thing: “We’ve been in business for 30 years. We have the largest selection, the best lenders, we will give you the most for your trade-in, we have the lowest prices, and we are here to make your experience fast and easy.”

The shopper’s inbox begins blowing up with templates, irrelevant content and invitations to come on in for a test drive when that is exactly what the consumer chose not to do in the beginning. They want to buy a car in a different manner. Now you bring video into your process and you immediately cut yourself from the herd or sameness, if you will. You become different and memorable. You are now climbing their short-list very quickly.

What kind of videos should you send? Here is a list of videos you can use to WOW your customers:

1. Video auto-response

2. Introduction videos

3. Customer testimonial videos and reviews

4. Short video walk-around of the car they are asking about, or one similar in price and size

5. How to use their Fancy Radio, MP3 player or Navigation

6. How you open the gas hatch and where the gas goes (Never put Regular Gas in a Diesel vehicle!)

Your longer video walk-arounds make for a great resource to include in your YouTube library for use in the future. You can even use them as virtual test drives. As that library grows, so does your name, your brand and your search equity. It's a Win-Win for you and your dealership!

Video is a great way to bring showmanship and salesmanship to an otherwise boring, left-brain buying process. It gives you the chance to show your own personality. People will feel like they already know you, and trust you more. It's an emotional process, remember? Since buying a car is such an emotional act for your customers, video can bring that emotion into the equation and give you an advantage towards being the dealer they want to do business with, Now! Remember people only visit 1.4 - 1.6 dealerships before making a purchase decision. Don't be afraid to be different!

The downside to video is...... There really isn't a downside to video and for the most part it’s FREE. NO 'We Can't Afford It' EXCUSES! A YouTube account doesn’t cost anything; neither does broadcasting on YouTube. Ask your ad agency to broadcast to millions, and millions of people for you for FREE and see how that goes. You’ll need to buy a camera or smart phone. Some dealers invest in green screens and editing software, but that is not necessary. Your time, creativity and effort represent your biggest investments.

Take into consideration that sometimes your customers can’t view YouTube videos at work because YouTube is blocked by their Web filters. You can use Twitter, Facebook or simply post your videos on your own website for viewing to get around this. You have to think outside of the box at times. You can't be stopped!

So what are you waiting for? Do you want to reach more customers, improve your dealership’s search engine performance, WOW your customers and get your salespeople more involved in the marketing, and selling process. It's Free, its Amazing, and it's Here to Stay!

With less than 8 percent of online search traffic making it to the second page of Google search, it’s clear that search ranking matters now more than ever before – but it also can take time to get up to the coveted first page of Google search.

When considering investing in SEO and PPC, many dealership owners are eager to know how to get on the first page of Google, and “how” to get the top ranking on a search results page. They want the satisfaction of being able to win instantly, but it's not always so easy.

The short answer is, “no one really knows” – not even the people who work for Google. But rather than just leaving it as a blank answer to a very difficult question, let’s investigate the reasons behind the response.

            Unfortunately We Aren’t Google

In addition to their periodic major updates, Google also has a fresh batch of smaller updates that are constantly causing small fluctuations in rankings. They also have much deeper updates that can run on a predictable cadence that indexes a much larger portion of the Internet. Then there is the calculation and propagation time to value every link, every page, and every website and then rank those against billions of search queries. It takes time to process all of that information.

In short, no one (not even most people at Google) can know how all of these factors affect each other and the overall formula for search rankings. It's almost like a guessing game. Just consider this Example: X - P + C x Q = 1 (Who Knew?)

What we can do is focus on a snapshot in time of what the current site looks like in comparison to a competitor’s site and identify areas that will likely improve their rankings over time. We can then apply a general timeframe for when we can expect to see results based off past experience. In addition, we can adjust the strategy to help enhance certain search signals to increase overall effectiveness. I know it sounds like rocket science, but if you focus on one improvement at a time you can usually improve your ranking without hiring outside sources.

Website Quality Does Affect Your Ranking

I know what you are thinking, How does Google determine the quality of my website? They will determine the quality of your website in the exact same ways your customers do. If your dealerships website is seen as low quality or isn’t updated often, it can take longer to climb those search rankings. A lot Longer! In addition, if your site has been penalized in the past, you must first determine the issue, fix it right and fix it quick, and then submit a reconsideration request before you can begin to reestablish yourself in search engines.

You Can’t Control the Competition

By developing a plan to improve your rankings, you are making the assumption that your site will push your competitor’s rankings down and help yours jump up. However, it is highly likely that your competitors aren’t just standing still waiting for you to run untouched for an 80 yard touchdown. They are going to hit you with everything they have. Will you break their tackle?

Who are potential customers finding first? You or Your Competitors.

If your competitors are actively marketing their site, you need to not only match them, but you must far surpass them to gain any ground. You can't take 2 steps forward and three steps back when it comes to Google rankings. In some cases, they may have several years of a head start and it could take some time to close the gap. Additional resources can help, but sometimes it just takes the slow, persistent, and aggregated authority built over time to rise in the ranks of the almighty Google.

What If You Don’t Want to Wait?

It’s understandable that dealership owners want to quantify and calculate an immediate ROI for their marketing dollars. However, it takes technical implementation and best practices to achieve a high ranking. To do this, you must convince Google that you deserve and have earned your desired ranking. You must also convince the intended audience that you are a trustworthy site with valuable content, top-notch products, or services. Being the best is always a good thing. Do you remember who lost the Super Bowl in 2010? No cheating!

A Search Marketing Campaign Does Not Have an End Date

It is a long-term branding methodology that is at the core of your business. It defines your audience, learns what they are looking for, engages with them, nurtures that relationship, and in return, rewards you with their business. By understanding that concept, you’ll realize that it doesn’t matter how long it takes to get to the first page of a certain ranking, because you’ll understand that the ranking itself is not the goal. Who cares if you are #1 in Google search if you still aren't earning the customers business? Be a Professional!

Now.. Forget Everything I Just Said!

With all stated above in mind, here are some educated guesses that are usually close based on past performances.

Low to Moderate Industry Conditions (Little to No Competition) with a good consistent strategy and no other major site issues, it is reasonable to expect a 3-6 month window to move up into the top 10 results. As stated earlier, this varies based on the competition, but this is the general rule of thumb.

Difficult Industry Conditions (Stiff Competition) due to the high amount of competition, you can expect it to take a minimum of 12 months and possibly years to achieve your desired results. This timeframe may be shortened with additional resources (paid ad search).

Extremely Difficult Industry Conditions (Competing With the Best of the Best) it is possible you never reach the first page on Google. And, it could be that the cost associated with reaching the first page is not economically viable for your dealership. For larger dealerships, it will likely require a multi-year, multi-faceted approach depending on where the current rankings are. 

Final Thoughts

Getting a first page Google ranking doesn’t matter if it is for the wrong keyword and doesn’t drive traffic to your dealership. And getting traffic to your dealership doesn’t matter if it is targeting the wrong audience. You can't target loyal Honda buyers if you sell Toyota's. Even getting the right traffic from the right audience doesn’t matter if you can’t convert them. You must have properly trained staff that will get the customer in the door and close the sale.

Instead, think about how you can best serve your audience by creating a unique and valuable offering and establishing a core branding and engagement campaign that is as embedded into your dealership as much as loyalty to the United States of America is embedded into the heart of a career Marine. You must have brilliant minds in all places that know your audience, believe in your brand and most importantly know how to take care of your customers before, during and after the sale in order to compete in todays market.

People - Process - Product: All three must be as solid as Mt. Rushmore.

How have you found success in increasing your businesses’ Google ranking? Share your thoughts with me below! I look forward to hearing your ideas. Good luck out there!

With less than 8 percent of online search traffic making it to the second page of Google search, it’s clear that search ranking matters now more than ever before – but it also can take time to get up to the coveted first page of Google search.

When considering investing in SEO and PPC, many dealership owners are eager to know how to get on the first page of Google, and “how” to get the top ranking on a search results page. They want the satisfaction of being able to win instantly, but it's not always so easy.

The short answer is, “no one really knows” – not even the people who work for Google. But rather than just leaving it as a blank answer to a very difficult question, let’s investigate the reasons behind the response.

            Unfortunately We Aren’t Google

In addition to their periodic major updates, Google also has a fresh batch of smaller updates that are constantly causing small fluctuations in rankings. They also have much deeper updates that can run on a predictable cadence that indexes a much larger portion of the Internet. Then there is the calculation and propagation time to value every link, every page, and every website and then rank those against billions of search queries. It takes time to process all of that information.

In short, no one (not even most people at Google) can know how all of these factors affect each other and the overall formula for search rankings. It's almost like a guessing game. Just consider this Example: X - P + C x Q = 1 (Who Knew?)

What we can do is focus on a snapshot in time of what the current site looks like in comparison to a competitor’s site and identify areas that will likely improve their rankings over time. We can then apply a general timeframe for when we can expect to see results based off past experience. In addition, we can adjust the strategy to help enhance certain search signals to increase overall effectiveness. I know it sounds like rocket science, but if you focus on one improvement at a time you can usually improve your ranking without hiring outside sources.

Website Quality Does Affect Your Ranking

I know what you are thinking, How does Google determine the quality of my website? They will determine the quality of your website in the exact same ways your customers do. If your dealerships website is seen as low quality or isn’t updated often, it can take longer to climb those search rankings. A lot Longer! In addition, if your site has been penalized in the past, you must first determine the issue, fix it right and fix it quick, and then submit a reconsideration request before you can begin to reestablish yourself in search engines.

You Can’t Control the Competition

By developing a plan to improve your rankings, you are making the assumption that your site will push your competitor’s rankings down and help yours jump up. However, it is highly likely that your competitors aren’t just standing still waiting for you to run untouched for an 80 yard touchdown. They are going to hit you with everything they have. Will you break their tackle?

Who are potential customers finding first? You or Your Competitors.

If your competitors are actively marketing their site, you need to not only match them, but you must far surpass them to gain any ground. You can't take 2 steps forward and three steps back when it comes to Google rankings. In some cases, they may have several years of a head start and it could take some time to close the gap. Additional resources can help, but sometimes it just takes the slow, persistent, and aggregated authority built over time to rise in the ranks of the almighty Google.

What If You Don’t Want to Wait?

It’s understandable that dealership owners want to quantify and calculate an immediate ROI for their marketing dollars. However, it takes technical implementation and best practices to achieve a high ranking. To do this, you must convince Google that you deserve and have earned your desired ranking. You must also convince the intended audience that you are a trustworthy site with valuable content, top-notch products, or services. Being the best is always a good thing. Do you remember who lost the Super Bowl in 2010? No cheating!

A Search Marketing Campaign Does Not Have an End Date

It is a long-term branding methodology that is at the core of your business. It defines your audience, learns what they are looking for, engages with them, nurtures that relationship, and in return, rewards you with their business. By understanding that concept, you’ll realize that it doesn’t matter how long it takes to get to the first page of a certain ranking, because you’ll understand that the ranking itself is not the goal. Who cares if you are #1 in Google search if you still aren't earning the customers business? Be a Professional!

Now.. Forget Everything I Just Said!

With all stated above in mind, here are some educated guesses that are usually close based on past performances.

Low to Moderate Industry Conditions (Little to No Competition) with a good consistent strategy and no other major site issues, it is reasonable to expect a 3-6 month window to move up into the top 10 results. As stated earlier, this varies based on the competition, but this is the general rule of thumb.

Difficult Industry Conditions (Stiff Competition) due to the high amount of competition, you can expect it to take a minimum of 12 months and possibly years to achieve your desired results. This timeframe may be shortened with additional resources (paid ad search).

Extremely Difficult Industry Conditions (Competing With the Best of the Best) it is possible you never reach the first page on Google. And, it could be that the cost associated with reaching the first page is not economically viable for your dealership. For larger dealerships, it will likely require a multi-year, multi-faceted approach depending on where the current rankings are. 

Final Thoughts

Getting a first page Google ranking doesn’t matter if it is for the wrong keyword and doesn’t drive traffic to your dealership. And getting traffic to your dealership doesn’t matter if it is targeting the wrong audience. You can't target loyal Honda buyers if you sell Toyota's. Even getting the right traffic from the right audience doesn’t matter if you can’t convert them. You must have properly trained staff that will get the customer in the door and close the sale.

Instead, think about how you can best serve your audience by creating a unique and valuable offering and establishing a core branding and engagement campaign that is as embedded into your dealership as much as loyalty to the United States of America is embedded into the heart of a career Marine. You must have brilliant minds in all places that know your audience, believe in your brand and most importantly know how to take care of your customers before, during and after the sale in order to compete in todays market.

People - Process - Product: All three must be as solid as Mt. Rushmore.

How have you found success in increasing your businesses’ Google ranking? Share your thoughts with me below! I look forward to hearing your ideas. Good luck out there!

  Automotive

      Video

    Marketing

    You Can Do This!

You see, video supercharges the senses and evokes emotion as the consumer watches. It’s captivating, interesting and something we feel compelled to share. If people enjoy it they will share it with friends, family and even on social media. It’s also very inexpensive to produce and free to broadcast to millions of YouTubers.

According to statistics, the estimated number of global internet users who visit YouTube is over 40 percent mobile users. Four out of every 10 human beings on the planet who log on to the Internet via their phone visits YouTube on a daily basis. YouTube exceeds 4 billion viewers a day, more than doubling the prime-time audience of all three major U.S. broadcast networks combined. Over 4 Billion Viewers Per Day. Think about that!

Did you start yet? No! Just look at these Mind Blowing YouTube Statistics -> http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/youtube-statistics/#.U7iJnrGPNvY ...Now Get Started!

The first thing you need to understand is that ALL Search Engines Love Video. Google Loves Video so much it bought YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006. Even Donald Trump would have to be impressed with that number. If the search engines love video that much, why don't you? Start Right Now! Because you want all of the search engines to absolutely love you too, Right!

You're still not doing it, Are you? Get Up And Do It! It takes 10 minutes to change your life!

No matter the size of your dealership, you can compete with larger dealers. A simple video explaining the different features in one model from another can give your video a top-five organic placement in a Google search, competing with millions of websites. Yes, you can compete with the big dealer down the street. Positive Thoughts = Positive Results. You can not only compete, you can dominate!

Next is the WOW FACTOR. This is where you sell more cars - make more profits, and set yourself apart from the rest. As online shoppers work their way down the funnel, they eventually begin to engage the dealers. On average, they will shop five or six dealers online and they will visit less than two. So there is a definite selection process going on. What shoppers encounter is an unmistakable sameness when they submit their inquiry, especially by email or an Internet form. The auto responses all say pretty much the same thing: “We’ve been in business for 30 years. We have the largest selection, the best lenders, we will give you the most for your trade-in, we have the lowest prices, and we are here to make your experience fast and easy.”

The shopper’s inbox begins blowing up with templates, irrelevant content and invitations to come on in for a test drive when that is exactly what the consumer chose not to do in the beginning. They want to buy a car in a different manner. Now you bring video into your process and you immediately cut yourself from the herd or sameness, if you will. You become different and memorable. You are now climbing their short-list very quickly.

What kind of videos should you send? Here is a list of videos you can use to WOW your customers:

1. Video auto-response

2. Introduction videos

3. Customer testimonial videos and reviews

4. Short video walk-around of the car they are asking about, or one similar in price and size

5. How to use their Fancy Radio, MP3 player or Navigation

6. How you open the gas hatch and where the gas goes (Never put Regular Gas in a Diesel vehicle!)

Your longer video walk-arounds make for a great resource to include in your YouTube library for use in the future. You can even use them as virtual test drives. As that library grows, so does your name, your brand and your search equity. It's a Win-Win for you and your dealership! 

Video is a great way to bring showmanship and salesmanship to an otherwise boring, left-brain buying process. It gives you the chance to show your own personality. People will feel like they already know you, and trust you more. It's an emotional process, remember? Since buying a car is such an emotional act for your customers, video can bring that emotion into the equation and give you an advantage towards being the dealer they want to do business with, Now! Remember people only visit 1.4 - 1.6 dealerships before making a purchase decision. Don't be afraid to be different!

The downside to video is...... There really isn't a downside to video and for the most part it’s FREE. NO 'We Can't Afford It' EXCUSES! A YouTube account doesn’t cost anything; neither does broadcasting on YouTube. Ask your ad agency to broadcast to millions, and millions of people for you for FREE and see how that goes. You’ll need to buy a camera or smart phone. Some dealers invest in green screens and editing software, but that is not necessary. Your time, creativity and effort represent your biggest investments.

Take into consideration that sometimes your customers can’t view YouTube videos at work because YouTube is blocked by their Web filters. You can use Twitter, Facebook or simply post your videos on your own website for viewing to get around this. You have to think outside of the box at times. You can't be stopped!

So what are you waiting for? Do you want to reach more customers, improve your dealership’s search engine performance, WOW your customers and get your salespeople more involved in the marketing, and selling process. It's Free, its Amazing, and it's Here to Stay!

If you doubt for one second that it works, just ask the man below:

Introduction Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm9bEDFiKS4

Mike Davenport - @lvillechevydude on Twitter

Top salesman in Louisville & at Bachman Chevrolet.

Take Care & God Bless!

Dennis Wagner

@TheDennisWagner

  Automotive

      Video

    Marketing

    You Can Do This!

You see, video supercharges the senses and evokes emotion as the consumer watches. It’s captivating, interesting and something we feel compelled to share. If people enjoy it they will share it with friends, family and even on social media. It’s also very inexpensive to produce and free to broadcast to millions of YouTubers.

According to statistics, the estimated number of global internet users who visit YouTube is over 40 percent mobile users. Four out of every 10 human beings on the planet who log on to the Internet via their phone visits YouTube on a daily basis. YouTube exceeds 4 billion viewers a day, more than doubling the prime-time audience of all three major U.S. broadcast networks combined. Over 4 Billion Viewers Per Day. Think about that!

Did you start yet? No! Just look at these Mind Blowing YouTube Statistics -> http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/youtube-statistics/#.U7iJnrGPNvY ...Now Get Started!

The first thing you need to understand is that ALL Search Engines Love Video. Google Loves Video so much it bought YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006. Even Donald Trump would have to be impressed with that number. If the search engines love video that much, why don't you? Start Right Now! Because you want all of the search engines to absolutely love you too, Right!

You're still not doing it, Are you? Get Up And Do It! It takes 10 minutes to change your life!

No matter the size of your dealership, you can compete with larger dealers. A simple video explaining the different features in one model from another can give your video a top-five organic placement in a Google search, competing with millions of websites. Yes, you can compete with the big dealer down the street. Positive Thoughts = Positive Results. You can not only compete, you can dominate!

Next is the WOW FACTOR. This is where you sell more cars - make more profits, and set yourself apart from the rest. As online shoppers work their way down the funnel, they eventually begin to engage the dealers. On average, they will shop five or six dealers online and they will visit less than two. So there is a definite selection process going on. What shoppers encounter is an unmistakable sameness when they submit their inquiry, especially by email or an Internet form. The auto responses all say pretty much the same thing: “We’ve been in business for 30 years. We have the largest selection, the best lenders, we will give you the most for your trade-in, we have the lowest prices, and we are here to make your experience fast and easy.”

The shopper’s inbox begins blowing up with templates, irrelevant content and invitations to come on in for a test drive when that is exactly what the consumer chose not to do in the beginning. They want to buy a car in a different manner. Now you bring video into your process and you immediately cut yourself from the herd or sameness, if you will. You become different and memorable. You are now climbing their short-list very quickly.

What kind of videos should you send? Here is a list of videos you can use to WOW your customers:

1. Video auto-response

2. Introduction videos

3. Customer testimonial videos and reviews

4. Short video walk-around of the car they are asking about, or one similar in price and size

5. How to use their Fancy Radio, MP3 player or Navigation

6. How you open the gas hatch and where the gas goes (Never put Regular Gas in a Diesel vehicle!)

Your longer video walk-arounds make for a great resource to include in your YouTube library for use in the future. You can even use them as virtual test drives. As that library grows, so does your name, your brand and your search equity. It's a Win-Win for you and your dealership! 

Video is a great way to bring showmanship and salesmanship to an otherwise boring, left-brain buying process. It gives you the chance to show your own personality. People will feel like they already know you, and trust you more. It's an emotional process, remember? Since buying a car is such an emotional act for your customers, video can bring that emotion into the equation and give you an advantage towards being the dealer they want to do business with, Now! Remember people only visit 1.4 - 1.6 dealerships before making a purchase decision. Don't be afraid to be different!

The downside to video is...... There really isn't a downside to video and for the most part it’s FREE. NO 'We Can't Afford It' EXCUSES! A YouTube account doesn’t cost anything; neither does broadcasting on YouTube. Ask your ad agency to broadcast to millions, and millions of people for you for FREE and see how that goes. You’ll need to buy a camera or smart phone. Some dealers invest in green screens and editing software, but that is not necessary. Your time, creativity and effort represent your biggest investments.

Take into consideration that sometimes your customers can’t view YouTube videos at work because YouTube is blocked by their Web filters. You can use Twitter, Facebook or simply post your videos on your own website for viewing to get around this. You have to think outside of the box at times. You can't be stopped!

So what are you waiting for? Do you want to reach more customers, improve your dealership’s search engine performance, WOW your customers and get your salespeople more involved in the marketing, and selling process. It's Free, its Amazing, and it's Here to Stay!

If you doubt for one second that it works, just ask the man below:

Introduction Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm9bEDFiKS4

Mike Davenport - @lvillechevydude on Twitter

Top salesman in Louisville & at Bachman Chevrolet.

Take Care & God Bless!

Dennis Wagner

@TheDennisWagner

In the world of sub-prime finance, everyone claims to have the secret or trick to creating a successful sub-prime finance department. They tell you that your dealership will make more money than you have ever dreamed of. Their trick is usually something no one has ever heard of, and even if their sub-prime finance department has other problems, all that a dealership has to do is follow these two rules.

Rule #1: Do It Right The First Time!

Rule #2: When in doubt refer to rule #1.

Actually, there is a rule that every sub-prime finance department should be following if they want to earn long-term success, but while it is simple to understand, it is more difficult to follow. The rule is to take your time and do each deal right the first time. No excuses and no cutting corners. Everything good in life takes work, including business, and disgruntled customers don’t usually give referrals. The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary.

If you are not sure what it takes to get it right, here are a few guidelines. First, customers need to feel that you are on their side. From the minute they walk in the door, they should be treated with respect, and when they start the process of getting approved, explain the entire process to them and make sure they understand. Do not leave them waiting for two hours in the waiting area while they are completely in the dark about what you are doing. They will feel abandoned. Explain the process. Do not condescend to them or treat them with disrespect. As the saying goes, it doesn’t cost anything to be nice.

Second, follow up with past customers. Even if they aren’t looking to trade in or buy a new car for themselves, maybe they are looking for a used car for their teenager, or they have a friend or relative looking for a car, ask for referrals. If you treated them with respect and fully explained the terms of their auto loan, they will remember, especially if you follow up with them.

Finally, set the proper expectations for the customer with respect and kindness. It might not be feasible for them to get the car of their dreams if they have bad credit or no credit, but they might be open to a good used car if they have been treated with respect and if they fully understand their credit situation. I highly recommend using the Risked Based Pricing to help explain their credit history completely. If you educate your customer they will appreciate and respect you more in the long term. Happy customers will send you referrals.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below. Good Luck out there!

In the world of sub-prime finance, everyone claims to have the secret or trick to creating a successful sub-prime finance department. They tell you that your dealership will make more money than you have ever dreamed of. Their trick is usually something no one has ever heard of, and even if their sub-prime finance department has other problems, all that a dealership has to do is follow these two rules.

Rule #1: Do It Right The First Time!

Rule #2: When in doubt refer to rule #1.

Actually, there is a rule that every sub-prime finance department should be following if they want to earn long-term success, but while it is simple to understand, it is more difficult to follow. The rule is to take your time and do each deal right the first time. No excuses and no cutting corners. Everything good in life takes work, including business, and disgruntled customers don’t usually give referrals. The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary.

If you are not sure what it takes to get it right, here are a few guidelines. First, customers need to feel that you are on their side. From the minute they walk in the door, they should be treated with respect, and when they start the process of getting approved, explain the entire process to them and make sure they understand. Do not leave them waiting for two hours in the waiting area while they are completely in the dark about what you are doing. They will feel abandoned. Explain the process. Do not condescend to them or treat them with disrespect. As the saying goes, it doesn’t cost anything to be nice.

Second, follow up with past customers. Even if they aren’t looking to trade in or buy a new car for themselves, maybe they are looking for a used car for their teenager, or they have a friend or relative looking for a car, ask for referrals. If you treated them with respect and fully explained the terms of their auto loan, they will remember, especially if you follow up with them.

Finally, set the proper expectations for the customer with respect and kindness. It might not be feasible for them to get the car of their dreams if they have bad credit or no credit, but they might be open to a good used car if they have been treated with respect and if they fully understand their credit situation. I highly recommend using the Risked Based Pricing to help explain their credit history completely. If you educate your customer they will appreciate and respect you more in the long term. Happy customers will send you referrals.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below. Good Luck out there!