What Website Brings You The Most Leads?

LISTING SITES

When is the last time you have had a sales rep asking you to list your site for hundreds or thousands of dollars on a third party site? 5 Minutes ago?

Listing sites are everywhere, and in may cases can be beneficial to your strategy. Which site brings you the most leads?

YOUR WEBSITE

Here are the facts. YOUR WEBSITE brings you the most leads. Google recently did a study (Shown below). Clearly you can see that the most traffic/leads come directly from your own website. In a close second is the manufacturer website.

MOST VIEWED PAGES ON YOUR WEBSITE

To this day, I am blown away by the amount Automotive dealers that don’t make their website a priority. Merchandising (New and Used), specials/Deals & staff page are your most viewed pages on the site and many dealers aren’t aware that these pages are blank, populated with wrong information or not even present. Then we wonder why sales are down?

HOW DO I GET MORE TRAFFIC?

There are a many ways we can drive more traffic and develop a strong monthly unique visitor base. Here are 2 of the most popular.

1. Organic Traffic – Developing strong original content that answers questions consumers’ want to know, in order to help make a purchase decision. (Create pages like:  “Lease or Purchase?” “Should I buy Used or New?”
    
2. Online Ads – Google Adwords, Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads

Thank you for being awesome, a part of the Remarkable network and Drivind Sales Community! Taking time to learn about how to be the best at Marketing in a world that technology changes daily.

Please take advantage of THIS FREE E-BOOK ON CREATING CONTENT FOR YOUR WEBSITE

How are people arriving on your website?

• Paid Ads?
• Being referred threw a 3^rd party?
• Organic Search
• Typing in your URL?

For lack of an extremely long list, I have kept the list to 4 top ways people can arrive on your website.

PAID ADS

Depending on your Paid marketing initiative, (Spend, Display, Retargeting) can all have factors in the amount of people that reach you through paid search. Statistics say that between 20 -35% of people click on paid ads. If you are spending 10K a month on Pay Per Click, through Google, Bing or Facebook. You would expect that Paid ads should be a main referral.

3^rd PARTY REFERRALS

What is a 3^rd party referral site? Any website that links to your website would be considered a referral. Different websites feel that your website is of value to their own content, in turn linking to a page on your website. This is a great way to generate content, however, in many cases, referral clicks from other sites is lower on the list of generating traffic.

ORGANIC SEARCH

Usually, the top referrer to your website is Organic Search. This is when people search in Google for a specific topic, ask a question or inquire about a topic and your website link comes up in the search. 9 out of 10 times it is on the first page of Google. They say “It’s almost impossible to solve a murder f the body is on page 2 of Google”

Organic search should be your top traffic source.  (Unless you have an aggressive paid search campaign)

DIRECT SEARCH

As we move into a new world of Domain Extensions and TLDS (Learn About Domain Extensions Here) we are beginning to question how people search and if it make sense to go to a .Auto .Car or .Cars domain name. For that matter, .Tech? .Shoes or .XYZ?

I did some research and found some very interesting data. Looking at many sites and their corresponding data, I have come to realize that DIRECT SEARCH is much more common than it’s been perceived. See the graph below. Many are in the 15% - 30% range (Orange Pie). That means a LARGE PERCENT of traffic is typing in your URL to land your website. Why would this happen?

• We underestimate the strength of VISUAL BRANDING. Billboards, Display Ads, Print and Paper ads.
• People say “How do I find you?” your response is, “go to www.abcmotors.com”
• BUSINESS CARDS! EMAILS! The website is always listed in these places.

This being said, would you rather a Domain Name that is abc-motors-city.com or abc.auto or abc.car  or abc.cars Remembering the domain name is essential and will increase traffic regarding the points made above. Be a leader in the  auto space, get your beachfront real estate!

Q. Will Google support my SEO efforts to move my domain from .com to a new TLD?

“A. We have extensive site move documentation in our Help Center. We treat these moves the same as any other site move. That said, domain changes can take time to be processed for search (and outside of search, users expect email addresses to remain valid over a longer period of time), so it's generally best to choose a domain that will fit your long-term needs.”

- Google 

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Google, a top browser for any searcher, makes a very clear point here:

“it's generally best to choose a domain that will fit your long-term needs.”

A DOMAIN THAT WILL FIT YOUR LONG TERM NEEDS

Is .Com a long-term strategy? IMO, out with the old and in with the new.  Why not take advantage of owning the best possible domain for your business showing relevance & leadership?  We are seeing huge gains in SEO in a short time.

WILL SEO BE AFFECTED WITH A .AUTO .CAR or .CARS?

We have seen some results early on from .Cars websites. For example; a website built by Scholfield Automotive, Wichita.Cars, now outranks the .com equivalent:wichitacars.com (a 15 year old domain) for the search term "wichita cars".  Wichita.cars been consistently moving up (it was on page 9 last week, and now it is on page 3). This gives a lot of promise for other CITY and REGION.cars domain names.

A third party SEO firm conduct multiple studies to show the SEO impact from using an automotive specific domain name. The initial white paper will be released in the next month or two. 

IT’S IN YOUR HANDS

A new TLD (Domain Extension) is a simple switch, Registries like Uniregistry have a white glove service that will gladly help with the transition, ensuring the a non hassle adoption to the latest web update.

ARE DOMAIN EXTENSIONS SPAMMY?
"1 of a 5 Part Series"  By; Grant Gooley

Actually, they are the furthest things from spam. Domain extensions are the exact opposite of  being spammy… Companies like .Auto are now taking our content and packaging it nicely into organized Tupperware containers like my wife does with everything. In fact one day I’m waiting to wake up in one…

Here is what Google Says About Domain Extensions:

“The Internet has always been first and foremost about self-expression, and the dawn of this era of hundreds of new domains marks one of the most unpredictable moments in the history of a highly unpredictable medium.

.EDU has always meant education, .GOV government, .ORG non-profits. Today's new domains are infinitely more open-ended. There will be new homes for creativity, for business, for explorers, comedians and professionals. What will .HOW mean? .EAT? .SOY? We have our ideas, but how you develop your piece of this online real estate is up to you. Whether you're a dad or a traveler, a developer or a movie maker, a Japanese speaker or a tour guide, the web, happily, is what you make of it."

Google has made some great points here. The "gist" tells me that this is a new venture for everyone, and open to interpretation. Open to new possibilities. We are a product of our own demise. Will we use these new domains to make browsing a solid experience? .Auto .Car and .Cars will be a strong extension, they will take no less. Stay tuned as to why in my next post of the series.  

DOMAINS DON’T HAVE "WEIGHT" LIKE IN THE YEAR 2001

If you follow internet marketing, you understand that Domains don’t have weight like they used to in 2001 when it comes to SEO, you would also know that the consumer will make the decision as to what is better as a search experience. Google will follow suit and rank accordingly.

WHAT DOES .COM MEAN?

It only makes sense to have more relevant Domain Extensions. What is .COM? What does it mean?

Bass.Com - Is that a fish or a guitar? Bass.fish or Bass.guitar , Google can now serve up content in context to the search + the behavior = relevance.

DOMAINS WON’T SAVE THE DAY, BUT THEY ARE A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE THAT CANNOT BE MISSED.

As mentioned, domains mean nothing unless the content is strong and relevant. So buying a .Auto won’t save the day. You still need to follow the rest of Search best practices. However, it will help users find what they are looking for in an organized fashion, just like my wife always knows where our Passports are. In a Tupperware container marked PASSPORTS… BRILLIANT.  The Tupperware doesn’t say .Com on the lid, right?

Go To: http://remarkable.auto/product-home/ to learn more/

The time has come and we will separate the forward thinkers from the rest! IMO

Or, is this just another fad, like pogs, slap bracelets and online privacy?

AUTOMOTIVE REVOLUTION (It's about time)

I was honored to find out that I was going to be a part of a revolution. I'll never forget the first conversation with the COO of the .Auto .Car .Cars company. I thought I was talking to a God of some kind? Sounds weird right, but think about it… Who created .com? Well, the guy on the other end of the line is the co-founder of .Auto! What school do you go to in order to get into a position like that!? In my world, that is like being the Kurt Cobain of marketing!

ANOTHER DIGITAL MARKETING FAD?

 So, you may not be as excited as I am because you are thinking, blah blah, another way for people to make money, more digital mess to confuse everyone. Maybe it's a fad? Sure, I can see why people are frustrated with everyone and their dog trying to sell the next Facebook… I get it, but this is in a different league.

 People have the opportunity to buy “ThierCity.Auto”, how awesome is that? 

BadCredit.Cars? It’s available!  SERIOUS CHECK IT OUT: http://goo.gl/ec7ZDc 

You could design an entire business around this domain. 

I will be writing about Domain Extensions in a series and why they are the future regarding the top of everyone's computer!

What do you think?

It was only under a decade ago your communication channels were made up of 3 channels, print, TV and radio. Today, we have access to literally hundreds of vendors, services and technologies, all different colours, shapes and sizes! How do you decide which to use? What way do you turn?

DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Not only do we live in a world where exponential technology is disrupting the marketing landscape but we also have to measure each channel, deciding the path to least resistance, of course, the best return on our hard-earned dollars. I truly believe that this is one of the biggest challenges for dealerships today!

Developing an attribution model will help you to understand where your customers are coming from and more importantly where the sales are coming from.

ATTRIBUTION MODEL CHALLENGES

The challenges of building a strong attribution model are again, the vast amount of channels we use to communicate with our customer. Each channel has some kind of analytic platform. Aggregating each platform to get the insights you are looking for is extremely time-consuming and redundant. Going through this process week after week, month after month can cause “ANALYSIS PARALYSIS”… also known as a waste of time. This is when you run in circles looking at data with no real insightful outcomes to better the strategy. So choosing which information/data to track and focus on is another important aspect of a solid attribution model!

SIMPLE TRACKING TO BEGIN YOUR ATTRIBUTION MODEL

Here is a simple form of an attribution model anyone can use without an expensive tracking system: (Nobody said it would be quick and easy)

1. Track the following religiously! (WEB SESSIONS, LEADS, APPOINTMENTS, SALES) many dealerships don’t track appointments…HUGE mistake. If you want the simplest way to see lift in sales… track appointments. You will be surprised what happens.

2. Once the dealership is tracking Web Sessions, Leads, Appointments and Sales you can begin tracking the conversion percentages. (Example: if you have 1000 web sessions and 10 leads, your website is converting at 1%. If you get 4 appointments from 10 leads your lead to appt. ratio is 40% if you sell 2 of those appointments you're converting at 50%, leads to sales)

3. Once you have done the math (like above) and figured out each PERCENTAGE, multiply the percentages together. (0.01 X 0.4 X 0.5) outcome = 0.002

4. Take an average gross profit from your dealership, front and back end gross combined. ($2000) Multiply by the percentage from your conversion funnel. 2000 X 0.002 = 0.04 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Each web visit = Four Cents! Now you can work with the team to improve the conversion ratios in each aspect of the funnel. Knowing which part of the funnel needs work. You can do this same math with every communication channel you are currently using. This is time-consuming, however, can be helpful when deciding what communication/marketing channels are best for you!

Does your dealership have an attribution model? How do you decide what Vendors or Marketing services to use?

Millennials are often misunderstood creating difficult situations when hiring and retaining the
25 to 34-year-old age groups.  Why is this?

Walking in Millennial boots, you would notice the revamp in communication, using social media, texting and email versus face-to-face conversation.  Using exponential technology like a 3rd arm, never mind a struggle. For these reasons Millennials constantly are challenging conventional business strategy and seeking meaningful careers, needing more fulfillment than just a biweekly auto deposit, with a team environment and the opportunity to explore. Millennials want to innovate and make a change. 

If we compare Millennials to ‘Boomers’ (ages 51 – 68), there are obvious differences. Boomers are competitive and contour the work environment to be “blue collar”. Hard workers by nature and feel that only elbow grease, appearances, and time will gain you respect. Boomers seem to have a negative outlook on Millennials non-caring approach to paying their dues. Boomers fault younger generations for their stress towards a work-life balance by using technology instead of face-to-face practices.

Regardless of the diversity between Baby Boomers and Millennials, their characteristic differences can, in some cases, come together creating nice results. I’ve seen it happen! I’m sure you have as well.  The synergy requires good listeners, communicators and open-minded approaches to the overall goals of the Dealership. Let’s be honest, the Dealership world is busy and every minute that goes by is a minute that people have work to do, SELLING AND SERVICING customers. Not trying to find unity between a Boomer and Millennial.  The outcome is a high turnover and difficult times while trying to build a team and retain the new generation.

I thought I'd lay out some statements and feelings that come straight from the Millennial generation. (Please note: I cannot speak on behalf of ALL Millenials, from the research I have composed and the MANY conversations I have had, these are the outcome statements)

•    Millennials don't work 9-5. Their job is their life. Work-life balance is not a cop out, in fact; it’s a way to say “We won’t stop working until the job is complete.” Appreciate this fact until the 25-year-old punk proves otherwise!

•    Millennials want a purpose in life. A chance to create something.

•    Millennials have technology at their fingertips; they understand technology, and it gives them an edge. Nobody should take that away due to the fact they don’t understand! 

•    Millennials like to grow in variable environments. We have to, in order to survive with today's demands and expensive consumer lifestyle. Don't put a cap on their success. If it's making you more money, let them grow with you!

•    Millennials are entrepreneurs at heart because of the opportunities the world presents us today. We have the resources to share, network and most of all - do what we want if we work hard enough. 

If Dealerships want to retain hard-working young talent, they need to understand who they are and why they act and react the way they do. The point I'm making here is not a free ticket for young people to think they run the world; this post is far from saying that. In fact, respect is due where it’s earned, and Baby Boomers deserve a ton of it because it is their hard work and what they created to allow us Millennials thrive. The minute a young punk takes advantage of the points made in this post, they need to be walked out the door! The Millennials who understand respect and use technology to help your business grow and make more money are the ones you want to do what it takes to understand their way of thinking.  At the end of the day, they are the ones that are going to let you retire ☺ (in some respects)

Do you have a lot of Millennials working in your dealership? How do you deal with the differences in mindsets? 

Automotive advertising has always been an integral part of the Dealership business. Spending 100's of thousands per year to stand out from the dealer down the street. The budget has never been the issue, it seems that taking an innovative leap might be...

As technology rapidly changes, we are seeing a stronger user experience and an overall “cleaner” look across websites today. We are also seeing multi-media storm the screens of our computers and personal devices.

Top Notch Websites of 2014

Below are some links of modern, award winning sites that really stick out to me:

• Large images, literally taking up the entire screen: http://goo.gl/zI5KdD
• Video that assumes the experience and functionality: http://goo.gl/zNv0ot

It’s About Solving A Problem

Some of the links above are exaggerated examples of technology we have access to today. By no means am I saying we need to be as flashy as the sites linked above. Lets make it clear, technology for business is NOT about the “wow” factor, it’s about solving a problem for the consumer. The fact we have technology advanced as shown, why arent we tapping in?

Let’s go back to the early 2000’s. Websites simply provided information. Like a brochure. A few pictures, "about us", some information regarding the service or product and a way to contact the business. 15 years later we have much more technology to offer to the consumer. Web 3.0 is responsive, engaging, entertaining, adaptive and reactive. It seems as though the automotive verticle is not riding this wave...

Are Automotive Websites Keeping Up With The Times?

With the exception of some forward thinking automotive website providers/developers, we are missing the ball if you ask me.  Cookie cutter websites, confusing site maps & anxiety driven landing pages due to information overload! These are just a few of the downfalls I see today on the majority of Auto websites across North America.

Stand Out From The Crowd!

I think we will begin to see the “little guy vendors” take a stand, with innovative, inspiring websites; dealers will realize the advantages of being custom. Using multi media on a much larger scale. Simplifying landing pages and focusing the user experience.

Brand recognition has never been more important on the dealer level. We have to cut through the noise and make a statement. Give consumers what they want, a clean, simple, informative experience that results in satisfying the need of being on the website in the first place. Not a bunch of starburst jpg's screaming about the next Lease Special!

What do you think? Are we behind?

We all know that Internet research has become a prerequisite for the vehicle shopping experience. While gaining knowledge to make an educated vehicle purchase, "In-Market" shoppers go through an ONLINE shopping “life cycle”:

To ensure a concrete strategy that converts phone calls and form fills;  consumer behaviours and how they react to your BRAND, should be taken into consideration while creating a digital strategy. Let's quickly talk about each stage:

1.    Awareness: JUST before someone is in the market, they perk up and take notice of car related conversations, commercials, and anything that might cross their browser.  (Display ads, videos, etc.)

2.    Consideration: The consumer has decided it is time to put the clunker to bed and buy a new car. Spouse is on board, so they begin talking to friends and family, asking for opinions. Most importantly they use their favourite search engine to dive into reviews, comparisons, all in while looking for a great deal.

3.    Intent: After three weeks and eleven hours of online digging, over 20 websites, 12 brands and five dealerships; the lion is very close to pouncing on its prey. Now it’s time to begin communicating with a few dealerships.

4.    Decision: The customer feels the communication between 2 of the five dealerships was professional, not too pushy, transparent and helpful. The budget makes sense, so it’s time for a test drive. After two appointments, they land on a shiny new car! 45 Days later from the awareness stage.

What does all this mean to your dealership?

It means that the shopping lifecycle can be adapted to your brand & marketing efforts, resulting in a higher conversion rate. I have designed a chart to match the behavioural phases of an "In-Market" vehicle shopper:

Now that we have nailed down the buyer life cycle and created three techniques to attract in-market buyers to your brand, (Aggregation, Engagement, Acquisition) how do we use this to generate more sales?

1.    Google AdWords - Display Network (Top Of Mind Awareness)

2.    Facebook Ad Exchange (Top Of Mind Awareness)

3.    YouTube TrueView (Top Of Mind Awareness)

4.    Rich Offers, Contests, Specials, campaigns.

5.    Segmented Landing Pages. These will compliment dealer offers, contests, specials, and campaigns.

1.    Google AdWords Search Network & Remarketing (Sales Focused)

2.    Facebook Ad Exchange - Remarketing, low funnel buyers. (Sales Focused)

3.    Rich Content Development, Inbound Marketing Software (Sales Focused)

4.    Segmented Landing Pages, offers, contests, specials (Sales Focused)

5.    Dealer Website - Specials - Merchandising - Staff Page

1.    Call To Action (CTA) Forms & Phone Calls.  (Appointment Focused)

2.    Tracking on Google Analytics. (Appointment Focused)

3.    Facebook Ad Exchange Claim Offers, Event Sign Ups. (Appointment Focused)

4.    Rich Content Development. (Inbound Software) (Appointment Focused)

5.    Segmented THANK YOU Pages & email triggers.

6.    Complimenting offers, contests, specials, and campaigns.

6.    Dealer Website – Directions to the Dealership - CTA's

Overwhelemed yet? There is a lot piled up within this post. The main focus is to know your customer and how they shop online. Use that information to capitalize on conversion.  I always say, if you serve rich content and helpful information that gives value to the shopper (audience), you have a better chance of building a trustful/transparent relationship, resulting in a conversion and possibly a customer for life!  

- Grant Gooley

“Leadership and innovation is my reason. Marketing is my platform.”

Particularly in the last 5 years, drastic changes in consumer shopping behavior has created fear amongst businesses; in turn, a viral infection of unfocused marketing. 

I have a background in human psychology and a passion for behavioral science. I spend time considering why we fail to keep up with our customers. We have the ability, technology and data knowledge to understand why such durastic change has occurred but, despite the fact, a high percentage of smart business professionals don’t believe OR CARE to adapt and cater to today’s consumer.

Advertising and marketing initiatives may never be perfect, yet I believe as an industry, we should be doing much better then we currently are.  If everyone was on the same page and worked as a team to execute and modify our strategies we would be better off.  We can all agree, there are people in every boardroom that don’t comply. All it takes is one “bad apple”. I love the phrase "You are only as strong as your weakest link", and so, without 100% of the team on board, your customers will continue to be frustrated and in the dark.

Is your team ALL IN or ALL OUT?

There are 3 major factors that will help make sure your team is ALL IN!

1. Interpretation/Re-Interpretation:

The interpretation of how technology has affected our society is negative for some people. Example: “Our family dinners are ruined by my sons smart phone” We need to RE-INTERPRET the angle of this thought with your team. Get up in front of the entire team at sales meetings and prove how technology is affecting our industry in a positive way. The best way to do this is by adopting a culture around ZMOT.  Here is a great video to run with... Develop your concepts around this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIFBwIAdpu4

2. Change Behavior By Changing The Environment:

I can’t stress the word CULTURE enough. The environment that surrounds the dealership should make everyone understand that change is here and here to stay. Tent cards on every desk that say “Have you seen what people say about us on Google Reviews?” The floor manager is reviewing out going emails every day, proving to the team that management cares and is on board with new ways of communication. General Manager hands out a survey to the sales team, asking for feedback on the website. Again, proof that management cares about change that the dealership is adopting! Culture is the environment; if the surroundings change so will the entire team.

3. Be Proactive Not Reactive:

It’s a common situation to see businesses react to change instead of looking ahead, planning and being proactive. You could be the best dealership in the world, if your staff doesn’t see a plan for future improvements and innovation, belief in the business begins to dwindle creating “nay-sayers” at the same tame.  Be proactive and communicate the innovative ideas with the team. Over time everyone will see the light as they inspire each other with new ideas and proactive thinking!

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

How will you make sure that your ENTIRE team is on board with the changing world? Can you find some angles to re-interpret any negative thoughts your team has about technology? Can change your ways to create an environment that sends "change signals" to the team? Do you have an innovative plan for 2015 the team knows about? If not... it’s never to late!

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy NOT fighting the old but building the new!  -Socrates