The Shibuya Crossing holds the title of the world’s busiest intersection. Based in Tokyo, the intersection claims that more than 3,000 people cross in one traffic light cycle. A quiet, motionless countdown quickly consumes the street as a chaotic experience which some like to the equivalent of marbles falling into and then out of a box happens over and over again. 

The situation is similar to the electronic experience at your dealership. No, not the number of people coming into and out of your dealership. Floor traffic is undeniably down as consumers shop more and more online and come into fewer stores for transactions.

The Shibuya Crossing in your dealership is your data.

Do you know who is receiving and sending your data? Consumer data is priceless and each dealership should know who, when, and how often they send information. Your inventory is equally as important. 

A new age contracts in transit meeting should involve knowing where your data is going at all times.

In a business where speed wins, first steps can lose.  

Reasoning being—the distinct possibility—like is the case in any race—that you could jump the gun. Sure, creating a market sounds exciting, but in today’s fragmented, isolated marketplace, it’s going to be tougher and tougher to do.

Look at the advantages that Netflix secured in being first to market. All the content, all the subscriptions. However, fast to market beats first to market longer-term as we watch Amazon, AT&T, and other major players reach scale in the content distribution space. Don’t misunderstand Netflix isn’t a loser, but for all the risk the Fast Followers didn’t take on they now get ready to take on boatloads of customers.

 And now—even better yet--the content is moving. It’s no longer a typical day at the office for Netflix. Nor is it a friendly business as more First Followers jump off-board and join the Fast Follower bandwagon. “Friends” will be exclusive to Warner Media’s properties for distribution on their HBO Max platform. “The Office” will be leaving for NBC Universal’s soon to be announced platform. Disney brings their platform to the table in 2020. 

Dollars will depart the First to Market arena. Subscribers will move to Fast to Market places and that’s certainly nothing to laugh about. To keep forecasted subscription losses down Seinfeld has been signed for Netflix into 2021.

 That’s the other side of being first to market -- losing the share to the fast followers. In a digital age, it happens quickly. In today’s big-time game of automotive retailing each month matters and as such we search for the next edge. 

Now though, we’re looking for another reason and dreaming of the innovative advantage that others can’t see.

How do you get to the next level of growth and profitability without breaking the bank? The reality is – just like you did with the internet and really any other innovation – you didn’t want to be “First to Market”. The goal should have been “Fast to Market”.

Whether you believe that the First to Market wins or not. Your choice will be in determining how you can be First or Fast to market with Digital Retailing or the Service Drive or Used Cars. It’s really up to you. 

Given the choice of being either “Fast to Market” or “First to Market” which would you choose?

Tracking Google conversions as if they were the ultimate outcome is like running a race without your shoes. Sure, you’ll eventually get there, but it’s likely your time will be slower, and your pain along the way will be greater.

As we move into an era of digital retailing, zip code sales counts will, if they are not already, be the ultimate conversion. Time on site, SRPs, VDPs, form fills, texts, chats, calls, and in-store visits matter when they correlate to sales; however, they often times don’t. 

Symptom control helps contribute to patient well-being, but the greatest influence and responsibility should be exerted to influence the greatest outcome - sales by zip code.

If you’re running those fundamental elements down without looking at sales by zip code, you’re missing an opportunity to do more business. 

Don’t be smarter than the market. Google sure isn’t. In fact, they recently announced a major investment in the travel industry—which some people believe accounts for 10% of all Google revenue— and have actually steered clear of the long, winding road that is automotive. 

There’s a clean, direct, trackable purchase path with the travel industry.

Meanwhile, the automotive industry is highly complex, incredibly competitive and the state of affairs with consumers is in considerable flux. How many stores have delivered a car without someone setting foot in the store via a Digital Retailing experience? 

Editor’s Note: Zip Code tracking solves for a major nuance that will continue to grow and evolve over time.

Moreover, Geographical Amplification by Zip solves for longer-term needs, too--like the service drive as well as your OEM mandates for market share sales efficiency.

There isn’t a secret Google sauce that can be ladled over the industry and labeled a conversion that makes this make sense. No matter the artificial intelligence, machine learning, smart bidding or proprietary algorithms, the best path to sales success is understanding the zip code source of the sale. 

Bar none.

Dreaming of AI to solve for complex consumer minds and unique industry situations, is an exercise no doubt. Just make sure that you fall back to a tangible position that provides more protection and readies you for the next race.

The novelty of running the race without shoes may be exciting to some; however, those that want to continue running, competing and winning will know that zip codes provide the same reliability that tracks shoes afford you--it’s not only this race but the next and the next and the one after that . . . 

Many people attribute the following quote to Mark Twain because he popularized it.

“There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

Twain—more than once—correctly attributed the insightful comment to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. Twain, a great writer, brought the words to life. Disraeli, a career politician, had a way with words as well.

In the era of Big Data the quote—no matter the source—carries an important message.  Most notably, the meaning doesn’t change even when and if the source does.

I present that backdrop to share this—Google has so much data that you have to inspect what you expect as it relates to Google’s data. Especially true when we talk about lies, damned lies and “Conversions”.

One of many meaningful metrics that comes from Google is found in their ability to track Conversions. Watch as I show you how that number looks when we view it through different lenses within the Google Ads platform.

Looks the same, and comes from the same source . . . 

. . . but oh so different.

Don’t worry we’ve got you handled and we know how to get to the conversions that matter most in the automotive space. Showroom visits anyone? Just make sure your Ad Agency is also trekking down the same prosperous path.

Otherwise, you could get sucked into a Conversion game that brings life to the quote above—no matter the source.

Despite efforts to chase down loyalty in the automotive industry -  the path to a repeat purchase is an even tougher feat. Here are three reasons why loyalty to technology is greater than the loyalty to cars:

1. 1 - Market Research

Ask a millennial which mattered more -- first car or first phone?

My nephew, Philip, who will be attending his first class at Ole Miss in just a few days, summed it up wonderfully.

• My first phone mattered more because it allowed me to do a great number of things that I couldn’t do before while the car provided just one service. 

1. 2 - Technological Freedom from the Technology Companies

Apple CarPlay works and works well. 

Now ask yourself, “Are we plugging the phone into the car? Or plugging the car into the phone?”

1.  
2. 3 - Retention Rates

92% of the people that own an iPhone replace it with an iPhone. 

Meanwhile, there’s a 14% same-store retention rate for new car buyers. 

Staggering numbers--especially in comparison.

As we move forward, Google’s Waymo and driverless cars are designed to allow consumers to spend more time engaging with their phones and less time engaging with their cars.

There’s little doubt about whether consumers are engaging more and caring more about their phones in today’s society. Are your advertising and marketing plans reflecting this changing world order?

How can you go from good to great in the hyper-competitive Google ad space? Here are five keys to help drive ad relevance, quality score, and overall ad performance.

1. Run Three or More Ads per Group

The whole point of running at least two ads per ad group is to see which one performs better. Try three so that you continually rotate one out of the mix. It will also keep you fresh and focused each month.

2. Optimize Ad Rotations

Lean into Google’s Algorithm for optimized Ad Rotations. Their highly touted machine learning and artificial intelligence can improve your business. As an advertiser, keep the copy fresh and pay attention to how consumers connect with you.

3. Ten or More Ad Extensions Enabled

There are at least six automatic extensions and 11 manual extensions. Grab as many as you can and keep them updated. Call extensions, location extensions, and promotion extensions are just the beginning. For a more complete list click here. If you land in the top spot, you’ll be glad you have more versus fewer extensions because of the virtual real estate that Google brings to your advertising property.

4. Ad Copy

Move beyond the numbers in the reports and work through the words, too... Get original. Stay fresh. A new month affords new copy-writing opportunities. Enjoy the process and keep your copywriting up-to-date.

5. After the Click

If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, your job is to make sure that it is actually a duck on the other side of the click. 

If your ad scent isn’t oh so right, you’ll be quite wrong. Now, more than ever before your ad copy should be authentic, performance-related and arguably innovative—ie, see note on ad extensions above. 

Follow these five drivers for Google Ad excellence and you’ll be well on your way to the next level of performance improvements for your Google Ads.

How is the marketing team at your dealership constructed? Do you have a marketing plan? Or do you practice the art of H.i.P.P.O marketing?

H.i.P.P.O Marketing references the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion for decision-making. 

If you’re the one calling the shots it might be fun; however, if you are looking to take the wish and hope out of your marketing efforts you could start with these three marketing metrics that are designed to drive sales in today’s competitive environment.

1. 1. What’s your cost per sale?

2. 2. What’s your impression share for your dealer name in Google’s Auction Insights?

3. 3. How many salespeople do you have?

We are animal lovers at Local Search Group. We aren’t looking to get rid of Hippos--we just want to make sure that we get back to the business at hand. If you need help with that conversation, we are happy to help!

We are well-known for understanding the value of advertising – how much something costs versus how much something is worth. Additionally, we also know our values at Local Search Group.

Value and Values. Two different things.

Local Search Group’s values do much more than establish the financial worthiness of something.

Our Values–summed up in the 7 C’s here – help drive our thinking and actions – and these are values any organization or dealership can adopt to improve their own efficiency as well as their overall culture.

Consistency is a huge part of what we do. In order to maximize performance, everything can’t be an event. Consistency provides poise in moments that matter. It’s a way to look at launching and closing out each month.

We look at each month like a football coach looks at a game during a season. We define the wins, the losses AND the adjustments that need to be made in order to maintain or improve upon our competitive position in the market. Not just for our clients, but for our employees, too.

We even look at the Super Bowl as arguably the world’s largest event for the aspects of consistency that it brings to the table. When we find the consistency in our own event’s–Super Bowls or otherwise–we are able to scale the mountains of work we do for our clients as a team in a repeatable way.

Are you doing the same with your dealership or agency?

A picture is worth a thousand words.

As Google continues to literally change colors, it’s worth noting that their Ad identification grows increasingly smaller. Those changes have been inversely proportional to the relevance that their Ads provide to consumers. That’s a good thing. Can’t wait to see what the next 10 years bring!

Both Grant Cardone’s book, “Sell or Be Sold” and Daniel Pink’s book, “To Sell is Human” remind me of the idea that sharing an idea or concept involves selling.

On the sales front, OTT may arguably be the word of the year for sales and marketing professionals. Other nominees include Digital Retailing and Actionable Analytics. Previous winners for marketing phrases of the year include “selfie”, “programmatic” and “QR Codes”, but I digress.

Let’s take on OTT for a moment and consider how it influences industries and consumers alike. In recent meetings with various OTT vendors, I find they speak more and more of one-to-one modeling. In a related way, direct mail and e-mail companies are offering up an IP address that follows through down to specific households in order to complement their direct mail efforts.

AT&T U-verse for example--through the combination of set-top box data from cable and phone information--pretty much has a data warehouse of intelligence. And they are promoting one-to-one advertising. I just wonder how that works out though? Let’s say AT&T signs national deals with Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota. Meanwhile, a consumer—based on these HOT new statistical models—comes in and identifies a consumer as an SUV buyer.

What’s next?

Do we end up with a Ford SUV spot, a Toyota SUV spot and a Chevrolet SUV spot all in the same two-minute break? 8 times a day for the next 90 days. Shopper Beware. Shopper Beware for certain.

Also, how do we keep this accountable from an advertising perspective? Reporting from AT&T could be the answer, but in terms of more accountable media enterprises—think AC Nielsen or RL Polk for a moment--those business models are being replaced by real-time, one-to-one promises.

The vertical integration of phone companies into the advertising space is exciting from a data perspective and simultaneously just a little bit disconcerting. Be wary of the false promise, the quick wedding and the low levels of accountability inherent to this promise. It doesn’t much sound like a match made in heaven when the outcome portends to bombard the ultimate buyer with more bottom of the funnel advertising than they could reasonably stand.