In this video blog, Jim Flint, CEO, and Founder of Local Search Group discusses two changes you should make to deliver the most efficiencies for your Google Ad Words campaigns.

In this video blog, Jim Flint, CEO, and Founder of Local Search Group discusses the importance of excluding out of the country and out of the state geography in order to optimize your targeted audience in your primary market areas.

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!

In this video blog, Jim Flint, CEO, and Founder of Local Search Group discusses the importance of implementing location extensions to advertising campaigns for more traffic.

In this video blog, Jim Flint, CEO, and Founder of Local Search Group discusses two trends - display ad spending and search ad spending – and why today’s technological shifts may help drive your resource allocations.

Let’s cut to the chase. Digital Retailing is the next wave in the evolution of automotive marketing. If you want to get up to speed faster than your competition take to the fast track below for my Top Ten list of Digital Retailing articles. 

10. Dale Pollak’s NADA Day Two View

Dale’s quick take on VDP’s and Digital Retailing? Digital Retailing doesn’t replace VDP’s. Read More

9. Gregory Arroyo’s Take on Digital Retail

Gregory, Senior Manager of Strategic Content for Dealer Socket, deep dives on Digital Dealer and tackles tough issues like --Should I allow customers to self-desk? Read More

8. DDC’s Digital Retailing pitch

It’s a form fill for DDC’s Digital Retailing presentation—nicely done. Read More

7. Bill Wittenmeyer on the Impact of Digital Retailing

A video where Bill, VP of ELEADs CRM, discusses shortening the buying process. Tune to  6:52 to catch his smart view to Digital Retailing. Read More

6. Joe Webb’s Lyrical Poem on Digital Retailing

Can you see the “Night Before Christmas” in your mind’s eye as you read this? President of Dealer Knows, Joe, showcases his creative contributions and they are well worth seeing for those in the auto industry. Check out some of his videos here. Moreover, his operational expertise is appreciated by all that know him. 

5. How to Outperform Your Digital Retailing Competition
Tim Cox, Co-Founder at Car Now, and Jim Fitzpatrick, Co-Founder of CBT Automotive News speak to the differences between Digital Retailing “buzzwords” and the actuality of what consumers want. Carvana may hold a few keys. Read More

4. A Pasch-ian Panel

Brian, a huge content contributor in the space, takes to the floor of NADA and leads a thought-provoking panel about Digital Retailing. 

He’s joined by Michael Eggerling, Product Marketer for CDK Global, Amit Chandarana the Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Roadster, and the aforementioned Tim Cox, Co-founder of CarNow. Read More

Check out some of Brian’s additional Digital Retailing insight on his Digital Retailing podcast as well.

3. MIT’s Take on Five Keys to Digital Retailing

An hour-long webinar with a classic academic approach. You wouldn’t expect any less from MIT! Two straightforward takeaways – Use data to measure the processes. Get ready for disruptive technologies. Read More

2. Digital Retailing Grabs Automakers Attention

Automotive News gets in the game via OEM and vendor views. We’re not buying a pair of shoes . . . or so we’re told. Details are delivered as automakers discuss the challenges of ramping into the space with retail partners. Read More

1. Consumer Reactions to Digital Retailing

Denise Chudy, GM for ContactAtOnce, drives the concept of conversational commerce for cars. She may already be at the next level of digital retailing.

Therese Aleman, Sr. Director Marketing, clarifies consumer pain points and paints the picture of the proper path to transaction.

After listening to the dynamic duo, you start (1) thinking like a consumer and (2) wanting to buy your car via a mobile phone.

Hey, there’s a reason it’s number one! Skip at your own risk. Read More

If you like what you see – like it or share this Digital Retailing blog with others.

Before we speak to 20/20 vision, let’s discuss 5 Google Trends for 2019 that have implications for Advertisers, Consumers and Dealers alike.

1.Assisted Experiences

Immersive technologies are starting to integrate. TV’s, OTT, thermostats, fridges and Fit Bits-- work in synch to deliver interesting data points for advertisers like Google. To think most of this intelligence is connected via your Phone—the certain center of the marketing universe is not only scary- it’s exciting.

2.Machine Learning

Humans are still needed, but the iterations and intelligence machine learning provides is remarkably FAST!  We are well past computers that play Chess and now into facial and voice recognition technologies. The detection of diseases is starting to play in this space as algorithms identify common patterns. The same of course holds true for purchasing patterns. There aren’t perfect predictors to speak of, but the iterations will come faster and faster than ever before.

3. Personal Digitization--broad demos and after the click issues

Relevance matters.

If the advertisement doesn’t connect after the click, then we have issues—most notably lower relevance and subsequently higher costs. The experts in advertising understand just how important the after the click experience is for prospective buyers. Building pages that pay off for the consumer will pay off for the advertising agency and their clients.

4.More video than ever before

YouTube continues to deliver better solutions for Video and OTT for advertisers.

People are taking to telling stories via video. While Google may not lead in this space--YouTube (a Google company), SnapChat, Facebook Stories and Instagram TV continue to cater to consumers and play smartly. 

All of these elements are coming into play for consumers to use the ubiquity of their smartphones to share their lives at unprecedented levels. How will advertisers and businesses capitalize?

5.Voice Recognition

Did we mention your phone is with you all the time? Moreover, did you know your phone is listening? Google Home, Alexa and the like are, of course, also listening. These elements will work to serve us with better, more meaningful Ads at just the right time. 

Ready for Voice Search Bidding anyone?

In this video blog, Jim Flint, CEO, and Founder of Local Search Group discusses how to approach Geo Conquesting consistently with up-to-date strategies.

The future is now. 

At Local Search Group, we pride ourselves on knowing that, “We are the now part of a now business.” 

So, let’s take a look behind the curtain of where Google’s going Right Now.

With the mobile phone at the center of the marketing universe, a key goal of progressive automotive entities would be to integrate Five of Google’s “planets” that orbit around the consumer “Sun” via their mobile phone “moon.”

Google Display, Google Search, Google’s YouTube, Google Maps, and Google My Business are platforms that in this case, represent planets. Google then uses these planets to orbit the phone, acting as the main reflective device in which the consumer serves as the center of our economic solar system.

Take a look at the integrated marketing of each of the Google touchpoints and know that it serves to cumulatively drive store traffic. Right now.

Predictively speaking we’re already working on Google’s next level–via predictive voice capabilities. Without knowing more than the market knows, it’s in the works!