Social media basics for auto retailers
Social media is not a sales channel, but it is a very powerful marketing tool that dealers can and should use to their advantage. However, it’s easy to get wrong. And plenty of businesses spend time and money posting into the abyss of social for little or no return. Here is a quick overview of social media basics for auto retailers.
CarGurus’ One Voice Report reveals the impact of Brexit on used car retailers in the UK
It was nearly impossible to have a conversation about the future of any industry in the UK in 2019 without mentioning Brexit. Despite that big, unknown headwind, UK car dealers are optimistic about 2020.
Built around a survey of more than 700 independent and franchised used car dealers and our annual Dealer Council meeting, the second-annual CarGurus One Voice Report examines the topics set to be key to car retailer performance in 2020.
Advanced tools to improve your dealership’s website experience
Given the speed at which the internet develops, customers increasingly expect more from retailers on the web. The breadth and flexibility of available digital tools means there’s always more you can do to sharpen your dealership’s website. There are fundamental must-haves every dealer needs to create a successful website. But there are a few advanced tools and methodologies dealers can use to lure in customers and sharpen their online operations.
Seven tips to better manage used car stock
Used cars are an automotive dealer’s lifeblood and competition for stock is fiercer than ever. With the stakes so high, you have to sharpen your process of sourcing and selling second-hand vehicles. Our seven tips will help you do just that.
How to make sure staff follow up leads
In an ideal world, dealers would never be short of sales leads and they’d all be from buyers chomping at the bit to hand over their cash. The reality is often different. We’ve discussed ways of increasing your number of leads, but as dealers know, quantity doesn’t always equal quality, and you can find yourself inundated with dead-end duds. Or leads might just be in short supply.
It’s crucial that sales executives follow up on leads—especially the best quality ones. Even the most successful dealer groups admit that getting sales staff to diligently chase down leads is not the easiest of tasks, and they need cast-iron processes to make sure it happens. Here are some of the best ways to make sure your staff follows up.
Video: A conversation with CarGurus’ CEO Langley Steinert
“I didn’t think customers were going to buy a used car sight unseen. I really didn’t. I thought, there’s no way that’s going to happen. I’m happy to say I was wrong. And it’s not just a small trend, it’s a big trend.”
Three ways to generate more sales leads
Sales leads are the lifeblood of any retail operation. Without them, you have no customers and no business, so it’s imperative for dealers to attract as many good quality leads as possible. The digital age has introduced a wealth of new ways to reel in customers, but there’s also no substitute for old-fashioned market knowledge and a reputation for quick and friendly responses.
Our top three tried and tested methods explain how you can boost your sales leads for the better.
Top 5 dealer stories, resources, and highlights of 2019
It’s hard to believe that the decade is almost over. As we inch closer to 2020, we searched our archive to find our top five favorite dealer resources, stories, and highlights from the past year. We hope to continue sharing stories and best practices like these well into 2020. In no particular order, here are the top five dealer stories and resources we shared on the Dealer Resource Centre in 2019.
Digital marketing attribution for beginners: Part 2
Our previous blog covered the basics of attribution: what it is, the key terminology, and how it has developed as a barometer for digital marketing. However, it represents such a fundamental part of a dealership’s analysis of its online spend that it pays to examine the follow-up process—i.e. how to use the information you’ve gained to tweak your spending and generate the best return on investment.
Digital marketing attribution for beginners: Part 1
For anyone unfamiliar with the term, marketing attribution modelling is a measure of the tangible impact a piece of publicity or communication has on your company’s bottom line. Very simply, if you’ve paid for something like an advertisement, attribution will tell you the monetary value of that particular initiative.
Put like that, it sounds simple. There are plenty of metrics for keeping tabs on whether or not various forms of publicity are earning their keep, but digital marketing is now so extensive that its best asset—trackability—can be extraordinarily tricky to keep up with. That’s where digital marketing attribution comes in: an easily observable lowdown of what does and doesn’t influence your customers’ decisions.
As with most digital initiatives, attribution models have developed rapidly, becoming more granular and providing superior insight over time, so even dealers well-versed in the technology may want to refresh their understanding. Read on to find out the difference between the now old-fashioned and the latest versions, and what each will do for your business.