We’ll be implementing RIMS features that will help us help YOU as dealers.  Our mission here is to make things as easy-to-use as possible when it comes to your website.  In the next few days if you’re a DHD client you’ll be getting our email with the details of the 1.13 update and features you can look forward to.  If you’re not a Dealer HD client yet, don’t worry, we’ll let you in on the features too.  They’ll be added right here on the DHD blog as they’re available.

In addition to our development efforts this year we’ve also made a point make our brand more available.  You’ll be seeing more of us in your dealer publications and dealer forums.  We want you to know what we’re up to and what you think.  Check us out in Auto Success on page 16, Auto Dealer Monthly on pages 26-29 and in our latest AS Podcast.

For all of you heading to Orlando for NADA, we’d love to meet you.  Stop by our booth, #461 to chat.

Video is sticky, we’ve been told that until we were blue in the face for a while now.  Everybody knows and everybody is doing their part to get video of some kind on their website.  Vehicle videos are a popular feature here at Dealer HD too – new vehicles have video reviews and used vehicles have the ability to get live voice video with custom scripts.  Things have come a long way in terms of car shopping, and video has made it possible.

At this point, you’re probably thinking, “ok we get it, but what’s with the Day at the Office video?”  The two types of video are essentially unrelated – one works without the other just fine – but what if you used both?  Vehicle videos and commercials are used to directly sell your products.  Viral video, on the other hand, gives added value to your brand without pushing the sale.   Subtle connections can be made between your brand and your customers and when they’re done right they spread like wildfire.

Dealer HD’s Director of Product Development, Bruce Etzcorn, shared his excitement about the vehicle history feature, “This has quickly become one of my favorite features of the update. When you see this in one of the Dealer HD websites you think to yourself, Whoa, this makes a lot of sense.”

The vehicle history feature is available on each page of Dealer HD’s websites as a slide out tab that lets shoppers quickly revisit the vehicles they’ve viewed while on the site without getting in their way.  The feature is cookie based, enabling shoppers to extend their vehicle history over several sessions without losing searches.

“Everyone loves shopping online because it’s easy and incredibly convenient.  We’ve given customers a cool virtual shopping cart so they can track back through all the vehicles they looked at.  It’s just one more way Dealer HD is revolutionizing car buying,” said Justin Duff, Dealer HD’s National Sales Director.

Vehicle History is a great addition to Dealer HD’s standard features, giving Dealers even more tools to help customers with their online shopping experience.  Other great features were made available in the 1.12 update, for more information on the latest additions or a demo of Dealer HD’s Automotive Web Services visit dealerhd.com

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Dealer HD is an Automotive Web Solution serving clients Nationwide. Located in the southern suburbs of Chicago, the Dealer HD team has over 100 years of combined automotive experience.  Dealer HD provides customizable dealer web solutions with a comprehensive Admin tool that collects dealer leads, allows the quick and easy editing of website content, inventory modification and more.

A Canonical URL tag tells search engines what to do with duplicate content and allows them to direct indexed pages to the correct location.  Duplicate content crops up based on different ways of entering a web address. (Typing www.dealerhd.com pulls duplicate content of accessing a site by simply typing dealerhd.com).

Director of Product Development, Bruce Etzcorn explains that, “While Duplicate content sounds like a good thing to have on a Search Engine, it could effect what is and isn’t listed on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS). Among other things, this will also serve as a funnel of sorts and direct all links to the correct address we are tracking in Google Analytics.”

Keeping up with SEO practices is not just a goal at Dealer HD it is a business strategy. “SEO is changing every day.  Our Search Engine Optimization team is continually working to evolve and update our practices and processes so that our dealer websites have the very best SEO.  You can’t lag behind on SEO and be a success in today’s online automotive marketing arena,” said Justin Duff, National Sales Director.

If you’re interested in learning more about Dealer HD’s SEO strategies or Hyper SEO program, please visit dealerhd.com

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Dealer HD is an Automotive Web Solution serving clients Nationwide. Located in the southern suburbs of Chicago, the Dealer HD team has over 100 years of combined automotive experience.  Dealer HD provides customizable dealer web solutions with a comprehensive Admin tool that collects dealer leads, allows the quick and easy editing of website content, inventory modification and more.

WHO (are you contacting?)

It all starts with the list.  To get your email marketing campaign started, you need a list of contacts. You can typically purchase email lists from the same mail houses you get your direct mail lists from or you can use a customer database you’ve built over time.

Once you have your list, we know you’ll be anxious to use it.  Remember though, just because you have a list, doesn’t mean you should send unsolicited emails (also known as SPAM).  You’ll want to make sure the list is clean and that everyone you’re contacting is a willing participant in the email you’re sending.  One of the most effective ways to get a clean list is to use a Double Opt-In email.

What’s that?  Double Opt-In emails require, sending an email to the people on your list and asking them to confirm they want to receive emails from you or to opt-out.  If a customer confirms, they are added to your list.  If they opt-out or don’t respond to the opt-in email, they cannot be added to your list.   Using a double opt-in vs. just an opt-out option does three important things that are essential to the success of your email marketing plan:

1. Reduces the risk of your email receiving complaints
2. Narrows your target to those interested in your message
3. Increases the number of opens for future messages

Complaints are something email marketers try to avoid at all costs.  They can tarnish your reputation and get you labeled as a spammer.  Typically 1 complaint per 1000 emails sent is considered acceptable.  Any more than that and you might be treading on choppy waters with your email service.

Focusing on a smaller group interested in what you have to say will have a much warmer reception than sending your message to everyone you’ve come into contact with.  Narrowing your list is cost effective as well, most services charge a flat rate per 1000 emails sent, so why not limit your message to people who will actually read it?

Opens are a big deal.  According to Mail Chimp (email marketing service), new email marketers typically see an open rate of about 20-30 percent.  Imagine sending your email to a list of 10,000 without first sending the opt-in, of those recipients only 100 open it (that’s only 1 percent).  If you’d sent an opt-in and narrowed your list to, 5,000 recipients, if 1000 people opened it you’d have increased your opens by 20 percent.

WHAT (are you sending?)

Once you know WHO you’re marketing to, it’s time to determine WHAT to market.  Taking note of our tip above, only market what you’ve committed to marketing to that particular list.  If you vow to send service coupons and you send your weekly ad, chances are you’ll see a high volume of un-subscribes in no time.  Stay consistent and you’ll build a strong following.

Unlike a direct mail piece, email has creative and copy guidelines to abide by.  If your email text uses multiple colors or uses words like “FREE” frequently within the message it might not get delivered or opened.  Here are a 5 rules to live by when it comes to the layout of your email marketing messages:

1. Make sure there is a way for recipients to manage their subscription. (ie, opt-out or change email info)
2. Avoid using ALL CAPS, multiple exclamation marks and multiple colors in your subject line and body of the email.
3. Words and phrases like FREE, CLICK HERE, and ONCE IN A LIFETIME are bound to get you the wrong kind of attention, try to steer clear.
4. Make sure the “From” address on your email stays consistent, choose either your company name or a recognizable figure within your business.
5. Send your message in HTML and plain text, it makes your message available to everyone depending on their email host’s settings.

WHY (follow the rules?)

With Email marketing’s growing popularity you can bet that the rules will become more stringent over time.  In 2003 Congress passed the CAN-SPAM Act, effective January 1, 2004.  The CAN-SPAM act lays out the rules Email marketers must follow, and violations carry fines of up to $16,000 per offense.  Following the guidelines will protect your pocketbook and your reputation.  Lets face it, no one wants to be a SPAMMER.

We discussed that Twitter is a search engine.  You can’t afford to be missing from a search engine.  Customers have the ability to search twitter for content that interests them.  Let’s take a look at a quick real world example.

I want to buy a 2005 Mustang because I know that this was the first year of the new body style and I feel I can get the most for my money by picking the oldest “updated model” available.

So I start at Google and do a quick search.  I don’t really find any specific cars.  One or two yes, but most of the results are for review sites.  Great if I’m in the research phase but what if I want to know what inventory is out there and at what price.

Next I perform a twitter search (Your results may be different because twitter is a time based search)  and my first result is an actual vehicle with pricing and photos.  I can scroll down and find similar links to compare a few different vehicles on Twitter.  Cool so I’ve done a search on my own terms and found exactly what I was looking for.

Twitter is NOT a classified service so I will see a mix of results, which is great.  I may find another person talking about the 2005 mustang and befriend them.  Now I’ve got a buddy to chat about cars with.  I may see a customer who says “Looking for a Red 2005 Mustang GT with black leather”.  As a dealer, it just happens that I have that car in stock.  I send a message to that customer letting him know I have it with a link back to my dealer website.  The customer then follows my dealership on twitter and I gain a little additional exposure.

This is the Lewis and Clark phase of Twitter.  It’s very experimental.  Dealer HD realizes the enormous potential that Twitter brings to the automotive marketplace and has integrated twitter into your dealer websites so you can market to your customers on their terms.

Tweeting inventory is very important and it needs to be done the RIGHT way.  Alter the message so that you aren’t spamming customers with 10 identical phrases.  Tweeting your inventory should only be one component of your social stream.  Try and make sure to post as many, if not more posts related to your dealership and who you are.  Make it personal.  You need to also communicate news, events, sales information, incentives and other relavant information to your followers.  Leave the tweeting your inventory to us. It’s already built in to your Dealer HD web site.   Get invovled on a personal level.  Focus more on the relationship building and the customer service end, rather than trying to make a quick sale.  The sales will come, but they shouldn’t be the driving focus behind your twitter identity.  Keep it real and connect with the world.  We’re all getting a little more social every day.

Always greet your Clients with a friendly smile.  This can be just in the tone of your voice or actually a physical smile if you’re in person.  Admit it, no one wants to be greeted by Oscar the Grouch.

Listen.  There is a fine line between listening and hearing.  Don’t just hear what the Client has to say, listen to what they’re telling you.  It may be a very important emergency, or it may be how their day is going-nonetheless, you need to listen and give them your complete attention.

Give feedback.  This goes hand in hand with listening.  After you’ve listened to what the Client has to say, let them know that you are aware of the problem and give them a preview of the next step in the plan of action.  You don’t want to leave a Client hanging, not sure of what’s going to happen next.

Keep the Client updated.  Don’t forget this one-it’s a biggie.  It’s an excellent practice to get in the habit of keeping everyone ‘in the know’ and updating the Client on the progress of the situation and where everyone is at with the project.  It reassures them that you’re taking care of it and may help them relieve some stress, too.

Follow up.   Once the task is completed, it’s pertinent to follow up with the Client.  This is important so that both parties are aware that the problem has been completely taken care of, and that everything is functioning as intended.

Ask if there is anything else you can do to help.  This one is pretty self-explanatory.  That’s what we’re here for…so let us know if you need anything else. 

• Create a Facebook Group: By creating a Facebook group you allow people that are interested in your dealership to join your group. Facebook groups are great places to add photos, introduce new staff members, upload video of new vehicles and answer questions. It is one of the largest social networking sites on the web. There is no reason not to create one.
• Create a YouTube Channel: Creating a YouTube Channel is simple. In fact, if you have a Gmail account you’re already on your way. Upload videos to your YouTube account and be sure to tag them with relative keywords to help people discover your content. People interested in your videos can subscribe to your channel (something YouTube sets up automatically) and be notified when you upload new content as soon as it is available.
• Create a Twitter Account: I absolutely love Twitter. Once you sign up for a Twitter account, you’re on your way to connecting with your customers in a very unique way. Twitter allows you to send messages under 140 characters to the “twitterverse”. Your message is placed on the public timeline where it can be viewed by millions of other users. These users can follow your messages and every time you post a message (”tweet”), the people who follow you receive your message instantly. Other Twitter users can send you messages, comment, ask questions and even direct message you, for a more private conversation.

These are all viable alternatives to delivering the same content that you would normally put in a newsletter and send to your subscribers. The services listed above will have a profound impact on the way we communicate. Email is becoming less frequent, Cell phone minutes are being used less, text messages are being sent more and mobile Internet usage is on the rise. People want instant and the web is listening.

I do not recommend stopping your newsletter all together but do think you can safely start shifting the direction a bit. Start using your newsletter as a vessel to drive people to these “instant” marketing avenues. For example:

• Month One: Create a Facebook Group, YouTube Account and a Twitter Account and announce it in your newsletter. Explain briefly what each outlet is for and provide a link for your subscribers to visit each. Be sure feature this content in the newsletter to ensure people see it.
• Month Two: Move the Facebook Group, YouTube and Twitter information to an area in your newsletter that will be permanent. The placement of these links should not change from now on. Continue with your newsletter content as you normally would. Be sure to dedicate a few short paragraphs each month to each of these new areas. A brief summary of what happened, such as “We received 200 new members of our Facebook Group. Click here to keep up with our Dealership”.

Remember, persistence is key. People may not join or use these services at first, but as other companies and people start talking about it more they will use these new mediums to connect with you. Everything I mentioned is free and you can set all three accounts up in less than 10 minutes. Following these three recommendations will provide your dealership a way to connect to your customers in real time and can be used in conjunction or as alternatives to your monthly newsletter.

With aggressively growing iPhone sales in the Smart Phone market, you have an entire audience of potential customers on the go and connected to the Internet. All you need to do to bring your dealership’s website to them is to make sure your website functions in Safari. As mentioned above, most companies who build web applications and websites build for the masses, which means Internet Explorer. The iPhone uses Safari as the default browser (and only browser at the time of this writing) to display your dealership’s website. If your site looks good and functions correctly in Safari for the desktop, you’re on your way to iPhone ready.

If you’re a DHD customer, grab an iPhone and look at your Dealer HD website, you’ll notice that everything functions as it normally would in Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. Mobile visitors from iPhones can access every page of your website, zoom into into content areas, submit forms, view vehicle photos, specials and coupons. I’ve taken a few screen shots from my iPhone to illustrate some of the points above. As you can see, everything is highly visible, clean and organized. iPhone users can double tap, pinch zoom and scroll to the information areas easily.

While there are many other mobile devices that connect to the Internet it’s important to recognize Safari as a major player in the mobile space and making sure that your website functions in an iPhone is critical to your mobile marketing strategy.

Click for actual iPhone screen shot.

Click for actual iPhone screen shot.

Click for actual iPhone screen shot.

Click for actual iPhone screen shot.

Click for actual iPhone screen shot.

Click for actual iPhone screen shot.