Are you making it easy for your customers? NO.

What do your dealership’s website and your retail location have in common?  It’s pretty simple, both are designed to take in consumer traffic and create a shopping environment that is conducive to creating a sale.

Imagine yourself as a Dealer Principal who had the vision to locate your franchise on the busiest stretch of road in town.  There is no denying that everyone in town (at some point) drives past your location.  You have also great sightlines, a brightly lit lot, the latest product, and a welcoming staff.

Now imagine, to your horror, the city has approved a major 2-year road improvement project that’s going to make it really hard for customers to get to your store.  Let that sink in. You have a great location and facility but a physical obstacle that hinders customers from reaching you.

In the digital space, this is exactly what the vast majority of dealers experience every day. Except it’s not the city cluttering things up; it’s your dealership’s website.

When you look at automotive retail dealership web design it can be a visual assault on your customer. The clutter found online is the equivalent of ripping up the road and scattering blinking construction horses everywhere. Here is an example

This turns off customers and contributes significantly to the “bounce rate” of your site. The fact is most customers who visit you have ALREADY decided what car they want to buy. They are only deciding if they want to buy from you.

Blinkers, clutter and junk only make them want to go elsewhere.  Like a bad breathed salesperson, you can be your own worst enemy.

Dealer Impact created the KiNETiQ® design platform with this in mind. Through analytic process, we took our 14 years of data to derive dealership platforms that are consumer-centric.

The science behind our design is why we are a leader in conversion friendly platforms.

By making sites that are a utility for shopping customers, we have moved away from the “digital newspapers” and brochures that affect how dealership websites are done.  At Dealer Impact, we have singularly moved the industry forward by making sites for customers that are simple and optimized toward turning traffic into customers.

Think of Dealer Impact as a bulldozer.

We clear out the junk in front of your store so customers can get to you and BUY from you.

What’s KiNETiq?

Dealer Impact Systems Now Offers KiNETiq® Design Solutions

These conversion-friendly digital platforms are designed to help you generate more leads.

URBANDALE, Iowa — September 15, 2012 — Dealer Impact Systems is proud to be offering KiNETiq® to dealers in our client family.

KiNETiq® is ideal for increasing dealer website traffic through data-driven conversion-friendly websites. Potential customers will more easily find information that’s relevant to their search topics, and dealerships will have more qualified leads and cross-selling opportunities.

KiNETiq® is part of the Dealer Impact Systems digital platform offering. By integrating consumer-centric design, inventory video technology, mobile platforms, social media and reputation management, we produce:

–       Lead conversion-optimized dealer sites that turn “lookers” into customers

–       SEO “honey traps” to attract organic searches

–       Self-updating capability so you can add your own content

–       Tiers 1–3 consumer intelligence that monitors customer behavior

–       Cross-platform CRM integration with all major CRM tools

–       Hyper-speed loading times — the fastest in the industry

Patrick Shelton, Managing Director for Dealer Impact said, “By offering KiNETiq®, Dealer Impact is pleased to provide our clients with a more effective way of converting leads.”

About Dealer Impact

Headquartered in Urbandale, Iowa, Dealer Impact Systems is a privately held company that provides digital marketing for automotive dealerships across the country.

 

 

Contact Information

Dealer Impact Systems

Toll Free: 877-334-9638

Fax: 515-253-0170

Email: sales@dealerimpact.com

Web: dealerimpact.com

Dallas to Chicago – 3 Tier Reporting

We had such a great time at the GM eSummits in Fort Worth that we are gearing up to do it all over again at the GM eSummits in Chicago next Wednesday.

The GM e Summits in Fort Worth hosted great speakers from different niches in the digital marketing industry. It was also host to vendors large and small showcasing there expertise in the industry. The afternoon workshops were a great tool for dealers to take advantage of and provided great insight to utilizing social media, the importance of videos and a basic understanding of reporting.

Dealer Impact Systems had the distinct ability to showcase the three tiers of digital marketing reporting. Each tier is important but not all are utilized in the dealership.

Tier I – What? Basic-Anybody gets this. Google Analytics made it easy for pretty much anyone with a computer to claim they are a Social Media Strategist.

Tier II – Who? Dealer Impact is leading the industry with customized tools to give you an advanced look at your dealership and better yet the dealerships down the street.

Tier III – Why? We analyze and explain exactly what the report means to your dealership. We have the ability to tell you who is looking at your website, how often and even what time. We give you the really 10,000ft view.

Want to keep track of your dealership and stay ahead of your competition? Look for us at the Chicago GM eSummits! 

If you can’t wait until then contact us at sales@dealerimpact.com.

Community Renews!!

Dealer Impact Systems is excited to announce renewal of Community Auto Group! 

Urbandale IA August 16, 2012

Community Auto Group has renewed their partnership with Dealer Impact Systems. It has been a long time coming but they are ready to do a redesign of there website for each of there 5 rooftops. They were also very excited to implement the Retention Management Tool. This tool will assist there GMs and sales staff by providing vital access to what the customers have to say.

Dealer Impact Systems is a GM, BMW and Nissan Certified Digital Platform provider for retail automotive dealers. We are dealer focused and results driven.  Dealer Impact Systems became an industry leader by implementing the first auto industry’s online inventory publishing tool in 2000. This advanced technology allowed dealerships to put photos and complete vehicle information online, without knowledge of complicated coding.

“We are glad to have Community renew their contract, we look forward to providing them a new look and the best retention capabilities,” said Patrick Shelton, Sales and Marketing Director for Dealer Impact.

About Community Auto Group

Community of Cedar Falls  is a Chevy and Cadillac dealer in Cedar Falls with another location in Mason City providing Chrysler, Jeep and Nissan.

About Dealer Impact Systems

Dealer Impact Systems provides reach solutions and digital marketing which offers automotive dealerships across the country to leverage current and emerging digital technologies, including all-types of social media, to increase online presence, generate new sales leads, and build customer relationships.

Welcome Dale Howard

Dealer Impact Systems is excited to announce another addition to our client family Dale Howard Auto Group. They needed a partner with strong digital reach solutions that could offer them the highest quality site presence in the industry.

Urbandale IA August 14, 2012

Dale Howard is a family owned dealership located in Iowa Falls. They are one of the first in the state to house their own studio, so that they can better showcase each vehicle. In addition to that, Howard family has been focused on giving back to the community they are from.  All three generations support and lead the community through different philanthropy and community outreach.

Dealer Impact Systems is a GM, BMW and Nissan Certified Digital Platform provider for retail automotive dealers. We are dealer focused and results driven.  Dealer Impact Systems became an industry leader by implementing the first auto industry’s online inventory publishing tool in 2000. This advanced technology allowed dealerships to put photos and complete vehicle information online, without knowledge of complicated coding.

Patrick Shelton, Sales and Marketing Director for Dealer Impact said, “We are excited to work with a dealership that is raising the bar for dealerships across the board and look forward to a long partnership with Dale Howard.”

About Dale Howard Auto Group

Dale Howard is Chevy, Buick, GMC, Ford, Chrysler, Jeep, AND Dodge dealer in Central Iowa providing new and used vehicles to customers from all over the US.

About Dealer Impact Systems

Dealer Impact Systems provides reach solutions and digital marketing which offers automotive dealerships across the country to leverage current and emerging digital technologies, including all-types of social media, to increase online presence, generate new sales leads, and build customer relationships.

GM eSummits

For those of you who don’t already know, Dealer Impact Systems is going to at the GM eSummits in Dallas next week. This Digital Marketing Conference is an opportunity for the industry’s leading intellectuals to come together and share their experiences.

August 23rd, will be a day packed with vibrant speakers, educative panels, hands-on workshops and real world experiences combined in an inspiring Expo all focusing on better providing digital marketing tools and tactics. Dealerships from all over will be able to pick from topics like Converting Leads, Digital Marketing, Social Media & Reputation Management and Dealer Executives from industry leaders.

We are excited to learn about the latest digital marketing tools and tactics employed by the industry. We look forward to sharing these valuable insights with you.

If you can’t make it and have question that you want answered while we are there let us know! If you are going to be around make sure to stop by and say “Hi!” 

We have some exciting changes at hand!

Welcome Swant Graber!

Dealer Impact Systems is excited to announce the addition of the Swant Graber Auto Group to our client family. They needed a partner with strong digital marketing solutions that could offer them the best possible online video presence in the industry.

Urbandale IA August 8, 2012

“The Swant Graber team was looking for a partner who delivered an excellent buying and customer service experience,” according to Katie Wagner, Internet Sales Manager with Swant Graber Auto Group. “We needed the ability to showcase our inventory and we felt Dealer Impact Systems gave us a tool to do that. “

Dealer Impact Systems is a OEM digitally certified platform provider for  retail automotive dealers. Since opening its doors in 1998 we have been dealer focused and results driven.  Dealer Impact Systems has been a segment leader by implementing the auto industry’s first online inventory publishing tool in 2000. This innovative technology allowed dealerships to put photos and complete vehicle information online, without knowledge of complicated coding.

“With all of our clients, I anticipate having a long working relationship with the Swant Graber.” stated Patrick Shelton, Sales and Marketing Director for Dealer Impact.

About Swant Graber Auto Group

Swant Graber Auto Group is a Ford, Chevy and Dodge dealer in north western Wisconsin providing new and used vehicles.

About Dealer Impact Systems

Dealer Impact Systems provides digital marketing and reach solutions which allow automotive dealerships across the country to leverage current and emerging digital technologies, including all-types of social media, to increase online presence, generate new sales leads, and build customer relationships.

Dealerships and Facebook

How to know when it’s time to leave the past behind?

Most dealerships we’ve worked with have all posed the same question. “How does Facebook benefit our dealership?”

There have been many skeptics in the automotive industry of the benefits of using Facebook or any social media for that matter. The numbers show there are over 950 MILLION monthly Facebook users and 100 BILLION connections, and that’s just Facebook. Pinterest is driving more traffic to retailers than LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube combined with over 18 million unique visitors.

What does this mean for dealerships? Those posting on Facebook and other Social Medias are more likely to make a connection with a potential client/customer leading to the ultimate goal of a sale! People of all ages are using social media now days. Typically the younger demographic are not the ones leading the mass numbers of people on social media. Those in their mid-40’s and up are the largest demographic of social media users. These people are more likely to have spending money and be financed than that of those fresh out of college or younger.

Taking advantage of marketing on social media can be quite cost effective and as a bonus, you can track social media marketing. Compared to traditional forms of marketing such as TV commercials or Newspaper ads there is no way to track it.  Unless the exceedingly rare customer walks in to your showroom and stats he/she saw your commercial or ad they are almost untraceable.

A recent client of ours is experiencing the benefits of proper social media marketing.  As you can (picture to the left) see they have gone completely viral. They currently have over 1 million viral connections and 1,900 organic. That number is still growing! One simple post and they have created a ton of exposure.

There are a handful of ways to create exposure on Facebook and other Social Medias including Promotions, Ads and Inventory Management.

Are you using any of these techniques? If so, what ones and what kind of exposure have you seen? We want to know what works for you!

If you would like more information about how to increase your social media marketing benefits please contact us.

85 Percent of US tablet owners use their tablets while watching TV

According to Forrester:

Tablets are displacing PCs and smartphones as the “couch computer” of choice: 85% of US tablet owners use their tablets while watching TV, and according to Nielsen, 30% of total tablet time is spent while watching TV. The tablet’s complementary nature to the living room TV gives a raison d’etre to “second screen” apps like Miso, GetGlue, and Viggle that engage consumers in conversation and content related to what’s on the big screen.

Still think your TV ads are valuable?

What about DVRs? The article didn’t even mention that.