Best PracticesDealership Marketing

Increasing VDP Views with Dealer Reviews – On Cars.com

Seven (7) new reviews = three (3)X the VDP views. Part of my usual morning routine includes catching up on the latest posts on my favorite in and out of industry blogs and news websites. One that’s been on my top list for several few years is the DealerAdvantage blog by Cars.com If you’re a Cars.com dealership (or not), I …
Best PracticesDealership Marketing

New Report: Powerful Positive Reputation Equals More Leads

A recent Dataium and DealerRater study has just announced consumers are 90% more likely to visit and 5.3 times more likely to submit a lead to a dealership with positive reviews. While many automotive dealerships have known the power of positive reviews, this data truly drives home the fact. With the power of participating Dataium …
Best PracticesDealership Communication ToolsDealership Marketing

An Often Overlooked Lo-Tech Pitfall of Hi-Tech Dealerships

Examples of poor follow-up techniques to “internet leads” are a dime a dozen. And while it can feel like a waste of time to keep following up with an unresponsive lead or prospect, have you ever asked yourself – is their “unresponsiveness” the result of something you did or did NOT do right? You only …
Dealership MarketingIndustry News & Trends

J.D. Power Teams with DealerRater

What happens when a leading online dealership review website joins forces with one of the largest market research companies in the world? The leading destinations for the Voice of the Customer and Online Reviews of Dealerships today announced their newly found partnership. The alliance will integrate DealerRater’s customer ratings and reviews of car dealerships with …
Dealership Marketing

Carfax Introduces “New” Used Car Listing Website

If you’re not already aware, Carfax announced a few days ago they were set to shake up the industry a bit and “revolutionize online car shopping with vehicle history search”. Carfax has unveiled an innovation in online car shopping that helps consumers find the right car with the right history. At carfax.com, online shoppers now can search …
Dealership MarketingIndustry News & Trends

Eye Candy…How Stock Photos Can Kill a Vehicle’s Love Life

“Hey Chief – eyes on your own paper, okay?” If you’ve laughed at the Sears Optical TV spot where the near-sighted husband mistakes a mannequin for a dude eyeing up his wife, we’re already on the same wavelength. Now think about this: let’s say you’re perusing a dating website, one that’s replete with pictures of …
Best PracticesDealership Marketing

Should ROI Principles Dictate Your SEO Spend?

  [highlight color=”#F0F8FF” font=”black”]Let’s give Jerry a warm welcome for his first contribution in article format here on DealerRefresh. I’ve know Jerry for sometime now so when we bumped into each other at NADA, we got into some heavy conversation. One subject we both are passionate about is SEO and how dealers are measuring the …
Dealership MarketingIndustry News & Trends

Turns Out Facebook Advertising Is A Big Lie

[highlight color=”#F0F8FF” font=”black”]If you follow the “other” industry forums, there’s a good chance you’ve read one of Mr. Stephen Jackson’s many enthralling articles. I happen to intercept this one, and asked if we could exclusively host it here on DealerRefresh. I believe you’ll enjoy this article as it’s very relevant to the conversations we’ve had …
Dealership MarketingIndustry News & Trends

Are you Feeling a Disturbance in the Force?

I’m feeling a Disturbance in the FORCE — within the Vehicle Classified / Listing website crowd, that is. The Top Vehicle Listings Websites – Who’s NEXT? The mammoths in the vehicle (new and/or used) listing/classified website arena here in the states are Cars.com and AutoTrader.com. They have the money, the inventory, OEM support, partnerships and they …