www.autofile.co.nz | 17 e get a lot of questions from dealers wanting

Am I better than
the rest?
By David Boshier
General Manager
AutoBase Ltd
email: david.boshier@autobase.co.nz
AutoBase Twitter: @DealerBaseNZ
W
e get a lot of questions
from dealers wanting
to know how their
online performance stacks up with
similar businesses, asking us for
“Average” monthly stats on other
dealers’ sales through put, number
of enquiries etc. However, there is
no ‘norm’. Variants like price, stock,
lead management, marketing,
promotions and social media all
contribute to sales and leads which
means you would be comparing
apples to oranges.
While we will never publish
a NBR style rich list, the top
performers would be no surprise
as these businesses standout by
showing excellence in all areas not just in their online marketing.
Before getting into facts and figures,
those at the top have a number of
common traits worth exploring.
They understand their market
segment and customise their
listings and marketing approach
to suit.
They have a tight lead
management process.
If the customers they are seeking
come from a niche base and
vehicles are the type that forms a
following or community, the driver
is to get them back to their own
dealership website or Facebook
page. From this point it is easy for
them to keep an on-going engaging
conversation alive.
There are number of motor
dealers who do this very well.
Those chasing the mass-market
concentrate on higher listing
visibility and first in category style
features, generally supported by
finance options and customer
testimonials.
W
hen comparing
performance, the easiest
place to start is the vehicle online
daily views. Can you get access to
this information from your online
provider? Trending and tracking can
be achieved by just running your
eye over the data, or if you wish
with limited excel knowledge it is
easily graphed. If your vehicle views
are low, the vehicle listed should be
addressed.
A common reason for low
vehicle views (despite poor use of
images and little detail) is a lack of
keywords within the description or
not placing a model name variation
within the text. If the listing is a
Mazda CX-7 or Land Cruiser make
sure you use the words CX7 or
Landcruiser within the comments.
Searching for your own listings
is a great way of bench marking
performance. Most vehicle browsers
search for a keyword - hence the
requirement to have relevant and
high value keywords within a listing.
One of the most popular key words
is ‘Manual’ transmission. The quality
and number of images have a large
bearing on views and those listings
with over 11 images attached
attract more attention than those
will less. And avoid place holder
images if possible (below left).
B
uying higher profile and larger
real estate online works just
like print advertising. Utilise any
features of packages that your
online provider offers to give your
listings more exposure. If your
goal is to also drive customers
to your own dealership website,
state in your listings that there
is more information available to
the customer if they go to your
website. Some online providers
offer hyperlinks directly through
to your website from your listings.
This additional information can be
anything of value to the customer
ranging from YouTube clips,
finance options or other customer
testimonials.
In summary, online media
is accountable, with accessible
performance. Time does need to be
taken to track trends however the
information is readily at hand and
the payoff is immediate. Getting it
right is what counts.
www.autofile.co.nz | 17