Pub. 5 2016-2017 Issue 3

Issue 1. 2017 23 How can you tailor information so your sales efforts are a good match for potential customers? You need to collect information about your customers while they make their digital search. What is the purpose of collecting this information? The information can give you some insight into who your potential customer is, and that makes it possible for you to respond creatively and intelligently to the customer’s search. The only way to be sure you are meeting a customer’s needs is by developing your understanding of the customer’s needs, wants, and expectations. A key part of your analysis ought to be deciding how engaged a customer is with the car brand and the dealership brand. An engage- ment score is more useful than conventional web metrics, such as how long someone spends on a page, because it tells you how efficient your marketing is. Make sure people have a reason to visit your website regularly. Websites should not be static, and they should also be optimized so that they work correctly on every platform someone might use. People will usually visit the website several times before actually showing up in your showroom, so consider the website to be a place where many potential customers will form their first impression of your business. Your biggest selling opportunities are on smart phones. Almost half of the automobile searches being done are being on a phone instead of a computer, but most people usually buy something other than the car they first started researching. You might be interested to know that the conversion rate for the average PPC is 3.7 percent. The conversion rate for a mobile PPC ad is 5.3 percent. People who have smart phones bring them almost everywhere, including to the car lot. According to a Cars.com survey, 43 percent of your potential customers will use a smart phone while on your lot to do some online research at the same time as they are looking at your selection. They will visit your website, look up prices, and research features. Smart phones can increase your ability to track and influence potential customers: • Smart phones have functions that use GPS to find out where someone is. • You can track calls or conversions on a keyword level because of the click button on Google pay per click (PPC) ads. • An AdWords account can tell you the duration of a call. Be careful about text messages. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has some strict rules about who you can and can’t text when marketing something. Customers have to specifically opt-in to get them. If they have opted in, though, it’s a great way to communicate with people. The read rate is 99 percent, and 90 percent of those who receive themwill open and read themwithin three minutes. The response rate is 31 percent (a much better rate than for email messages). Make sure you keep text messages relevant; you don’t want to send spam to people, because people hate spam. It’s a good way to lose their attention. To tailor the online shopping experience to each potential customer’s previous behaviors, use Search and Geo IP data to personalize what each person sees on the website’s home page. That allows you to make sure potential customers see information tailored personally to them so you can help themmake a decision about what they really want, both while they are on the website and later on as well. Auto dealers often must draw the line: in court, with employees and unions, and with competitors. As one of the largest labor and employment firms, Fisher Phillips has the experience and tenacity to help you get the results you need. That’s why some of the savviest employers come to us to handle their toughest workplace issues. FISHER PHILLIPS. WHEN YOU HAVE TO DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND. 4747 Executive Drive • Suite 1000 • San Diego, CA 92121 858.597.9600 • fisherphillips.com