Many dealerships debate the use of an auto-responder. Some feel it’s annoying to the customer because the automation is obvious. Others feel it is a necessity to touch base with your customers in a timely manner. Here’s where the Kain team stands: Have you ever made an online purchase and hit the submit button and then wondered, “Did I type that in correctly? Did it go through?” If we don’t receive an auto-confirmation, we’re left guessing. We should absolutely have an immediate auto-responder in place to confirm the customer’s inquiry was received and help is on the way.

So better to annoy the customer than leave him or her guessing, right? Wrong. Deciding to put an auto-responder in place isn’t a trade off between annoying automation and leaving your customers in the dark. We recommend you make your auto-responder so personal that the customer is left guessing in a good way. “Did they really just answer me that quickly?” Here’s an example of the best auto-responder we’ve seen yet. One of our clients tricked the master himself, David Kain, when he was conducting a mystery shop for a new Ford Focus. This dealership’s auto-responder read as follows:

Hi David,

So excited to hear that you’re interested in the Ford Focus! I’ll be in contact by phone shortly. Is there anything else you’re interested that I can research for you before I give you a call?

Thanks so much!

[Complete Signature]

How great is that? It’s short and sweet, shows excitement, mentions what the customer is interested in, sets the stage for the phone call and asks a question to encourage the customer to respond. These factors are the recipe to success when formulating an auto-responder, or any email for that matter. Personalize your auto-responder so well that your customer is convinced you hand typed it and sent it out yourself.

If you have any questions about personalizing your auto-responder, I'm happy to help! Contact Chelsea Stamper at chelsea@kainautomotive.com

Kudos to Kendall Auto Group for Leveraging Video in their Dealership
By Chelsea Stamper

Kendall Automotive Group of Eugene, Oregon is setting the standard for dealership digital marketing.  The group’s innovative use of videos and dedication to giving back to their community has landed them at the top of search engine results and in the hearts of their customers. 

The Kendall Auto Group has an extensive library of 110 videos on YouTube, which has generated over 39,000 views. How are they generating so many viewers? They’re sharing quality, search-engine-friendly content. They have videos on topics ranging from customer testimonials, the Kendall family, new model introductions, exciting contests, giving back to the community, frequently asked questions on all things car-related and more. Having a wide variety of videos that are relevant to the keywords that Kendall’s customers are typing into the search engines has rewarded Kendall with top positions on Google, Bing! and other popular search engines.

However, increasing search engine rank using videos takes more than just giving your video an exciting, search-friendly name. To fully leverage YouTube’s impact on your ranking, you should include a video description that includes keywords that relate to your video and your dealership while also including a hyperlink to your website or a related page on your site. Additionally, you can now edit your profile on your YouTube channel and add custom links to your website and social media. Lastly, and most importantly, it’s important to add keyword tags to your video that will help users find your video. You’ll be amazed- great videos that are search engine optimized can actually beat out your competitor's website in a search.  For an example of keyword tags, a video that KainAutomotive.com created for our recent Social Media & Digital Marketing Workshop was tagged with some of the following:

Once you’ve created your search-engine-friendly video, it’s time to promote it! Kendall Auto Group does a fantastic job of promoting their videos through their social media outlets. Promote your videos in any way possible, linking to them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, Linked In and so on. Another creative way Kendall Auto promotes their videos and simultaneously improves their client follow-up process is by sending these testimonials and new product offering videos to previous and potential customers. Why not liven up your dull email campaign with an energetic, personalized video? Studies by J.D. Powers have shown that 7% of communication is through words, 38% is through voice and the remaining 55% is through body language. This is why video is so effective. As a dealership, you need to be aware of this and leverage it in all aspects of your digital marketing plan.

Again, congratulations to Kendall Auto Group for their fantastic success with leveraging videos. Keep up the good work!

Want guidance on leveraging videos at your Dealership?  I'd be glad to help.

Chelsea Stamper

Digital Marketing Intern

1-866-546-3428

chelsea@kainautomotive.com

Connect With Your Customer Using Twitter
By Elizabeth Casey

Tweet to your customers. Engage them in the car buying process. Take a picture of your customer and their new car, Tweet it, and ask for their Twitter name to TAG them in it.

Jack Kain Ford does a really great job highlighting customers and their new purchase. Make your customer excited to share their new car.

Hubspot Webinar "The Science of Twitter"

Dealerships Remain Sales Flashpoints

By: Steve Finlay of wordsauto

Compelling dealership website content attracts online car shoppers, but too much information can repel them, says automotive Internet marketing expert David Kain. 

He cites an overdone website with 44 links. “That’s too much for customers,” he says. “It disrupts the normal flow by throwing a lot of stuff at them.”

The Internet kindles shopper interest, but the dealership remains the sales flashpoint, says Kain, head of Kain Automotive consultancy and part-owner of a dealership his father founded, the namesake Jack Kain Ford in Versailles, KY, near Lexington.

“My Dad taught me a long time ago to bring ’em in, and if they don’t buy what they came in for, sell them something else,” Kain says. “The dealership is where everything happens.”

But the Internet serves as a great warm-up act. While overwrought dealership websites can leave people cold, good ones “make the customer feel, ‘This is easy,’” Kain says, citing a navigation-friendly website for Toyota-Scion of Deerfield Beach, FL.

Studies indicate car shoppers look at as many as 18 dealership websites before picking a store to visit, he says. “If someone is shopping 18 stores, make coming to yours important,” he tells dealers at a recent DrivingSales Executive Summit in Las Vegas. “Make your brand about the customer.”

It’s rare to get a second chance to make a first impression. “If you don’t do a good job on the first day, your future prospects for a sale are sunk,” Kain says. “Imagine when a dealership lacks the same enthusiasm about selling a car that the customer has about buying one.”

The inevitable result of that disconnect: No sale.

Kain foresees the day when all dealership salespeople, not just those in a designated Internet department, will handle online leads. Doing that requires salesmanship, product knowledge, communication skills and typing proficiency, he says.

Many modern dealers go after high-caliber prospective employees. “Today, we want someone with about a 3.6 grade point average,” Kain says. “Years ago, no one at our dealership had anything higher than a 2.0, and if they did we didn’t hire them because they wouldn’t fit in. Now we hire them.”

Scouting for such personnel, Kain Ford regularly participates in University of Kentucky job fairs. The store bills itself as more than a car dealership.

“The top of our job-fair exhibit sign says ‘Digital marketing. Social networking. Communications,’” Kain says. “We want students to know we do what so many of them are interested in. OK, with us, it turns into a car sale. So what?

“Dealerships are a great business, and we get great job candidates. An ‘Internet’ dealership doesn’t have room for slackers.”

He advises dealership employees online and off to take all customers seriously, or risk losing a potential sale by misjudging intent.

“Why do we lose a lot of sales?” Kain says. “Because we’re not taking them seriously. Some salespeople say, ‘When they are serious buyers, I will treat them seriously.’ That’s crazy.”

He notes online marketing innovations that include emailing videos consisting of 30-second “walk-arounds” highlighting vehicles in which shoppers express an interest.

Kain praises Elise Kephart of Sunset Honda in San Luis Obispo, CA, for sending personalized video email replies to customers who submit online leads.

Some dealerships use Skype to make virtual appointments. Dealerships near the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina started that as a means of communicating with overseas service personnel planning to buy a car upon their return to the U.S.

Kain advocates “nurturing marketing” in which a sales consultant regularly stays in touch with a prospect by phone calls and emails. “We all know the cycle. A lot of customers are hot at first, then cool down. But keep delivering the message.”

He believes in blending digital marketing with established sales processes, saying, “100% of opportunity comes from marketing, and 100% of results come from process.”

sfinlay@wardsauto.com

Check out the article here!