Digital Summit @ Mountain View: Disclosures of an Auto Conference Virgin, Part 2

Dealers Doing it Right Panel

Last week, I shared a number of key learnings from the Digital Summit @ Mountain View, from my vantage point as someone new to the auto conference circuit. As promised, here are the last 4 of my top 8 takeaways from the Summit.

5. Look at search as only working part of a bigger, holistic strategy: “It’s not just about search anymore,” according to Jonika Hoomes of Google. Don’t get me wrong, search is still important. In fact, 71% of people find it useful while shopping for cars. The point here is that it has to be combined with other tactics to really make an impact. For example, search coupled with display really hits home. Some marketers may believe that display is just a branding tool (I, working for HookLogic, surely know otherwise!). Think again!  Display + Search = Sales.

6. Dealers MUST be online. The proof is in the numbers: So many great statistics were shared during the Summit that prove what most of you already know. Either way, here’s a pat on the back and some further validation that digital dealers RULE!

• People consult an average of 18.2 sources before buying a car. For choosing a president?  Only 14.
• 90% of car buyers start their research online
• 50% of car shoppers pick their dealership online
• 76% of today’s car shoppers who visit a manufacturer’s website, visit a dealer site within 30 minutes.

7. Make everything tangible and relatable: Both Guy Kawasaki and Grant Cardone both touched on something all marketers need to remember: Use salient points. Relate what you’re saying…and selling, to things your customers understand. For example, ask a car shopper, “How much did you spend on your last vacation?” and then, “How long did that last?” in relation to the price of a car and its longevity. It really puts things into perspective.

8. Video drives engagement: Our very own Jeff Kershner held a panel discussion entitled, ‘Dealers Doing it Right’ which touched on a number of innovative tactics, such as video, that car dealers are using to drive customer engagement and sales. According to panelists, using video in email leads to much higher open and engagement rates. Panelists also mentioned that inventory that is displayed on youtube tends to sell faster than inventory that is not. It seems like video is well worth doing. Lastly, I can’t help but give a shout out to our client, Capital Motors for creating this video  to promote their Trade and Upgrade program.  I highly encourage you to check it out!

How to Turn Chat Conversations into Qualified Test Drives

automotive-chat

Chat is proving to be one of the more effective ways to convert website visitors into qualified buying prospects. For auto dealers, automotive chat is a tool that can be leveraged internally and externally to produce a certain desired result. But what exactly is a that result? Is it to produce a lead? And what is a lead really?

Is it a person’s contact info or is it a person interested in buying a vehicle soon that has agreed to communicate with you in some form or fashion?

How to define a lead is tricky, but having a qualified buyer appear in your showroom is not. 

With ActivEngage’s new partnership with HookLogic, auto dealers will very soon have a tool for incenting qualified car buyers in online chat conversations on a dealer’s website to come in for a test drive and meet with one of your sales associates.

This is just one of several ways that ActivEngage will be able to utilize HookLogic’s innovative reward incentive programs in their managed chat conversations for auto dealers.

And later this week on Friday May 18, ActivEngage, National Sales Director Ralph Eberson will be on stage with HookLogic as part of our AutoHook Advanced User Webinar series. In this live event, Ralph will discuss the benefits of managed chat for auto dealers and how integrating with HookLogic enables ActivEngage to bring yet one more cutting edge tool into the mix for its dealership community.

About Ralph Ebersole

Ralph Ebersole - ActivEngage

Ralph D. Ebersole is a Regional Director of Sales for ActivEngage. A recognized Automotive Digital thought leader, he brings more than 30 years of automotive industry experience, consulting and training expertise. In markets across the country, Ebersole has also consulted in-dealership with thousands of sales representatives to optimize traffic and drive more sales. Visit Ralph on LinkedIn.

Live Event

Join us this Friday at 11:30 AM ETD for a live GoToMeeting Webinar event hosted by Ryan Gerardi of HookLogic with Guest Presenter Ralph Eberson from ActivEngage.

Register Now: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/417484190

There is no cost or obligation to attend this webinar. Your information will be shared with HookLogic and with ActivEngage when you register for this webinar.

Digital Summit @ Mountain View: Disclosures of an Auto Conference Virgin, Part 1

Smiling Faces @ The Digital Summit, Mountain View

As a woman with years of professional exposure to predominantly ecommerce and retail, the auto industry – even as it pertains to digital marketing, is a bit foreign to me. When I was given the opportunity to attend the Digital Summit @ Mountain View last week, I thought to myself, “I’m going to feel like a fish out of water, but this is something I have to do if I really want to market AutoHook. I need to learn the industry,” And so, I went…

And yes, maybe I was a bit out of my element, but once I took it all in and had a few conversations with my fellow attendees I realized that we have a lot in common, and they are all marketers of the digital age just like me. Sure, they’re selling cars rather than technologies, but their challenges, experiences and thoughts within the digital realm are not so different from my own.  And these people are SAAVY.

On that note, I’d like to share the first 4 of my top 8 key learnings from the Summit which you may find quite valuable (or, entertaining at the least.  Keep in mind, I’m a newbie!):

1.       The key to a successful launch is a great story: Guy Kawasaki, the keynote speaker at the event, taught us all that if your business or dealership is embarking on something new, you must have a great story behind it in order to sell it well. For example, maybe your new showroom used to be a winery. Or maybe you’re running a big promotion in May because that’s the month you sold your first car. Play off of these interesting tidbits by giving people a tangible and relatable story to follow, and you’ll be sure to grab more attention and make more sales.

2.       Mobile. Do it:  Okay, we get it. Or do we really? Even though mobile is something that marketers in all industries are a bit sick of hearing about, we’re still just not doing it! The statistics are frightening. More than half of small/medium sized businesses still don’t have a mobile site. And, 40% of consumers have turned to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience. My last thought on this one was, “Thank goodness we have an app.”

3.       Don’t abuse your social network privileges: As a good rule of thumb, Guy says that whenever you’re sharing via social media, make sure your Tweet, Status, etc. provides 1. Information, 2. Insights 3. Assistance. For example, a statistic such as “90% of car buyers start their research online” is informative, while “Taking a test drive? Acquaint yourself with the vehicle before starting the engine.” provides assistance. Just because you have the power to reach your audience as many times a day as you want, you shouldn’t feel like you have to.

4.       Lead to Show is a crowd pleaser: As someone who only learned about the Lead to Show product suite from an internal vantage point, it was refreshing to confirm my strong affirmation that our technology drives real, strong and significant results for dealers. When speaking with me during the main day of the conference, one client asked his partner, “How many cars did we sell through HookLogic last month?” His counterpart responded, “About 20% more than we would have without.” And that kind of thing was heard multiple times throughout my visit.

Look out next week for part 2. I’ll share some key stats and insights from my “virgin vantage point.”

Video Highlights of David Metter's Automotive ZMOT Panel at DD12

ZMOT ZMOT ZMOT. It seems to be all that we are talking about these days. If you are in e-commerce and/or automotive, it is hard to escape this new term that was introduced this past year by Shopper Sciences as part of Google's quantitative review of decision making behavior across shopping, services, and voting.

Although the term ZMOT, which stands for Zero Moment of Truth, might be new, the concept is far from new. The zero moment of truth for a shopper refers to "all the research consumers do online before making their purchase." Source: TechWyse.com.

In today's language, ZMOT pretty much occurs online during a shopper's quest to better understand product and availability. Product of course if mandated by the OEM but availability is primarily determined by the dealerships.

The automotive zero moment of truth for an auto shopper often begins with a search engine and ends either on a dealer's website or in the showroom.

By "end" I mean that the shopper comes to a conscious decision as to which product she is going to buy and from which dealer she will buy from.

From this point, FMOT enters the scene, which stands for First Moment of Truth. In a new car owner's  first moment of truth, the customer is on her honeymoon with her purchase and is more likely now to share her joy with friends as opposed to several weeks later. Thus, dealers today must consider their role not only in ZMOT but also in FMOT.

In a recent interview with Mike Esposito from Auto/Mate Systems, Mike summed it up perfectly by stating, "We used to talk about 'ups' and 'be backs'. Now you hear about ZMOT, and SEO, and digital marketing. The whole language has changed. The dealer that doesn’t come up to speed on these things is going to be left behind.”

In the video below, HookLogic President of Automotive David Metter moderates a panel on Automotive ZMOT and FMOT at DD12 with panelists Shaun Kniffin from Germain Motorcars, Andrew DiFeo from Hyundai of St. Augustine, Tom White Jr. from Suzui of Wichita, and David Kain from Kain Automotive.

The premise of the panel revolves around the debate of whether or not dealers are responsible for stimulus advertising which again is where a shopper's ZMOT will occur. As you will see, some dealers must generate their own stimulus while others do not, but the overlying business problem facing all auto dealerships is how they address ZMOT and how they address FMOT.

The original panel was pretty much an hour long. This video is all but three minutes so clearly only a very limited amount of what was discussed made it into this video. The pieces that did make tell a simple story that we hope all dealers can use to their benefit.

Take a look and feel free to respond with your thoughts by leaving a comment on this post.  You are welcome to share this post and/or video with others on your own blog or in social media. If you do please let us know where you are sharing it so that we can chime in to people's responses.

To learn more about how your dealership can take its customers from ZMOT to FMOT using HookLogic's AutoHook Suite of Products, visit our website for a free demo or to read some of the success stories that our own customers have shared.

Video: HookLogic and Friends at DD12 Orlando

HookLogic at DD12 Orlando

Here is our video on YouTube from the 12th Digital Dealer Conference at Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida in April 2012. You will see it introduces members of our sales team that were there including Vicki O'Neill with the Great Lakes Region, Clarence Romero with the Northeast Region, Shawn Maiorino with the Southeast Region, and Jeff Kershner, National Sales Director.

Auto event diva April Rain of Digital Rain Management leads the way in this one with interviews from new kids on the scene to "heavy hitters" like Mark Boyd and Jesse Biter who landed a spotlight scene with a big plug for the Dealers United deal with KPA.

Clarence was a big help in our NADA 2012 video and he came through again at DD12 on an interview with Devon Sciortino from Thornton Chevrolet mentioning AutoHook.

Ben Anderson from AutoMotion TV also has a segment in here. Ben conducted an extensive interview with us at DD12 with George Peters from McGeorge Toyota in Richmond, VA. A piece of it is in this video.

PR maven Sara Callahan conducted a 2-question interview with Auto/Mate President Mike Esposito, a portion of which can be found in the video.

Another segment is from an excerpt of the David Metter DD12 Automotive ZMOT Panel Video where Andrew DiFeo and Tom White Jr. have two contrasting realities concerning stimulus advertising.

Also appearing in the video is Layton Judd from 3 Birds Marketing. Phil Penton from SocialDealer. Jeff Clark and Ali Amirrezvani from DealerOn.

Last but not least you will see clips from the ActivEngage, Haystack, HookLogic party at the Blue Martini Lounge.

Enjoy and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, like the video, share it and all that jazz. Thanks.

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Don't Just Be Accessible With Mobile...Be Effective

"The invasion of the smartphone has changed how consumers shop for everything, including high-end purchases like automobiles."

When it comes to potential car buyers it is not uncommon to see people browsing mobile sites either looking at a dealership’s inventory, comparing prices and information, or shopping their trade in.

Walk in to any coffee shop, cafe, bus stop, train station, or almost any venue really, even at your dealership and you will see the masses browsing the mobile web or tooling through an app on the newest generation of cell phones, otherwise known as smartphones, many of them researching vehicles and local dealers.

Smartphones are defined as mobile phones that operate with advanced capabilities and operating systems, similar to that of PC functionality. These phones have Internet browsers and capabilities, and increasingly people are completing their internet browsing on these phones.

The new challenge then for auto dealers is not only how to be accessible via mobile but also how to be effective with mobile.

By effective, I mean being able to convert the right people at the right time.

Converting auto shoppers in a mobile environment often results in acquiring less information about each person because there is less real estate with which to work and also because if it isn't uber-convenient then there is a high chance you will lose the visitor all together. Therefore you need simple and highly effective conversion tools that differentiate your dealership from the others.

Gift card incentives are proving to be effective for this, and dealerships across the country are benefiting from increased incremental sales with effective tools such as HookLogic'sWeb to Show and Lead to Show products.

But it's not as simple as offering someone a gift card for coming in for a test drive. To do this effectively and consistently over time your dealership will need not only the best technology but also the right partners and a good process built in to both the front-end and back-end.

Nowadays the right tools and the right technology require being effective in mobile too. This might involve a mobile web version and/or a mobile app version of your reward incentive and it might require effective SMS (or text message) marketing techniques. For HookLogic Web to Show customers, influencing shopper behavior via mobile has recently been made all the more feasible.

As stated in a recent press release by HookLogic's Chief Product Officer John Berhman,

"HookLogic‘s new Web to Show 2.0 solution for mobile coupled with our AutoHook suite of products means we are able to influence car buyers into the showroom from whatever channel they choose to shop.”

autohook_iphone_vertical

In addition to this new mobile offering, HookLogic has also launched its mobile redemption app. With this new app, dealership personnel are now able to validate, redeem, and measure incentives directly from their mobile devices in real-time.

The dealer mobile redemption app is available in Apple iOS and Android versions and can be downloaded at the Apple App Store and the Google’s Android Market respectively. To learn more about this new app visit our recent blog post titled, Redeeming Coupons from the Palm of Your Hand.

To learn more about how HookLogic's AutoHook Suite of Products can help increase the number of incremental sales at your dealership, contact us today by visiting our website, or call 1-646-532-4707.

Redeeming Coupons from the Palm of Your Hand

Remember when customers would come in to your dealership with a print-out of a coupon code for their $25 gift card that you promised to give them for coming in to see you? Remember how you had to either write down the customers code and then later enter it into the system? Or maybe you escorted the customer back to your office right away so you could log on to the AutoHook redemption system and redeem their code on the fly?

Now with the new mobile app from HookLogic you are able to redeem coupons from the palm of your hand while standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the customer using our new Android, iPhone, and iPad apps.

That's right. Redeeming HookLogic coupons is now easier than ever.

How it Works

We took the coupon redemption and reporting capabilities that are currently present in our web-based user interface and moved them into a streamlined mobile application that allows for on-the-go productivity.  AutoHook clients are now able to validate a customer’s HookLogic walk-in incentive coupon and have the dealership's walk-in metrics at their fingertips, without being tied to their desks.

The process is the same but the convenience is greater. To redeem, users will simply launch the mobile app from their preferred device, enter the coupon code, and hit submit.  Upon doing so you will then be asked to enter the customer’s shipping address to finalize the redemption. That is all there is to it.

For reporting, users enter the desired start/end dates, the site that they wish to pull data for, and whether they want to pull data based upon coupon redemption or issued date.  Hitting “Run Report” will pull up the lead and walk-in metrics on a dealer by dealer basis.

AutoHook Mobile App Screens

Both Apple iOS and Android compatible versions have been released.  Future releases will bring additional functionality from the existing UI over to the mobile app. Choose your preferred app now by pressing one of the two graphics below.

AutoHook for iOS

AutoHook for Android OS

Come Party with ActivEngage and HookLogic at Digital Dealer 12 Orlando

HookLogic-ActivEngage DD12 Party

If you will be in town for the 12th Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition in Orlando, FL, join ActivEngage and HookLogic on Wednesday, April 4, at the Blue Martini Lounge as we co-host a blowout bash for clients, VIPs and friends. Every year during the spring Digital Dealer Conference, ActivEngage throws the best party in Orlando! Walk the redorange carpet feeling like a real movie star as you and guests enter this year’s most anticipated Digital Dealer extravaganza.

From 8:30 till 11:00 PM, the celebration will feature complementary beverages and the best blend of 80’s, 90’s, and today’s top hits performed by live entertainment that will surely have you on the dance floor all night! Don’t care to dance? No worries! Bump elbows and network with industry peers as well as meet the brains and faces behind ActivEngage’s excellence.

As tradition, the Customer Appreciation party will be hosted at Central Florida’s finest upscale lounge and live entertainment bar, Blue Martini. Blue Martini is undeniably the top spot for both locals and visitors from all around, delivering you an unforgettable experience.

Why ActivEngage and HookLogic?

ActivEngage and HookLogic have recently announced a strategic relationship to deliver the industry’s most advanced and effective lead generation technology. ActivEngage is the most trusted brand in automotive live chat. With over 75 years of automotive retail experience, ActivEngage proprietary chat software, fully-managed service and real-time business intelligence reporting is expertly designed to maximize the amount of leads delivered from websites while reducing the overall cost of lead generation for dealerships

RSVP

Make sure to RSVP to the event to guarantee a spot to this year most anticipated social celebration by clicking the red stamp link to your right.

David Metter Talking ZMOT to Showroom at March Innovative Dealer Summit

Innovative Dealer Summit Logo

The Innovative Dealer Summit has become the definitive management education forum for dealer principals and senior dealer managers and addresses the most pressing sales, profitability, technology, best practices, social media and other emerging issues in dealership operations today. It is one of the most timely and important leadership functions you can attend this year. Dealer principals/owners, general managers, senior dealership managers and directors, Internet sales managers, business development managers, F&I managers, key dealership leaders, sales leadership, advertising and marketing consultants, controllers and key decision makers alike will all benefit from attending.

The best and brightest in their fields of expertise have competed to present in Denver. All of the industry's top speakers are brought to you. Make the most of your time and learn about the newest innovations in the industry all in one place. Things you will learn include:

• Increase service and parts profit
• Reduce operational costs
• Enhance dealer brand reputation
• Improve bottom line
• Improve customer satisfaction and engagement
• Maximize customer relations management
• Gain market share

David Metter

Breakout Session

HookLogic's very own David Metter, President of Automotive, will be heading a breakout session on Wednesday at 11am MST titled, Taking the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) to the Showroom Moment of Truth. In this session, Metter will demonstrate how reward incentives such as gift cards can be used to effectively qualify auto shoppers on your website and elsewhere on the web and bring them into your dealership showroom, improving that elusive lead-to-show ratio and ultimately increasing the number of incremental sales at your dealership.

Summit Details

When: Wed March 21 & Thursday March 22

Where: Colorado Convention Center (Denver)

Visit the IDS website for a complete list of all topics and presenters or to view the agenda. Registration is $395 per person and you can register directly on the Summit website.

David Metter Leading ZMOT Panel at 12th Digital Dealer Conference in Orlando

12th Digital Dealer Conference Orlando

Are you tired of hearing that ZMOT is important to you and your dealership but not having a winning strategy to follow? Do you struggle with that elusive lead to show metric? On Wednesday April 4, 2012, HookLogic Automotive President David Metter will be moderating a panel discussion at the 12th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition in Orlando where he and 4 other industry experts will discuss how to take your customer from that Zero Moment of Truth when they are engaged with your website or lead call-to-action and drive them into your showroom, providing your salespeople with the highest quality at-bat.

In this panel, Metter will combine great data from Google’s Automotive ZMOT study and apply it to real-world situations with our dealer panel. If you are interested in how progressive operators have figured out how to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive marketplace, you won’t want to miss this session.

On this panel are:

• Tom White, Jr., General Manager, Suzuki of Wichita
• David Kain, President, KainAutomotive.com
• Andrew DiFeo, General Manager, Hyundai of St. Augustine
• Shaun Kniffin, Director of Internet Sales & eBusiness development, Germain Motor Sales

Receive a $25 Best Buy Gift Certificate When You Visit Our Booth #414

If you are attending Digital Dealer and want to get a a sneak peek of HookLogic's AutoHook Suite of Products, including our new Web to Show 2.0 that supercharges your mobile websites and mobile apps, we would like to offer you a free gift.  Just visit www.leadtoshow.com/DD12 and fill out our simple form.  Then show up at Digital Dealer Booth #414 with your 8-digit code for your demo and we will redeem your coupon and show you how it all works.

About the Event

The last conference in Las Vegas drew more than 1,100 dealers and managers from almost every state and featured 94 sessions and workshops and more than 95 exhibitors. Combined, the last two Digital Dealer Conferences drew more than 2,100 registered dealers, GMs, sales managers, Internet sales managers, e-commerce directors, BDC/CRM managers, fixed operations managers, and pre-owned managers – every one of them there to learn more about Internet and technology-related issues from speakers and exhibitors.

The 12th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition will continue to build on the learning and excitement from previous conferences with 94 sessions and even more emphasis on the cutting-edge topics for dealers and managers, such as using and managing social media to build business, online reputation management, effective website analytics, and more.

When: Tuesday April 3 - Thursday April 5, 2012

Where: The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida

Save $100 on Registration: Visit the conference website www.digitaldealerconference.com for more information and to register online today. As a first-time dealer attendee, let Digital Dealer know we referred you by registering with the ID Code "DD12PEBHL" and receive a $100 discount off of the registration fee!