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GM Suspends Adverting with Facebook. Does That Mean You Should Too?
0 Comments | Posted by Phil Krnjeu in Auto Industry
Don’t forget to comment below and “like” this post! Comments are always the best way to strike a conversation 
What? GM Suspends Advertising with Facebook?!
Breaking news from the automotive industry announced that GM has stopped investing in ad space on Facebook. Now, don’t get that confused with GM abandoning its Facebook Fanpage. According to the Wall Street Journal, GM’s auto marketing chief, Joel Ewanick, said the following:
“[GM] is definitely reassessing our advertising on Facebook, although the content is effective and important.” Mr. Ewanick has spent the last year restructuring the Detroit company’s marketing operations in an effort to cut billions of dollars in costs.”
GM spent about $10 million last year advertising on Facebook, which was a small fraction of its entire advertising budget. Don’t worry, GM still plans on spending an estimated $30 million on content creation on Facebook from various advertising agencies.
Why Did GM Suspend Facebook Advertising
It sounds as if the $30 million is a drop in the bucket in an estimated $1.8 billion advertising budget (just for the U.S. alone), right? But, automotive and powersports dealers want to know why they did this. So, let’s look at a bit deeper at the situation.
According to this article by Search Engine Journal, it seems three key instruments might have stopped GM from throwing its money away on Facebook advertisements:
- Ad Performance: Click through rates on Facebook ads are 10x lower than Google Display Ads, and 2x lower than your average Internet Banner ads
- Ad Formats: Facebook has very few advertising formats
- Ad Targeting Options: No mobile support
It sounds like GM decided to stop throwing good money after bad money and focus advertising dollars elsewhere. Where that is, the execs at GM haven’t revealed yet. But if you see a fancy new 3D commercial shot in space, we could take an educated guess…
Does Facebook Advertising Have Enough Viewers For Me to Sell Cars?
Automotive and powersport dealership advertising on Facebook is still a crucial and beneficial way to market your inventory and drum up business. There are over 845 million monthly active users, and it is pretty easy to go viral on Facebook. But other ad networks and other techniques such as organic SEO may prove to be more beneficial.
Does This Mean You Should Stop Advertising on Facebook?
No, not at all. Just because GM decided to doesn’t mean you won’t (or already do) have success. A lot of the key principles to being successful with Facebook advertising depends on your market and how you are marketing yourself to your immediate audience. But the key is getting your product in front of the correct people to drum up leads and sales. Check out this three part blog for more information on social media advertising for automotive and powersport dealerships and how to break through the myths of social media.
OK – I Still Want to Use Facebook BUT Spend as Little as Possible
You don’t need to spend like GM to have successful results online. In fact, aligning your online marketing is the most beneficial way to get prospective buyers in front of your inventory. There are so many places that your target audience is looking for you… but have you found them? Think outside the box and check out places like Craigslist and Backpage that are high traffic and the best part… FREE. And when do you take advantage of social media for advertising your inventory online, make sure it is targeted!
How Can I Benefit?
Does your automotive dealership software allow you to incorporate your social media strategy and target the marketplaces online your customers are looking for you? There are many software applications out there, but not all of them seamlessly work with your dealership management software (DMS) to help you get “free advertising”. LotVantage can help you with your car dealership’s online marketing and helping you get more leads and sales.
Speak with one of our internet experts and allow them to show you the industry’s best kept secret successful automotive dealers are using today to get more leads and more sales right now! Over 5,000 dealers cannot be wrong… and with a stellar support staff and no long term contract, how could you afford NOT to succeed with LotVantage?
Just fill out the form below and get instant access!
OR Contact our sales department at (866) 881-3229 right now for your free instant access!
P. S. -> Mention the code “GM” to get a special rate!
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6 Myths: Social Media and Automotive Dealership Software (Part 3)
0 Comments | Posted by Phil Krnjeu in Auto Industry, craigslist, Social Media
Don’t forget to comment below and “like” this post! The first two installments are here and here.
Hello there! Thanks for stopping by to read the final installment and the last two myths. This information is being summed up from a great little pamphlet on Social Media by Dealer Marketing Magazine that several LotVantage representatives picked up at Digital Dealer in Orlando, Florida earlier this month.
Myth 5 – Interacting and Sharing Content are Difficult to Achieve
It is difficult to come up with content that is engaging because social media is reaching so many different people, and figuring out the message takes too much time to create to make it worthwhile.
Fact – Sharing is Caring
People who shop LOVE to share information about their purchase and their purchase process. And almost the same amount of people are influenced by the opinions of others in their decision to buy a product. That number: 80 percent. Almost 80% in both instances influence someone in a purchase. Dealers should need to take advantage to gain referrals and recommendations in their sphere of influence. Create content and see what works!
Myth 6 – Doing Everything on Your Own is Better
Automotive dealerships tend to want to control everything to create a “unified message”… and by doing everything manually, you can control everything. By controlling everything, you know your customer and leads best.
Fact – Use Tools to Manage Your Social Media
The more avenues you use for your social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.), the more overwhelming everything can become. Trying to manage everything (posting, content, analytics, etc.) by yourself is daunting enough. Use tools that are readily available to help you or are integrated in your applications to streamline processes and to get an overall better measurement of your efforts.
Take Away….
We at LotVantage hope you enjoyed this information on social media. Check back daily as we continue to add content and help you get more leads online and make more sales!
How Can I Benefit?
Does your automotive dealership software allow you to incorporate your social media strategy? There are many software applications out there, but not all of them seamlessly work with your dealership management software (DMS) to help you get “free advertising”. LotVantage can help you with your car dealership’s online marketing and helping you get more leads and sales.
Speak with one of our internet experts and allow them to show you the industry’s best kept secret successful automotive dealers are using today to get more leads and more sales right now! Over 5,000 dealers cannot be wrong… and with a stellar support staff and no long term contract, how could you afford NOT to succeed with LotVantage?
Just fill out the form below and get instant access!
OR Contact our sales department at (866) 881-3229 right now for your free instant access!
P. S. -> Mention the code “rays” to get a special rate!
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6 Myths About Social Media and an Effective Automotive Dealership Software (part 2)
0 Comments | Posted by Phil Krnjeu in Auto Industry, Social Media
Don’t forget to comment below and “like” this post!
Welcome back! I wanted to continue the previous conversation about social media and effective automotive dealership software and how this affects you, the dealer. This information is being summed up from a great little pamphlet on Social Media by Dealer Marketing Magazine that several LotVantage representatives picked up at Digital Dealer in Orlando, Florida earlier this month.
Myth 3 – More Fans + More Followers = MORE SALES
If Justin Timberlake monetized his 10,743,556 fans, he wouldn’t need to make another song or movie again. If Justin monetized each customer to the tune of $1, Justin would make a cool $10 million just like that. The key is, how could Justin and his team monetize his twitter followers?
Fact – Quality is Better Than Quantity
Justin’s followers are broken up into many groups: teeny boppers, people who like his songs, people who like his look, people who like his acting, people who like ‘N Sync… the list goes on and on. Instead of trying to get as many followers as possible from Nome, Alaska when you are located in Cleveland, Ohio, focus on growing your local reach. If the average Facebook user has 130 friends, and the average Facebook dealer fan page has 500 users, that means there is about 65,000 people in first level connections. Would you rather have 65,000 local views to your local dealership or 65,000 spread over 4,000 miles? Stay local and build up your immediate reach to increase your ROI.
Myth 4 – All Content is Created Equal
Creating the same message across all forms of media (whether it be website, Facebook, Twitter, email) should be exactly the same. Create the same message, make sure it is interactive, and the same message (whether it is from the sales person, sales manager, or owner) is exactly the same. It takes a long time to create, review, and then have it reviewed by the boss, approved, and then sent out.
Fact – Each Media Avenue Needs Varied Content
Twitter is known for completing thoughts in 140 characters or less. Email marketing tells a longer story after gaining the trust of someone. Facebook develops a conversation over time (but is more interactive than email marketing). Let each person speak on their behalf (of the company, of course!) to provide their story. Remember, the more interaction in social media, the more impressions and the more exposure you get.
Look for tomorrow’s post to finish this list of 6 Myths on Social Media and Automotive Dealership Software!
How Can I Benefit?
Does your automotive dealership software allow you to incorporate your social media strategy? There are many software applications out there, but not all of them seamlessly work with your dealership management software (DMS) to help you get “free advertising”. LotVantage can help you with your car dealership’s online marketing and helping you get more leads and sales.
Speak with one of our internet experts and allow them to show you the industry’s best kept secret successful automotive dealers are using today to get more leads and more sales right now! Over 5,000 dealers cannot be wrong… and with a stellar support staff and no long term contract, how could you afford NOT to succeed with LotVantage?
Just fill out the form below and get instant access!
OR Contact our sales department at (866) 881-3229 right now for your free instant access!
P. S. -> Mention the code “rays” to get a special rate!
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6 Myths About Social Media and an Effective Automotive Dealership Software (Part 1)
0 Comments | Posted by Phil Krnjeu in Auto Industry, Social Media
Don’t forget to comment below and “like” this post!
Hey there! I wanted to talk today about social media for dealers and how this affects you. In order to keep this informative and interesting, we are going to break this down into a several part series. We recently had several LotVantage representatives head over to Digital Dealer in Orlando, Florida and one of our representatives picked up a great little pamphlet on Social Media by Dealer Marketing Magazine.
Myth 1 – Teenagers Run Amok Online
Most people look at social media as being something that teenagers use to talk about Justin Bieber or sports fans celebrating their teams miraculous comeback and throwing it in the face of their friends who just happen to support the team that just lost. Throw in the idea that “Farmville” and “Cityville” are being posted everywhere, you think that every person online can now successfully run a farm or megatropolis.
Fact – Your User Is Online
Facebook has over 800 million registered users with 50% of these registered users logging into Facebook everyday. According to a recent study (GfK Automotive study 2011), of the 9.1 million cars sold in the United States in 2010, 84% of these buyers were Facebook users.
Myth 2 – Attractive Pages Means More Sales
Yes, the more attractive pages do get more views. But simply being “pretty” doesn’t mean a lead or sale will be generated. The phrase “all hat and no cattle” pops into mind. Not only do your pages need to be appealing, but they need to have something of value to give your visitors. Visitors to your site are now more savvy and aren’t being fooled by pretty pictures anymore.
Fact – A Social Media Strategy Needs to Formulated
Looking at metrics like “organic reach” and “engagement” your dealership can see how much free marketing they are generating. In one example, 258,124 impressions were created FOR FREE just by implementing a good social media strategy. By formulating a good strategy and using an automotive dealership software that will help get your plan out to the masses, you can use that extra money that you saved to buy a nice steak dinner.
How Can I Benefit?
Does your automotive dealership software allow you to incorporate your social media strategy? There are many software applications out there, but not all of them seamlessly work with your dealership management software (DMS) to help you get “free advertising”. LotVantage can help you with your car dealership’s online marketing and helping you get more leads and sales.
Speak with one of our internet experts and allow them to show you the industry’s best kept secret successful automotive dealers are using today to get more leads and more sales right now! Over 5,000 dealers cannot be wrong… and with a stellar support staff and no long term contract, how could you afford NOT to succeed with LotVantage?
Just fill out the form below and get instant access!
OR Contact our sales department at (866) 881-3229 right now for your free instant access!
P. S. -> Mention the code “rays” to get a special rate!
25
Dominate Automotive Marketing Online with This Craigslist Posting Software
0 Comments | Posted by Phil Krnjeu in Classified Listing Application, craigslist
Craigslist Posting Software – What Should It Do?
Craigslist is one of the most visited sites online today, and is used by thousands of people to sell their items online. Since there are so many different autos being sold on Craigslist, dealers are looking for a Craigslist Posting Software that will have their advertisements stick out to the buyer. Not only do dealers want something attractive to get the the buyer’s attention, but something that is informative, easy, repeatable, and cheap.
Remember: Leads -> Appointments -> Sales
Let’s look at what makes this Craigslist Posting Software above the rest of the other software apps out there.
Get the Buyer’s Attention
LotVantage is the premier Craigslist posting software and can capture your lead’s attention with over 70 different templates! Test out a few different templates and see what your market likes. What works in say, Cleveland, may not get as many leads as a template style in Phoenix.
Informative
LotVantage offers multiple ways to track your views and leads… PLUS, a few things you can only find out by using the application!
Easy and Repeatable
LotVantage offers a Sesame Street simple plan that was designed by car dealers and salesman to help make the posting process quicker and easier. Why would you want to waste precious time manually doing everything when with a a few simple clicks, your whole inventory is online?
Cheap
No setup fees. No “locked in” plans. And did you know that for less than a cup of coffee per day, you can post your whole inventory with this Craigslist Posting Software and reap the benefits of our equation again?
Leads -> Appointments -> Sales
What’s Next?
Speak with one of our internet experts and allow them to show you the industry’s best kept secret successful automotive dealers are using today to get more leads and more sales right now! Over 5,000 dealers cannot be wrong… and with a stellar support staff and no long term contract, how could you afford NOT to succeed with LotVantage?
If you dropped your phone in your cup of coffee, don’t worry! Just fill out the form below and get instant access!
OR Contact our sales department at (866) 881-3229 right now for your free instant access!
P. S. -> Mention the code “spring” to get a special rate!
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How Auto Dealerships Can Use Foursquare For Their Internet Marketing
0 Comments | Posted by Phil Krnjeu in Marketing, Online Inventory Marketing
Hey there! I have been doing some research on some great ideas in marketing using Foursquare and I wanted to share them with you. I read this great article over at seo-hacker.com and along with my research, I wanted to put a good spin on it for car dealerships. Here’s a few I came up with. If you like these ideas, or have used Foursquare and came up with some better suggestions, leave them below! Thanks!
Foursquare for Car Dealerships – Free Automotive Internet Marketing
Foursquare can be great use for automotive internet marketing and gaining free advertising. I don’t want to go into details on Foursquare itself, but claim and set your profile up. While search engine optimization (seo) isn’t really friendly with Foursquare in its results, it is good etiquette and a benefit to have your keywords in your profile.
So now that you optimized your Foursquare account for your dealership, you want to add friends to your foursquare account to help in your car dealer marketing online. Why? As the internet continues to evolve, we want to be more social with our direct audience. More and more people are searching online and doing reviews before visiting dealerships. It’s best to plant a seed and always stay on someone’s mind.
Speaking of adding friends, the best thing you can do to help your car dealership marketing is to check in every day and to add tips. By checking in, you continue the idea of staying in someone’s mind and by adding tips, you can talk about incentives, specials, or anything that may be of note.
And the last great way to grow your leads and clientele via Foursquare, use Foursquare to grow your auto sales online by having incentives and rewards for visitors who “check in” and post the “check in” to their wall or tweet it. Anything is imaginable… free service checkup, $100 off of the car purchase price, or even a coupon to a local store. This car sales marketing tactic is doing wonders for those who are using it already as their ROI is significantly higher than “shotgun blast” advertising.
Foursquare’s Future in Automotive Internet Marketing
It’s pretty easy to predict that Foursquare and it’s type will be here for a while and can only help car purchasers find used cars online. As search engines and even the internet continues to evolve, social signals will continue to play a bigger and bigger part. So, hop on the wagon and “check in!”
If you are looking to grow your online car sales marketing and online car sales leads, contact one of our auto industry experts here at LotVantage by call (866) 881.3229 today! Don’t forget to get our FREE (for a limited time!) eBook entitled Automobile Marketing Strategies for the 21st Century to help increase your conversions at online car selling websites today!
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How Auto Dealerships Can Use Foursquare For Their Internet Marketing
0 Comments | Posted by Phil Krnjeu in Marketing, Online Inventory Marketing
Hey there! I have been doing some research on some great ideas in marketing using Foursquare and I wanted to share them with you. I read this great article over at seo-hacker.com and along with my research, I wanted to put a good spin on it for car dealerships. Here’s a few I came up with. If you like these ideas, or have used Foursquare and came up with some better suggestions, leave them below! Thanks!
Foursquare for Car Dealerships – Free Automotive Internet Marketing
Foursquare can be great use for automotive internet marketing and gaining free advertising. I don’t want to go into details on Foursquare itself, but claim and set your profile up. While search engine optimization (seo) isn’t really friendly with Foursquare in its results, it is good etiquette and a benefit to have your keywords in your profile.
So now that you optimized your Foursquare account for your dealership, you want to add friends to your foursquare account to help in your car dealer marketing online. Why? As the internet continues to evolve, we want to be more social with our direct audience. More and more people are searching online and doing reviews before visiting dealerships. It’s best to plant a seed and always stay on someone’s mind.
Speaking of adding friends, the best thing you can do to help your car dealership marketing is to check in every day and to add tips. By checking in, you continue the idea of staying in someone’s mind and by adding tips, you can talk about incentives, specials, or anything that may be of note.
And the last great way to grow your leads and clientele via Foursquare, use Foursquare to grow your auto sales online by having incentives and rewards for visitors who “check in” and post the “check in” to their wall or tweet it. Anything is imaginable… free service checkup, $100 off of the car purchase price, or even a coupon to a local store. This car sales marketing tactic is doing wonders for those who are using it already as their ROI is significantly higher than “shotgun blast” advertising.
Foursquare’s Future in Automotive Internet Marketing
It’s pretty easy to predict that Foursquare and it’s type will be here for a while and can only help car purchasers find used cars online. As search engines and even the internet continues to evolve, social signals will continue to play a bigger and bigger part. So, hop on the wagon and “check in!”
If you are looking to grow your online car sales marketing and online car sales leads, contact one of our auto industry experts here at LotVantage by call (866) 881.3229 today! Don’t forget to get our FREE (for a limited time!) eBook entitled Automobile Marketing Strategies for the 21st Century to help increase your conversions at online car selling websites today!
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Online Leads Need More Than Just Speed Alone When Replying
0 Comments | Posted by Phil Krnjeu in Auto Industry, Lead Management, Technology Trends
Automotive Industry Trends: Online Leads
Automotive industry trends show auto sales from leads online will continue to increase in 2012 in correlation with a rise of units being sold. Just as the internet evolved and organic search has evolved, smart dealers are hopping on the bandwagon before every dealer gets wind and adjusts their sales cycles. In a recent Automotive News article, Jamie LaReau mentioned the following:
Many U.S. dealers might need to hire additional Internet sales staff and improve the quality of their responses to online customers if they want to join in this year’s expected sales rise, a research firm says.
…
Urban Science says the volume of Internet leads could rise 15 to 20 percent this year, with the average dealer getting about 85 leads a month, up from about 75 in 2011.
…
Last year, up to 30 percent of automakers’ retail sales originated from Internet leads, Urban Science’s data show. More than 30 percent of customers submitted a request to at least two dealers. As competition for those online shoppers increases, dealers must make their online lead responses more personal and not just rely on auto-generated ones, [Jody] Stidham says.
…
“When talking to these consumers online, a quality response is important,” Stidham says. “Last year’s theme was beat the clock, with all dealers pressured to respond quickly to leads. This year the theme is respond quickly but with a quality message.”
So How Do These Automotive Industry Trends Affect Me?
Well obviously, these kind of automotive industry trends present both a good and bad scenario. Here is a quick list of the good and the bad:
Good for Auto Dealers
- The trend is that more cars will be sold this year
- Consumers are willing to view car ads online and fill out lead forms
- Car dealership advertising getting real results online (independent of automotive seo)
Bad for Auto Dealers
- Consumers are requesting information from more than one dealership
- More online leads are sent to dealers which is increasing “hot leads” and “tirekicker leads”
- Dealers spending advertising money in a “shotgun approach” versus “pin point accuracy”
Quickly Turn Your Online Leads Into Auto Sales Online
The one thing we here at LotVantage want to help you with is getting better results from your car dealership advertising efforts online. To help you increase your efficiency in turning leads into appointments and appointment into sales, dealerships need to be armed with the most information a lead is going to give you to separate the “tirekickers” from the “sign and drive” leads. By having the lead give more information than just name, phone number, and email address, the lead is showing their willingness to get deal completed.
Once your online leads have been coming into your dealership for a while, a review should be made of the leads to help get rid of the “shotgun approach” and use “pin point accuracy” to increase your online leads conversion into auto sales. This can help focus your advertising budget to get the biggest return on investment (ROI).
Free Auto Ads and the LotVantage Automotive Marketing Service
Just as a follow up, if you want to increase your auto sales online, check out our LotVantage software application which can help you create online leads that will convert better, help you figure out which websites your advertising efforts have the best capture rate (Craigslist, Backpage, etc.). and even show you more detailed information on the incoming lead.
LotVantage helped get a dealer in less than a month 2,307 direct and targeted visits to their dealership website. Check out this auto dealership software most dealerships dream for!
You can also download our latest ebook entitled Automobile Marketing Strategies for the 21st Century and join our LotVantage Insider’s Club today!
5
LotVantage – The Next Generation of Auto Sales Online and Car Dealership Software
0 Comments | Posted by Phil Krnjeu in Auto Industry, Lead Management, Marketing, Online Inventory Marketing, Technology Trends
Increase Auto Sales Online
Before talking about this awesome auto dealership software and how LotVantage will help you increase sales and your bottom dollar, I wanted to say hello and introduce myself.
My name is Phil Krnjeu and I’m the guy in charge of helping you sell cars online and learn how digital marketing for your auto dealership IS the next biggest thing in our industry… and if you don’t get on the wave now, you are going to miss out.
Build Your Internet Business and Reach
The team here at LotVantage wants to work with you to help you grow your automotive marketing service online to reach your customers. That’s the goal, right? Cut your advertising costs online and get more leads, more appointments, and more customers! Picture yourself walking into your big box electronics store where your goal is to purchase a new audio receiver to hook up all your electronic toys. As you walk in, you glance above you and think, “What is going on??? There are no aisle signs telling me where to go for my new audio receiver!” You see televisions, washers, computers, everything but what you need and what you want. You can choose to waste your time and get lost in the maze (and probably buy something other than the audio receiver) or search out someone who works there, someone can guide you in the direction and understands the products and the market, someone who will help you meet your wants and needs.
Build Your Car Ads Online and Your Industry Knowledge in One Spot
LotVantage is looking forward to working with you. We’ve created our new ebook titled Automobile Marketing Strategies for the 21st Century. This book won’t be free forever so download it! This ebook will help you understand how auto marketing is changing and how you can take advantage of auto marketing online. Online advertising, inventory management, and social media are just a few of the topics talked about in detail.
Download this ebook now!
We here at LotVantage want to become your online auto industry expert.We want to help you find your “new audio receiver” without stopping and looking at all the other noise. Some of the topics and ideas we will have with you include the following:
Automotive Industry Trends
We will look at online automotive industry trends and explain how you can take these trends and turn them into money.
Free Auto Ads
There is a secret that very few dealers want you to know about. We reveal that secret to you so you can capitalize as well.
Automotive SEO
We will explain Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in the easiest terms and what it takes to rank in the first spot in places like Google and Bing.
Car Dealership Advertising Online
We break down different facets of online car dealership advertising and show you what it takes to make Sesame Street simple designs that will ATTRACT website viewers to click on your cars… and start the sales process seamlessly
Mastermind Groups
You have heard of it, but have no idea what it is! We will be holding monthly sessions where will be providing EXCLUSIVE news, trainings, and answering your questions on automotive internet trends and LotVantage software.
Selling Cars Online
I wanted to let you know selling cars online is your business. Our business here at LotVantage is to get your cars in front of eager buyers and help you close the deal and to help you do that. The easiest thing to do is to is to join our SECRET insiders club and you will receive our ebook to get you started.
Download this ebook now!
If you have any questions or want us to focus on any topics, contact me directly at phil@thatsus.com.
Here’s to YOUR Success!
Phil Krnjeu
11
AutoShopper.com and ThatsUs.com Take Dealers over the Top with Strategic Cross Media Marketing and Metrics
0 Comments | Posted by admin in Auto Industry, Dealers, Lead Management, Marketing, Online Inventory Marketing, Technology Trends, Uncategorized
from- news.yahoo.com
AutoShopper.com’s website buyers can find a million new and used certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private sellers. Now with new open source technologies being added to its dealer management structure from That’s Us Technologies, dealers can orchestrate cutting edge classified marketing services. This software suite to simplifies the process’ that dealers use to broadcast vehicles across the web in a one-click fashion. This leverage of web services integrates easily with AutoShopper.com and provides dealers with an easier, more efficient way of posting cars quickly and easily to the latest classified and social media sites, also easy to use dashboard is available for productivity and lead reporting and also integrates seamlessly with a dealership’s website.
Read full article at: http://news.yahoo.com/autoshopper-com-thatsus-com-dealers-over-top-strategic-081125124.html
