Internet Directors know how crucial proper web optimization is to a successful dealership. Web optimization is typically comprised of a number of different areas, including search engine optimization, website analytics, and design, among many others.
However, optimization is more than just a standard set of practices. Those differences are one of the primary factors that make ‘do-it-yourself’ optimization without an inventory marketing specialist such a risky prospect. An inventory marketing specialist keeps abreast of the ever-changing landscape in order to implement best practices to achieve good positioning and visibility, and frequently conduct research to understand what your competition is doing as well.
If you are learning from scratch and implementing as you go, you can be put at a disadvantage compared to competitors who hire professionals.
Roadblock #1:
Seeing Optimization as a Project With An “End Date”
Optimization, and online marketing in general, is a process, not a destination. It’s a road that must be constantly traveled for any measurable and optimal levels of success. At no time is your optimization process “complete”, in fact, once your initial online marketing plan sees any level of success, you should be seeking out other ways that you can improve your online presence.
Roadblock #2:
Not Planning For Long Term Optimization
Since online marketing is an ever evolving process, wise companies will plan for optimization over the long run. You can’t think of your online marketing as a short-term investment, and vertainly don’t want to divert internal resources for a few weeks. Think of online optimization more broadly, and give your optimization strategy the time and support it needs to be successful. If the program is understaffed or underfunded, it’s unlikely to find the success you’re seeking. You will only get out what’ve put in!
Roadblock #3:
Not Monitoring Progress
Up until recently, it was next to impossible to know if your marketing plan was doing the job with traditional advertising such as radio, television, and newspapers. However Internet Marketing efforts are fairly sinple to track. I like to use cooking as an analogy, you have to test the food throughout the process to see how it’s going. If you need to make a change, you find out early on, and if the food is great, you know how to make it next time.
Inventory marketing is exactly the same. Track which sites and campaigns bring success to refocus resources in both the short and long run. These metrics are invaluable when you start additional campaigns. The data will provide you with real results that you can point to. In today’s ever changing market, so much depends on customer preference. Only when you start to get a feel for that preference will you see the best outcomes.
Roadblock #4:
Working Alone
By nature, most professionals working in the dealership understand sales. That’s the dealership’s reason for existence, and everyone else within the organization provides some level of support for that function. Online marketing is a very specialized discipline with a number of techniques and strategies to learn. Reaching out to an inventory marketing professional should be viewed no differently than outsourcing something like windshield replacements at the dealership. It simply doesn’t make sense to spend time learning, rather than executing effectively from the beginning.
Putting it All Together
Now that you know some of the most common pitfalls that cause optimization programs fail you’re equipped with the knowledge necessary to eliminate the problem. You can start fresh, and get the optimization results you’re looking for. You might not see them overnight, but with time the effect will be noticeable.
The U.S. auto industry had one heck of a year in 2009. Nearly every automaker in the United States struggled to stay afloat and sales plummeted thanks mostly to the recession. December, however, did bring some good news as the industry continued it’s slow rise out of the pits. While shoppers’ enthusiasm is still below pre-crises levels there was a slight uptick in auto sales during the last month of ‘09.
