Category Archives: General Discussions

The “catch all” discussion for everything the digital dealer encounters

Complaint Websites – anonymity that really hurts!

It will happen to any car dealership eventually.  Search your dealership’s name (or worse) your own name… and the search engine returns a high-ranking “complaint” result.  This happened to me this past weekend and after my lawyers were called and… Continue reading

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Dealer Microsites: An Anecdote for an Answer

I’m not here to preach one way or another about dealership microsites because if used correctly they can be very effective.  I’d rather tell you a story and let you decide for yourself on how best to apply them to… Continue reading

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Where are Your SEM Dollars Going

some dealers who actually took the time to analyze their SEM campaigns directly with Google that the percentages their Agencies were taking were sometimes as high as 40%. Continue reading

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North Texas Nissan hires ecarlist for SEM, SEO and…SERM?

What is SERM?  Sounds like a bad case of the flu, but it’s actually a serious and rapidly growing segment of Search Engine Marketing.  SERM stands for Search Engine Reputation Management, and any company who struggles with negative PR online should get to know… Continue reading

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2008 – A Blessing in Disguise?

the dealers who will survive in 2009 and beyond will be those who fundamentally shift their beliefs about the Internet Continue reading

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Vehicle Pricing Analytics: Leveraging Market Data

The days of only monitoring a competing dealer’s specials down the street are over. The dealership of today must buy and price its inventory with a deep understanding of its online competitors and the National marketplace. With ecarlist Pricing Analytics… Continue reading

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The Justification for Existence…Even Pop-Ups

As a dealer vendor in the online advertising/marketing sector, it is your innate duty to justify the money your dealer gives you.  That’s what makes online marketing different - the accountability.  It’s easier to take radio or newspaper dollars and chalk up… Continue reading

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CarBiz Crisis – the Strong Will Survive!

Straight to the point – car dealers have seen better times.  I speak with dealership owners everyday and feel their pain, as I also own one myself.  I have witnessed the closing of several smaller dealerships this week alone and… Continue reading

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Good Internet Marketing requires Work – it’s that simple!

I think we can all agree that quality never comes in an “instant” formula.  Instant coffee is never as good as a “barista” would brew and your dealership’s website is in need of custom “brewing” as well. Everyday we engage… Continue reading

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Brand vs Product Marketing

Sell the car first, before you sell yourself. For decades, car dealerships entered into “Brand Based Marketing” and attempted to build their brands with local advertising selling why the customer should do business with them.  “We’re the mega-volume dealer”, “Family… Continue reading

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