| After you get done reading this article, go | | | | dead. It nearly was. The difference is that |
| to the computer and pull up I want to you | | | | it evolved. It changed from epileptic |
| try a little experiment. Try typing in your | | | | banners all over to the place with deceptive |
| dealership name in the search area. Do you | | | | offers to letting the customer search for |
| come up? Are you even ranked first, second, | | | | some thing and then giving them a choice |
| third? Now try typing in a few different | | | | whether or not to find out more information. |
| combinations - the makes you sell plus your | | | | With the evolution of choice and the sites |
| town or used makes and your town (Chevrolet | | | | that directly market to the customer needs, |
| St. Louis, Used VW Pittsburgh). Coming up | | | | it has made Internet advertising the home run |
| now?From my research about 90% of you won't | | | | that ad agencies and advertisers have tried |
| appear. That isn't necessarily your fault or | | | | to find since the direct mail piece was |
| your website provider's. It is something | | | | printed. |
| that you need to fix. Back in the "old days" | | | | |
| (last year) it really didn't matter how you | | | | I have preached in many articles that taking |
| appeared in the search engines. In this day | | | | a serious look at Internet advertising should |
| and age the Internet Search Engines are the | | | | be something each dealership should do. Some |
| New Yellow Page Ads. If you didn't have a | | | | have listened and many have not. Find the |
| yellow page ad in the past chances were that | | | | best solution for your dealership in your |
| you wouldn't get the first call. Search | | | | hands. Those who start on this journey are |
| engines are the exact same way. You have to | | | | in a better position tomorrow. The Internet |
| be there for them to call your website.Google | | | | constantly evolves. Imagine back in the 70's |
| has become the leader in the online race. | | | | if you bought a Honda dealership. Yes, there |
| You may have heard of this little company | | | | was an upside from gas crunches and the trend |
| whose stock has doubled in less than a month. | | | | toward more fuel efficiency. You didn't sell |
| I get questions all the time about why is | | | | them like they were going out of style. |
| Google stock is so much. It is because | | | | Imagine what that dealership would be worth |
| advertisers, advertising companies, and | | | | today in a nice growing metro area.The point |
| consumers can connect and connect easily | | | | of the story: investing in the Internet today |
| without all the junk that is on other sites. | | | | is like buying a Honda dealership in the |
| People are looking for easy ways on the | | | | 70's. Except this time you have the |
| Internet to find the information they need. | | | | foresight to see what is coming up over the |
| Google connects you to your customer.Some | | | | next few years. Building your online |
| will say that they don't use Google. You | | | | presence is a return that you will reap for |
| might use MSN or Yahoo or twenty other | | | | years to come no matter how small or how |
| different engines out there. It doesn't | | | | large the investment. So find a way to start |
| matter which one you use. You have to be | | | | making it work for you today. Search engine |
| there on all of them in some shape or form. | | | | advertising and marketing will be done in |
| You can pay a company to do it or you can | | | | your area. Lock it up with your operation |
| research it yourself and make it happen.Most | | | | now before your competition does.Todd |
| people don't know how valuable having a good | | | | Swickard, Chief Executive OfficerTodd |
| ranking on the search engines is for their | | | | Swickard founded Auto Supplier Marketing, LLC |
| business. The ones that do know it - don't | | | | in February 2002. Drawing on his vast |
| want you to find out. When you look at all | | | | experience from Compaq, AutoTrader.com, and |
| the other media that is out there and you | | | | Dealer.com, he was able to compile a |
| break it down, it becomes real simple to see | | | | multi-media company that targets niche |
| why the manufacturers are dumping money into | | | | markets across the country. In less then 6 |
| online advertising. It is cheaper in | | | | months a site was launched and over 200 |
| relative terms and provides in many cases and | | | | dealers from across the country had been |
| return on investment.The rules have changed | | | | formed into a network. All this with very |
| for everyone. Many makes out there will now | | | | little venture capital invested.A veteran of |
| allow you to Co-op this advertising expense. | | | | the dot com industry, Todd has seen it all. |
| It has come from the Internet being the evil | | | | It has been his personal goal to create a |
| step child of advertising to one of the | | | | marketing company that drives results with |
| shining stars for dealerships. If you don't | | | | ROI and accountability. His methodology keeps |
| know already, find out if your brand allows | | | | campaigns within budget producing infinite |
| co-op and be the hero of the dealership by | | | | results and return on investment. Todd's true |
| finding a way to bring more qualified traffic | | | | measure of success is in the success of our |
| and leads to your website.As recent as last | | | | clients. |
| year, they said that Internet advertising was | | | | |