Digital Dealer - April 2018 - 43

requested, can lead to the
prospect losing excitement over the potential
purchase, or feeling put
off, resulting in him or her
going elsewhere to shop.
SOCIAL MEDIA

	 45% of dealers' social
media scores ranked
higher than the National
Average score (which is
40%). Each dealership
was contacted twice on
their Facebook page by the
prospect who was asking
for information about buying a vehicle from them.
Mystery Shop Results:
 Only 33% of inquiries
received a response
	
Response scores were
between 52% and 69%
OBSERVATIONS

 All dealerships had a
Facebook page and all
but one had a customized
YouTube channel
 Almost all Facebook
pages had an "about" and
"Shop" button while only
one had an "Inventory" tab
 90% of dealers did NOT
utilize/send video, despite
being specifically asked
via the Facebook mystery
shop to email a video of
the vehicle
OPINION

Unfortunately, it seems
like Facebook is NOT
on a dealer's radar as it
relates to communication.
In our mystery shop of
dealers' Facebook pages,
we were disappointed to
find out that the majority
of dealerships are not prepared to handle Facebook
prospects or social media
communication.
Social media is a very
powerful medium and

dealers need to have a
strategy on who is going
to be paying attention
to prospect and client
communication on social
media platforms.
There also needs to
be a strategy on how to
engage, converse and
convert social media
communication into
appointments and sales.
And most importantly, all
of these people need to
be trained on process,
etiquette, strategy, etc.
VIDEO

22% of dealers ranked
higher in SEO/YouTube
channel scores than the
National Average (which
is 38%). Only one dealership used video in their
response to the prospect's
purchase request
Mystery Shop Results:
 The one video response offered scored a
95%
 SEO/YouTube channel
scores all ranged from
27% to 53%
OBSERVATIONS

 All dealers did not
show up on the first page
of Google search video
results and were not optimized for YouTube
 Many dealerships had
more than one YouTube
Channel, which is not
good. There should be
one channel to increase
subscriber views thus
rank in search
 Some were using
their YouTube channel to
simply "store" their video
content
 Some of the dealerships with high volumes of
videos aren't really even

LEARN MORE AT DD24
Sean V. Bradley, CSP will present an
in-depth session titled, "Bueprinting a
High-Functioning (and Profitable) Internet Dealership... NOT a Department," on
April 11th from 9:00 - 10:55 a.m.
"videos" at all, but rather
"stitched" photos
OPINION

Dealers NEED video! If
the average dealership is
visiting up to 10 dealerships and/or third-party
websites, that means that
there are potentially 10
other dealers or websites
following up with your
prospect sending emails,
making calls, text messaging etc. Video can differentiate your dealership
and keep you top-of-mind.
You should have a
library of video templates
for:
 CRM Follow Up (with
30+ Templates)
 Sales (End of the
Month Sale, Holiday Sale,
Weekend Sale, We Want
to Buy Your Car, etc...)
 Testimonials / Reviews
 Value Package Proposition (Why Buy From Us)
 "How to"
 Service/Maintenance
 FAQ
 Inventory (Walk a
Round)
 Inventory Review
 Conquest
 Appointment Confirmation / Missed Appointment
 Message from Dealer/
GM
Dealers should incorporate video 100% of
the time in their follow up
strategy as well as their
engagement strategy with
prospects and clients.

CONCLUSION

The dealerships we
mystery-shopped, were
at best, performing OK.
Some were at National
Average (which is not
saying much) but most
were below. We found
most dealers are not focusing on communication
methods beyond phone
calls and emails. Success
in today's digital age will
require strategies for the
"other" communication
resources, such as texting,
chat, social media, and
video. Not focusing on
these channels equals lost
opportunity and revenue.
If you have any questions about this article,
please email me at
seanb@dealersynergy.com.
SEAN V. BRADLEY, CSP
is an entrepreneur, author,
speaker, and award-winning
international trainer. He
is an eight-time NADA/
ATD convention speaker
and a FranklinCovey
Certified Facilitator. He has
earned the coveted "CSP"
designation in the National
Speakers Association. Sean
is also a member of the elite
"Million Dollar Speakers
Group" in the NSA, as well
as a State Association
Speaker and Trainer. He
has spoken at over 217
NCM and NADA 20 Groups.
Sean has personally trained
25,000+ automotive sales
professionals in 1,100 unique
rooftops. EMAIL: seanb@
dealersynergy.com

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

APRIL 2018

43
http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM
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