Great news! Pinterest is now testing search ads with keywords and shopping tools.

97% of Pinterest searches are not brand specific, so a lot of the keywords will have to be intuitive -- just like a Google search. This means that you can supply content to your customers based on their searches on Pinterest and not just Google.

On this week's Hard Facts, Samantha gives you creative pointers and other marketing…

Whether you are the biggest shipper of PCs worldwide, a local bakery, or a small Mid-Western car dealership – you need to provide your customers with the best service support – and resolve all emerging issues in almost an instant.

Why? Your clients are demanding it.

SMS and other …

In the world of customer experience, retention and loyalty, a lot of focus is placed on customer satisfaction. The general thought process is that the better the customer experience on a consistent basis, the more likely a customer is to continue to do business and remain loyal.

However, according to…

While I often talk about “basics”, that’s simply because many dealers are still not reaping the benefits of video marketing. But let’s say your dealership is doing video marketing. Perhaps you’ve made a commitment to conduct live video walkarounds for every vehicle. Maybe you’re engaging your customers via personal video e-mail. And perhaps it’s working well. Most people…

Auto/Mate Presented with ‘Top Rated' award for Dealer Satisfaction in Dealership Management System (DMS) Category

NADA Convention & Expo

Booth 1707

New Orleans, LA – January…

NADA Convention & Expo

Booth #1707

New Orleans, LA – January 27th, 2017 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced today that Keiser University, based in West Palm Beach, FL, selected Auto/Mate's dealership management system (DMS) to use as part of…

Dealerships have forever tweaked pay plans to satisfy bottom lines and keep employees happy. Many employees in the sales department can make more money from a single sales commission than any technician can make in a day. There are even some salespeople that are so productive that their paychecks can exceed those of their sales managers – and sometimes that leads to friction…

Not only Millennials text – all age groups text and research shows texting is the most used function on a smartphone. For car dealerships, the real question is should they be texting with clients? AdvantageTec can answer that for fixed operations as we provide texting solutions to hundreds of large and small, public and family-owned dealerships across the United States.

Let’s look at some data – one of our dealership clients…

Are you planning on going to a trade show this year? So many times we go to trade shows because people tell us it'd be a great opportunity. But first, you need to decide if it's really going to be worth it.

Watch this week's Hard Facts to get information on how to maximize the value of your next trade show.…

Customers generally get their vehicle serviced close to home or work. Dealers are lucky that customers feel they should bring their new cars back to the same store when there are warranty issues. They have that warranty period to develop the customer’s loyalty.…

Car sales today are a whole different process from how it was in the past. A few years ago it was pretty much a given that buying a car could easily encompass most of the day. In addition, little information was available to the consumer and the dealer had the upper hand in negotiations.

As the Internet has grown and evolved, and as information has become…

Why are we obsessed with television and movies? Because, just like books, they have the ability to capture our attention and transport us into fictional situations and universes.

Regardless of whether the movie or television show is fiction or non-fiction, this is an engaging way to tell a story that we’re interested in hearing and also seeing. TV, movies and…

Below are the top 17 items on women’s New Year’s list when it comes to car dealerships and the service drive for 2017. Here’s an opportunity to add some new options to market and engage to the growing car drivers and buyers and expand your business.

At The Dealership

1. Buying a car in a relaxed, zero pressure environment.

2. Child care made available during the test drive and negotiation process.

3. A 3-day return…

Recalls have reached epidemic levels and stretch the resources of everyone involved – dealers, manufacturers and parts suppliers – as well as the patience of consumers faced with a recall, or who contemplate the purchase of a new or pre-owned vehicle. While it may be tempting to imagine a world where recalls aren’t such a burden to dealers and customers, the fact is, recalls…

Dealerships are well known for their involvement and participation with local communities and many different charities. From sponsoring little league teams, to larger charity initiatives, dealerships have supported and given back to the communities they serve for a very long time.

Cause-based efforts have become increasingly important to consumers, especially…

So, let's talk about the future of dynamic Facebook ads. Be prepared to reach more than just the people who have previously engaged with your content. 

With these changes, you'll be able to get the attention of customers that have looked at similar products, but not YOUR products.

On this episode of Hard Facts, Samantha will reveal when this feature is being rolled out and how it will benefit your…

Many dealers and managers outside of the service department don’t realize how incredibly busy a service advisor (SA) is throughout their day. Keep in mind that these are front-line employees dealing directly with your customers. They have an extremely important role in the dealership. In fact, it could be argued that a SA has more influence on a dealership’s livelihood when…

When it comes to video, most dealerships tend to think of it for purely sales department use, and sometimes in service. From communicating with customers via personalized emails, to live video walkarounds, video is certainly an excellent way to engage customers and increase VDP views. It is also a great tool for the service department to better explain and illustrate service…

If you utilize paid search, you’re probably paying “Google Tax” without even realizing it.

So what is “Google Tax?”…

Don’t get caught up in the post-holiday blues! You’re definitely not alone.

We all know that January can be a slow sales month for just about any business. It can be easy to get discouraged and anxious when you're not pacing to meet your monthly sales goal.

There are so many ways you can boost your sales without increasing your ad budget, and I’ll start off by saying that social media is going to be your best friend! Social media is a great way to start…