Up to 95 percent of today’s shoppers go online to research vehicles. But they still want a personal connection. According to the Local Search Association, 61 percent of new and used vehicle shoppers call a dealership once they’ve completed their online research. This number is likely to grow due to the prevalence of smart phones and click-to-call…

“Our lives move in the direction of our strongest thoughts.” – Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of Life Church & Bestselling Author

We all have our own beliefs, some of which tend to be universal. Such as the above statement from Craig Groeschel, which, in my opinion, is simply too powerful…

Google Analytics is a beast. Within it, you can access all the data about your website that you could ever need. Unfortunately, since it is so jam-packed with great data, it can be hard to even know where to begin. I consistently meet with car dealers who aren't sure what reports they should be looking at and what data they should be gleaned from those…

In search of service revenue, dealerships turn to randomly scheduling service appointments regardless of shop capacity. Or they take everyone that drives up. This can easily overwhelm the service department. It leaves customers frustrated and causes a LOSS in service revenue from both new/drive-up customers and customers with appointments.

How…

"Back to the Future" is a fantastic film franchise. I'm just going to put my bias for it right out there from the get-go. I’m not sure about you, but I am particularly fond of 1980s science fiction movies. The 1985 classic was visionary, and the sequel where they go 30 years into the future is shockingly accurate with its technology predictions. It predicted…

Recall completion percentages have been increasing, but despite increased communication attempts, that increase is hitting a plateau.

A recent trend reveals that many vehicle owners are very interested in mobile services. Currently, the percentage of independent repair shops that offer mobile services dramatically outweighs franchised dealers.…

You don’t have to look very far to see that Video Marketing is the future of digital marketing. Not only is it cost effective, easy to create and use video online, but consumers favor video on almost every…

With the increasing demand for service repairs, dealers are scrambling to recruit more technicians. At the same time, the pool of experienced technicians is dwindling, as not enough new technicians are entering the workforce -- and demand will only increase.

Regardless of how much money your dealership may spend to expand your facilities to…

When it comes to email marketing, frequency of communications plays an important role in getting customers to open your emails AND in getting them into your showroom.

However, flooding their inboxes with daily communications poses risks. Too many emails and your customers will lose trust in your business and unsubscribe from future marketing.…

Your dealership has probably been using an owner retention program (ORPs) for years, but when was the last time you evaluated the effectiveness of each communication?

One thing is certain. Sending out the same communications with the same messages via the same channels, again and again, isn’t a winning strategy. The goal of an ORP is to…

When people think of recalls, at least in our industry, most think about vehicles. For many consumers, merely contemplating spending their time at a dealership waiting for a recall to be repaired or losing the use of their car for some time, seems draining and inconvenient. But most consumers probably don’t consider the potential risks recalls can pose to…

In my last blog, I shared a few design tips I have seen drive website conversion rates as high as 10%. In this blog, I would like to move onto the next step and share advice about how to recognize and measure if your website changes are, in fact, effective.

Many dealerships…

Consumers have grown tired of the countless vanilla marketing messages many companies keep sending (and yes, that includes OEMs and dealers.) However, the marketing tactic that is enjoying success is relevant marketing directly aimed at a specific individual. Relevance is the key to winning today’s consumers. But, it’s not only about relevance, it also…

That feeling of dread – the letter arrives at the dealership with a return address from an attorney you don’t recognize, addressed to "Owner" or "General Manager." Inside is a demand letter indicating that your website or mobile application is inaccessible as required under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). You need to contact them right away to…

As ADA lawsuits become commonplace in the industry, FZA Digital releases a solution for auto dealers to combat this frustrating issue.

Lakeland, FL, October 22, 2019 – With the recent news that the supreme court is allowing  cases to move forward against retailers if their websites are not…

A dealership can be a very profitable business whether you sell used or brand-new cars. However, sometimes you may not get as much revenue as you were expecting from your dealership business. Here are 5 ways to increase your profit from your dealership company:  

1. Offer prepaid maintenance programs 

Offering prepaid…

A recent Affinitiv survey of 1,000 automotive consumers reveals that dealerships are falling short when it comes to delivering personalized, online shopping experiences to customers. In the same study, we analyzed a sample of 100 dealer websites to better understand the current level of personalization that dealers are offering.

Why the focus…

“Hey Alexa, order me more shampoo. Also, can you get me a trade number on customer Smith, make sure that our inventory is up to date online, improve my service drive experience, skyrocket our profitability, and find out why John didn't show up today? Thanks, Alexa!”

Anyone else tired of hearing that Amazon, Apple, and Google should be the gold…

It’s a well-known fact the best leads aren’t the ones that are bought, but those that convert on your website. These leads close faster, close at a higher rate, and close for higher gross than any other online lead. The problem is that websites are consistently converting less than 1% of their traffic into leads. Some are higher, some lower, but rarely does…

Today's customers expect and demand a fantastic experience. From initial research to the showroom visit, delivering a great experience at every touchpoint will give you a distinct advantage over your competition and help you win deals.

My last blog, 7…