We have handled millions of ad impressions for our clients and taken over our share of mismanaged accounts from other service providers, including some larger companies that claimed to be experts in search engine marketing for automotive dealers. Here is our top 10 list of mistakes, along with some examples of how bad things can get when a car dealer just throws money at search engine marketing.
Mistake #10: Buying outside of your dealership's geographic area
Every car dealer wants their customers and their competitors’ customers and this leads many to buy zones or marketing areas well outside of any reasonable locale. Often, it's a naive marketer that buys a 100 mile radius for new car leads. Conquer your backyard before seeking other areas.
Mistake # 9: Buying keywords for models you do not sell
Yes, people cross shop vehicles, but you must buy the proper keywords for your brand before you even think about buying any other automotive keywords. There are endless keywords beyond your own makes and models. Aim for the low hanging fruit first.
Mistake #8: Buying generic phrases
If you are buying phrases like “cars” and “used” then you are throwing money away. Do not waste money by being overly generic. Your site analytics don’t lie and will be sure to give you a virtual slap when you see a 90 percent bounce rate from your homepage. Be specific.
Mistake #7: Not matching your ad to your destination page
If you want customers to leave your Website show them a page that does not relate to their initial search. If your ad says “Toyota Camry for $199/mo” and your landing page is a homepage that is still three clicks away from finding your Camry inventory or your Google ad has no relevance at all to the keyword, you are wasting money.
Mistake #6: Making boring, generic ads
This is an automotive marketing staple that is put into action by many automotive marketers because they are just plain lazy. Boring, generic ads with no compelling reason to click on them will never bring you the traffic you need. Run several ads simultaneously and make the best click win. Monthly prices work. Great prices work. Specific discounts get more clicks, however, even at lower, affordable positions.
Mistake #5: Spending too much on “gotta have ’em” keywords
“I don't care how much it costs, but I have to be number one for the word “trucks.” This type of thinking could end up costing you 10 dollars per click when a little more foresight and detail could result in exact phrases for the trucks you have in stock at a fraction of the cost.
Mistake #4: Ignoring analytic reports and focus on traffic
Ninety percent bounce rates on pay-per-click ads mean that 90 percent of your customers leave almost immediately. If you are not looking at analytic reports then you are spending money on the wrong keywords, ads, sites, etc. It is unthinkable that anyone would ignore such great, free data. With a good analysis you can buy more good words and fewer bad words.
Mistake #3: Letting Google run your campaign
Sure it’s easy and may be a good way to get you started, but Google suggestions will often just give you irrelevant phrases or provide you with odd budgets. Buy what you need, leave the rest. Remember, Google wants to spend your money. Machines don’t care about your budget.
Mistake #2: Spending too much per click
Sometimes coming in second is a good thing! When the price between being a first place listing and second place listing is two dollars per click, it pays to let go of first sometimes. Often we can buy several times as many clicks for our clients just by avoiding the “bid to win first” mentality. In addition, a creative headline and ad will convert better than position alone.
Mistake #1: Buying your own name
Here is our favorite one of all, bidding on your own name. There are some very popular automotive marketing companies who can get dealers tons of clicks and phone calls—it's easy when you buy the dealer’s name. If you are already number one with your own name (most dealers are) and there is no competition, then do not buy your own name. There are some, but few cases when a dealer should do so.
Michael Sweigart is CEO of PureDealer. For more information, please call 609-977-5050, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or visit www.PureDealer.com.