Comments on: Dealer Website Providers – Hold them Accountable http://netmarketing101.info/automotive-digital-marketing/dealer-website-providers-hold-them-accountable/ View and Opinions about Online Marketing Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:58:19 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Paul http://netmarketing101.info/automotive-digital-marketing/dealer-website-providers-hold-them-accountable/comment-page-1/#comment-12676 Paul Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:40:35 +0000 http://netmarketing101.info/?p=135#comment-12676 Yes I am a GA fan. My dad and brother are both Alumni there. The BZ platform is an albatross and dated. It needs to be retired in it's current form. Yes I am a GA fan. My dad and brother are both Alumni there.

The BZ platform is an albatross and dated. It needs to be retired in it’s current form.

]]> By: Jim Chamberlain http://netmarketing101.info/automotive-digital-marketing/dealer-website-providers-hold-them-accountable/comment-page-1/#comment-12674 Jim Chamberlain Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:40:53 +0000 http://netmarketing101.info/?p=135#comment-12674 I have had issues with both Cobalt and BZ Results. I'm not sure how things may have changed since ADP bought BZ but in the past they would sell your contract to a third party immediately after you signed it. They no longer had an interest in supporting you. They didn't have to keep you happy because they already had their money. Great short term business plan for them but very bad for the dealers. BZ and other sites like them are now selling new "Digital Marketing Packages" that include SEO, SEM and PPC. Isn't that an oxymoron? I ran a little experiment a couple weeks ago with BZ. I told them I was going to do some PPC and wanted my customers to be able to click on a link that would take them directly to a specific vehicle model or one in my inventory. They have passed the question up the chain of command and no one has contacted me back yet. It's been over 2 weeks. Here's the problem. The inventory is hosted by Buzz Lot. I figured out how to write a URL with a search string to pull up any vehicle by vin number but it won't display framed into the BZ site for the dealership. So I guess you have to set your PPC campaigns to go to the home page. Can you say "Bounce Rate"? There will be a lot of changes. I have been playing with Wordpress, Joomla, Mambo and others. I was developing a Joomla site that would serve both the customer and intranet needs for the dealership staff. With login management you can (may be able to) provide a single platform to improve process, management, communications, blogging, microsites, scheduling and much more. I look forward to the future. By the way, are you a Georgia Fan? I used to live in Athens. Go Dawgs!! I have had issues with both Cobalt and BZ Results. I’m not sure how things may have changed since ADP bought BZ but in the past they would sell your contract to a third party immediately after you signed it. They no longer had an interest in supporting you. They didn’t have to keep you happy because they already had their money. Great short term business plan for them but very bad for the dealers.

BZ and other sites like them are now selling new “Digital Marketing Packages” that include SEO, SEM and PPC. Isn’t that an oxymoron?

I ran a little experiment a couple weeks ago with BZ. I told them I was going to do some PPC and wanted my customers to be able to click on a link that would take them directly to a specific vehicle model or one in my inventory. They have passed the question up the chain of command and no one has contacted me back yet. It’s been over 2 weeks. Here’s the problem. The inventory is hosted by Buzz Lot. I figured out how to write a URL with a search string to pull up any vehicle by vin number but it won’t display framed into the BZ site for the dealership. So I guess you have to set your PPC campaigns to go to the home page. Can you say “Bounce Rate”?

There will be a lot of changes. I have been playing with Wordpress, Joomla, Mambo and others. I was developing a Joomla site that would serve both the customer and intranet needs for the dealership staff. With login management you can (may be able to) provide a single platform to improve process, management, communications, blogging, microsites, scheduling and much more.

I look forward to the future. By the way, are you a Georgia Fan? I used to live in Athens. Go Dawgs!!

]]> By: Do You Want Au Jus or Fries With That? | In the Trenches http://netmarketing101.info/automotive-digital-marketing/dealer-website-providers-hold-them-accountable/comment-page-1/#comment-12673 Do You Want Au Jus or Fries With That? | In the Trenches Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:58:03 +0000 http://netmarketing101.info/?p=135#comment-12673 [...] I was amazed when I contacted a website provider for support for a dealer client to only find out that support would take three days to add a form to a custom page, the dealer spends over $100K per year and is tied to a contract.  This was after going to top level contacts inside the company.  Another consultant experienced a website provider claiming SEO work as their own.  (To Stay in Line with drivingsales tos they will not be named here but will be here with my automotive website predictions for 2009) [...] [...] I was amazed when I contacted a website provider for support for a dealer client to only find out that support would take three days to add a form to a custom page, the dealer spends over $100K per year and is tied to a contract.  This was after going to top level contacts inside the company.  Another consultant experienced a website provider claiming SEO work as their own.  (To Stay in Line with drivingsales tos they will not be named here but will be here with my automotive website predictions for 2009) [...]

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