It's Time to Change Your Skin!

Post by Paul Rogers

Important Announcement Regarding Your GSMarketing Website!
GSMarketing is pleased to announce our newest versions of skin choices are now available in your Fusion Tool. Please read the following information regarding the importance of switching to one of these HTML versions for your dealer website.

Benefits of the new HTML skins:
· An HTML-based framework with Flash components to allow faster load times and incremental loading on all pages
· Banner control buttons on the homepage allow customers to scroll through the library
· SEO-friendly fast links contained at the bottom of the homepage for better SEO opportunities
· Updated Incentives page with a more linear design and consistency with the Specials page
· Enhanced ability to view a vehicle’s image slideshow by clicking on the actual image or clicking the next or previous buttons

It’s Quick and Easy to update your website look today!

Simply visit https:\\fusiontools.clickmotive.com and enter your username and password
1. Select DESIGN from the menu on the left
2. Choose one of the three HTML 'Extreme' skins
3. Save! (it may take up to 12 hours to fully populate the changes across all servers)
If you need any assistance, please contact GSMarketing Web Support at 866-428-9104 or websupport@gsmarketing.com

The Blurb and SEO

Search Engines primarily ‘read’ content in text. Therefore, GSM websites provide a space on the ‘Home’ and ‘About Us’ pages for text, so a dealer can enhance the already excellent Search Engine Optimization of those websites. This space (on the ‘Home Page’, it’s called a ‘blurb’) has some default text, so it won’t be blank, but it is left up to the dealership person in charge of website content to add specific text that will enhance that page’s SEO.

When a dealer is deciding what goes into this ‘blurb’, they should do their best to think how a customer might think: “If I were a prospective Toyota buyer, how would I search for a dealership in a Search Engine – what would I type on the search bar?”

25-40% of all searches for our websites are a variation of the dealer’s name. Another 25% of searches are name/city or make/city. Prospects are searching much more specifically today, so a listing of all the vehicle series (Highlander, Camry, Yaris, etc.) is also important. The city where the dealership is physically located will be in several locations in the website, however, the ten cities in the dealership’s PMA will NOT be listed anywhere – unless the website maintenance person in the dealership places that information there – in the ‘blurb’ and the ‘About Us’ page. We encourage them to ‘think local’ with this list of cities and/or counties served. Focus on the ten cities that they would like to capture in their own market and don’t worry about cities 100-200 miles away.

In addition to this list of cities and series of vehicles, a dealer should be certain that any other local distinctions should be listed – ‘nicknames’ or regional names should be there! Examples of these might be; the Metroplex; ArkLaTex; the Twin Cities, the Quad Cities, the Valley; the Hill Country; the Bay Area, the Southland, etc.

Thinking like a customer, it is also likely that they might forget the name of the dealership, but will remember the location, therefore they might type in streets, freeways or landmarks. They may type ‘Toyota dealer’- on I-15; - near first avenue; - downtown; - near the bay bridge”, etc. A dealer should include a general description of their location using these terms as well.
All of the above items MUST be written in a sentence format – not simply a list. Lists are what Google refers to as ‘word stuffing’ and too much of that will get the website removed from the Search Engine results completely!

Once a dealer has designed this ‘blurb’, they really shouldn’t change it much, unless they move, something else around them changes or Toyota adds a new series, like the Venza. However, since Google and other Search Engines hate a stale website, the website maintenance person should add a sentence to the bottom of their blurb and it should change regularly – perhaps as often as twice a week. This sentence can include an invitation to visit the dealership; changes to the website or inventory; the latest dealership sales event; grassroots events; new owner clinics; etc.

By thinking like a customer, including LOTS of keywords and frequently updating the last sentence of the blurb, a dealer can significantly improve their SEO and increase the number of visitors to their website and dealership.

New Toyota 4Runner

Post by Julie Chisum

I just thought I would pass this article along to all of you.
It would be a great piece to send to customers or post on your own blogs.
There is a really good photo gallery that's there as well.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/24/2010-toyota-4runner-debuts-with-four-cylinder-trail-grade-model/

Sharpen Your Saw

Post by Paul Rogers
There is an old story told in trainer training about a certain woodsman who was using a dull saw to cut up a log. After a few minutes of observation, a friendly neighbor suggested that he take some time out to sharpen his saw. The woodsman’s reply was, “I can’t stop now, I’m too busy sawing.”

We have a very strong tendency to do the same. We are so busy keeping up with our work in an ineffective manner, that we don’t take the time to really find out how to be more effective. JD Power and Assoc. has found in their surveys that if an Internet Specialist will attend training, specifically focusing on the Internet Customer for at least eight hours, they will sell twice as many cars as those who were not Internet trained. Double the productivity is quite an incentive to “sharpen your saw.”

At GS Marketing we look for lots of opportunities to learn more about how to sell more effectively to the Internet Customer. We attend web conferences and we read every thing we can find on effective techniques that are working for other industries, using the web.

If anyone tries to tell you that there is only one way to use the Internet to sell cars, they are lying to you. I’m not saying that there aren’t some very successful programs and dealers who are doing a great job. There are! What I am saying is that the Internet is constantly changing, as are the demographics of the people who use it. What worked last year, may not work this year.

If you receive some resistance from your management team on attending training that is offered in your area, perhaps you can share with them a quote that I got from the Utah Auto Dealer’s Association. “If you think that training your people and having them leave you is expensive, try not training them and having them stay.”

We at GS Marketing will continue to offer training regionally across the country. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this training since it will bring to you the latest findings of what is working for effective dealers nationwide. Our whole goal is to help make you wealthy by providing Technology and Training so that you can reach your grandest goals and highest potential.

Road Food Reviews - Hot Dog Joints

Post by Paul Rogers
Okay - they may not be P.C.; they may be gross to some (Nick); but I really love a good hot dog! Here are some of my favorites...
- Portillo’s – best place I know in Chicago for a dog – or an Italian Beef sandwich!
- Grey’s Papaya – these are New York-style dogs in New York City – natch – Nathan’s has been around longer but these are great…
- Costco – I know – how can this be on the list? I live in the part of the country where you can’t get good Vienna Beef dogs or ‘red hots’. If you’re jonesin’ for a dog, their Polish Dog can meet the fix
- Varsity – an Atlanta institution – great dogs served fast – “whaddayhave?!!”
- Pink’s – L.A. – be prepared to wait, my last time it was 45-minutes in line on the street, just for a hot dog – but worth it – keep an eye out for celebrities, if you’re into that sort of thing.
- Tony Packo’s – Toledo – some people STRONGLY disagree on this one, and I will admit, it’s kind of strange, but their homemade buns are actually better than their dogs, but I like ‘em anyway – I just stay away from the chili!! M*A*S*H fans – if you don’t already know about Packo’s – shame on you!

Road Food Review - Parasol's Roast Beef Po Boy

Post by Julie Chisum
On our last trip to New Orleans, Paul and I made it over to Parasol's to try their Roast Beef Po Boy. I think I enjoyed it more than Paul, but I'd say it was delicious.
Very tender. Great bread. Extremely messy.
I also really enjoyed this cheesey pile of yum:

And, when in New Orleans, this seems to find its way to your food:

A few things worth noting: This place is a dive. (My favorite!) There are very steep stairs you must climb to get to the restaurant, so pick up your drinks in the bar (downstairs) first.

Road Food Review - Bern's - Tampa, Fl.

Post by Paul Rogers
An experience, not just dinner! One of the other restaurants in my Top 5 in America list - thanks Troy for introducing me to it! This is one of the most unique restaurants in all the world! Only place I know where they don’t even cut your steak until you order it. You can order a steak three different ways - by ‘cut’; by weight and by thickness. So you can have a 1” thick, 14 oz. Strip or a 3” thick, 20 oz. Filet! Whatever you want! They grow their own herbs and veggies, their waiters have to work there a year in the back before they can wait tables (some have been there for decades and make six figures!), they have a million bottles of wine (NOT a $1,000,000,000.00 worth – a million bottles) and they let you look at a couple thousand of them, literally, on the wine cellar tour. After dinner they take you upstairs, next door to the private dessert rooms, where you choose the lighting and the type of music you like. Their Macadamia Nut ice cream is most delicious!
WARNING! Be prepared for this to be an event – last time I went with a friend I left Orlando at 6pm, drove an hour and a half to Bern’s, sat down at 8 – finished dessert at midnight – got back to Orlando at 2am. Totally worth it!!! No jeans or flip-flops allowed, but the decor is super-funky. If you are anywhere in Northern Florida, you should go.