Considered as one of the most efficient digital advertising and linking programs in the auto industry, CarClicks has partnered with Autobytel Inc., to integrate its Autobytel Direct product powered by AutoWeb’s high-quality traffic to CarClicks’ existing automotive network.
CarClicks, a product of Automotive Internet Media, Inc. (AIM), provides valuable auto shopper traffic to hundreds of dealerships across the country. CarClicks promotes dealership inventory online to in-market auto shoppers and links them directly to the vehicle display pages of the dealership website to help dealers sell more cars, trucks, and SUVs.
“Online automotive has evolved and the need for digital agencies to provide innovative, results-driven solutions has never been more critical,” said Jeff Coats, president and CEO of Autobytel Inc. “Autobytel is in pole position to deliver these products with proven results for engaging millions of consumers and driving quality car buying traffic to dealer and manufacturer websites. We are pleased to be partnering with a progressive company like AIM to drive premium, filtered, and qualified traffic to its clients.”
CarClicks conducted an initial test with a select number of dealerships to validate the quality of the traffic provided by the Autobytel product.
“We tested Autobytel Direct with a few of our dealerships and were delighted with the quality of traffic it provided,” said Tony French, President of AIM. “Our CarClicks program is dedicated to driving only the highest quality traffic to our dealer clients and Autobytel is an excellent addition to our network.”
The majority of traffic provided by Autobytel is new vehicle focused. With ongoing cost-per-click increases from other digital tactics, dealers are continuously looking for quality advertising sources. With the addition of this traffic, CarClicks is poised to showcase dealership inventory and brands in front of an even larger audience of car buyers.
“Adding another quality new vehicle traffic source only strengthens the overall value of the CarClicks program,” continued French. “Any time we can provide a better mix of potential new and pre-owned buyers to our dealer websites is a win for our clients.”
CarClicks will add high-quality Autobytel Direct traffic to all of its dealership clients’ initiatives to boost the frequency of visitors to its website properties. The company is confident that by giving more exposure and merchandising to all of its dealership clients’ inventory — both new and used — its clients will likely be a part of a shopper’s consideration set.
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About Autobytel Inc.
Autobytel Inc. provides high quality consumer leads and associated marketing services to automotive dealers and manufacturers throughout the United States. The company also provides consumers with robust and original online automotive content to help them make informed car-buying decisions. The company pioneered the automotive Internet in 1995 with its flagship website www.autobytel.com and has since helped tens of millions of automotive consumers research vehicles; connected thousands of dealers nationwide with motivated car buyers; and helped every major automaker market its brand online.
Investors and other interested parties can receive Autobytel news releases and invitations to special events by accessing the online registration form at investor.autobytel.com/alerts.cfm.
About CarClicks
CarClicks is a pay for performance inventory marketing program. CarClicks promotes dealerships’ inventory with priority on a network of 3rd party automotive shopping sites and search engines. Dealers pay a small fee when an auto shopper is linked from the 3rd party site to the dealership website.
About Automotive Internet Media, Inc.
Automotive Internet Media is a growing provider of digital marketing products and services for the automotive industry. They provide best-in-class products and services such as CarClicks, dealership websites, search engine marketing, pay per click advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), social media management, retargeting and display advertising, video services, lead generation, email marketing and consulting. Automotive Internet Media is headquartered in downtown La Grange, Illinois. For additional information please visit www.automotiveinternetmedia.com.
carclicks
AIM Visits the 2016 Chicago Auto Show
The 2016 Chicago Auto Show took place on February 13th through the 21st in Chicago, of course.
McCormick Place was jam packed full of new releases from companies all over the globe, ranging in price, performance, and function.
Since we are locals and are car-lovers, we had to stop by the Auto Show. Check out the video below and see some of the highlights from Day One!
For information on how we can help your dealership succeed, give us a call today!
Breaking Down the Difference: CarClicks vs. Traditional Pay Per Click Marketing
You may be wondering if you have a CarClicks account, do you really need a pay per click presence, or vice versa? Or, do you even need either of these advertising mediums?
We recommend having both, and not because CarClicks is our product! The benefits will outweigh the costs, and you will sell more cars. It’s that simple. We’ll break down the two strategies so it’s easier to understand the differences, as it can get kind of confusing when you start hearing acronyms like PPC, CPC, SRP, and VDP. We’re confident you’ll see why each of these services will be worth it in the end.
How CarClicks Works
CarClicks is another version of a pay per click campaign where your ads are not listed on Google, but instead on various auto shopping websites for in-market customers. For example, you may have a used 2014 Ford Focus on your lot that you are looking to sell. Because CarClicks updates their database every day, they saw you have that Focus in your inventory, so they will automatically list the car on dozens of automotive websites where customers can shop for 2014 Ford Focus’ in their area.
There are several benefits to this mode of advertising. First, you are not charged anything until a customer clicks on your car, so you know that whoever clicks is interested in that specific car on your lot. Second, when a customer clicks on your car, they will then be redirected to your website – specifically the vehicle display page, rather than staying on that third party site. The customer can then check out the car itself and browse any other cars on your site, fill out a contact form, etc.
Unlike Google’s pay per click campaigns, CarClicks ads are actual vehicle detail page listings, not just keywords that would link to either your website home page or search results page. The customer is taken directly to that exact vehicle, avoiding confusion and increasing the likelihood of them scheduling a test drive.
How Pay Per Click Marketing Works
Unlike CarClicks being linked directly to your VDPs, pay per click (PPC) ads are typically linked to corresponding search results pages or homepage of your website, depending on the ad. These ads are also not displayed on popular vehicle shopping sites, but are displayed right on the Google search page when you search a specific term, such as “2016 Chrysler 200” or “New 2016 Truck”.
The PPC process uses a bidding system to determine which ad will show up for which keyword on Google, ranking in position – with 1 being the very first spot and also the most expensive per click. Recently, Google has gone away with side bar ads and is only filling ad spots for 1 through 7, so demand for ad space is at all all-time high.
Although Google PPC ads are similar in the sense that they are billed at a cost per click (CPC), they aren’t very similar in many other ways. These ads will show up based on the relevance, location, time of the day that a user searches for the keyword, budget, etc. An ad is not likely to show up in every search unless there are unlimited finds, of course. The more competitive a keyword, the more money it will cost an advertiser. There is no fixed CPC here, and it’s a balancing act with trying to juggle funds and maintaining a good position in a Google search so that users will see the ad and click on it.
So, What’s the Verdict?
Pay per click search marketing can be time consuming, tricky, and tedious, so companies often outsource this service to experts like AIM. If your ads are not placed properly, relevant, or targeted in the correct way, you could be wasting thousands of dollars!
Customers are shopping online now more than ever before, so being absent from search marketing is a big no-no. We’re willing to bet that your competitors are paying for pay per click ads that are relevant to you, so don’t let them take your customers from you! Give us a call us today and let’s get started on your PPC strategy.
Additionally, if you are looking to drive customers straight to your vehicle display pages (and who isn’t?), schedule your 15-minute demo now! More views on your VDPs means more cars sold. Don’t lose out on a deal you could easily win.
Why It Is Important to Drive Traffic to Your Own Website
There are many tools on the Internet to provide visibility for your dealership, but the key outlet is your website. Therefore, driving traffic to it is very important. No visitors mean no sales from that channel. And with so many people using the Internet every day you could be missing out on countless potential buyers.
Visitors directed to your own site, rather than another website you are listed on, are more valuable. These people have the opportunity to look through multiple pages, submit their information, or click-to-chat with a salesperson. Once you get their information, you can market to them long term either through retargeting ads or directly via email or phone call, raising the probability of closing a sale.
One great way to direct a large quantity of targeted traffic is through the CarClicks program. CarClicks drives traffic from various portal sites directly to your inventory. Generally, 75% or more sessions through the system are new shoppers, or customers who have never been to your site before. This gives you the opportunity to market to many new potential customers using the tools on your own site.
So, if you’ve spent a lot of time and money on your website and are thinking “what’s next?” – driving valuable traffic is the answer. One great way to do that for dealers is with CarClicks. To learn more about the CarClicks program and Automotive Internet Media, contact us today.
Three Reasons Why You Need CarClicks
- You need to sell more cars, trucks, and SUV’s– This is the goal for every dealership and CarClicks can help by driving in-market auto shoppers directly to the vehicle display pages of your dealership website, for LESS than our competition!
- You need to get more from your advertising dollars – You’re spending a lot of money on advertising and not getting enough traffic. CarClicks is cost effective – at only $2.25 a customer, you can spend less money and generate more quality traffic. You pay for performance, not placement.
- You need flexibility with your advertising – You don’t want to be locked down with long-term contracts and expensive budgets. CarClicks offers month to month contracts and you set the monthly budget, giving you the flexibility to spend more or less depending on what your advertising needs are.
What are you waiting for? Call us now (630-847-4100) for a 15 minute online demo!