A Honda store that typically sells 200 new and used cars per month dramatically increased their Search Engine Marketing (SEM) performance by simply implementing a more sophisticated enterprise platform for “Marketing in a Digital World.”
Disclosure: this case study overviews the implementation of specific AdWord campaign tactics leveraging an advanced Google enterprise platform. The dealer in this case study is not named to insulate and protect its previous SEM vendor publicly in this case study. Anyone who is interested in more specifics including the dealership name and general manager contact can reach out to PureInflunecer or me directly at my contact info below and that information will be provided.
The Honda dealership in the case study has been refining it’s digital marketing strategy for many years. It also used some of the largest vendors in the automotive digital space to help it compete in its highly competitive same brand and conquest brand market. Its digital marketing goals like most automotive dealerships throughout the country were simple: 1) drive more quality traffic to its website, 2) increase website conversions (leads and phone calls), and 3) reduce digital advertising costs (improve ROI).
The dealership has now enjoyed a tripling of quality conversions, more leads, more phone calls, and reduced costs per acquisitions. Additionally, in the last month the Honda dealer has had 50 conversions from search results for its competitor dealership names.
Summary of gains in the 1st 60 days of switching strategies:
- Impressions have more than doubled from 79,265 to 130,625
- Avg CPC dropped from $3.58 to $2.69
- Conversion Rate quadrupled from 3.67% to 19%
- Cost per conversion dropped from $68.73 to $14.53
- Phone calls increased from 49 to 302
The PureInfluencer team consulted with the dealership to take a closer look at their AdWord campaign structure and campaign performance. They determined that 5 critical factors existed that were inhibiting the dealers’ digital marketing campaign performance and the goals mentioned above:
- The PureInfluencer team found that the campaigns were all tuned to visitors that were primarily at the bottom of the sales funnel. These were targets that had already done much of their research and likely much of their purchase decision making;
- Within the campaign(s) setup, what was being considered an “acquisition” in the campaign(s) was incongruent with the goals of getting form submissions (web leads) and phone calls;
- The campaigns were highly “cookie cuttered.” The campaign structure and strategy merely copied what the other dealers in the market were doing rather then working to capitalize on opportunities and acquisitions to win digital attention of potential buyers;
- The campaigns were not optimized to conquest true interested buyers that were visiting other dealer sites;
- Display Retargeting (to include Contextual & Behavioral display) was generic, late, and not model line specific to the shoppers interests.
As you can see in the image in Figure 1. (3 month summary comparison) the Honda dealership improved in each of its goals and objectives stated above. As you look at Figure 2. (weekly detail) you can see that the Honda dealership in this case study almost immediately appreciated huge gains in conversion phone calls, and PPC cost reductions by leveraging the more sophisticated strategies and platform.
Figure 1. (Monthly Summary)
Figure 2. (Weekly Detail)
With respect to the findings above, here’s what the PureInfluencer team was able to accomplish for the Honda dealer:
- Implemented a “pre-sales cycle” digital branding strategy measured within the AdWords analytics to ensure early digital communication with Honda Intenders;
- Restructured the AdWords campaigns to more accurately optimize for truer conversions on all devices and search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) simultaneously;
- Conducted online market behavior and brand intender research to build uniquely customized campaigns based on maximizing all of the digital opportunities within the dealers’ market;
- Adjusted the AdWords campaign to “conquest digitally” focusing on the Honda dealers’ top same brand competitors;
- Designed dynamic and variable retargeting that presented the dealers brand, logo, and year, make, model of the vehicle that the customer was specifically searching (shopping) for.
The PureInfluencer team leveraged detailed feedback from the dealers’ Google Analytics account along with implementing a market and brand specific customized AdWord strategy to ensure that the dealership was getting more “serious shopper” engagements further up the sales funnel. This put the dealership in a position to market sooner and more relevantly than it’s competitors within the digital sales funnel. Leveraging the newer platform the Honda dealership now has a significant advantage over its competitors in the digital space.
If this post interests you, or you have specific questions about it and you want to have a real world discussion about how your dealership can begin to more effectively market in a digital world, give us a call and we’ll walk you through it. You can reach me directly at ronmorrison@pureinfluencer.net or give me a call directly at (408) 218-6407. You can also visit us and learn more at www.pureinfluencer.com.