7:14 am, January 26, 2011
Are you adverts getting the results you want? JAMES BAGGOTT finds out how Motors.co.uk can help turn more of your precious leads in to sales
WORKING out where to advertise your stock on the worldwide web is fraught with difficulties. It seems every other week a new online advertising platform is launched with a fanfare about how many potential buyers will see your cars.
But how do you really know the cash you’re spending on putting your cars in front of buyers is actually working?
Well, one way is to track the leads you get from adverts and find out which ones really worked. But, in all honesty, do you really have time to do that? We suspect not.
That’s why so many people stick with advertising their stock on the tried and tested channels. And we all know who we’re talking about… But if you’re fed up with paying the same old companies for the same old services, why not try something different in 2011? You never know, they could give you that reason to be cheerful we’re all looking for – more sales!
Motors.co.uk was launched four years ago and has certainly had an interesting journey so far. Backed by the Daily Mail General Trust and with partnerships with a number of local newspapers across the UK, Motors.co.uk gives you access to an unprecedented multimedia offering for on and offline advertising.
But that’s not all – Motors.co.uk is not just about advertising your stock. With software and service companies Auto Exposure and Complete Automotive Solutions as part of its stable it can offer you a bespoke website, photography solutions, uploading tools and call recording systems.
We spoke to the firm’s CEO, Garry Hobson and commercial director Phill Jones, about just what it is about Motors.co.uk different.
‘We aim to please,’ states Garry Hobson confidently. ‘In fact, we strive to ver deliver for our dealer, providing them with powerful advertising tools and a transparent, honest service. With so much choice for dealers out there, we know how important great customer service is.
‘We have a team of support staff who are at the end of a phone to talk to dealers about any technical issues or queries, and offer full support to get dealers’ cars loaded quickly onto the site so they can start generating leads as soon as possible. Our search functionality is unique allowing consumers to search from a number of perspectives, inlcuding multiple make/model, colour, style all the way down to CO2 emissions!
‘We devote significant resources to deliver the best user experience possible. We also offer free history checks on cars listed on our site so consumers can purchase with more confidence from our dealers. We believe that building consumer confidence and empowering them to find what they want quickly increases the liklihood of leads being generated.
‘We offer dealers access to an audience of more than a million users across Motors.co.uk and our partner sites.’
So which type of dealer would be interested in using Motors.co.uk?
‘We offer great packages for all dealers ranging from top 200 dealer groups down to smaller independent dealers who maybe only have 10 cars,’ explained Jones. ‘We can tailor the most cost effective package to suit a dealers’ needs and inform them of any special offers or products that may help in improving the effectiveness of their advertisements.’
Jones explained that uploading cars to the site is simple. Motors.co.uk has developed its ‘Autoedit’ tool to allow dealers to upload straight to the site and then export it to other advertising portals at no cost. He said: ‘The best bit is this is a totally free and easy to use service which we offer to all our dealers, making it a really cost effective alternative to other services.’
Hobson reiterates that dealers get fantastic exposure for their stock with Motors.co.uk because of the relationship it has with local newspapers around the UK.
He said: ‘Your cars get in front of potential buyers from both a local and national audience. The local audience comes from our relationship with the local newspapers and our national audience comes from our partnerships and our online audience.’
The website has recently undergone a major relaunch with the addition of a new brand icon ‘Motor Sensei’ promoting the site’s many benefits which centre around safe buying for consumers.
‘We know how valuable it is listening to feedback from consumers and dealers and we take pride in using this information to continually improve our offerings,’ said Hobson.
‘Consequently, the major overhaul of Motors.co.uk last year reflected the desire from consumers for a more flexible search tool. We are continously listening to feedback in our search and adjusting the site to stake account of this. For our dealer customers, we are rapidly expanding our product set to provide dealers with powerful tools for improving the effectiveness of their marketing spend. Ultimately we can be matchmaker for consumers and dealers as we understand both parties’ needs.’
So what about those other services Motors.co.uk can offer dealers? Well, these are quite intriguing in themselves, as Hobson explains: ‘Our Auto Exposure team have a wealth of experience in providing dealers with all things digital. This covers photography, including photographers taking pictures of dealer’s stock for them, advanced vehicle imaging which allows us to digitally enhance photos and make stock stand out online.
‘We also offer a host of website products, including fully managed sites, websites which dealers can update themselves or just a simple static site to enable a dealer his own presence online.and online products to include advanced vehicle imaging, websites and static sites, photography, content management and much more.
‘Complete Automotive Solutions (CAS) provides intelligent call recording and reporting (Voicesafe) and customer relationship management (Closelt) software to the motor trade, both of which offer dealers the chance to improve the effectiveness of their business.’
Sounds like it’s a busy time for Motors.co.uk then?
‘Absolutely,’ adds Hobson. ‘We’re a fast-growing business, in fact, it’s hard to believe we have achieved so much in the four years since Motors.co.uk launched, but it doesn’t end there. We are planning another step change in our market presence to deliver cost-effective lead generation and a great marketing channel for dealers with more exciting products on their way this year, so it’s set to be another exciting year.’
For more information visit Motors.co.uk, autoexposureproduction.co.uk or call 0845 265 6000
