A dealership’s website is the center for their public communications. The content on your website and how well things work together from trade in tools to finance can have a big impact on how easy it is for a customer to buy a car from you. Let’s talk about a few fairly standard ways to get cutting edge performance out of your dealership’s website, and what you should look for in the future.
Using ChatGPT
One of the coolest parts of ChatGPT is the ability to write something quickly, and it has a huge range of uses for dealerships. A salesperson or business development center could use ChatGPT to write quick responses to incoming emails instead of sending out a template of text.
You could also use ChatGPT to write parts of your website.
The biggest thing you’ll have to learn about ChatGPT is making prompts and inputs. If you want something specific, you are going to have to write something specific. For example, you could ask ChatGPT to write a sales-like email about a car, then include the specs and some positives about the vehicle as well as the customer’s name.
It is then possible to template the ChatGPT prompt and use it for multiple customers.
ChatGPT can also write part of your website, including sales promos, about us, and other pages that digital marketing managers might struggle to find the time to write. The possibilities are endless!
Canva
Canva is a graphics tool that can be used to make a variety of imagery from website banners to social media posts and flyers. Consider Canva to be an easier to use Photoshop that is built into your browser.
A couple of major reasons to use Canva include consistent branding and time savings. If you use the same font, colors, and most everything else every time in Canva, you’ll have a memorable look to your brand. You can also save templates to ensure that a flier for a toy drive looks at least a little like a signup for a raffle, and that your social media posts have a similar look too.
Appraisal Tools
The importance of a good appraisal tool is not to be underestimated. A trade-in value is often a sticking point for a customer and a dealer. Some dealers are hesitant to give out a trade-in amount and believe me when I’ve heard salespeople mention they want to ask customers “Then why not have the trade-in evaluator buy it for that price”?
Since the market largely controls the price of the cars, you can at least have a trade in evaluator that is honest and easy to use. There are more than a few out there, ranging from TradePending to Kelley Blue Book and it’s Instant Cash Offer.
If you want a lot of lead volume, you’ll want to consider a shorter process that likely just includes the VIN number or license plate and the customer providing just a little info about the vehicle – though this is probably less accurate.
A longer form that is more time-consuming for the user will likely result in fewer overall actual lead captures. However, it can also lead to higher quality leads and better-managed expectations.
Google Bard
Google Bard is AI like ChatGPT, served in what so far amounts to a more integrated way within your browser. Google Bard is capable of offering advice to customers about what to buy through just having a conversation.
Bard can help get some of the interaction started on your site as an intelligent bot that can collect good information about your potential customers.
Virtual Reality Showrooms
Does a customer want to see how a far looks and works without coming in? Well, a virtual showroom can make that happen. A virtual showroom provides an immersive experience for the interior and exterior of the car. These can be a great way of seeing what the inside of a vehicle is like, especially in regard to looks.
The Benefits for Dealers and Customers
Having improved website functionality and better information through a proper trade in evaluator can make a big difference in how customers approach your store and what your salespeople know. Websites like Canva can help you extend your brand through graphics and create positive sentiment.
Conclusion
Technology can provide some outstanding results for dealerships, both in terms of establishing loyalty to your brand and making both the process easier for the salesperson and the customer. Programs like ChatGPT and Google Bard can help make for efficient tasks where manual typing was once required too.
