Change has always been the new normal for SimpSocial.
In spite of hopes and predictions that the epidemic may be nearing its end, there are many things that will be permanently altered in the automotive sector. Change has become a typical aspect of the business. Regarding the future of the automotive industry, there are numerous factors outside of COVID to take into account. Common topics among dealer principals and other auto business owners include electric vehicles, supply chain disruptions, the great recession and tech shortages, increased competition in the used market, dealership consolidation, on-demand mobility, changing privacy laws, and numerous other opportunities or concerns.
Change is also welcomed and expected by the SimpSocial team as a component of our corporate culture. After we won the industry’s Most Valuable Insight contest, I had the pleasure of giving a keynote address at Driving Sales near the end of last year. The main idea was that change can only be successfully embraced when fear and reluctance to change are overcome. Prior to starting SimpSocial, I oversaw an $8 million marketing budget while leading a team of marketers for a dealership group with 33 locations. Prior to leaving to launch SimpSocial, we saw a 400% spike in leads, which helped the company’s overall revenue climb by close to 75% during that period. That resulted from getting rid of the newspaper, dramatically cutting back on many of our stimulus channels, and concentrating on digital marketing channels that allowed for more precise budget targeting and an emphasis on in-market customers at a time when few dealerships were using the same cutting-edge tactics. As consumer behavior changed, we changed with it and produced an amazing success story that gave us the courage to quit the group and start SimpSocial.
Naturally, SimpSocial was rife with change from the start, and this is part of our culture. Myself and our co-founders left a large corporate setting to work on our own dime without the support of a significant corporation, working out of our homes and apartments. We’ve been able to develop into one of the most well-respected marketing firms in the business, working with hundreds of dealerships across the nation, thanks to that culture of change over the past six and a half years. Our team thrives in an experimental culture that enables us to find out quickly how the newest marketing ideas and trends affect our dealers. We have also created a solid support system to truly grasp how our efforts are affecting our partners. To better evaluate how our ongoing efforts are benefiting our clients, we cap off our Client Success Specialists at about 25 dealerships, as opposed to companies where each support person covers 50, 60, 80, or even 100+ stores at once. I want to express my gratitude to all of our dealer partners for their positive reviews and the strong bonds that they have helped to build, which are the foundation of SimpSocial. And to our effective support staff, who helped us maintain our partnerships for 98.8% of the second half of last year!
However, I’m positive that this year will be even more spectacular. Our partners have a lot to anticipate in terms of innovation and reaping the rewards of our culture of experimentation. Because of the shifting privacy landscape, we continue to embrace our expectations that Google, Facebook, and other platforms will enhance their on-platform buying experiences. The requirement for these channels to design retail experiences without diverting traffic elsewhere or risking the loss of targeting and shopping behaviors has been influenced by regulations like GDPR, the California Privacy Act, iOS 14.5, and upcoming legislation. The transition has started, and many dealerships that weren’t as attentive during the pandemic might already be behind. By adjusting to this shifting environment, you can save money and get a better return on investment. Here are just a handful of the amazing initiatives we have either put into place or are currently testing out as we continue to lead the way in innovation and transformation. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions regarding any of these subjects. Either myself or a member of our knowledgeable staff will be happy to offer insight and knowledge about any of these ideas or tactics. We are quite enthusiastic about our continued excellence and progress as a pioneer in the automobile marketing industry as a consequence of the demonstrated outcomes for several of these paired with the early testing performance.
Vehicle Listing Ads on Google
Automated Google Business Profile improvement
Content technology to increase the volume of landing pages
Competitor Listing On AIA Destination
greater variety in social media ad volume
Improvements to First-Party Data
Improvements to the Custom Intent Display Image Extension
Market-Based Display
Adapting to the evolving Apple platform
increasing the difficulty of integrating our IHS and Polk data
This hardly even touches the surface of what is in store for us in 2022. We’ve never moved more quickly. Never have we been more in line. We are better now than ever. We are confident in our edge over many competitors at a time when Stellantis is leading the industry in allowing all businesses to join in co-op for SEO and social media marketing since our focus is on innovation and results rather than being limited to constraints frequently observed in similar programs. Although we are co-op qualified for the majority of OEMs, we have always chosen to avoid the programs’ imposed restrictions on innovation. That and the requirements to impose commission on advertising expenditures, which we as previous dealers have always been against!
Our DNA and approach are adaptable and innovative. It defines us as a group. It enables us to take on our top business priorities for the year. The SimpSocial experience and growth. We have made significant investments in automation to increase productivity, and accuracy, and to give our staff more time for critical thinking, brainstorming, and skill- and knowledge-building. To meet our standards for Unrivaled Customer Service, regular training is essential, and it is now another key element of our success. We are always learning and developing on a personal and professional level. We help one another, and as we spread success across the entire organization through trial and learning, everyone in the organization develops. This year, we’re going to expand on and define the employee experience even further. Building on the fact that our team makes us great might be what excites me the most.
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