Month: April 2020

Car Dealerships: How To Compete With Online Car Buying Sites like Carvana

Car buying sites and apps like Carvana, Carmax, and TrueCar are changing the way that people are buying and selling cars. The trend of buying things online has grown tremendously over the past 10 years; a convenience that’s no longer limited to clothes, furniture, or anything small enough to fit in a box. Now because you can make a purchase as big as a car from the comfort of your own home, the automotive industry is experiencing a major shift in the way that cars are bought and sold.

If you own or operate a dealership, you know how frustrating it can be to lose customers to an online retailer. Fortunately, there are certain measures you can take, and new technology to consider that can help strengthen customer retention, and even generate new business.

See: “The Top 6 Dealership TV Systems: Comparing Custom TV Offerings.“

The Rising Threat of Car Buying Sites

At the time this article is being written, many businesses- dealerships included, are closed because of the Coronavirus. Due to the fact that many customers are stuck at home, or practicing social distancing; if someone is in the market for a new vehicle, chances are that they’re going to explore car buying sites in order to limit contact with others. Because of this, services like Carvana are thriving more than ever before. Stocks in Carvana, specifically, went up a whopping 68% since last March.

Additionally, an article published by Forbes labels car buying sites as “The Best Way to Buy a Car in the Age of Coronavirus.”

Virus or not, car buying services didn’t need a worldwide pandemic to get ahead of the game; their success was inevitable. Competing against these alternative means of buying and/or selling cars isn’t impossible, but it’ll take some clever strategizing and forward-thinking.

3 Key Steps to Competing Against Car Buying Sites

Step 1.) Make Your Dealership Shine! If the Coronavirus left any sort of lasting impact on the way that business is conducted, it’s CLEANLINESS. Even after the country gets the ALL-CLEAR, you can count on folks practicing social distancing, or even wearing masks in public. The anxiety isn’t going to go away overnight. In fact, the bar for what constitutes as “a clean establishment” is likely going to be set high. Do what you can to keep surfaces and waiting areas clean. Offer sanitizer; a small, but meaningful gesture. You want your customers to be comfortable and stress-free when they visit your dealership.

See: “Top 5 Ways to Prepare Your Business for Reopening Post-Coronavirus.“

Step 2.) Revisit Your Social Media Pages

If your dealership isn’t on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram; consider getting it on social media- especially Facebook. If you do have a presence, but your pages  aren’t up-to-date, blow the dust off and make an effort to craft regularly-scheduled posts. Dedicate a member of your staff to make a daily, or even bi-weekly posts to ping your loyal followers. The more active your are, the more likely your posts are to get shared. The more your posts are shared, the more likely you are to generate more followers on social media. Followers are generally the best folks to market to since they’re already following you; and  they’re more likely to make a purchase with you.

Related Article: “Social Media on TV: Businesses Become More Social with their Customers” & “Top 3 Reasons to Get Social Media TV Software for your Business.”

Step 3.) Brush Up on the Latest Waiting Room Technology

Waiting room technology is ever-growing. In the past, if you had a TV in your waiting area, you’d put cable on it and call it a day; whereas today, you have your choice of cable TV alternatives to pick from. Alternatives that not only tend to be more cost-effective than cable or satellite TV, but are a lot safer, and come with all kinds of features made with your business in mind. The elements that make up the best car dealership TV vary based on your dealership’s specific needs; however, the following article should give you a good idea in terms of what to look for: “Car Dealership TV Systems – The Top 5 Most Important Elements.“

Car dealerships are among the best users of custom TV networks; having no shortage of videos, promotions, and marketing messages to entice customers with. Deciding between a cable TV subscription that doesn’t block out ads from “Bob’s Better Automobiles,” vs a custom TV network that promotes your own brand is an easy choice.

Related Article: “Should I Cancel Cable? A Better Cable Alternative for Businesses.“

Interested in a Custom TV Network for your Car Dealership? Start Here

Whether you’re new to waiting room TV technology, or you’re switching from a service like Spectrio, or Automotive Broadcasting Network (ABN); the best TV solution for car dealerships is It’s Relevant TV. Featured in an article published by Automotive News, It’s Relevant stands out from its competitors by having the lowest cost, whilst being the most feature-rich.

It’s Relevant TV for Car Dealerships features the world’s largest library of licensed, short-form content at over half-a-million videos. Additionally, it’s the only service that features live social media integration; displaying your most recent Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts for visitors to enjoy alonside IRTV’s fun and engaging content. See what’s out there, but don’t settle for less than what IRTV delivers.

READ: “What’s the Best Dealership TV Service for Waiting Rooms?“

Top 5 Ways To Prepare Your Business For Reopening After COVID-19

If you’re one of the many business owners who had to temporarily close, or adjust the ways you’re serving your customers because of the coronavirus, having a strategy in mind for reopening is a smart move. Especially when there is a high likelihood that the virus may make a resurgence in the Fall.

Whether you’re an urgent care center or dentist office with a waiting room, or a restaurant with a dining area; creating a safe environment for your visitors is going to be paramount. Even after the pandemic ends, people are still going to be nervous about going anywhere.

Here are the top 5 ways you can prepare your business for reopening:

1.) Cleanliness: Make your Business Shine

Nothing is going to be more reassuring post-COVID than a clean, and spotless environment. When the pandemic does eventually come to an end, it won’t be overnight. Even with businesses reopening, it’s going to take some time before the public settles down, and isn’t feeling as germaphobic. Therefore, it’s important to keep up with your new cleansing/disinfecting routines.

Read: “Top 5 Factors to Enhance Your Business Environment.”

2.) Consider Seating & Spacing

Social distancing is likely to persist even after the country is given the ALL-CLEAR. You can expect people to find comfort in maintaining distance from one another. They will also have greater appreciation for businesses that make an effort to space-out seating for them. Now the idea isn’t to put traffic cones on sofas, or nudge visitors apart with a long stick; but reducing chairs, tables, or putting up a friendly sign for customers to be mindful of spacing is easy, and a step in the right direction.

The trick is getting visitors to notice the message.

The best way to get visitors to notice your messaging is by putting it on your on your TV, which you can learn more about HERE.

3.) Communicate your Efforts to your Visitors

Working hard to make your environment safe and accommodating isn’t going to mean a whole lot if no one knows you’re going the extra mile. Don’t let your efforts go to waste. Communicate with your customers in any way that you can; via social media, email, or a big sign outside of your business. Whatever it takes to get the message across.

One of the most effective ways of communicating with your visitors that your business is safe outside of telling them, is showing them. Advise your staff to wipe-down counters, touchpads, and other surfaces frequently. Putting out hand sanitizer, if you haven’t already, is also a good idea. Lastly, your TV is one of the best tools you have to remind people that your business is a safe place to visit, and come back to!

Research: Television for Businesses.

4.) Keep the Coronavirus off of your Business’ TV

We don’t mean disinfect the screen, though it’s good to clean it once in a while.

The last thing you want visitors to see is a news story about “WHY YOU SHOULD STILL THINK TWICE ABOUT EATING OUT,” or “WHY IT’S STILL NOT SAFE TO RESCHEDULE THAT DENTIST APPOINTMENT.” News coverage can be bad for business in general, but it’s worse when there’s a major health crisis like what we’re experiencing now.

A COVID-free TV is better for your business!

The public is anxious enough without the TV reminding them that they’re “constantly at risk,” especially when they have mustered the courage to return to your business. We’re all very well-informed at this point. Simply changing the channel doesn’t help either, you’re simply trading one problem for another. Consider looking into cable TV replacements for businesses and get rid of those problems.

Read: “The Top 5 Risks of Coronavirus News in your Businesses.”

5.) Encourage Visitors to Come Back

Getting your customers to visit after reopening your business is great, getting them to come back is even better. After being away from your business for a time, you need to become part of their routine again. So give them reasons to come back! Whether it’s a sale, a new sandwich, a limited time offer, or a promotion; educating your visitors on products and services they can take advantage of is extremely important.

How you go about educating them is the key.

The TV is a best place to start. You could put up signs and hang posters all over the inside of your business, and yet, 9 times out of 10 visitors will be able to tell you what was on the TV instead of what was on the poster. (“What poster?”)

It’s frustrating, but it’s true. Fortunately, more and more business owners are realizing this, and are taking advantage of the TV’s ability to get people to notice things by putting their own content on the TV.

It’s a growing trend that has businesses taking control over what’s on their TV. Instead of showing ads from competitors, or unsettling news, businesses are able to display custom-tailored content as well as their own promotions, giving visitors a good experience and reasons to come back. If you’re interested learning more about cable TV alternatives, schedule a demo with the TV experts at itsrelevant.com.

Read: “Should I Cancel Cable? A Better Alternative for Businesses.”