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 3 Mistakes in Urgent Care Marketing: Get the Most out of Your Business TV

Urgent care marketing doesn’t have to be a drag, and it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. In the past, you might have tried your luck with billboards, ads on buses, in magazines, or even a TV commercial or two – all of which are expensive, and all of which are not guaranteed to reach the people you want. If you want to market your urgent care, look no further than your TVs.

Urgent Care Marketing: Your Medical Office TV

Effective marketing for doctors offices comes in many forms. When you think of marketing, the TV in your office isn’t usually at the top of the list. But it should be. Pens, shirts, caps, and other branded take-aways don’t even compare to the potential your TV has to enhance marketing.

If there’s a TV in your waiting room, people are going to watch it. Or at the very least, they’ll notice it – that’s why choosing what goes on the TV is important. Business owners tend to make 3 Classic Mistakes when it comes to choosing the best TV software for their waiting room TVs:

1. Netflix / Hulu / Amazon Prime Video / YouTube / DVDs – All of these are illegal to show in a public/commercial setting. Yes, your urgent care is a commercial setting, so don’t take the risk!

2. Cable / Comcast / DirecTV – Which are all costly, don’t give you adequate control, and invite your competitor’s to advertise in your business.

3. Dry / Uninteresting Content – Which creates a boring, or poor environment that you’re paying for.

So what is the solution? What options are out there for owners and practice managers who want waiting room TV programming with legal, licensed content, that’s cost-effective; contains programming that they control, and is something visitors will enjoy watching?

IRTV: Your TV Marketing Solution

It’s Relevant TV is a TV app that gives users access to a custom television network made with your business in mind. Its library of interesting licensed content puts visitors in a positive mindset. This is important for your brand and image. Additionally, It’s Relevant lets you to upload your own videos and messaging alongside its content; which informs, and allows you to reach visitors more efficiently- In ways not possible with cable, or a medical TV display.

With IRTV, you’re in control of what comes on your TV. You select which categories you want visitors to see, and It’s Relevant does the rest. Don’t settle for free waiting room display software. Instead, look for TV software that’s engaging, easy-to-use, and works with your budget.

Visit It’s Relevant, and explore how it can help market your business.

Using Amazon Prime Video on Your Business TV: Don’t Put Yourself at Risk

Amazon Prime delivers a long list of great movies and TV shows directly to your TV; so when it comes to TV for business, why would you choose anything else? The first, and perhaps most important reason, is because it’s illegal. If that isn’t enough to stop you, keep reading; you’ll see all the reasons why services like Amazon Prime don’t work as well in regards to serving your businesses.

Alternatively, if this is news to you, or an urgent reminder for you to find an alternative for your business, take a look at TV made for business by It’s Relevant TV.

Amazon Prime in your Business: What’s the Risk?

Your subscription to Amazon Prime isn’t a free ticket to play movies and TV shows wherever you please. Even if you purchase a Amazon Fire Stick, you can’t showcase movies that you have access to on Amazon Prime in your business. For the same reasons you can’t show services like Netflix – It’s just not legal.

As for why it isn’t legal, the reason is simple. Your subscription – your license to utilize these services, is for private/personal use only. Playing any videos off of Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, or even YouTube without a commercial license violates the Terms & Conditions of the service, and may result in a heavy fine.

“Amazon or its content providers grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to access and make personal and non-commercial use of the Amazon Services.”

The writing’s on the wall. The world would be a very different place if TV for business were as cheap as $12.99 a month. The sheer inexpensive cost of paying so little for a cable TV solution should be enough of a red flag. People take licensing violations very seriously. It isn’t worth risking your business – not when a safe and better-fit alternative exists.

A Better Business TV Solution

Business TV entertainment should be just that – TV designed for businesses to entertain visitors. Amazon Prime, and all other services like it, are great; at home, or on a personal device. Ignoring for a moment that they’re illegal to show in public, ask yourself if the movies and TV shows are really the best fit for a limited waiting time anyway?

Movies are long, so are TV shows. Visitors don’t come to your business to watch TV – unless you’re a sports bar. One fact is true, however; people notice the TV.

When you settle for movies, or cable for your business TV, you’re missing out on a unique way to reach your customers and market your business.

The TV on the wall in your business is prime real estate for an easy-to-use digital TV solution that could improve your business, brand, and visitor experience. We live in an age of technology where business owners no longer have to settle for basic cable, or risk playing streaming services in front of the wrong person who will turn you in. Not when digital signage apps and custom TV networks are available for business owners to take advantage of instead.

IRTV: A Custom TV Network for your Business

It’s Relevant TV (also known across the country as IRTV, or RELE.TV) is a digital TV platform that streams television straight to your business TV. Its custom TV network works for businesses, and is designed with businesses in mind. IRTV gives you the freedom to control what’s on your TV. You choose which categories you want visitors to watch, and upload any ads, videos, or reminders that you want people to see as they look at the TV. It’s Relevant’s interesting, and always-family-friendly content leaves visitors entertained, informed, and educated about your brand.

Whether it’s waiting room screens, a medical office waiting room TV, or simply a restaurant TV, It’s Relevant is your go-to for waiting room TV programming, and waiting room television. IRTV gives you a hand when it comes to becoming more relevant to your customers. Don’t settle for cable, or be tempted to risk your business with low-cost subscription services meant for private use.

For more information on this Amazon alternative for business, please visit: http://www.itsrelevant.com

Playing YouTube on your Waiting Room TV

Playing YouTube on your waiting room TV may seem like an easy, cost-effective solution for waiting room entertainment; but the ease of using YouTube comes with a price – one that too few business owners are aware of, and even fewer can afford. This article will highlight the top 3 risks of playing YouTube on your waiting room TV.

1. YouTube for your Waiting Room TV is Illegal

Perhaps the most important is understanding that playing YouTube in your waiting room is illegal. Showing YouTube videos in a public setting, or pulling videos from YouTube itself for your waiting room – without expressed consent or permission, violates YouTube’s Terms of Service. In the end, you can’t put YouTube on your waiting room TV for the same reasons you can’t play Netflix. It costs a lot more than most businesses are willing to spend in order to license content legally. In addition, some content owners don’t want to play their content inside of certain businesses and it’s their decision to make, they own it.

2. It Takes Money away from Content Producers

Content creators struggle to produce videos from the small amount of money YouTube ad revenue provides them. When those videos are played in a public setting, it’s effectively robbing them of monetization they need in order to keep producing.

Imagine a patient comes to visit you, individually, to learn more about a medical specialty you offer. You would charge each patient that comes in for a visit. If that patient took a recording of you giving advice without your permission, and shared it with others inside of another medical practice or business without giving you your rate, you would not approve. Displaying YouTube videos in your waiting room without proper licensing is along the same lines. Videos licensed for public display or distribution are priced differently than ones made for private one-off viewing.

3. The Risk of “Related Videos”

If you’ve ever spent any length of time on YouTube, then you probably know how the site will autoplay “related videos” once a video is finished. Many YouTube videos are short. In fact, that’s part of their appeal as a waiting room TV solution. But what happens when those short videos are over?

A new video can be played. Automatically.

Once a video is done playing, or you’ve reached the end of a selected playlist – if your screen doesn’t get stuck on a frozen menu, YouTube will automatically select the next video for you. In those cases, you’re not in control of what plays next. What comes after, however related, may be inappropriate or graphic for your visitors. Why risk it?

The Safer Solution:
IRTV for your Waiting Room TV

It’s Relevant TV is a television network designed with waiting rooms in mind. It combines the best aspects of TV and digital signage; transforming your TV into a tool that will improve visitor experience, and help increase monthly revenue. Some of the world’s top TV networks as well as interesting YouTubers make their content available to IRTV through licensing agreements. This means you will have a whole host of great videos without the risks.

Compared to other waiting room TV software, nothing comes close to the control and customization IRTV gives users. Pick the types of programming you want, and automatically filter out the things you don’t. You also have the added benefit of being able to mix in your own videos and messages throughout.

You can learn more about It’s Relevant at itsrelevant.com.

Business Owners: Putting Your Own Custom Videos On Your TV

Putting your own custom videos on the TV is a great way to improve your business. If you read the article: Top 3 Ways to Put Custom Videos on Your TV, then you understand the reasons why It’s Relevant TV has become the go-to for businesses looking for ways to put their own videos on TV.

If you haven’t seen it, keep reading. This article will talk about pros and cons of putting your own custom videos on your screen, and how you can make the most out of them, and your TV.

The Pros of Having Your Own Custom Videos

1. You Have Control: When you’re running your own content on your TV, you’re in control of what comes on. Whether it’s videos or a slideshow of pictures, visitors aren’t going to see anything except what you want them to see. When you decide what’s on, you also choose what’s off. You can keep repetitive news reports, fires, stabbings, explicit language or adult situations off of your TV.

2. It’s Your Brand: Videos that you produce, or videos that you pay to have produced, belong to you. It’s your brand, it’s your image, and it’s whatever message you want to get across to people visiting your business. Custom videos are also a great way to feature spotlights on staff, or experts in your field with relevant things to share. When it comes from you, you are the authority.

3. It’s Unique: By putting together your own custom content, you’re making something unique for your business’ visitors to experience. The right video and personal message can make all the difference when it comes to first impressions, a memorable experience, and how well you compare to competitors.

The Cons of Having Your Own Custom Videos

1. Shallow Library of Content: Custom videos are only really effective when you have enough of them. People get tired, or even annoyoed, when they see the same videos looping again and again. Having too few videos makes for a bad visitor experience, and can lead to a bad impression of your business/brand overall.

2. Boring / Uninteresting Content: People look to TVs in businesses to help pass the time, so it helps to have things on the TV that will interest them or put them in a good mood. Having just your own custom videos might be off-putting to some people. If visitors are only seeing your messaging and brand when they look at the TV, you risk overexposure. It’s a good idea to have a balance of content you want visitors to see, and content they want to see.

3. The Cost: Ditching a monthly cable bill and replacing it with a library of personal content definitely saves you money in the long run, but unless you have a vast library of content at the ready, the cost of producing your own personal videos may require a large up-front investment.

Mix Your Own Custom Videos With It’s Relevant TV

It’s Relevant TV creates custom TV networks for businesses. It combines the best aspects of television and digital signage. IRTV delivers content that is interesting, engaging, and helps get your messaging across. Your own custom content is intermixed with a library of half a million videos – presenting visitors with your messaging in a way that makes them receptive to what you want them to see.

With It’s Relevant, there’s no cost beyond the subscription fee which is often less than the cost of cable. There’s no need to break your bank on production costs in order to build up a library of content. You can mix one or many videos with IRTV’s library of content, keeping however many videos you have fresh.

The goal with any custom content is to get people to notice your messaging so they come back more, and spend more. It’s Relevant TV offers a demo of the platform so we suggest scheduling an appointment to see if it fits your needs.

Using Netflix & DVDs in Your Business: Don’t Put Yourself at Risk

There it is – did you read it? You probably saw it, but did you really read what it says? Me neither. At least not after years and years of seeing it, or a similar message at the beginning of every movie I’ve ever watched.

Well, in case you still haven’t read it, it says:

“Federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution or exhibition of copyrighted motion pictures, video tapes, or video disc.”

So what does this mean exactly? In short, it means that if you own something like a DVD of a movie, or a CD, you can’t legally burn copies of that disc and sell them to people, or even hand them out for free. Nor are you allowed to show that movie or play that album for the general public without the expressed consent to do so. If you’re looking for a something you can play instead, take a look at It’s Relevant TV.

You might be wondering where the line is drawn, and it’s a fair question. Just like when you get a driver’s license that allows you to drive a car, when you buy anything like a DVD you’re buying the license to watch or listen to that media privately.

Now before you go taking a hammer to your home theater, it’s important to note that while those licenses are private, it doesn’t exclude friends and family from enjoying them as well – the means to actually traffic and enforce that would simply be ridiculous. So long as your viewing is limited to personal and non-commercial use, you’re not in violation of the Terms & Conditions.

Is it Legal for Me to Show Netflix in My Business?

In short: No.
But this is an easy question to clarify by looking at Netflix’s terms of service:

“The Netflix service and any content viewed through our service are for your personal and non-commercial use only. During your Netflix membership, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, license to access the Netflix service and view Netflix content through the service. Except for the foregoing limited license, no right, title or interest shall be transferred to you. You agree not to use the service for public performances.”

This is a prime example of how companies lay out licensing agreements. Does this mean you can’t show Finding Nemo in your waiting room? Unfortunately, you can’t. The difference between throwing the movie into your DVD player at home, and the TV at your office – is that one is at home (personal), and the other is a business (public). It’s the same reason you can’t buy a Taylor Swift CD and play her songs outside your store to attract customers. You can try, but it’s illegal, and it’s not good when you get caught. Companies take this sort of thing very seriously.

But Were DVDs or Netflix a Good Idea in the First Place?

When your visitors are at your location do they really want to watch a movie? Not really. They’re there for a reason and don’t want to be around long. People want to watch the TV as a distraction while they wait, but can’t be invested in a long-form program or movie.

The average time spent in a waiting room varies from business to business. Dentist offices come in at 5 to 10 minutes, whereas you could be waiting up to 20 minutes at a doctor’s office. Even if you could play the movies you wanted, a typical feature-length flick usually runs over or just under two hours. So unless you’re waiting over an hour for your car to be serviced, you’d only catch 1/12th or 1/6th of the movie – starting from who-knows-where.

The sort of programming that runs in a lobby should compliment the length of time people are going to be waiting there, with the notion that they’re not going to be fully invested in whatever’s on the screen.

So What Can You Play Instead?

It’s Relevant TV features a network of original content spanning across a vast selection of categories. And unlike a DVD or Netflix, all of the content is licensed for public display. From kid’s entertainment to the national news, the programs are on average two and a half minutes long – long enough to hold someone’s attention in a waiting room and feel as though they left entertained or informed.

An Apple TV App for Businesses (tvOS)

Transforming the TV in Your Business

Up until now there have been very few options for using a TV in a business location. Turning on cable TV results in a lot of doom and gloom news stories and unpredictable content. Even worse for your business, cable TV delivers countless competitive ads that draw customers away. Some businesses have tried using their televisions as digital signs. But plain old digital signage is BORING and often ignored. Some pre-programmed video packages are available also, but those bring a repetitive loop that can frustrate customers. Finally, there is a solution! It’s Relevant TV takes a fresh approach to help you take control of your TV.

For a business, the true power of television is the combination of interesting content and well-placed advertisements, and It’s Relevant TV puts that power within reach of every business owner. From local retailers, medical offices, restaurants, and salons to sports arenas, theaters, hotels and car dealerships, the custom channels work uniquely for each and every location.

Apple TV App (tvOS) Hand Remote — It’s Relevant for Apple TV (tvOS)

Apple TV (4th Generation)

It’s Relevant TV for tvOS brings the power of the company’s custom TV networks to any owner of a 4th generation Apple TV device. The service combines the best aspects of television, social media and digital promotions. In addition, the service allows business owners to control them all from their computer, tablet, or smartphone. It offers greater control than any other TV product available today.

Television Content, Social Media, Competitive Ad Block®

Businesses choose the types of content they want to display to their visitors from a vast library of licensed content. They can also upload their own messaging, images, and videos to show. In addition, they can decide which social media updates to display from their own accounts, and It’s Relevant TV does the rest. It’s Relevant TV automatically delivers fresh video content throughout the day, updating the promotions and social media as each business makes changes in their account. Businesses are also excited about what It’s Relevant TV blocks from the broadcast: competitive ads. With Competitive Ad Block® from It’s Relevant TV, all advertisements from competing businesses are blocked from reaching the screen.

Get Started

All you need is the free application from the iTunes TVOS store, and an access code from It’s Relevant TV. Search “it’s relevant tv” on your Apple TV) to download the app. If you don’t already have an access code please email support@itsrelevant.com to get one.

Today is the day you will make your TV worth something. We look forward to providing you with the tools to make it happen.