#442 - 🧑‍💻 Bridging the Gap

TOGETHER WITH

That feeling when you go out of town with your fam and the crew holds it down and does epic things 💪💪💪.

Get a crew like that for your team!

Keep Pushing Back,
-Kyle (Guy with the legit crew mentioned above)

P.S. No, you can’t have the ASOTU Crew…unless you come to ASOTU CON. They will be there 😤

DEALERS

Cavender Cares About Our Military

Our friends over at Cavender Auto Group near Shavano Park, Texas are proudly supporting our brave men and women in uniform with a generous new initiative — donating a new car every quarter to an active-duty military member.

The auto group has always expressed its gratitude by offering free lifetime oil changes to active-duty personnel and veterans who purchase a vehicle with them. The Cavender group is excited about this opportunity to further extend their appreciation.

Rob Cavender shared his enthusiasm for supporting their local soldiers by stating, “We wanted to find a better way to serve and appreciate the military members in our community and thank them for their service.”

Nominations are currently open for the first giveaway, culminating in a Facebook Live reveal on June 30th to announce the winners of a new Ford Escape. 🚙

Telling it like it is — Cavender’s is always proud to support and uplift our military heroes, and we are always proud to support and uplift their heart-warming efforts.

/Positivity

Do you have a story highlighting the positive impact of car dealerships? 🕊️
Share it with us here! 💌

AUTOMOTIVE

Improving Dealer Websites

According to a recent study that will likely surprise no one, researchers found that most dealer websites kinda stink. 💩

While site traffic has generally increased by 20% YOY, lead volume has decreased by 20%. So, where’s the disconnect, and can it be fixed? 🤨

⭐️ Here are 4 tips that may help dealers bridge that gap and convert more digital shoppers into physical buyers:

1️⃣ Keep it simple — Limit the number of calls to action (CTAs) on VDPs to no more than four. Avoid overwhelming shoppers with too many options, and steer clear of phrases like "Check Availability," which can decrease conversion rates.

2️⃣ Make it effective — Accommodating the three things shoppers most often want to know, “price”, “payment”, and “trade” should always be in your core stack and should be arranged in a logical order that aligns with the customer journey. Additional options like "Schedule a Test Drive" can also be beneficial in encouraging a customer to make the next step.

3️⃣ Take it easy — Eliminate words or phrases that may pressure or deter potential customers. Be mindful of being overly forceful, and provide plenty of avenues to encourage engagement at their comfort level.

4️⃣ Cater to phones — Make sure dealership websites perform well and are visually appealing on all devices, especially mobile, since most shoppers access sites from their phones these days. Provide a user-friendly experience with short forms, click-to-call or click-to-text options, and avoid obstructive pop-ups. Everyone hates those.

Telling it like it is — What would you add to this list? Hit reply and let us know! 📩

TOGETHER WITH AUTO GENIUS

Shred My Site

Website drama got you down? Not sure what CTAs go where and why you are part of the 20% traffic up and 20% leads down?

The Auto Genius community is built to help! With channels on the slack community like #shred-my-site, you are sure to find another marketer or dealer who shares the pain or is willing to help.

If you are a dealer or dealer marketer, join the community today to find the support you have deserve…not the support your rep tells you you need.

AUTOMOTIVE

Motor Morsels: Suzuki, Rivian, and Hyundai

🤝🛸🧑‍🔬

The Suzuki Motor factory in Japan is teaming up with SkyDrive Inc in an effort to finally bring us all into our Jetson’s era with flying cars. The partnership will involve the R&D, manufacturing, and marketing of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The duo anticipates production will begin as early as spring of next year.

🔌🪫🔌

Following in the steps of fellow car-makers like GM and Ford, Rivian is the next in line to agree to adopt Tesla’s charging standard, thus allowing their customers access to the biggest charging network in the US. Customers will be able to access the superchargers via adapters as early as 2024, and the company plans on making Tesla-style charging ports standard on their vehicles beginning in 2025.

🕵️⚡️🚙

After more than thirty complaints over power loss were received by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), US safety regulators have begun investigating nearly 40K Hyundai IONIQ 5 electric SUV’s. The Office of Defects Investigation is currently conducting interviews to review the claims, and Hyundai has vowed to update any impacted vehicles’ software or replace components as necessary. Thankfully none of the reports have been tied to any crashes or injuries.

CULTURE

Just Human Stuff

😷 It may not be allergies. A recent study warns that the inhalation of toxic microplastics may pose a serious health risk, with humans potentially inhaling the equivalent of an entire credit card over a week. The findings reveal that microplastics tend to accumulate in the nasal cavity and the back of the throat. Silver lining? Your phlegm may technically be recyclable! 💳

🔄 Yikes. Humans’ consistent extraction of groundwater has revealed an alarming consequence: we've actually shifted the Earth's rotational pole. A study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters reveals that over the period from 1993 to 2010, the pole moved about 31 inches eastward due to groundwater depletion and the subsequent rise in sea levels. We’re scared to think of what the current change would show. 🌍

☠️ Eww, gross. Turns out that real human bones were originally used in Disneyland's “Pirates Of The Caribbean” ride. Though they have since been replaced with plastic replicas, when the ride was first constructed back in 1967, the available counterfeit options fell short of expectations prompting the park's designers to utilize more...ahem…authentic materials. 🤢

Quick Hits

• In a major win for consumers, the EU approved new rules stipulating that all smartphones must have user-replaceable batteries by 2027. 🔋🙌

• If you live in Louisiana and have a driver’s license, we have some bad news — your information was likely exposed in a massive cyber-attack last week. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself. 🧑‍💻🛡️

• Porsche got super artsy at this year’s Aranya Theatre Festival. 🫧🤩

History

• 1768: The first medical diploma in America is granted to Dr. John Archer from the College of Philadelphia. 🩺

• 1893: The first Ferris wheel opens at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. 🎡

• 2001: Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is the first Hispanic woman to be honored on a US postage stamp. 🎨