Marketing blog posts, magazine columns, articles and seminar speeches can sometimes make the mistake of assuming that the audience already know the basics of web marketing.

By basics, I mean things like:

• a deep seated empathy for what your customers want
• how to create a compelling case for why people should buy from you
• copywriting and design
• measuring response rates and web traffic effectively

Take a look at this list. How comfortable are you that your website demonstrates a strong performance in each of these areas? If you are comfortable that you have these boxed off, then I would indeed agree that going for the very latest in web technologies should indeed be your next goal – you have obviously got the basics in place, and are refreshing them regularly.

If you require some help with the basics, then of course you can engage web marketing consultants and/or read up on the subject matter yourself. Just bear in mind that unless the basics are right, then the rest will be built on shaky foundations.

A good analogy is that of the sushi chef. When they first start training, they are sometimes simply tasked with making the rice for the head chef – sometimes for months or even years. The idea is that if the rice isn’t right, then it doesn’t matter what you do – your sushi will be hopeless.

One suggestion for making a real improvement in this area is to concentrate on small incremental improvements to your web strategy, rather than wholesale changes that are implemented in unison. The main reason for this is that when you implement a single change you can monitor its effect on your business. If you were to implement a series of changes at once, then you may struggle to measure where any success or failure is coming from. Sounds like common sense, but is rarely done.

Also, try and make your customer’s web experience as difficult to imitate as possible. Many dealers will look at other sites and try to adopt or plagiarise ideas or functionality, but if every site offered exactly the same then there would be no differentiation at all. It would be much better if you enhanced your site by being able to demonstrate what makes you different, and what shows you care. These are the aspects of your web offering that then become very hard for anyone to replicate. Remember, many customers will have had bad experiences of the motor industry, and this is a real opportunity to show you are customer focussed. How about a short website video from the MD, highlighting what you do differently from anyone else? It puts a human face to your business that becomes difficult to copy. Of course, you need to make sure you live up to the promises that are made, but that’s another story.

We’ve just added a neat new feature to our finance proposal form.

In order to make it easier for the customer to forward a proposal form to a Dealer, we have made the Bank Details section of the form optional.
As the customer can now skip this section it should be more likely that partially completed finance proposals are submitted.
There have traditionally been two reasons why the customer may not complete the bank details section:

- they are uncomfortable putting their bank details on a website form (even if that form is secure)
- they don’t have their bank details to hand at the time

The Dealer can then make contact with the customer and request the bank details in order for the proposal form to be competed.

It was once thought a physical impossibility that a human being would ever run a mile in under four minutes. Yet following Roger Bannister’s achievement in 1954, sixteen runners went on to do the same thing in the next three years. It’s not that human evolution had suddenly taken a spring forward – it was just that there had been a change in mindset.

As there are still many dealer groups that feel they need to withhold certain information from their customers, I think it’s time that there was a similar ‘change in mindset’. I am also aware that I need to be able to evidence that there is a solid business case for doing so.

So today, I would like to ask you to do something for me. Just key the letters ZMOT (pronounced ‘Zee-mot’) into your search engine and soak up as much information as you possible can. Maybe unsurprisingly, the term has been coined by Google, and in my opinion highlights the continued impact of one of the biggest shifts in online consumer behaviour.

If you take your web strategy seriously then ZMOT is something that you cannot afford to ignore. It stands for Zero Moment of Truth, and it refers to that period of online consumer research that a customer undertakes prior to making contact with a seller.

Traditionally, there has been a three-step mental model of marketing:

First, the STIMULUS, where an advertisement for a car first attracts attention. Secondly, the FIRST MOMENT OF TRUTH, where the customer calls in to the showroom to look at the vehicle and goes on to buy the car. Finally, there is the SECOND MOMENT OF TRUTH, where the customer enjoys their new car.

The net has now added the ZMOT to this list. It slots neatly in between the Stimulus and the First Moment of Truth, and involves the customer going online to look at reviews for the car, or to find out more about customer service at your dealership. In more and more instances, the customer has actually made their buying decision BEFORE they arrive at the showroom. The cold facts are that online decision making is rocketing, yet many motor dealers are only spending a fraction of what they should be spending on online marketing.

Your online customers want to research, learn, explore, and then come to you ready to buy with confidence. By not giving them the ability to conduct this research in an effective manner then you will more than likely send them elsewhere.

And don’t forget that it is so easy for people to share how well (or badly) they have been informed by your website or business. So if you allow people to research their next purchase online, they will be more likely to tell people how helpful you were.

It is possible for you to make it easier for people to buy from you at the Zero Moment of Truth stage. You could incorporate customer ratings and testimonials for your business, or include proven functionality such as the integrated Codeweavers finance calculation and payment search services. Either way, the strategy of trying to withhold information from the web customer is looking a bit outdated and ineffective.

Codeweavers are extremely pleased to announce that Volvo Cars UK Ltd have gone live with interactive finance calculations on their UK Used Car Locator.

Designed to provide Volvo web customers with an enhanced experience, the Codeweavers supplied service highlights how affordable a used Volvo can be when purchased with dealer finance. The calculators allow customers to specify their own PCP and HP quotations based upon the Volvo Car Financial Services product rules. The customer can request as many calculations as they wish, allowing them to model different scenarios for deposit, term of agreement, and annual mileage.

Lead generation from the website is important to Volvo Cars UK, so once the ideal finance quotation has been obtained, the customer can then request that this quotation be e-mailed through to their Inbox. Again, the customer can request multiple quotations if desired, with each one being compliant with the new Consumer Credit Directive rules.

Codeweavers worked closely with both Santander Consumer Finance (the supplier of the Volvo Car Financial Services products) and Autotorq (the supplier of the Volvo Cars UK website) to deliver this project. Martin Hill, Commercial Director of Codeweavers, said: “We are proud to be working with Volvo Cars UK and the rest of the project team on this exciting initiative. We are extremely confident that the new functionality will reinforce Volvo Car Financial Services as being the best way for the customer to fund their used Volvo”.

Mazda Motors UK Ltd have gone Live with Codeweavers interactive finance services on their UK Used Car Locator.

Easy to use, clear and compliant, the Mazda Used Car Locator can now allow a web customer to browse all UK dealer stock and then configure their own finance package to suit their needs. As well as enhancing the Mazda.co.uk user experience, the Codeweavers service ensures that vehicles are made affordable through Mazda Financial Services. Integrated finance calculators allow customers to specify their own PCP and Conditional Sale quotations based upon the Mazda Financial Services product rules. The customer can request as many calculations as they wish, allowing them to model different scenarios before making contact with the dealer.

Customers can also request search results by using an amazing ‘payment search‘ tool that offers customers an entirely new way of searching used car stock. This tool represents a radical departure from the traditional ‘model and derivative’ search. The monthly payment range, deposit, annual mileage and term of agreement can all be controlled by the customer, allowing them to get the most choice and value for their monthly budget.

Whether the customer searches by payment or not, the service makes it easy for the customer to take the next step and contact the dealer. The customer can request that their tailored quotation be e-mailed through to their Inbox. The customer can request multiple quotations if desired, with each one being compliant with the new Consumer Credit Directive rules – extremely useful if the customer is looking at several alternative vehicles.

Codeweavers worked closely with both Santander Consumer Finance (the supplier of the Mazda Financial Services products) and GForces (the supplier of the Mazda Motors UK website) to deliver this project. Martin Hill, Commercial Director of Codeweavers, said: “Mazda are renowned for building vehicles that exceed expectations. We are proud to have worked with Mazda Motors UK and the rest of the project team to provide a service that would reinforce this mantra, and we look forward to working with them in the future”.