Why Your USPS Mail Package Delivery is About to Get Slower

Unfortunately, your package delivery with the USPS is about to get significantly slower. It started with letters but now packages will take longer to arrive due to changes being made by USPS Post Master General Louis DeJoy and USPS mail package delivery.

To give you an idea of how this will work, consider the following: If a first-class package arrives 3-days after it was shipped it will be counted as being late. However, new standards that will be taking effect next month in May say roughly 30% of packages will only be considered late if it arrives four to five days after it was shipped.

The reason this is taking place is that the USPS is trying to save money by relying more on its ground shipping services rather than its air shipping services. This cost-cutting move is a big step in their effort to save money but at the same time will likely hurt their quality of service.

Important USPS Changes

May 1st is when the changes will take place and the first to be targeted will be packages that are traveling first-class. For the most part, only lightweight and small packages will be affected. This includes prescription drug orders and other items of similar size/weight. Currently, 20% of packages in this category have a two-day standard while 80% are held to a standard of 3 days.

Naturally, some packages will have their deliveries delayed. This is particularly true if the package has to travel a long distance to reach the recipient. Despite this, the USPS says that this new way of doing things will not affect 64% of packages considered to be first-class and that 2% of packages should be arriving as a part of the two-day standard now instead of three.

The UPSP spokesperson, Kim Frum, stated in an NPR interview that the USPS wants to improve the customer experience and provide a service that is both reliable and affordable. It was also said that the coming changes to the standards of service it offered will better efficiency and more time for transportation throughout the USPS’s networks.

It should be mentioned that these changes come after first-class letter delivery was slowed last fall. Originally the change to package delivery time was to be a part of that move, however, they were instead pushed back to the spring which is why the package delivery time alteration will take place in May.

Speaking of which, first-class delivery for either a package or piece of mail had an average of 2.7 days in the 2022 first quarter according to the USPS. Interestingly enough, on-time deliveries for first-class mail have fallen to 86.7% this quarter from a high of 90% in the fall.

USPS Policy Shifts

Over the past two years, there has been heated debate concerning the USPS and its mission and goals. This came quickly after Louis DeJoy was appointed to the position of Postmaster General by former President Trump. The appointment led to much criticism of DeJoy’s cost-cutting plans which have affected delivery times. Furthermore, DeJoy was revealed to be under federal investigation last summer for allegations of violations concerning his campaign finances while he was leading New Breed Logistics. DeJoy is also known to be a major Republican politician donator.

One of the reasons the USPS claims that getting better efficiency from its ground transportation network is a big goal is that its trucks allegedly only run at 40% capacity. It also says that by making changes to its service, shipping will be more reliable and that it won’t be as affected by the costs of air transportation and other changing conditions.

One thing of note, however, is that the Postal Regulatory Commission stated multiple times that DeJoy’s plan could have a disproportionately negative effect on USPS customers in comparison to the USPS bottom line. The PRC is the USPS’s regulator and last September they agreed advisory opinion last September that package volume for longer shipping times was failing to meet goals consistently. It also stated that the USPS tends to provide better service when using its own network.

Despite this, the PRC has also stated that the data the USPS is using to create new shipping/business models is questionable since it came from October 2020 which was a unique time thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, they are wary about whether or not accurate predictions can be made using this data.

Taking all of this into account, the PRC said that the savings the USPS estimates that it will get with the changes are likely exaggerated. This also factors in the driver shortage and the USPS not having a detailed idea of customer preferences, two additional challenges to the cost-cutting plan.

The Postal Regulatory Commission’s Doubts

Given all of the information that they have been provided with, the Postal Regulatory Commission has expressed major doubts concerning the USPS’s ability to carry out its proposed cost-cutting plan. Regarding the matter, the PRC said that it doesn’t have faith that the USPS can achieve a high level of quality with the various changes they’re making.

That’s not all. The PRC has also commented on the USPS’s financial situation stating that there would not be a major effect on it once the changes take place.

This isn’t the first time the PRC has raised such concerns regarding the USPS’s situation. Last summer it also expressed its doubts when the USPS revealed its plan to delay the delivery of first-class letters.Overall the situation is one in which USPS prices continue to go up while the quality of service continues to go down. In fact, the USPS is proposing a price hike on its first-class stamps from 58 cents to 60 cents. It should be mentioned that around the same time during the previous year the price for first-class stamps was only 55 cents. The USPS has blamed inflation and increased operating expenses for this price increase.

Introducing Vehicle Ads on Google

The internet has become a go-to resource for almost any question. When it comes to anything from quitting smoking to buying a new car, you can find the answer and more on the web. However, for people to visit these sites, they have been slowly moving towards mobile browsing. This change in the platform has made large parts of Google’s website inaccessible and Vehicle Ads on Google.

For example, if you wanted to view these websites, you would have to search for them manually or use a mobile-friendly website. However, this shift in browsing has made Google’s Google vehicle ads platform the go-to for advertising and marketing on the internet.

Google “vehicle ads” cars are many examples of how Google is looking at the automobile industry in different ways. For example, companies like Ford and GM have been working with Google to use their technology to increase sales.

“Vehicle ads” can be an example of how companies like Ford and GM use Google’s technology.

What are vehicle ads?

Google launched the vehicle ad in March 2022 at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). This new ad format is a way for people to buy and sell cars across the United States on Google. The cars that you find here are available in your area. These vehicles can be anything from a Ford Focus to a Mercedes Benz AMG.

For example, if someone searches for a 2020 SUV, they can find a list of available SUV options across the United States. Pictures of the vehicles from the search are displayed with the necessary information like the make and model, style, mileage, and location. Once users select a car, the ad will direct them to your website, where they can fill out a lead form. This then allows them to contact your dealership about the vehicle. You can then contact the potential buyer and make an offer for the vehicle.

One of the ways that Google uses to track information about your searches is with Google’s cookies. These cookies are stored in your computer, allowing Google to see data such as the websites you visit, your traffic patterns, and even how you type. Because of this, it allows Google to present these vehicles that are available in your area on their website.

How do vehicle ads work?

Google’s vehicle ads are completely different from most other car advertisements on the internet.

Merchant Center provides advertisers with a 1,000-series lookup on all U.S.-based ads, matching specific vehicles based on their make, model, and year. Advertisers who use car buying intent can show ads to customers searching for vehicles similar to the one being sold, along with pictures and pertinent information about your vehicles.

You will have to create a Google Business Profile and link it to your Google Ads account and Merchant Center account to use this feature.

Google determines vehicle information through its data partners, car manufacturers and auto dealers, and direct input from customers of the advertiser’s service or product. This information helps Google improve the quality of its customer service and product advertising.

Vehicles can be filtered by make, model, or body type. In addition, users can refine their search based on their preferences, such as vehicle color or specific features. Additionally, the user can select a preferred dealership to purchase a car from.

Benefits of using vehicle ads

There are several benefits that you can get from using vehicle ads. These include:

  1. More qualified leads: Google’s vehicle ad allows you to reach customers while they’re looking to buy a new or used car.
  2. Omnichannel goals: With this feature, your dealership can increase customer engagement and sales across your website, in-store, and at trade shows. Since these vehicles are available in your area, you can also make appointments for test drives as required.
  3. Automated targeting: Google vehicle ads allow you to segment your campaign and reach only the customers interested in your product. Your campaign can target customers by location and interest as well.
  4. Increased exposure: You can also use this feature to boost your sales and increase your brand reputation. When you display these cars on Google, they will attract more people to view them, which will raise your website’s traffic. This will eventually bring new customers to your business.

Features of vehicle ads

Google vehicle ads allow you to choose from various ad formats that you can use for your campaign. These include:

  • Carousel Ads: These cars are available in your area and can be targeted by interest. The carousel features multiple ads related to each other and links to a separate landing page with the same information contained on the ad listing. This allows Google to present more details about the vehicle without overloading users with information.
    Carousel Ads are used by car dealerships, auto manufacturers, and other businesses that want their customers to see multiple ads related to their products or services.
  • Call to action: You can also use this feature to promote your business-related products or services. This will eventually bring new customers to your business and increase sales.
  • Powered by Google: This is a carousel that features multiple ads related to your main website. It allows you to use the same landing page with different ads. These ads feature information about your business and can be used to promote new products and increase sales.
  • Map card: This is an example of Google’s efforts in the automotive field. It allows users to see available cars on a map and makes it easier to find the next one they are looking for. These cards can show battery capacity, features, fuel efficiency, and mileage. These cards are powered by Google and provide advertisers with more information about the offered cars.

Some of these features and more are still in the beta testing mode but will be available to you soon at no extra price.

Conclusion

The automobile industry has seen the emergence of many auto manufacturers over the past few decades. This means that car dealerships have more options for choosing from various car brands. This allows the consumer to compare different brands and their prices before making a final decision.

A study conducted by Google indicated that 80% of people are more likely to buy new cars if they are seen on Google’s website. Many companies have already started to advertise on YouTube and Facebook in the past, but this study shows how big the potential market is for other forms of advertisements.

Google can help you advertise your car dealership with vehicle ads. If you are looking for the best way to advertise your dealership and reach the maximum number of customers, use this feature. The results that it brings are guaranteed to be positive.

How To Handle Calls Pertaining To Credit

Selling cars in today’s modern market is not as easy as selling cars used to be. The competition is fierce as ever, and traditional brick and mortars are now competing with 100% online sales, which is no easy task in itself – thanks Captain Obvious and Handle Calls Pertaining.

So as a car dealership you are always looking for the best way to communicate that your dealership is where customers want to buy from. One marketing strategy that has a proven track record of success is offering customers financing options.

You work with a vendor, get all your marketing campaigns launched and watch as the leads start to pour in. As potential customers call the dealership to inquire about a pre-qualification letter they’ve received, they’re looking for the Sales team to validate the letter and educate them on how simple and seamless this process is going to be for them.

Customer says, “Yes, I received a letter that says I’m pre-qualified and I’m just trying to see what this is about.”

This can be overwhelming for anyone who isn’t working in the Financing department, and the last thing you want is to lose a lead. Instead, make sure your Sales Team is prepared in advance to answer those questions – here is an easy talk track for Sales to help guide the customer while educating them through the process:

  • Congratulations on receiving one of those letters. That’s great news. Are you familiar with what we have going on at the store right now? (They will say no.)
  • You say it’s not a problem. I’m happy to fill you in. Are you familiar with any of our financing programs? (They will say no.)
  • Well we actually work with <quantity> vendors and right now we have a big sale going on to kick the new year off. Normally with our programs we’re able to help out several different types of customers. 
    • The first type of customer is someone who is looking to ESTABLISH credit. What that means is someone who may not have any credit or very little credit. Maybe someone who’s never financed or purchased a vehicle before and is looking to establish credit.
    • The second type is someone who is looking to RE-ESTABLISH their credit. What that means is typically they’ve had credit in the past but may have run into some challenges along the way and now are looking to get a fresh start and re-establish their credit.
    • The third type is someone who already has ESTABLISHED credit. Typically these are folks who have credit and have been blessed to not have run into challenges in the past and have a great track record w/ banks and vendors on making payments on time.
  • You say it’s not a problem. I’m happy to fill you in. Are you familiar with any of our financing programs? (They will say no.)

However they answer, you’re going to guide the conversation in the direction that addresses and provides solutions for their situation.

  • If they are looking to establish credit.
    • Sales Associate: Can you tell me a little about your current situation? 
    • Once the customer is done explaining, let them know that you work with vendors that specialize in helping folks establish credit and that they’re in good hands. You’ve helped many other customers purchase their first car etc etc.
    • Sales Associate: When will you be able to come in to review your options so I can help you make an informed decision on what your best options are right now?
  • If they are looking to re-establish credit
    • Sales Associate: Can you share with me a little bit about your situation?
    • Once the customer is done explaining, let them know that you work with vendors that specialize in helping folks re-establish their credit and get a fresh start and that they’re in good hands. You’ve helped many other customers get back on their feet etc and purchasing a car is one of the best ways for them to accomplish that.  
    • Sales Associate: When will you be able to come in to review your options so I can help you make an informed decision on what your best options are right now?
  • If they say they have excellent credit.
    • Sales Associate: Can you tell me a little about your current situation?
    • If they say ‘I have great credit’ or ‘have always paid my bills on time’. Tell them that’s fantastic because we have vendors that specialize in offering incredible deals for customers with a great track record of making payments on time. In fact you just helped several other customers with great credit get locked into 0% financing and that they’re in good hands.  
    • Sales Associate: When will you be able to come in to review your options so I can help you make an informed decision on what your best options are right now?

By helping your Sales Team to use this talk track you should be able to drastically increase not only your foot traffic, but appointments that are made and ultimately close more deals!

Retargeting Ads and How They Work for Dealerships

The way customers decide to buy a vehicle has aggressively changed over the last decade. With the introduction of 100% online shopping options for purchasing a vehicle, the power that dealerships and floor salespeople have on controlling the negotiation has waned.

Dealerships struggling to maintain brand awareness and commitment from customers online may be able to introduce new advertising strategies to drive purchases.

Over 90% of people start online when looking to buy a new car, but 98% of the people that visit your site aren’t ready to buy (source: Criteo). You can persuade only 2% of the visitors on your site to purchase a vehicle from you. So what do you do with the other 98%?

They didn’t show up on your website by accident, so how do you stay top of mind when they are ready to make a purchase? Enter: retargeting ad campaigns.

What is a retargeting campaign?

Retargeting campaigns (also called remarketing campaigns) are simple digital marketing strategies you can implement to retarget people and bring them back to your website.

Think about your website like it’s a salesperson (which it should be your best salesperson). A customer steps into the dealership and starts looking around at cars. The salesperson asks if they want to look at something specific. After talking for a bit, the salesperson is able to exchange contact information with the customer.

The salesperson follows up a few days later and is able to ask more specific questions, and invites the customer to come back to look at a few specific models. After considering a couple cars and a test drive, the customer is ready to make a purchase.

Your website can do the exact same thing, but on the Internet instead of a dealership. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of how it works:

  1. A viewer makes a first visit to a website’s homepage, landing page, vehicle page, or they take a unique action like adding a product to their shopping cart.
  2. The website captures the visitor’s device information.
  3. The visitor is placed into a unique group of people.
  4. The marketer sends out dedicated and relevant ads to that specific group.

Pretty simple, right? It’s the digital marketing version of following up in sales.

How can you use retargeting in the automotive industry?

When purchasing new cars, customers do a ton of research and look at dozens of vehicles online before setting foot on a dealership. Here are some simple strategies you can implement to stay top-of-mind during the long purchase journey.

Retarget with images of cars they’ve already viewed.

You can place a specific tracking code that remembers when a viewer looks at a particular make and model on your website. Use that information to show them images of those vehicles via banner ads, carousel ads, and display ads.

Create a retargeting list on your Visit Us or Contact Us page.

If customers are learning about where your dealership is or how to speak to a representative, then they might be ready to take the next step. Gently remind them that they’re interested with retargeted messages.

Retarget with a special limited time offer.

If the customer believes they’re getting a deal, they may be willing to pull the trigger earlier, even if they weren’t ready to buy the first time. When retargeting, mention any deal you have occurring like 0% down or 0% interest on financing for the first 12 months to incite quicker action.

Retarget with interactive marketing tools.

If viewers aren’t sure what vehicle they want to purchase, it may be worth the time to lead them into a self-selecting form. Ask questions about what they’re interested in, what their priorities are in a vehicle, specific preferences, or any other matter.

Your salespeople should know the best questions to ask when sizing up what someone wants. Use that same method in your remarketing to guide someone closer to a sale.

Why should you implement a retargeting campaign?

Remarketing ads are essential in industries that have a longer lead time, such as the automotive industry. Buying a new car isn’t as easy as pulling up any random website, and clicking the Buy Now button. From the time someone realizes they need a new car to the moment they’re ready to buy, weeks, if not months could pass.

Retargeting potential customers helps maintain brand awareness, improve click-through rates and conversion rates, grow your email list, and increase your website traffic.

Visitors from retargeting lists add items into their shopping cart 15% of the time, versus new visitors who take the same action only 8% of the time (source: Navistone).

Dynamic retargeting ads generate a 50% lower cost-per-acquisition compared to static ads (source: AdRoll).

The average click-through rate for retargeting ads is ten times higher than typical display ads (source: Wishpond).

When retargeting campaigns are implemented, business name searches increase by 1,046%, creating returning visitors (source: PR Newswire).

How can you get started with retargeting campaigns today?

T3 Marketing focuses heavily on dynamic retargeting. By utilizing advanced retargeting pixels and product feeds, we can gently remind customers that they should purchase from you with carousel images of vehicles they’ve already looked at or may be interested in.

If you want to get started with advanced retargeting campaigns today, contact us.

Welcome To The Data Side, Where Insights Become Action

Let’s start off with a very simple question, what is data? That may seem like a simple question at first, but TRULY understanding data, where it comes from, how to use it, and how to understand it can be a bit overwhelming. It’s no secret that the accuracy of data is vital when it comes to making better business decisions and most importantly, getting the most return on your dealerships investment. But gaining that insight requires a highly qualified Data Team that you can trust and understands the basic fundamentals. Before we can talk about what data is, let’s highlight the basic types of data that are available to automotive marketing agencies.

There are 3 types of data that are commonly used in the automotive industry:

First-Party Data: First-party data is one of the most important tools in a dealership’s arsenal. This includes data that the dealer owns and collects which includes customer information, purchase history, and service history. This data is crucial for providing real-time analysis and decision-making strategies for dealers across the country.

Second-Party Data: Second-party data is information sourced directly from another owner of data. In short, this is data that you negotiated or purchased directly from someone who owns other first-party data.

Third-Party Data: Third-party data is much broader than first or second-party data, but can be equally as valuable when attracting new customers. Third-party data comes from data aggregators such as Oracle, who acquire data from Polk (Auto intenders), Visa (transaction history), Transunion (Fico), and many other sources.

The definition of Data are facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis. Understanding the different types of data available to you, is the first step when wanting to formulate a strategy.

Soon we will take a deeper dive into each category of data available to a car dealer or dealership, and the great strategies used to convert this data into an actionable response.

Why Hiring A Full-Service Agency Is Best For Your Dealership(s)

Providing a “trusted” full-service marketing Agency for car dealerships has many added benefits when it comes to a car dealership’s growth. Notice how the word “trusted” is quoted? Although there are significant benefits to working with any marketing agency, it’s impossible to absorb these benefits if the Marketing Vendor you chose doesn’t offer a “true” full-service experience. Once you have found a trusted partner, here is what to expect.

6 BENEFITS OF HIRING A FULL-SERVICE AGENCY

  1. Partnership

    When there is a trusted relationship and you’ve finally found an agency that actually does what they said they would do, it should feel like you have a business partner vested in the same interests, goals, and successes (like having Your Own In-House Marketing Department). An aligned vision “together”, is the way to accomplish objectives set forth for the dealership. Another important note to add is the importance of hiring an Agency that actually has the capabilities to execute most if not ALL of the marketing mediums and allocations a Dealer wants to invest in. This helps the dealer and agency have FULL control over their marketing.

  2. Streamlining Your Marketing Strategy

    When you ask this question to a dealership, “IS YOUR MARKETING STREAMLINED?” The natural gut answer to give without actually thinking about the question is, “YES”. But how can that be? Most dealerships have a monthly Advertising Budget. Spreading that budget across multiple vendors isn’t technically streamlining your marketing. That strategy is actually the opposite. Streamlining your Marketing Strategy means making sure that all the vendors executing a dealership’s marketing campaigns are all communicating together, to make sure the message is aligned across all marketing mediums, without any target overlap. Who has time to make sure their message is being aligned and distributed across all channels without any overlap? Dealers alone physically can’t make this possible with how busy a General Manager’s (GM) day is.

  3. Saving The Dealership Time By Consolidating Vendors

    This benefit falls directly in line with the previous Streamlining Your Marketing Strategy benefit. Having the role of a GM at a dealership is an EXTREMELY time-consuming job. There’s only so much time in the day to sell or service cars. If a General Manager or Owner of a dealership is busy focusing on how they will allocate their advertising dollars, daily, or weekly, how much time would they save if someone else, say a “Partner”, focused on that for them? The answer is A LOT (by the way it’s also a lot less stressful for the GM). With that time freed up the GM can reallocate their energy towards something more important in the dealership, like selling or servicing cars.

    Another benefit of having a full-service agency consolidating your vendors is that the agency can run interference in helping to avoid a manager being sold on a product the dealership doesn’t actually need. Every company known to man has the latest, greatest, unique idea, product, or service. Let’s face it, these are just sales tricks where Executive Managers are shown the newest flashy and shiny object and more often than not, end up being sold on. Having a “Trusted Partner” with experience and as an extension of your marketing department will be able to identify who is who and what will work.

  4. Removing Overlapping & Noneffective Marketing

    When a dealership is using multiple vendors, who all compete for the same ad dollars and do not communicate to each other (probably throwing each other under the bus), how can you ensure they aren’t targeting the same people or audience? The unfortunate answer is you can’t! However, a full-service agency CAN! Your agency should be the one that is helping suppress data against each other and placing dynamic tracking numbers to each ad medium to best gauge which medium a dealership will benefit most from.

  5. Providing Unbiased Marketing Consulting

    When working with a trusted full-service agency that streamlines your marketing message, consolidates your current marketing vendors, removes overlap or non-effective marketing and provides an unbiased approach to the marketing relationship, a solid partnership between dealership and agency has been formed. When reviewing the ROI, both parties can truly analyze what is working and what is not and can then pivot towards something else successful as needed. At this point it’s about helping the dealership grow.

  6. Eliminate Marketing Waste

    The best benefit was saved for last because it sums up all the benefits in one. All the benefits above will allow a dealership to get more bang for their dollar. Imagine how many more eyes or opportunities you can get in front of if there were no overlap in your marketing. Imagine knowing what marketing mediums work consistently for your dealership. Imagine allocating the time spent on allocating marketing or ad dollars, towards another area needed in the dealership, like selling a car. All the above are just simple examples of how a dealership can eliminate waste.

In conclusion, there are many benefits once you find the right partnership to power your marketing. Many dealerships in today’s world waste a lot of money, time, and energy into their own marketing. It’s hurting their overall communication and connectivity of their marketing. It takes a team of people to win a championship. Everyone needs to have a role they can focus on. A GM or Owner who focuses their time doing it ALL sounds like an extremely stressful job. Hire people or companies that you can trust and do what they said they would do. If the visions align, and a plan in place, you will reap the benefits of “Hiring a Full-Service Agency!

Book A Free Consultation Today!Book a consultation now!

Preowned Sales Departments Are Booming!

The pandemic has shifted a lot of businesses in places they are not familiar with. Have you maximized your preowned business?

Internal research is showing that preowned strategies are driving major growth during the pandemic! Typically our clients have a small focus on preowned car sales, but now that demand is higher, they are crushing the competition!

We use a pandemic analogy to explain this effect on why some dealerships are dominating in the auto industry currently:
Restaurant owners who were organically selling through home delivery methods prior to pandemic/shutdown were the ones that stayed in business and dominated the competition during the shutdown! The restaurants that catered to “dining in only”, are struggling to make ends meet.

If you are a dealership who didn’t experience record sales in June and/or July, I would highly suggest that you dig into the foundation of your business.

  • Analyze your inventory mix every month (you’ll need cars to execute a plan to sell)
  • Analyze your current multichannel advertising (most of our clients are spending less and selling more due to demand)
  • Analyze your leads and where they are coming from(do you have enough?)
  • Analyze your lead processes(how are your staff or business development reps managing and nurturing your leads?)
  • Analyze the showroom show rate to appointments (This can potentially help you optimize your closing strategy)
  • Analyze your overall return on investment (ROI)

Can’t do this on your own? Sounds like a lot? T3 can help you through this important process.

Stop wasting your money.

By utilizing all of T3 Marketing’s targeting solutions for preowned car sales, you will be able to drive more sales, book more service appointments, and finance more shoppers than ever before. After implementing these strategies, our clients instantly see more qualified leads, less ad spend waste, and continuous dealership growth.

Book a consultation today!