Considering half of Facebook and I would presume Instagram traffic is fake, I would say they probably should shy away from spending too much there. Gee... let me guess, you're pitching FB and Instagram advertising?

@ChrisR best I can determine, it is in Google's hands to make those connections. We have found that about 10-20% of our customers have this turned on, they all have at least 3 GMB (sales, service, parts, body shop), and are very active GMB content publishers.

Great comments Jeff. I know AutoNation has been using a Clorox thing in service for a while you can check it out on their website. I really believe things are going to have to change in our processes and procedures to ensure employee and public safety. Interesting time to be alive for sure. Stay safe.

We haven't seen any notifications yet. My gut says it will be applied to the next dollars spent vs the billing method. We provide a breakdown end of month (its live in dashboard) with all charges so I don't expect we have to to do anything special.

From one of the accounts that I man:

How can I find out if I’m receiving ad credits?
Advertisers receiving ad credits will be notified in the coming months. We are in the process of building these specialized credits into Google Ads accounts, therefore notifications will not show immediately. We appreciate your patience.

Who is eligible for the ad credits?
The ad credits will be available to small and medium businesses, who advertise directly with us or through partners, around the world with active accounts since the beginning of 2019. Credits will be provided to SMB advertisers that have been active advertisers since Jan 1, 2019 and comply with all Google Ads T&Cs.

How and when will eligible customers receive the ad credits?
Small and medium businesses worldwide that have been active advertisers since the beginning of 2019 will be informed in the coming months through notifications within their Google Ads account.

How long are the ad credits valid for?
This Google Ads credit can be used at any point throughout the year and will expire on 31st Dec 2020. Any unused portion will be removed from Google Ads accounts.

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Steve,

Your thoughts about "during bad times" dealers create better process, stuck a cord. During the past weeks I have been advising....time to Develop a REAL ecommerce strategy, starting with home delivery.

During these crazy times I keep thinking a Napoleon Hill quote, “Every adversity has the seed for an equal or greater benefit for those who maintain a positive attitude.”

Maybe is will force dealers to, “walk the walk,” that, “we like to talk….”

What do I mean?

Well for the past 10 years almost every car dealer advertises, promises, and/or touts, “Buy a car from the comfort of your home”, “We’ll bring it or ship it to you…”, “Complete your transaction and never step foot in the showroom.” While some dealers live by those words, I found for most it’s more of “marketing campaign” or “me too”, than a solid ecommerce strategy. "Get 'em in here" is still the advise from most managers.

It’s 20-20, a paradigm shift was inevitable and maybe this global health crisis is the tipping point. Maybe we are forced to figure out how to make ecommerce work. We might look back 20 years from now and say, “well the Corona Virus forced us to figure this ecommerce thing out for real.

Link to a related video...https://youtu.be/rAgatMd7dBA

What are your thoughts on this topic?

Here's what we've been seeing.

We have quite a few dealers in Pennsylvania and California who are definitely down, but things seem to be holding steady overall into April.

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Can’t wait to see how this plays out through April.

Here's all of March for FRIKINtech.

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Any updates on this?

We saw a small dip on the 23rd, but engagement in the illumiQUOTE product is encouraging!

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Can you refresh me on what size the data sample is that provides this? I know we are watching the search trends too and this is compelling data to stay the course.

Keep in mind Saturday sales always lag a bit and get added on Monday. Reports are dynamic and will back fill accordingly.

john.quinn said:

How's it look after the weekend?

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As you know, Driven Data and FRIKINtech don't share every client, but the trends continue to grow for digital. Based on Jon's numbers this morning (he shared on Facebook) we are seeing the same thing. Here are pure FRIKINtech illumiQUOTE visits:

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How's it look after the weekend?

What an unprecedented time to be tracking automotive stats. During this time of uncertainty we want to help by providing some real metrics on what is actually happening in dealerships today. I designed a data command center to track everything we can see across all of our integrations.

nduplantis said:

We were seeing this and I think we figured out a work around. It's been 45 days but we've seen our connection % double. What we do is use a tracking number for outbound calls and change this number every 30 days to give us a fresh start every month. Like I said small sample but it seems to be working.

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Good to hear you are finding success!

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ChrisR said:

We put together a plan, fixed & variable, to pick up/drop off vehicles, do deals over the phone/online, and anything else we can do to assist people, and help them through this time.

Going over the symptoms, my wife is 99% certain her and our daughter had COVID19 in January, a lot of our friends in Vegas had the same symptoms, and everybody was baffled by this new "flu" that wasn't responding to traditional treatments. Now we all have to weather the slowdown, and work to keep things moving forward, until they are back to a steady volume.

On a comical side note, everybody hoarding TP, did you think 3 moves ahead?

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NSFW!

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DJIA below 20,000.

19,898.92
−1,338.46 (6.30%)

down 36%...Boeing was $300 4 weeks ago...$93 last I saw today. fuckers need broken up but they won't be. they'll get their $60B - but here's the rub...they've spent $43B in stock buybacks over the last several years instead of making planes that people will fly or putting some rainy day money aside...fuck'em.

Delta parked 600 plans today...

this puppy's gonna leave some scars...wonder which chika will be stupid enough to name her kid Corona? kinda rhymes with Sheniqua...

Alexander Lau said:

For your sake, I hope you're right and I'm being serious. I just don't see it. Call me a smart ass if you will, but it's tanking.

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Well of course it's tanking now -- when the tornado hits, people hunker down. When it passes, they come out of the basement.

AS said it well above: worse than the actual virus right now is the FEAR of the virus. That FEAR will not last - people will adjust to the new normal -- and they will adjust relatively quickly. Right now the tornado is swirling in the sky directly overhead.

While the actual virus numbers haven't yet peaked the actual friggin RHETORIC meter is off the charts -- the fear and panic far outweighs the actual consequences of the virus.

And let's be real: the political nature of the national narrative is in full swing -- one Leader is doing his/her best to outdo his/her neighbor leader, lest they be pegged/viewed/blasted "complacent" by the media. All the while, the doomsday profits who make a living drawing eyeballs for clicks are having a field day... there is a monetized, vested interest in panic. That "panic money model" is very real. Fucking morons like Bill Ackman stoking the flame, driving the panic, laughing all the while as he's Buying Low.

NOW is when we need to heed the immortal words of Aaron Rodgers:

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john.quinn said:

Smart people who recognize a deal and their sudden IMMENSE buying power.

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For your sake, I hope you're right and I'm being serious. I just don't see it. Call me a smart ass if you will, but it's tanking.

As the virus spreads, it will continue to have a negative impact on the auto industry, said Jeff Schuster, LMC president of global vehicle forecasts, adding, “volatility will remain with us until there is evidence of containment globally, and the lasting effect could spill into 2021.”

Alexander Lau said:

Just bored, plus you posted it, too damn easy... and that's optimistic - who the fuck is going to buy cars coming out of this thing when they're broke?

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Smart people who recognize a deal and their sudden IMMENSE buying power.