Brad Benson Auto Group a Car Dealer Internet Marketing Success Story
A Little Customer Service, A Giant Sales Boost
THE CHALLENGE: Acquiring Leads via the Web
After New York Giant’s lineman Brad Benson retired from the National Football League, he took his game to the next level and began selling cars. For more than 20 years, the Brad Benson Auto Group, based in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, has built a solid reputation in providing top-quality cars at a fair price.
Benson’s zany radio and print ads did their job to attract prospective customers to the dealership website. But that is where activity stopped; the website was not successful in converting potential car buyers into solid sales leads. It offered little information that customers could use to help decide on a car or truck to purchase, and instead featured lots of bells and whistles which did little to persuade a potential buyer. The website was also difficult to navigate, which turned people away from using it. It included the same features as other cookie-cutter template car dealer websites, which are often sold by third-party providers and do not feature customized traits to represent the dealership’s individuality or the customer’s needs.
In 2008, Benson decided it was time to leverage the power of the Internet to boost sales leads and profits at his dealership, which specializes in new Hyundais and Mitsubishis, as well as quality used cars. He enlisted the help of Single Throw, one of the nation’s top Internet marketing companies.
“I think some of the challenges that we were facing was really the lack of education in the automobile business about what a website can really do and what keyword search and phrase-optimization functions can really do for an automobile dealer,” said Benson.
Single Throw went to work addressing these issues and developing solutions that would transform the website into a customer-friendly destination that would, in turn, generate more customers.
"I chose Single Throw because of their understanding of the automobile buyer and how they combined their know-how and expertise," Benson said. "Their formula has increased our Internet business by 40% to 50% in the course of 12 months." Brad Benson, owner of Brad Benson Auto Group
THE SOLUTION: A Website Built for Car Buyers
Single Throw realized that the most important thing the firm could do for the Brad Benson Auto Group was to build a website for car buyers instead of car dealers.
“Brad was caught in a rut created by his industry. The companies that build websites for car dealers have gotten into a bad habit of doing just that, building sites that the dealer likes without taking the customer experience into account at all. What we needed to do to make Brad happy was build a site that connected with and converted those with passing interest into good solid leads.” Larry Bailin, Single Throw CEO and bestselling marketing author.
Single Throw developed four websites which were tailored to the different business segments 
represented by Brad Benson Auto Group. Each site offered unique content and featured information on specific topics, such as Hyundai, Mitsubishi, used cars and the auto group itself. The websites were designed to be interactive and easily navigable with regularly updated value-added content. Single Throw integrated the following features into each of the dealership websites:
• Clean designs with a comprehensive array of covered topics and features
• Tips for car buyers and industry-related articles, all added weekly
• Videos featuring employees discussing their favorite automobile features
• A page devoted to women car buyers, offering tips and information catered to busy moms as well as today's professional woman
• Individual contact information for each staff member
• Side-by-side comparison information for new and used cars
• Ongoing website maintenance to support future website growth
“Single Throw’s design and customized application development has allowed us to get away from the cookie cutter template type of website and given us the flexibility to really advertise the products we want to advertise…and advertise them when we want to advertise them in a timely fashion rather than have to call a company and have them do it for us all the time.”
THE RESULTS: Sales Success
Almost instantly, the results were clear: customer leads soared and sales followed shortly thereafter. Visitors were getting value from the website and did not need to go elsewhere to find exactly what they needed. From articles on car maintenance to videos explaining vehicle features, customers connected to the Brad Benson Auto Group in a new way—and they wanted to find out more.
ROI Achieved in Just Three Months
Brad Benson Auto Group achieved a return on its investment (ROI) to Single Throw in just three months, as sales rose by 40%. “It basically paid for our website investment,” Benson said. As a result, Benson was also able to save money by cutting out other lead sources. Overall, business at the dealership boomed and the statistics say it all.
• The websites went from 14,000 visitors to 60,000+ since the new sites launched.
• The dealership receives anywhere from 20 to 60 authentic leads per day and nearly 375 on average each month.
• The amount of “ups” (website leads that come into the dealership) has grown by 35%.
• The quantity of appointments set via the website that result in sales is more than 30%.
• The accuracy of phone numbers given over the Web is 100%.
• The dealership’s business ranking has grown from the mid 100s to 2nd in the U.S. for Hyundai sales.
Objectives Achieved by Focusing on What Customers Want
The goal of creating an Internet presence geared toward car buyers has been attained. The original objectives were to create an easily navigable website, produce better leads, offer a better experience for customers, and convey Benson’s distinctive personality and corporate principles of honesty, value and customer service. Single Throw achieved those goals, integrating value-added content to create a sense of trust between prospects and the dealership. This personal connection fostered with customers is responsible for translating leads into sales.
By working with Single Throw and continuing to do so, the websites have helped the dealership do the following:
• Appeal to Customers. The customer-friendly design and easily navigable layout make it easy to learn about various vehicles and inquire about automobiles. Videos are prominently displayed, which offers an interactive tool that helps prospects get to know staff members before setting foot on the lot.
• Increase Visibility: With powerful search engine strategies and search-engine optimized copy, the website is easy to find and explore. “It was showing up in a lot more places because of the keyword search functions that they helped us with,” said Benson. Brad Benson Auto Group continues to reach more people that otherwise wouldn’t have considered the dealership—largely because they find value in the website.
• Bolster Sales: The biggest benefit is that sales are up. This is a result of securing quality leads, which is due to the trust created by offering personalized content. Prospective customers appreciate getting detailed, updated information on the website that helps make their buying choices easier. They also feel more comfortable when they can choose which staff member they would like to contact, because that information is prominently displayed.
• Enhance Customer Relations: Customers can easily get an idea that this car dealership is different. They are putting information about the vehicles out there and letting customers know what they think of each auto. Most dealerships do not provide this information on their sites, so customers have to go elsewhere. Now, customers know they can get everything they need by visiting Benson’s websites.
Overall, the new websites have been a solid success for the Brad Benson Auto Group. The relationship with Single Throw continues to be beneficial for the dealership, helping it focus on its biggest asset—customers.
“The leads we receive on our website are the best we’ve ever gotten. We’ve never gotten this type of quality or quantity from anything we’ve done online in the past.” Dave Cantin, Sales Manager, Brad Benson Hyundai
About Single Throw
Single Throw is one the nation’s leading Internet marketing firms. Based in Wall Township, New Jersey, the company has won numerous awards for their expertise in Internet marketing. Since 2001, the team at Single Throw has provided customer-focused Internet marketing servicesthat aim to improve business for each client. Single Throw was founded by acclaimed Internet marketing speaker and bestselling marketing author Larry Bailin.
“We know how to convert prospects into customers.” Larry Bailin, CEO of Single Throw