Lately I have been digging into Google Analytics to leverage the data and insights provided by Multi-Channel Sales Funnels (MCSF).  If you ever wanted more insights into which digital investments are influencing website traffic and leads, you need to setup MCSF.  It’s free and takes about 10 minutes to setup.

In order to use MCSF you need to setup what Google calls “goals” for your website. (Read Tutorial)  One of the four types of goals can be setup is when you visit a specific website page.  If you wanted to set a goal that counted visits to your Service Appointment page, you would you set the goal to that web page URL.

Then you can use MCSF to see which digital paths are influencing people to visit that page.  This insight is exactly what dealer principals have been asking for years!

Checking For Unique Thank You Pages

However, if you want to set a “goal” for when a consumer submits a lead, it gets tricky.  I’m finding that many website platforms used by car dealers have decide to move away from presenting a new “Thank You” page after a lead is submitted.

Here is an example of what I mean by NOT having a new Thank You page.  The first screen capture shows a lead form that is located on a used car Vehicle Detail Page (VDP) and I filled out the information:

Once I clicked on the Submit Message button, the page URL did not change.  The consumer is kept on the VDP and only the text in this region of the VDP is changed:

The Impact Of No Thank You Page

After much thought, I think that NOT having a Thank You Page is a mistake for two reasons.

The first reason is that you can’t get a Google Analytics “goal” when a lead is submitted.  This will prevent you from seeing which digital investments in your budget triggered a consumer to submit a lead using MCSF in Google Analytics.  There are some third party software solutions that have work arounds to this issue but not for Google Analytics.

The second reason is that dealers may be missing a great opportunity to encourage the consumer to continue engaging with their website or visit their social media sites.  Think about it for a minute.  After a lead for a new or used car is submitted, wouldn’t a targeted “Thank You” page more effective than just leaving them on the Vehicle Detail Page (VDP)?

Building a Better Thank You Page

What could be on your Thank You page is up to you but here are a few suggestions:

1. A presentation of your online reviews.  Give them a reason to buy from you.
2. Consumer video testimonials.  Their peers comments speak louder than you.
3. A list of “popular” internal website links to get them digging back in.  Specials, Incentives, Directions.
4. Links to your Social Media sites. Why not connect if they are active users of social media?

You get the idea. Why not enhance your brand advantage once they submit a lead?  I suggest that dealers reading this article put in a request to their website providers add this feature BACK into their website.

Who Has Unique Thank You Pages?

Of the more popular website providers Cobalt, Dominion Dealer Solutions, and DealerOn have unique thank you pages.  The elimination of separate Thank You pages is a result of website programming languages like Ajax, which allow only sections of a web page to be refreshed.

In the past, leads always had a Thank You page and it’s up to you to consider if you should have them back.  I am convinced that if you have an attractive Thank You page, you will increase engagement.  What do you think?

Check Your Thank You Pages

If you are fortunate to have unique Thank You Pages, please check that they are optimized to increase ADDITIONAL click traffic.  I visited two websites that had Thank You Pages and this is what I was presented with after I submitted a lead.

Two City Honda’s page simply said “Thank You.

Preston Ford included a friendly graphic and set an expectation.

Could you see how much more effective a well designed Thank You could be for the hundreds of leads that get submitted each month?  If you have a great Thank You page designed, share it with the community.

In any case, consider this challenge and opportunity to re-engage or educate your consumers who have taken the step to contact you at the First Moment of Truth (FMOT).

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing

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