What can a Google Beacon do for Car Dealers?

If you have recently learned that your car dealership has received a Google Beacon, you may be wondering what this is and how it works. The technology has actually been available since 2015, and it essentially enables your customers who enter a specific geographic are around your dealership to receive a push notification about your business. However, there are significant limitations related to the use of this technology. After reviewing information about the ability to access and use this technology for your car dealership, you may be wondering if it is advantageous to do so.

What to Expect From a Google Beacon

If you activate this feature for your business, Google will use the information to gather photos and reviews about your business. A customer may receive a notification asking him or her to answer a few questions about your venue. This may include how busy your establishment was, what time and day they visited and more. Then, when online users see a search result online for your business, they will see average data about your business collected from dozens or hundreds of responses or more.

However, before you jump at the chance to use this technology, understand that car dealers like yours have limitations related to the information that is captured. For example, you will not be able to access or use the data yourself. You also cannot directly notify recipients with your own messages. Essentially, a Beacon is the search engine’s way to gather user data and feedback about your company so that it can provide more complete business listings when your company pops up in a search query. You have no direct control over this data or its use once you activate the technology.

Is This Technology Necessary?
In many cases, the use of a Beacon may not actually be necessary. For example, you may be able to utilize other technology and gather the same information yourself. You may also be able to send your own direct notifications to your target audience as a result. However, today’s technology may be less accurate than what Google can provide in some cases. Even with this in mind, Google’s location accuracy may also be flawed at times. For example, a business that is located in a tight location between several other businesses may not have the geo-specific accuracy as a large business that is located in a removed area away from other businesses. Car dealers usually have a large business property, so this may not be a concern. You can, however, conduct a test to determine if accuracy will be a problem if you decide to use this technology.

To get started, take a picture of the front of your business property from three different angles. The location data for each photo should match the location data for the store. You can cross-reference these pictures against the geo-specific data that the search engine has about your business. Look at the street view as well as the satellite view. The pin that is placed on the map should ideally be located in the center of your property. You can then ask several employees to stand in different areas of your business and to use the Google Maps application to determine how close the mapping technology places them to the center of the property. The application will ask each user, “Are you here now?” Through their accurate responses, the search engine may adjust its mapping of your property. In this way, you can use smart technology or machine learning to train the search engine where the exact business location is.

How This Applies to Car Dealerships

The data that is collected and processed through Google Beacon may be suitable for car dealers like you, but it may not be necessary. You understandably want your GMB listing to be completely accurate, including the map to your actual business location. However, a large business like a car dealership may not necessarily need this data from users in order to pinpoint the exact business location.

If you are uncertain about whether your dealership should use this technology, reach out to Customer Scout. The automotive sales industry is highly competitive, so you must focus your time and attention on the most cost-effective marketing strategies available. Our Customer Scout marketing team only provides online marketing services to automotive dealerships like yours. We stay on top of industry changes, and we also monitor all changes and trends related to online marketing. To learn more about this and other online marketing options, turn to Customer Scout for a consultation.