RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -

Online ad technology company Netsertive recently created a new solution aimed to help dealerships.

Netsertive stressed its new offering is in response to the growing need for dealers to better target local consumers and be discovered online, even as they primarily do business “offline.”  Netsertive’s technology platform, time-tested in several other similar industries, specifically addresses the needs of local dealers and their manufacturers, helping them to reach new customers and promote their businesses with previously unavailable local targeting ability.

According to digital marketing firm Outsell, more than 90 percent of consumers say they will search online prior to coming into an actual dealership to purchase a vehicle.

Furthermore, according to J.D. Power and Associates, the average new-vehicle shopper will spend more than 6.5 hours researching online. Netsertive helps local dealers — and manufacturers — embrace this new reality by enabling them to more efficiently transform online discovery into offline sales. 

“Online search has become the first step for consumers researching local products and services and this represents an incredible opportunity for local ‘offline’ businesses,” explained Brendan Morrissey, chief executive officer of Netsertive.

“This is perhaps even more relevant for automotive dealers, given that the vast majority of consumers begin their search for new or used autos online, as well as financing, service and parts,” Morrissey continued.

“If a dealership is not beating the competition with online presence — and proper targeting — it will undoubtedly lead to missed sales opportunities,” he added.

Netsertive’s system can continually refine its proprietary knowledgebase for dealers, delivering search advertising as well as co-branded online display advertising at a fraction of the cost of many traditional marketing tactics because it is data-driven and responsive to the specific industry dynamics. 

“The competition for local online presence is one of our most pressing marketing challenges,” noted Doug Hanenberg, sales and operations director, Mark Jacobson Toyota in Durham, N.C.

“While the vast majority of car dealerships realize the importance of reaching customers online, it’s clear to me that most do not understand how to effectively implement a campaign,” Hanenberg asserted. “Since engaging Netsertive, we have seen our local ‘share-of-voice’ increase to an overall average of 68 percent for high-value searches, while seeing our internet cost-per-lead reduced to $19.  Netsertive has helped us rethink our overall marketing strategy which has resulted in a more cost-efficient approach with measurable results.”

To support these efforts, Netsertive has added Internet media and marketing veteran Jenny Gomatos as director of business development for the automotive industry.

Gomatos is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of developing and executing cross-media marketing solutions for major brands. She pioneered Batanga Autos in 2005, the first independent, Spanish language website designed to serve the U.S. Hispanic in-market auto consumer.

As a founding member of Inter@ctive Week, launched in 1994, a first-ever Internet industry trade publisher, Gomatos has been at the forefront of emerging media innovations and looks forward to helping dealers, dealer groups and OEMs leverage Netsertive’s leading-edge solutions to transform online discovery into offline sales.

“Netsertive has chosen to focus on select vertical industries in which we can make a true impact on the bottom line of dealers and manufacturers,” Morrissey emphasized.

“We understand the critical importance of having deep working knowledge within a particular industry,” he continued. “Jenny brings this to us for the automotive industry, and we are confident she will lead our efforts to help dealers capitalize on the many online marketing opportunities that now exist.”

For more information, visit www.netsertive.com.