One thing most used vehicle and Internet managers don’t want or need in their lives is complication. The industry has equipped dealers with all kinds of technologies designed to make these managers’ lives easier, but has that been the true outcome?

In fact, managing various systems for listing and managing online inventory, comparing online prices with competitors’ and driving shoppers to the dealership website — the most “ready-to-buy” end of the sales funnel – can be frustrating.

Not only is all this busyness time consuming for already busy Internet managers and staff, but the effort also often results in less-than-ideal online vehicle presentations. These misguided listings are prone to listing and pricing confusion, out-of-date information, prices and other errors.

So, let’s figure out how to make this all simpler. Fortunately, new techniques for integrating data exchange methodologies and systems means multi-system functionality and benefits that:

• Simplify how online inventory is listed
• Simplify how online inventory listings that keep current and fresh across all online inventory listing sites
• Simplifies how all online inventory integrate with the dealership website, the most down-funnel of online shopping sites
• Simplify how you capture and pursue online leads
• Simplify your engagement with these processes through a single login

This simplicity delivers real-time daily data extraction, compilation and distribution from your dealer management system to your dealership website inventory, key online car-shopping sites and the resulting leads right into your CRM. This can mean one-step update across multiple platforms!

This seamless integration of key digital marketing components – your website, CRM and online inventory management software – can help you:

• Improve lead processing: Flow leads from third-party sites, craigslist and the dealership website directly into the CRM so leads don’t drop through the cracks and so you then convert more of your digital marketing investment into vehicle sales.

• Improve vehicle listings: Create and manage the most compelling and comprehensive vehicle inventory listings and descriptions on the Internet.

• Improve vehicle merchandising:  Enrich online content to attract more eyeballs and sell your listings. These tools include human voice-over video; ad writer and custom comment generators; YouTube and craigslist listing tools; and direct-to-auction tools to brand the dealership.

• Improve dynamic content: Use “live” walk-around videos on YouTube and on the dealership’s inventory pages, as well as to sites like AutoTrader, Cars.com and others.

• Improve social media tools: Jumpstart and ensure ongoing involvement in your Facebook and Twitter efforts.

These are exciting times in auto retail digital marketing. The power of simple – integrated CRM, web and inventory management — is simplifying online inventory sales and management, while improving how dealers capture, merchandise and sell vehicles online.