SMEDIA BLOG
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Western Canadian Dealer Summit 2025 Recap
Discover three key takeaways from the Western Canadian Dealer Summit. Learn how AI-driven search, smarter inventory and lead management, and proactive leadership can help dealerships improve efficiency, customer experience, and profitability.
Stop Wasting Ad Spend
Microsoft Ads can help dealerships reach high-intent shoppers with less competition and lower advertising costs. Learn how Microsoft Automotive Ads, inventory feeds, and audience targeting can improve conversions and maximize your digital marketing ROI.
Stop Chasing Ghosts: Why “Leads” Are a Flawed Metric for Dealership Success
Are dealership leads telling the whole story? Learn why form fills and last-click attribution can overlook valuable shoppers—and how focusing on customer experience, high-intent actions, and operational efficiency can help sell more cars.
Unlock a Competitive Edge: Why Microsoft Ads ARE a Game-Changer for Dealerships
Microsoft Advertising gives dealerships another way to reach high-intent vehicle shoppers. Learn how Microsoft Automotive Ads and Dynamic Search Ads can showcase live inventory, improve targeting, drive qualified traffic, and maximize digital advertising ROI.
ACE 2025 Recap
What did automotive leaders take away from ACE 2025? Explore insights on AI, dealership operations, customer behaviour, workforce challenges, market trends, and the strategies Canadian dealers can use to drive growth and stay competitive.
Digital Dealer 2025 Recap
What did dealers learn at Digital Dealer 2025? Explore key insights on AI, pre-owned EVs, SEO measurement, data strategy, customer attention, and why combining smarter technology with human connection is critical for dealership growth.
Empowering Auto Conference Recap
What does it mean to bet on yourself in automotive? Explore lessons on leadership, mentorship, resilience, innovation, and career growth from women and industry leaders working to build a more connected, equitable future for automotive.
4th Quarter Push
Finish Q4 strong with five practical dealership strategies to drive more sales. Learn how digital marketing, inventory management, personalized customer experiences, online reputation, and targeted offers can help maximize year-end performance.
Google vs. Meta AIA Ads: Where Dealers Should Spend Right Now
Google Vehicle Listing Ads or Meta Ads—which should your dealership prioritize? Learn how VLAs capture high-intent shoppers while Meta builds awareness and retargets buyers, and why a diversified digital advertising strategy can drive stronger ROI.
Top Automotive Events to Attend in 2025
Where can dealers connect, learn, and stay ahead in 2025? Explore sMedia’s remaining automotive event lineup, including Digital Dealer, ACE, and the Western Canadian Dealer Summit, plus the key sessions and industry insights to watch.
The Power of Non-Skippable Ads for Dealers
YouTube remains a powerful opportunity for dealership advertising. Learn how non-skippable YouTube ads and AI-powered video can capture attention, showcase inventory and offers, and support a stronger multi-channel automotive marketing strategy.
Why YouTube Is Still a Dealer’s Secret Weapon
YouTube remains one of the most powerful—and underused—marketing channels for automotive dealerships. Learn how YouTube advertising, Shorts, and AI-powered inventory video can increase engagement, showcase vehicles, and reach more car shoppers.
Turning Shoppers Into Leads
See how Smart Offer helped a Canadian automotive group generate high-intent dealership leads at a $15.56 cost per lead. Explore how personalized, behavior-based offers can lower customer acquisition costs and drive profitable dealership growth.
Is Traditional Marketing Dead?
Is traditional dealership marketing dead? Not quite. Learn how direct mail, personalized website offers, and digital advertising across Google, Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok can work together to create a stronger automotive marketing ecosystem.
Personalizing Automotive Shopping
Personalization can make or break the automotive shopping experience. Learn how dealerships can balance AI and automation with human connection, smarter lead forms, retargeting, and personalized offers to reduce friction and drive more conversions.
Why Vendor Diversity Wins
Why can vendor diversity be a competitive advantage for dealerships? Learn how working with specialized automotive marketing partners can bring deeper expertise, greater accountability, better collaboration, and stronger marketing performance.
Voluntary Lifted Attention
Attention is becoming a critical measure of dealership advertising performance. Learn how Voluntary Lifted Attention (VLA), AI-powered video, smarter targeting, and engagement metrics can help dealerships earn attention and drive more meaningful conversions.
Beyond Clicks – Focusing on What Really Matters
Not all dealership website traffic is created equal. Learn how sMedia’s Engaged Prospect Metric (EPM) identifies high-intent shoppers through VDP engagement, helping dealers improve targeting, reduce ad waste, and focus marketing on buyers most likely to convert.
Vendor Consolidation
Should dealerships consolidate their marketing under one vendor? Learn why specialized automotive marketing partners can deliver deeper expertise, stronger accountability, greater flexibility, and better performance across your digital strategy.
Canada’s Used Car Week Recap
Explore the biggest takeaways from Canada’s Used Car Week 2025, including automotive marketing, affordability, inventory, digital retailing, social media, workplace culture, leadership, and the trends shaping Canada’s used vehicle market.