What Is Apple Business Connect
Why Do Auto Dealerships Need It?
Earlier in 2023, Apple released a tool called Apple Business Connect that was primarily designed for all types of businesses that were looking to improve their online presence on Apple’s platforms, like Apple Maps.
Apple originally launched this idea in 2014, but after a few years of tweaking and development, they have brought Apple Business Connect back. We will be discussing what Apple Business Connect is, what the possible benefits are for auto dealers, and why dealers need to register and claim their business listing on Apple Business Connect as soon as possible.
So What Exactly Is Apple Business Connect
At the base level, Apple Business Connect is just another premium business listing for your auto dealership to have. Of course, as there are currently over 1.74 BILLION iPhone users across the world, according to Demand Sage.
However, we believe that Apple Business Connect will soon become a direct competitor to Google and their Google Business Profile listings.
This is why it is important for auto dealerships to get ahead of the competition, register, and sign up their business for Apple Business Connect sooner rather than later.
The quicker auto dealers can act on this opportunity, the more time Apple has to index and show your business cleanly on their new platform.
Think of Apple Business Connect as a business “hub” for iOS users. What we mean by this is, anywhere across all of Apple’s ecosystem where your business could be shown or mentioned, it will be. We are talking about Apple Maps, Siri, Apple Wallet (if eligible), and more coming down the road.
Even if iPhone users are searching on Google for directions to your business, the default GPS app is Apple Maps for those users.
This is another way for you to stand out from the competition on the device your users choose, as well as allowing for another place to market upcoming events, new inventory, special offers and much more, giving car dealers another place to gather leads, form connections with potential customers and close more deals.
The Potential Benefits of Apple Business Connect for Car Dealers
As of right now, Apple Business Connect is still in an early stage. That does not mean that it is okay to put it off until more features get built out and offered.
In fact, we say that this is the perfect time for car dealers to leverage Apple Business Connect while it is still in the early phases.
Since this is a relatively new opportunity, many businesses still have not taken the time to set up and create their Apple Business Manager account.
By being ahead of the curve, you can have your business already registered, verified and indexed across the Apple ecosystem before your competitors.
This opens up another place where potential customers can find out more about your business and to capture more leads.
Here are some currently offered features in Apple Business Connect that car dealers can take advantage of right now:
1. Edit The Information About Your Dealership
The first and possibly the most important tab of your Apple Business Manager is the “Info” tab. This allows you to edit your logo, cover photo, and publish more photos of your business to show on your Apple listing.
There are also fields for you to input important information regarding your business, such as your business name, address and phone number. We strongly recommend also including your business hours, phone number (you can input your inLine Text number here), as well as your business categories and a description to let your potential customers get to know a little bit about what you have to offer.
2. A New & Unique Marketing Opportunity with Showcase
Within Apple Business Connect, there is a tab labeled “Showcase”, which provides auto dealerships with another advertising opportunity right on Apple’s platform with no cost to you.
You are reading that correctly – You can showcase the best part of your dealership immediately whenever a customer searches and clicks on your business in Apple Maps (and possibly much more from Apple coming soon) for FREE.
From new vehicles in your inventory, to flexible financing options, to just wanting to show off your wonderful team, Apple lets you market your best features with implemented call-to-action buttons such as “Call Now” or “Visit Website” for a smooth user experience.
Please keep in mind that, while this is a very valuable feature, you cannot have multiple “showcases” running at the same time. Be sure to be precise in your marketing efforts and really focus on what it is you truly want to showcase!
3. View Insights About Your Apple Listing & Have Direct Outreach to Potential Customers
Just like how you view valuable and informative metrics and insights about your business through Google Business Profile and their platform, Apple has done a great job with building out a very similar “Insights” tab for auto dealers to learn more about how people are interacting with your dealership digitally on Apple’s ecosystems.
On the Insights tab in Apple Business Connect, dealers will be able to view information such as what people had search for before clicking on your location in search results, where people were whenever they did click on your location, the number of times the clicked on your location (such as on a photo, showcase, to make a call, get directions, etc.) and other valuable metrics to help provide customers with relative, up-to-date information they are looking for in regards to your dealership.
What Car Dealers Need to Get Started With Apple Business Connect
Now that you understand why it is important to have Apple Business Manager, it is time to get started. But, how exactly do you get started on creating an Apple Business Manager, and where do you even begin? Thankfully, our experts can help point you into the right direction.
- Sign Up for Apple Business Manager: To get started, you need to have an Apple Business Manager account. By following this link [e] , you can follow these easy steps laid out by Apple themselves on how to enroll into Apple Business Manager and all the things you need in order to set up your Apple Business Connect correctly.
- Update/Input Your Business Information: Once you have signed up for Apple Business Connect and verified your business listing, it is time for you to correctly input all of the required information in the corresponding fields. We strongly recommend you also fill out any additional, optional fields as well, to help give Apple and potential customers even more information about your dealership and better set yourself up for success.
- Wait For Your Insights: Upon immediately signing up, you will not have immediate access to your insights. This is because Apple needs time to gather previous data as well as start to correctly and accurately track live data on your listing as well. Don’t worry, after a few days, you will start to see how people are interacting with your dealership online.
- In The Meantime, Upload a Showcase: We recommend the sooner you take advantage and leverage the showcase tool from Apple, the better for your business overall. Use this unique marketing tool to broadcast the best parts of your dealership, or highlight an upcoming event, or make your current special offers reach an even wider audience with the Showcase tool today.
AutoRevo Is Here to Help Your Auto Dealership Reach The Next Level
If you are wanting some help on how to get started on your Apple Business Connect, looking for support on your digital marketing efforts for your dealership, or are looking for the best tools and solutions for car dealers, AutoRevo is here to help.
Over the last decade, AutoRevo have been working diligently to help auto dealers across the country elevate their online presence, gather more leads and sell more cars. With our list of software, apps, tools, websites, services and much more, allow AutoRevo to help your dealership reach new heights.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you stand out from the competition.
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