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• From the Blog

  • Where should car dealers host a blog?
  • What Affect Will Google Caffeine Have on Automotive SEO?
  • 10 Questions to Ask Your Automotive SEO Firm
  • Developing a Social Media Plan for Car Dealers
  • Stop Getting Flagged
  • Dynamic SEO = Wasted Money
  • Meet Us Las Vegas
  • Dealer.com and Chrysler Deal – Conflict of Interest
  • Is your listing right?
  • Why Buy Print Over Online Advertising?
  • What are your customers saying about you and why it is important
  • Are you taking advantage of bookmarking?
  • Does your web site work for you? Do you only have one?
  • Automotive Social Networking – Time to Catch Up
  • Transparency – Buzz Word or Way of Life – Part II

• 

• Recent Articles About Car Dealer Marketing

  - from the Blogosphere

  The Death of The Desk
  12 Mar 2010 at 2:22pm
  

  15 years ago I told Ron Craft (the dealer I got my start in the car business with in 1984) ?Customers aren?t shopping... (show more)

  15 years ago I told Ron Craft (the dealer I got my start in the car business with in 1984) ?Customers aren?t shopping for a car they are shopping for a salesperson to buy a car from?. That was the way I approached car sales when I got into it after having been in the [...]
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  New blog platform & updated look/feel coming soon
  12 Mar 2010 at 2:14pm
  

  We’re almost ready to push out phase one of the new DrivingSales.com website improvements. Our goal is to provide ea... (show more)

  We’re almost ready to push out phase one of the new DrivingSales.com website improvements. Our goal is to provide easier and faster access to the content you have told us is most important to you: Vendor Ratings, Blog Posts and Discussions.  The changes will go live this weekend.  In merging the blog [...]
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  Combine your ownership email campaign with your Social Marketing tools
  11 Mar 2010 at 4:50pm
  

  GUEST POST: Louise Smith and VJ Of great interest to you is the acquisition of new customers, the engagement of your ... (show more)

  GUEST POST: Louise Smith and VJ Of great interest to you is the acquisition of new customers, the engagement of your existing customers, promoting customer loyalty and driving revenues. Social Media works “with” your Owner Marketing email campaigns - to do just this. Relevancy and value are keys to successful email campaigns and social media. Here [...]
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  FourSquare.com Adds Business Intelligence Tools
  11 Mar 2010 at 12:15am
  

  GPS enabled mobile apps are changing the way in which consumers leverage social media and one fast growing applicatio... (show more)

  GPS enabled mobile apps are changing the way in which consumers leverage social media and one fast growing application that has been discussed on DrivingSales.com is FourSquare.com. This week FourSquare.com announced that it will be offering business owners business intelligence tools which would show them who is “checking in” to their business and how to market to [...]
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  Send a Multi-Vehicle Quote; Win on the Call
  10 Mar 2010 at 4:13pm
  

  When you respond to an Internet lead, do you just send back a quote on the requested vehicle?  If that?s what you do,... (show more)

  When you respond to an Internet lead, do you just send back a quote on the requested vehicle?  If that?s what you do, that?s a mistake.  Make your quote a multi-vehicle quote!  It fundamentally alters the phone call.  What does the customer talk about when you just send a quote on the requested vehicle?  Price.  [...]
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  ResponseLogix® Now Available for Kia Dealers
  10 Mar 2010 at 3:56pm
  

  Sunnyvale, Calif ? March 10, 2010? ResponseLogix, Inc., the leading provider of automotive digital response managemen... (show more)

  Sunnyvale, Calif ? March 10, 2010? ResponseLogix, Inc., the leading provider of automotive digital response management software for internet leads, today announced the general availability of its marketing solution suite for Kia auto dealerships.  With this software as a sevice (SaaS) technology, Kia dealers can engage customers early in the car buying process and then [...]
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  Are You Driving People Away From Your Website? Part Deux
  10 Mar 2010 at 1:49pm
  

  Well, here is part deux as promised. Social Media is moving so fast through our industry that dealerships seem to be ... (show more)

  Well, here is part deux as promised. Social Media is moving so fast through our industry that dealerships seem to be trying anything and everything to make sense of it. There are more opinions than facts and even more dark corners that have yet to be explored. As stated in my previous blog post anything [...]
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  Increased Rapport and Building Trust
  9 Mar 2010 at 11:43pm
  

  ?If you expect above-average results you must learn, implement and perform above-average concepts.? Pacing, matchin... (show more)

  ?If you expect above-average results you must learn, implement and perform above-average concepts.? Pacing, matching or mirroring, whatever it is that you want to call it, has been around a long time. As sales people, we have all at one time or another read a book, listened to a CD or attended training of some type [...]
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  Your biggest Social Media opportunity is in Fixed Ops.
  9 Mar 2010 at 5:56am
  Dealership social media has a huge opportunity to help customers get fixed ops info.
  Strong minds versus weak minds?
  8 Mar 2010 at 8:21pm
  

  This article by John Quinones hits home with what dealers today need to survive from a mental perspective. * * * Str... (show more)

  This article by John Quinones hits home with what dealers today need to survive from a mental perspective. * * * Strong minds understand that the mind must be exercised like a muscle and as the mind gains in strength it increases in value. As the mind increases in value it becomes stronger and sharper to be [...]
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  Automotive SEO by DealerBytes

  
  
  What ARE you doing with Your Facebook Page?
  12 Mar 2010 at 3:03am
  

  Exactly one year ago today, Nick O'Neill published an article on Allfacebook.com titled "How To Develop a Facebook Pa... (show more)

  Exactly one year ago today, Nick O'Neill published an article on Allfacebook.com titled "How To Develop a Facebook Page That Attracts Millions of
  Fans".  He outlined "10 Facebook Page Strategies Every Brand
  Should Know" and after spending the past several months delving deeply
  into ?things Facebook? I think it would be prudent to review those steps, and
  bring them up for discussion as they relate to the automotive world.  I?m interested in how far you?ve gone in
  customizing your Facebook presence, what successes you've had, and what has
  flat out failed.
  
  1. Develop Custom Tabs

  
  

  Are you aware that you?re not stuck with the default tabs FB gives you when you activate your Fan Page?  You should hide those you
  don?t use, and either customize or pay someone to customize tabs based on the
  facets of your company?s ?personality? that you want to promote.  Tabs with themes such as Community, About Us,
  Sales, Service, Finance, Specials all offer you framework within which you can
  develop your particular brand.  What are
  some cool custom tabs out there? 

  
  

  2. Don?t Let New Users Land on the Wall

  
  

  You should change the default landing tab to one of your custom tabs.  This enforces brand and encourages interaction (as long as your tab has an interactive element ? HINT)

  
  

  3. Create a Unique Page Image

  
  

  Your 200x200 digital image is kind of a big deal.  If your logo is oblong, have you done something different?  This is the icon everyone will see first ?
  make it pop.

  
  

  4. Integrate Applications To Increase Engagement

  
  

  There are all sorts of applications out there, and if you want to pay, you can have some developed specifically for your dealership. 
  I?m curious to know if anyone out there has paid for a custom
  application.

  
  

  5. Join the Conversation, It?s Not Optional Anymore

  
  

  You really do need to participate.  It's a two way conversation for sure.  Do you have someone designated to do this? 

  
  

  6. Publish Interesting and Relevant Content

  
  

  This part is easy.  There are all sorts of sources you could ?drip? onto your Wall, or you could grab interesting articles and
  tidbits from blogs and news sites you subscribe to.  How do you keep your content fresh and
  interesting?

  
  

  7. Repost Comments By Other Users

  
  

  Quite often I find my friends to be excellent sources of material.  What are your fans saying that other people might want to hear?  And how does this
  reinforce your relationships all around?

  
  

  8. Update Regularly!

  
  

  This means something different to everyone.  How often do you update?

  
  

  9. Post and Tag Users in Photos and Videos

  
  

  Not so sure that this would be easy in a dealership setting, unless you get your customers to ?Fan? you while they?re waiting for F&I and the photograph them and/or
  video them upon delivery.  How are you
  bringing your customers into your page?

  
  

  10. Leverage the Power of Facebook Events

  
  

  I?m seeing a lot of dealers ?get? the power of this.  Creating and promoting Events that are meaningful to your fan base is
  one of the best ways to leverage the communication power behind your Page.  This past week I was invited to at least a
  half a dozen dealership events ranging from Blue Tooth training to Fund Raising
  to a Special Sale.  How are you using
  this feature?

  
  

   

  
  

  The fact that Nick O?Neill wrote this article a YEAR ago and that we?re just now seeing these steps put into motion by dealers across the country (other than you savvy early adopters out there) kind of bums me
  out.  On the other hand, I?m happy to see
  dealers eagerly and actively adopting some of these ideas.  It?s invigorating to me, after spending much
  of my career begging people to listen to ?what?s coming?, to see dealers and
  their personnel spending more time than ever implementing marketing strategies
  that have been proving and continue to prove themselves outside the automotive sector. 

  
  

   

  
  

  I look forward to hearing from you all!

  
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  Has anyone heard anything about LMCC not being GM approved any longer?
  10 Mar 2010 at 10:14pm
  

  I heard from one of the dealers I work with that he got a letter from GM stating that LMCC is no longer an approved f... (show more)

  I heard from one of the dealers I work with that he got a letter from GM stating that LMCC is no longer an approved for receiving and distributing leads under their new SFE program. Has anyone else heard this or is it just a rumor?
  
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  Ft. Worth Auto Show?
  10 Mar 2010 at 9:29pm
  

  Anyone going to the Ft. Worth Auto Show this week?  Grubbs Infiniti will be there with the 2011 Infiniti M. 
  Yes, In... (show more)

  Anyone going to the Ft. Worth Auto Show this week?  Grubbs Infiniti will be there with the 2011 Infiniti M. 
  Yes, Infiniti is still attending auto shows despite not appearing in Dallas and a few other shows.  Hope to see you there.  Would love to chat in person.  
  Ft. Worth AutoShow (March 11 - 14th) 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Ft. Worth AutoShow
  Website
  
  The 2010 Auto Show
  March 11- 14, 2010
  
  Location
  
  Fort Worth Convention Center
  1112 Houston Street
  Fort Worth, Texas 76102
  
  Admission Prices
  Adults $9 per person Children 6 to 12 $4 per person Under 6 years old Free Click to print your own discount coupon to save on admission prices.
  This download requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is a free download here.
  
  Dates and Times
  
  Thursday, March 11
  1pm to 10pm
  
  Friday, March 12
  1pm to 10pm
  
  Saturday, March 13
  10am to 10pm
  
  Sunday, March 14
  10am to 6pm
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  Social media management
  9 Mar 2010 at 10:41pm
  

  I recently had a discussion with a customer on my blog.  I would like your opinion as to how I handled it.  Be nice b... (show more)

  I recently had a discussion with a customer on my blog.  I would like your opinion as to how I handled it.  Be nice but don't be kind.  I waqnt opinions.... Notes on the recall of Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G4 and G5
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  Who is having an affair with your customer?
  9 Mar 2010 at 8:44pm
  

  ---

  Just some information that we all know but just don't think about as much as we need to.

  Here it is. Any person tha... (show more)

  ---

  Just some information that we all know but just don't think about as much as we need to.

  Here it is. Any person that has responded to a media message that you put out and came in to buy, is your customer. At least for the moment. Now how long he remains your customer is entirely up to you. 

   

  Now if you dont take anything else from this article remember this, it cost you 6 times as much to bring in a new customer as it does to get a past customer to buy from you again. So why would you ever let another dealer flirt with one of your customers?

   

  How do you stop this possible fling from happening? NEWSLETTER! Now if you have tried this and  didn't see the return, fixing one or a combination of these will help.

   

  1. No consistensy - You need to make sure they get a newsletter every month. Peoples needs change from day to day. This makes sure you are ever present.

   

  2. Value - You have to provide them with something that shows you are in their corner. Not just price, selection and service. Until you provide value you haven't earned the right to get their business again.

   

  3. Fun! - When you can provide them something to look forward to brighten their day, they look forward to recieving it. A banana nut muffin recipe wouldn't hurt either!     

   

  Provide them with content that proves that you are the industry expert, and a "Trusted Advisor" and you will earn customers for life. 

   

  Remember we should not get customers to sell a car, we should be selling cars to get a customer. Thats where your long term success lies.

   

  Well thats a start to slow down that CUSTOMIZER down the street!

   

  Want more infomation on how to provide compelling newsletters every month visit us at

   

  www.richdealers.com

   

  Eric Tigner

  Rich Dealers Advisor

  407-275-8667  

  
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  Next Generation of Dealer Services Scams ? Social Media Training
  

  Social media is a very hot topic and now it appears that every wannabe trainer and even a few well respected ones are... (show more)

  Social media is a very hot topic and now it appears that every wannabe trainer and even a few well respected ones are jumping on the band wagon to teach dealers social networking and social ...
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  Website Providers Social Media Fail
  

  Who put that there? Using social media to promote your business and products you sell is the craze today.  Everybody ... (show more)

  Who put that there? Using social media to promote your business and products you sell is the craze today.  Everybody is talking about it and a few are doing really well with it in the auto ...
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  SEO and SEM Potential Vendor Checklist
  

  This year I have encountered a significant increase in the amount of companies fighting for the “new” advertising exp... (show more)

  This year I have encountered a significant increase in the amount of companies fighting for the “new” advertising expense dollars of search engine optimization (seo) and search engine marketing (sem). Two years ago, even a year ...
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  Not Another Automotive Social Network?!?!?
  

  The automotive social networking space has a new entry.  Jeff Kershner over at DealerRefresh is adding a forum to his... (show more)

  The automotive social networking space has a new entry.  Jeff Kershner over at DealerRefresh is adding a forum to his already popular blog.  This is a welcome addition to the already fragmented automotive social networking ...
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  Automotive SEO ? Conference Wrap Up
  

  The “Automotive SEO Exposition” held this year in Washington DC was a huge success.  Top level automotive seo practit... (show more)

  The “Automotive SEO Exposition” held this year in Washington DC was a huge success.  Top level automotive seo practitioners from all over the country came together for two days of powerful round table style discussions. The ...
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