I am looking at possibly hiring a consultant to come in and help me get better results from my internet department an... (show more)
I am looking at possibly hiring a consultant to come in and help me get better results from my internet department and BDC. We have grown quickly over the last year and we need help in getting the most out of the leads we have from our internet department. We are also trying to expand our BDC to increase showroom traffic but need help there as well. Please let me know if you have worked with someone that you recommend for these areas. (show less)
I need some help please. I have a new car manager that refuses to be competitive in a tough Atlanta market. How can I... (show more)
I need some help please. I have a new car manager that refuses to be competitive in a tough Atlanta market. How can I get these customers in without using price?
thanks,
mike (show less)
Many of us have been deeply engaged in the social media conversation as it relates to your dealership, your business,... (show more)
Many of us have been deeply engaged in the social media conversation as it relates to your dealership, your business, your market, and your consumer. Those of us that have studied much about social media and continue to do so have learned many truisms that can start and keep an effective social media strategy moving in the right direction. I often point out that much of what I've come across in all of my studies in books, blogs, forums, networks, and discussions point clearly to a focus on having a goal and strategy with your market/consumer first, foremost, and last in mind. There's more then ample proof that when a business attempts to leverage social media with a primary objective of driving traffic, driving business, or driving profits, they find themselves struggling to find even a modicum of return on their investment: "where's the ROI" is the clamor from management in follow-up meetings after such myopically engineered social tactics as using social media to drive traffic.
Then there are those business that recognize that their total market is what's most important. They recognize that their respective market is a conversation and it's a conversation worth listening too, participating in, and facilitating for the sake of the market and the people (consumers) in it. The bread crumbs of their success trail are so obvious; they listen to their market, they don't argue with their market, they participate transparently, they facilitate and support the conversations where they are without attempting to move them elsewhere (hoping only to move facebook users to your facebook page is an example of that). Then after much listening and honest, transparent engagement that supports their market a wonderful thing happens to their business - seemingly every social media success story that I've reviewed has the same result - their business begins to flourish! Digital word-of-mouth propels their traffic, people (customers) help other customers with questions, support, and encouragement about the brand or business. The business finds itself growing in new directions as well as old. The business sees revenues and market-share growing along with customer satisfaction and even employee satisfaction. The business becomes an integral part of the market conversation and that conversation then leverages that business. That's the magic! The next conversation in the meeting then isn't about ROI at all; it's management asking about things that the business is doing to react to the conversation, as well as things that the business could be doing to further facilitate the conversation. You see, traffic, purchases, trades, those all but tiny whispers of activity in a flourishing market.
Of course this is obvious for those of us that study social media and the success (and failures) of businesses attempting to leverage social media rather then having social media (the market conversation) leverage them. We read about it daily, we see it in our own minds. We can visualize it because we're immersed in it through a significant portion of our day (and nights) as well as our discourse. That's why I thought the attached image would be helpful to you. It's an image that I believe is fit for your office wall yes, but more importantly it's an image that could be hosted in your meeting rooms as a reminder of the direction and choices that should be made for the sake of your markets' conversation. In the end, that's what is driving your business today.
Undoubtedly, you and your dealership are doing some wonderful things in social media for your markets. You've got some great successes to share and stumbling blocks to avoid for all of us. If you have a moment, please share a few of those with us, or if your preference is to enhance or respond to this post that would be great too.
I just met with a sales rep from everycarlisted.com. They are new to the Minneapolis market and aparently pretty wel... (show more)
I just met with a sales rep from everycarlisted.com. They are new to the Minneapolis market and aparently pretty well known on both the east and west coast. They offer VIN specific SEO. I am wondering if there are other dealers out there using everycarlisted for this purpose or if there are other vendors who offer this service. Please advise. (show less)
Facebook links 17 Mar 2010 at 7:38pm
How do I add a link from my website to my Facebook pages? I have four different fan pages.
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 ... (show less)
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 ... (show less)
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 ... (show less)
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 ... (show less)
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 ... (show less)