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Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community
1. Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/
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Shaun Kniffin of Germaine Automotive Speaks about the Change Leaders in the Auto Industry at ENG
Automotive CRM Summit 2008 Added by Ralph Paglia
Shaun Kniffin of Germaine Automotive Speaks about "How" versus "What" in Retail Automotive at ENG
Automotive CRM Summit 2008 Added by Ralph Paglia
Michael Keranen; American Honda VP Speaks about Connectivity and Personalized Targeted Marketing at
ENG Automotive CRM Summit 2008 Added by Ralph Paglia
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Michael Keranen; American Honda VP uses Minority Report to Illustrate Targeted Marketing at ENG
Automotive CRM Summit 2008 Added by Ralph Paglia
Part 1: General Manager shares his Sales Meeting strategy during pre-meeting interview Added by Ralph
Paglia
Part 2: Have You Ever Seen a Sales Meeting Like This One? Added by Ralph Paglia
Shaun Raines Interviews a Car Buyer About Using the Internet to Select a Dealer
Added by Ralph Paglia
Selling Cars with Google 101 Search Added by Ralph Paglia
Selling Cars with Google 102 Local Business Ads Added by Ralph Paglia
Selling Cars with Google 103 Search Display Added by Ralph Paglia
Selling Cars with Google 104: Dealer Advertising Trends Added by Ralph Paglia
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Google Conversion University Introduction - Brett Crosby Added by Ralph Paglia
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Google AdWords Users (43 members)
CarFolks.com Dealers (25 members)
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AAISP Members (70 members)
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Notes
ADM Shortcut URL's
Created by Ralph Paglia Aug 10, 2008 at 8:38am. Last updated by Ralph Paglia Aug 11.
CarFolks.com
Created by Ralph Paglia May 11, 2008 at 7:05pm. Last updated by Ralph Paglia Aug 5.
How Important is Your Reputation and Brand?
Created by Ralph Paglia May 11, 2008 at 7:16pm. Last updated by Ralph Paglia Aug 5.
How to Get $10,000 of "Word of Mouth" Advertising
Created by Ralph Paglia May 11, 2008 at 7:14pm. Last updated by Ralph Paglia Aug 5.
AskTheManager.com
Created by Ralph Paglia Jun 29, 2008 at 10:45am. Last updated by Ralph Paglia Jun 29.
Ford Announces Digital Advertising Program for Dealers
Created by Ralph Paglia Jun 6, 2008 at 9:15am. Last updated by Ralph Paglia Jun 6.
Steve Wilhite becomes Jumpstart President
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5. Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/
Created by Ralph Paglia May 29, 2008 at 6:41am. Last updated by Ralph Paglia May 29.
New ADM Moderators with Admin Access
Created by Ralph Paglia May 19, 2008 at 11:45am. Last updated by Ralph Paglia May 19.
Auto Retailing Process is Broken
Created by Ralph Paglia May 11, 2008 at 7:12pm. Last updated by Ralph Paglia May 12.
People Are Talking About Your Dealership
Created by Ralph Paglia May 11, 2008 at 7:10pm. Last updated by Ralph Paglia May 12.
Notes Home
Created by Ralph Paglia May 9, 2008 at 12:42pm. Last updated by Ralph Paglia May 9.
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DealerRefresh Blog Posts
The secret of the web (hint: it's a virtue) by Seth Godin
This is something Seth Godin posted on his blog yesterday. I thought it needed to be shared. Link to the original
article. Patience. Google was a very good search engine for two years before you started using it. The iPod...
Looking outside our industry for workshops and training
Workshop - Online Reputation Management I'm always looking for different workshops and seminars to attend and I
purposely look outside of the automotive industry. Whether its search engine marketing, New marketing, self
improvement, motivational or whatever..we all need a boost...
Dealer Showroom Floor Sales Statistics and Percentages
Showroom sales statistics for car dealers Here are some general showroom statistics compiled from Nada studies and
a few other sources/studies over the last several years. Some of these statistics are a few years old, but believe me
still hold....
Search Engine Marketing has reached Stage 3
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Search Engine Marketing has been around since the early 2000s and has quickly become a billion dollar advertising
system for eCommerce. It is one of the most measurable and cost-effective advertising medias available. On the
dealership side of the automotive...
Phone Skills Set the Stage for Winning the Deal - Cars.com Webinar
On the Line: Phone Skills Set the Stage for Winning the Deal - Webinar While email response often takes center
stage in the world of internet sales, don't forget the phone. Consider this: the most effective form of response to...
Jim Ziegler threatens to sue fellow industry blogger Paul Rushing
HTML clipboard
FOODFIGHT!!! Alright, we've had our fun. I was up late last night deleting the swarm of comments that had come
in attacking individuals, including myself (which is ok). This post has gotten out of hand and that was...
Get a digital fix and live your "Internet Dream"
"The Process" video
If you have ever worked with dealer advertising and marketing, you will enjoy this video! For anyone that has ever
had to deal with Honda DMA compliance. You'll love this little cartoon put together by an anonymous cartoonist.
Online Dealer Reviews - Are They Ready For Prime Time?
Online Consumer-generated Dealer Reviews I keep reading that dealer ratings/reviews are becoming important, and
that dealers should encourage their customers to go online and fill them out. While I agree that consumer-generated
dealer ratings may someday become an integral part...
Are Internet Specials like Pulling Teeth?
Hello, my name is Alex and I've been handling Internet specials for one automotive group since 2001. Every month
there are 10 or more franchises I have to create sets of specials for, and I really enjoy it! However, I...
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Digital Dealer eNews
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Mazda selects Dealerskins as preferred provider
Dealerskins recently announced it has partnered with Mazda North American Operations to create independent Web
sites for Mazda dealerships.
Prius leads list of KBB top 10 green cars
As consumers fret over high gas prices and return to dealerships in larger numbers looking for
environmentally-friendly cars, Kelley Blue Book has come out with their list of the top 10 green vehicles for 2008.
Leading the list is the Toyota Prius with a combined MPG of 46 miles, with the Honda Civic Hybrid (42 mpg) in
second and the smart fortwo coming in third with 36 miles per gallon. Surprisingly, a hybrid Sport Utility Vehicle
(SUV) rounded out the list with the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid coming in 10th with 21 mpg.
NADAGuides introduces NADAGuides Garage
NADAGuides recently introduced an auto enthusiast site for gear heads and car shoppers alike that combines
everything from an auto enthusiast blog to car selling advice.
Up trend - Down market
Dealer Communications announces an engaging session on gaining market share, even in down times, at the 5th
Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition in Grapevine, Texas on October 6-8, 2008.
Perception is almost reality! The market is down if you think it is. Smart dealers and dealer groups are quietly
gaining the market share and their business is actually up in a down market. Come see how. Will share the best
practices of the dealer groups that are gaining the momentum. This session will provide a simple yet comprehensive
guide to establishing winning strategies, how to implement those strategies and measure the success in a real
dealership's working day. Will share how to think globally for an enterprise but act locally on a dealership level to
get the maximum return on investment.
Digital advertising: What is it and how should we measure it?
Dealer Communications announces an engaging session on digital advertising at the 5th Digital Dealer Conference
& Exposition in Grapevine, Texas on October 6-8, 2008.
As more money gets shifted from traditional offline advertising media into online interactive media, the ability to
create a wide variety of consumer experiences around receiving a dealer's message brings new possibilities. What are
a few of these new ways for dealers to engage car buyers and how do we measure what messages are more effective
than others? This session will explore online advertising from the perspective of generating consumer engagement
and creating a positive perception of the dealership, while debunking the myth of the $20 lead. Paglia will present
the concept of Key Buying Activities (KBA) from a dealer perspective and how to track and measure them. The
session will showcase actual dealership case studies and provide access to spreadsheets and document templates that
attendees can repurpose for their own use.
Vehicle transportation services and the Internet
Dealer Communications announces a session on vehicle transportation services using the Internet at the 5th Digital
Dealer Conference & Exposition in Grapevine, Texas on October 6-8, 2008.
Capability and awareness: It is important that dealer Internet departments are aware of transportation's ability to
increase their sales potential. According to the Dealix Corporation, research shows that 80 percent of all people
looking for a new or used vehicle go online prior to making a purchase; further data indicates the 90 percent of
visitors to an average dealer web site come and go unnoticed. By having an online pricing tool (price quote
generator) with a transportation company with a national footprint linked to the dealers' web sites available to the
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buyer, this will allow them to predetermine transportation costs without leaving the dealers' sites. Educating Internet
managers on the logistics of transportation will allow them to "think outside the box," and expand and broaden their
market potential capitalizing on would-be missed opportunities.
More…
DealerAdvantage Automotive Best Practice Articles
Cars.com Podcast
Q: How Can I Overcome Common Sales Objections? A: As we travel the country talking to internet sales managers,
we are consistently asked for advice on how to overcome common objections posed by internet customers. You’ve
heard them all before, and whether it’s an issue with pricing, trade-in values or setting an [...]
Ask Cars.com
Cars.com Customer Support: When to Ask for Help
Dealers Embrace Internet Advertising
Online ads drive results. Dealers increased their internet spend to 16.6 percent of their budgets in 2007. Source:
NADA Data 2008
Demystifying Search
It’s the next big thing; the silver bullet and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Dealers nationwide are being
promised that search is the answer to all their advertising needs, but is it all it’s cracked up to be? To seal the deal
online, you need a comprehensive internet [...]
On the Line: Phone Skills Set the Stage for Winning the Deal
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Internet shoppers are three times more likely to contact you by telephone than by email. Are you ready to take the
call?
Bring in the Big Guns
Would New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning – the most valuable player in Super Bowl XLII -- be as successful
on the field without head coach Tom Coughlin? What about Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan and his coach, Phil
Jackson? These famous duos achieved results with a collaborative approach, and the same can work in your internet
department. David Kain, of Kain Automotive, recommends that internet personnel and sales management team up to
drive more sales.
Back on Track
With the economy stagnating, fuel prices soaring and sales at his store stalling, Joe Mallette questioned whether he
could stay in the truck business. The answer seemed to pull him toward a new retail strategy until he realized that
what he needed to do was refocus on the fundamentals, not shift gears.
Create an Internet Dealership, Not Just a Department
David Kain, Kain Automotive
Today you probably go online at your desk, home or just about anywhere to shop for something or to research
something with the expectation that the sites you visit will have the information you seek. When the sites you select
do not have the information, you likely just click on another and keep clicking until you find something that meets
your needs. Consider yourself a focus group of one and apply what you learn in your own experience to what you
would want if you were visiting your own dealership online.
Move Your Inventory Faster
By Tony Albertson, Ward's Dealer Business
If you are like many dealers, you wrote down some used-vehicle inventory at the end of the year. As a result, you
may have instituted a mandatory turn policy that, when a unit hits a certain age, it must be disposed of.
Dealer Profile
The Van Tuyl Group Inc. manages the largest group of privately held automotive dealerships in United States. With
offices in Arizona, Kansas, and Texas, the management group works with approximately 65 independently operated
dealerships nationwide.
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Support Your ADM Community
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AutoConversion Blog Articles
Favre’s $20 Million Marketing Blog
More details are being revealed on ESPN.com regarding the $20 Million marketing package supposedly dangled
before Brett Favre by the Green Bay Packers. Recall that I originally wrote on this a couple weeks ago, commenting
on how strong your brand must be to be offered $20M for not competing against your former employer. Part of this
[...]
The Wild West of Online Communities
Funny how writing about topics perpetuates the subject in conversations. This week I had conversations with
multiple people about the Online Communities they either run or in which they participate. In all instances the
conversation pinnacled on a specific thought - Is the community in response to a need, or trying to establish one?
Online Communities [...]
Building Your Online Business Community
Online Business Communities have rapidly become a competitive marketplace. Companies are investing millions
into their own communities, and with mixed results. According to a recent article on SocialMediaToday.com, author
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Jerry Bowles writes “…several giant corporations have launched online business communities aimed at engaging
small business owners and managers through a conversational social media approach” and lists [...]
Packers and the Brett Favre Brand
You know you have a good Personal Brand when people want to pay you to stop competing. How would you feel if
someone wanted to pay you $20M to stop doing what you love? Well, reportedly, that is what the Green Bay
Packers have considered putting in the cards to keep Brett Favre off the [...]
W. is bad branding for Oliver Stone
So Oliver Stone is releasing another flick, this one titled, “W.” Guess what it’s about… Well, apparently, in Stone’s
words, the film asks: “How did Bush go from being an alcoholic bum to the most powerful figure in the world?” Is
this really the best question to be asking, let alone pouring millions of dollars into to [...]
PickensPlan - Saving America with Alternative Energy Sources
A couple weeks ago there was an ad on television of a Texas gentleman by the name of T. Boone Pickens. It was a
good ad on the subject of Alternative Energy Sources. It started off with sound bits and slow-moving imagery of
presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. The advertisement alternated between the [...]
DrivingSales.com - Dealer Auto Sales Website Strategy
One of the hotter Dealer Auto Sales Strategy Websites these days is DrivingSales.com. The site is officially in beta
mode but it is essentially functional at this point. I have been registered with it now for a few months and recognize
numerous names that are signed up. In fact one of my closer contacts is [...]
Bill Kurtis Finds the Internet
There is a subtlety in this AT&T ad with Bill Kurtis “finding the Internet” on a deserted island with an Amelia
Earhadt plane replica in the back drop. See if you can identify it. Notice when he shows his laptop screen that you
see Microsoft Outlook. Every time I see the commercial on TV I chuckle [...]
Unsubscribe Observations
The past several weeks I have made a point to unsubscribe from newsletters and email lists that I don’t utilize. It has
been interesting to see how the various systems respond to that. I have been subscribed to dozens of mailing lists
over the past several years and am making a point to clean house [...]
Cadillac Mercedes Boxing Bout
When the 2008 Cadillac CTS was awarded the Motor Trend Car of the Year I must confess I felt a bit rubbed.
Having been a Benz fan for sometime and with Cadillac not really on my radar, I did not see it coming. I was pretty
confident the 2008 C-Class would take it this [...]
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eConsultancy Automotive
Used car search tools... suck!
I have been looking for a used car recently across a selection of manufacturer and third party sites, and it
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seems there is plenty of room for improvement in the way their search tools work.
Ideally, a search tool should be easy to use, but still allow users to choose between complex features and sort the
results effectively.
So how do some of the major car manufacturers perform?
How do you manage your internet channel?
Our recently released Managing Digital Channels report has been very well received by the internet
strategists who are responsible for figuring out how to best run their online operations.
Published two weeks ago, and compiled by Dr Dave Chaffey, it is an update to a report called Managing an
E-commerce Team, a study we first conducted in 2005. Things have moved on since then, some for better, others for
worse...
Brand engagement with Wii
It seems that every day we read about the declining effectiveness of advertising. How viewers skip through the
adverts, can switch off to the marketing noise, no longer respond to our messages.
Brands are increasingly looking at more diverse ways to engage consumers in their products, and I believe there is
currently no better opportunity than the Nintendo Wii.
Overlay expands into press
Flicking through my morning paper, its clear to see that the online overlay ad format has influenced Nissan
in its campaign to drive awareness of it new model.
Search listings have significant branding impact - study
Occupying the top of organic and paid search listings can not only pay off in terms of performance marketing
it can also have a big impact on consumers perception of brands, a new study has found.
Conducted by eyetracking firm Enquiro Research, the tests discovered a significant correlation between
search marketing efforts and brand affinity, brand recall and purchase intent.
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Email Marketing: Making Bacn not Spam
Dela Quist looks at why 40% of subscribers to an email database may not open a single message they are sent
for six months or more.
He says this is not necessarily a bad thing as they are unemotionally subscribed they still want to receive messages
from you but are not in a position to take up your offer today.
Online ad spending up 40%, overtakes direct mail
The IABs online ad spending figures for the first half of the year are out, and show a gain of 41.3% to a
half-year record of £1.33bn.
Online now accounts for just under 15% of the total ad market in the UK and could reach £2.75bn this year,
according to the group.
It passed £2bn for the first time last year.
TescoCompare.com - is it any good?
Tesco's new financial price comparison site was launched by the supermarket giant last week as it moves into
a market dominated by confused.com and moneysupermarket.com.
Google plugs in green car initiative
Google has announced a philanthropic initiative aimed at reducing carbon emissions by popularising
electric-powered cars.
Part of the google.org philanthropy project, RechargeIT is offering $1m to think-tanks looking at ways to drive up
use of electric and hybrid vehicles.
Newspapers team up to tempt advertisers
America's top three newspaper publishing companies are looking to team up to offer advertisers a one-stop
clearinghouse for buying online adverts.
Gannett, McClatchy and Tribune
want to form a single gateway, codenamed "Open Network", with the intention of challenging the big three portals -
Yahoo!, Google and Microsoft - which command the greater share of advertisers' spend.
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SEO vs. SEM - Are advertising companies taking advantage of dealerships? 27 Replies
Started by Sarah Draley. Last reply by Matt Watson 1 hour ago.
Motivational Quotes 6 Replies
Started by Bryan Armstrong. Last reply by Matt Watson 1 hour ago.
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Would You Consider Becoming a Digital Marketing Consultant? 17 Replies
Started by Ralph Paglia. Last reply by Bob Sherman 2 hours ago.
CPOV Vehicles - Good, Bad or Ugly! What is your experience/opinion! 7 Replies
Started by Philip Zelinger. Last reply by Philip Zelinger 4 hours ago.
How would you feel? 30 Replies
Started by Joseph B Antley. Last reply by Joe Webb 10 hours ago.
Russian Dating Services 18 Replies
Started by James A. Ziegler. Last reply by Terry Holbrook 13 hours ago.
One Vendor for Everything or the Best Vendor for Each Service? 3 Replies
Started by Mike Warwick. Last reply by Philip Zelinger 1 day ago.
Have you been downsized out of a job or into a career! (Dealer version; outsourcing vs.paying
employee benefits!) 6 Replies
Started by Philip Zelinger. Last reply by Philip Zelinger Aug 16.
Making the career switch - dealership personnel to vendor 18 Replies
Started by Joe Webb. Last reply by Ralph Paglia Aug 16.
Microsite Examples; Let's share actual URL's and discuss what works 5 Replies
Started by Ralph Paglia. Last reply by Alvin Newton Aug 16.
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Building Your Network 10 Replies
Started by Paul Rushing. Last reply by Matt Watson Aug 16.
People Or Technology Driven Processes? That is the question! 31 Replies
Started by Philip Zelinger. Last reply by Brian Dillon Ferris Aug 15.
Cobalt websites 44 Replies
Started by Frank Davis. Last reply by Ralph Paglia Aug 15.
Process vs. Personality 15 Replies
Started by Bryan Armstrong. Last reply by Bryan Armstrong Aug 15.
Purchased leads are dead... 8 Replies
Started by Drew Davies. Last reply by David T. Gould Aug 14.
Listing your Dealership for Free on EveryCarListed.com 4 Replies
Started by Meg. Last reply by Meg Aug 14.
Conversion Rate of OEM Leads 6 Replies
Started by VJ. Last reply by VJ Aug 14.
Free 30 day trial of LeadConverter live chat by Northwind software Inc. 1 Reply
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I need vendors to speak to our Dealer 20+ Group and appear on our talk blog radio - "Auto
Industry Insiders" --- any suggestions? 50 Replies
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Who should I talk to at dealerships? 7 Replies
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Events
September 9Tuesday
Kelley Blue Book eNetwork Brunch in Chicago, IL (Rosemont) - No Charge to ADM
Members!
September 9, 2008 from 8:30am to 1:30pm – Hyatt Regency O'Hare
October 5Sunday
5th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition
October 5, 2008 at 11am to October 8, 2008 at 5pm – Grapevine, Texas
October 7Tuesday
J. D. Power Automotive Internet Roundtable
October 7, 2008 at 11am to October 9, 2008 at 1pm – Bellagio Resort - Las Vegas, NV
January 24Saturday
NADA 2009 in New Orleans
January 24, 2009 at 9am to January 27, 2009 at 5pm – New Orleans Convention Center
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Blog Posts
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Automotive Digital Marketing Shortcut URL's
PLEASE DO NOT USE THE www.ADPADM.NING.com URL any more! The NING.com URL has been
replaced with AutomotiveDigitalMarketing.com
After experiencing what it is like to try and tell people how to get to the ADM Professional Community, I began to
realize that having so many letters in the 3 primary Root Domains was a hindrance. So, I went to the queen of
domain name management, Hale… Continue
Posted by me on August 10th, 2008 at 4:00pm — 2 Comments (Add)
Stop Featuring
Kelley Blue Book eNetwork Brunch Seminar in Chicago on September 12th is Free to ADM
Members!
…
Continue
Posted by me on August 17th, 2008 at 8:30am — No Comments (Add)
Stop Featuring
Automotive Dealers Network Article: So, What's A MicroSite?
So, What's A MicroSite?
Written by: Ralph Paglia During the 4th Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition in Orlando, Florida in April 2008
I listened to several speake… Continue
Posted by me on August 15th, 2008 at 3:00pm — No Comments (Add)
Stop Featuring
J. D. Power and Associates Automotive Internet Roundtable; October 7 - 9, 2008 in Las
Vegas, NV
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…
Continue
Posted by me on August 15th, 2008 at 9:30pm — No Comments (Add)
Stop Featuring
The 5th Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition will be held at the Gaylord Texan Resort
and Conference Center in Grapevine, Texas
5th Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition, will be held at the Gaylord Texan Convention Center in
Grapevine, Texas, six minutes from the DFW a… Continue
Posted by me on August 7th, 2008 at 6:00am — 1 Comment (Add)
Stop Featuring
Women Car Buyers - Declare Their Independence
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AskPatty.com to Offer Independence Day Incentive to Car Dealers to Meet the Needs of Women Car Buyers
(PRWEB) June 16, 2008 -- Women car shoppers spend $300 billion annually on purchasing new and used cars,
trucks, car maintenance, repairs and service. 51 % of women over 18 are sin… Continue
Posted by Jody DeVere aka Patty Streeter on June 16th, 2008 at 8:57am — No Comments (Add)
Stop Featuring
Your Micro Site Inventory!
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Posted by Alvin Newton on June 17th, 2008 at 1:07pm — No Comments (Add)
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The Purpose and Benefits of a BLOG
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This is something all of you can do, that is free, no very time consuming at all, and will do nothing but benefit your
Dealership. Several months ago I researched what BLOG'S were and what they really do for you. I noticed that
many businesses were doing them and found out that t… Continue
Posted by David Lytle on July 17th, 2008 at 9:55am — No Comments (Add)
Stop Featuring
Benefits of a Blog Part 2
In my last post I talked about what a Blog can do for your Dealership. I wanted to touch back and add a key point. I
received a couple of phone calls and e-mails on this topic, so I thought I would go back and post it for the others that
may be asking the same question. How long should it take to keep a Blog maintained? Once you have setup your
initial layout, found your niche, and know what type of content you want to have on your Blog, you should be able
to knock out a post in a… Continue
Posted by David Lytle on July 23rd, 2008 at 4:48pm — No Comments (Add)
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The RIGHT Message, to the RIGHT customer, in the RIGHT place, at the RIGHT time
The Automotive Broadcasting Network
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Download video!
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Continue
Posted by Andre Schnabl on July 23rd, 2008 at 8:03pm — 1 Comment (Add)
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Keep a good thing going... Support ADM Sponsors!
Digital Advertising Generates Better ROI Than Newspapers!
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J. D. Power Online Automotive Review
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Manufacturer Site Search (In)effectiveness
Site search is a useful and sometimes critical mechanism to find information/content, yet only 24 of 36 U.S.
automotive manufacturer brand sites offer site search (and some are not all that helpful). To assess the current state
of OEM site search, I tested a set of terms against those sites that offer search. I considered a “hit” to be a relevant
page with that specific information, listed within the first five results.
No site hit every term tested, although many managed eight out of nine. The Ford Motor Company sites (Ford,
Lincoln, Mercury) are driven by a common mechanism and all performed well. A few sites had such poor results
that I would have been better off just looking for the information directly. For some manufacturers – Buick,
Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep – the search results defaulted to the model page any time a model name used in the search
query. But that’s easy to find! Help me out!
Beyond accuracy, the quality of the results varied tremendously between sites. Many still rely on matching
keywords, which too frequently produces reams of irrelevant results. The best search experiences came from Acura
and Toyota, which both bring the relevant content (e.g. photo gallery, model lineup mileage estimates) into the
search window.
Even though few people expect search to be perfect, it is critical to avoid obvious errors. The worst offender was
GMC, for which every resultant link I clicked led to an error page (so I excluded GMC from the earlier chart). The
search tool appears to point to pages last updated November 2006!
Suboptimal formatting and descriptions can be just as problematic as errors, since users don’t want to click on
random links hoping that they lead to the right results. Check the search results from Buick’s site show below –
what would you click on? Each leads to a different accessory, but without proper labeling you don’t know what
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you’ll get.
On the flip side, Volkswagen’s and Infiniti’s search results use clear terminology in the titles and descriptions. The
high quality explanatory text helps users figure out where the links will take them. But this also takes more effort to
set up, especially in the case of Volkswagen, which obviously created this text just for its search functionality.
Today, only one-third of manufacturer brand sites offer site search that returns consistently usable results. Maybe
more consumers would use search on automotive sites if they knew it was available and effective. In the meantime,
we’re just waiting for the manufacturers to catch up to the rest of the web.
Web Site Search Tools
Expectations are established across all of the Web sites shoppers visit during their daily lives. Taking a look outside
of our industry to some of the most visited sites on the Internet should provide insight into what expectations
shoppers are bringing to your site’s search tool. I chose a lucky thirteen of the most visited, content rich sites on the
Internet to review for this article.
The most basic and essential search results include a text link and text description of what’s included in that link. Of
those thirteen, the only site that doesn’t do this is Amazon.com. Having such a product driven site, Amazon relies on
its text link in its search results to double as its text description as well.
Images in site search results are also becoming a standard. For video or photo focused sites, displaying an image in
search results is a necessity as proven by YouTube, MySpace and CNN.com. The same holds true for product
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focused sites, such as Amazon, eBay, and Apple.com, where displaying the product image within search results can
often help determine which link shoppers click on. In total, nine of the top thirteen sites reviewed included images in
their site search results. However, some sites like ESPN, Wikipedia and TMZ, still only provide simplistic text
results, while many of their linked articles already include images.
Only a few sites go beyond these foundational search elements of text links, descriptions and images. Four of the
thirteen reviewed sites provide text suggestions when entering in search keywords. Providing keyword
text-assistance, as does Wikipedia and YouTube, assists shoppers in pinpointing their shopping terms on the first go
around instead of using multiple attempts to find the right keyword combination. While this feature is still less
prevalent among overall Web sites, it is a growing feature among the main search engines and will likely continue to
grow in popularity among all sites.
Similarly, only four of the reviewed sites offer additional sort or filter options for search results. Two sites included
ratings for search results and one site, Apple.com, included rich-content in their search results that doesn’t
necessarily exist elsewhere on the site.
While many shoppers still prefer to navigate OEM and 3rd party sites by traditional hunt and click navigation means,
as site search becomes more and more prevalent on other Web sites, shoppers will increasingly expect more of your
search tools. Keeping pace with the most visited sites will ensure that you meet shopper expectations, which
currently includes text links, descriptions and images within search results. On the not so distant horizon, search
keyword suggestions and rich-content results as Apple.com has integrated into its search tool will be expected too.
What do you think? Are search tools on sites a waste of time or a valid investment?
OEM Sites – Lots of Content, Lots of Room for Improvement
Last week (in this blog entry) I compared the competition between third-party sites to an arms race, with sites
continually trying to one-up each other. OEM brand sites, on the other hand, have a much different dynamic. These
sites are more focused on promoting their own brand and vehicles, with the richest text, imagery, and multimedia
possible. Lower funnel activities, such as dealer locators, configurators, inventory search, and request for quote
(RFQ) are also critical.
For this entry, I audited 36 brand Web sites for the functionality each offers. I concentrated on content that is not
necessarily found on every site.
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Note that not every OEM offers videos or feature demonstrations, even with the content explosion that has taken
place over the past two years. And while everyone has a build & price tool, only a few visually add the options to the
vehicle representation.
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Not all tools are created alike. Take dealer locators. Every manufacturer allows consumers to find local dealers by
searching on certain criteria (such as zip code, city/state, and dealer name) and displaying the results on a map. But
only half offer interactive maps which can be grabbed and moved. This added functionality impacts the user
experience, with seven of the top ten dealer locator tools (as measured by the 2008 Manufacturer Website Evaluation
Study – Wave 2) offering this capability.
Downloadable brochures are another area where differences in implementation impact the user experience. Subaru’s
approach is easy – one click from the homepage to brochures on the entire vehicle line up going back several years.
As a counter-example, Audi requires users to register for eBrochures. Audi gets more information this way, but
since many people are reluctant to provide personal information online, this extra step must kill Audi’s download
rates. At the very least, they should make the form less imposing by asking for only name and email.
Even site maps can be suboptimally implemented. The convention for site maps is clear: the phrase “site map” in the
page footer links to a page laying out the site structure in an easily readable (and clickable) text format. Site maps
help people find information quickly and are also considered good practice for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
While most automotive sites follow this convention, some deviate. The site maps for Acura and Mercury are linked
under the help section, somewhat defeating the purpose. HUMMER, Scion, and Volkswagen don’t have one at all,
at least not that I could find. And MINI’s site map
is overly complex: it doesn’t lay out all the content at a glance, forcing the user to click through a representation of
the site navigation. I might as well just go through the actual menus.
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Moving to other tools, Ford offers a great interface for its quote request process. The standard mechanism is a basic
set of text fields, but Ford’s looks like a configurator. It makes me almost want to submit an RFQ.
Finally, I liked Lincoln’s inventory search tool for new vehicles. It’s easy to use and has a nice visual interface.
Inventory search in general is tricky, as it involves considerable coordination with dealers, but Lincoln has pulled it
off in this case.
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Even as OEM brand sites continue to forge ahead with the newest and greatest content and tools, they must continue
to also look for simple adjustments that can dramatically impact usability. Periodically checking in on the
competition can be helpful on both counts.
Join Us in Las Vegas!
Please join us at the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas from October 7-9 for the 4th annual Automotive Internet
Roundtable. This event is aimed at anyone connected to the automotive Internet, including retailers, OEMs,
agencies, and automotive Web sites (including you, since you're reading this blog). Industry experts and thought
leaders will discuss the present and future of the Web and its impact on the vehicle transaction process, covering
such topics as:
Search: What you're doing wrong and why you're wasting money
Social Media, User Generated Content and Dealer Reputation Management including Online Ratings
Video Utilization…Rich Media Content and Ad Supported Video
Best practices and successes from colleagues abroad and from non-Automotive case studies
Creative Advertising Awards: the best of the auto industry
The event is also a unique opportunity to network and meet with your peers throughout the industry - last year, we
drew almost 700 participants from around the country.
For more information or to register, please click here.
More…
Shaun Raines' Dealer Advisor Blog
Which Video Sites Are Best?
Which Video Sites Deliver the Most Views?
YouTube dominates, with fierce competition among the rest.
Thursday 17th of July 2008 12:00:00 AM
YouTube's market share is large, but less clear is whether a typical video uploaded to YouTube gets more
views than videos uploaded elsewhere. Curious, we turned to the data, which is unequivocal: on average,
videos uploaded to YouTube consistently get more views than any other site, regardless of category.
Methodology
Taking a sample of 200,143 videos currently being tracked by TM, we compared average cumulative views
with respect to different video sites and categories. To prevent a video's age from skewing the averages,
the time period was fixed at the first 90 days since the video was originally published. The following sites
were compared: Crackle, DailyMotion, MetaCafe, MySpace, Revver, StupidVideos, Yahoo! and YouTube
(newer partners such as Viddler, Howcast and Vimeo were excluded because we are just beginning to
collect data for them).
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Results
Average 90 day cumulative views, broken down by site (and rounded to the nearest tenth):
Site Average Cumulative Views - 90 Days
YouTube 3092.2
Yahoo! 699.9
Veoh 662.8
MetaCafe 518.2
MySpace 343.7
DailyMotion 219.9
Revver 188.9
Crackle 142.3
StupidVideos 126.1
Averages by video category:
Category Average Cumulative Views - 90 Days
Autos 1501.8
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Entertainment 1293.1
Comedy 1267.2
Arts & Animation 1106.3
Animals & Pets 1075.1
Science &
794.6
Technology
Sports 745.1
How-To 432.4
Video Games 418.8
Family & Kids 328.1
News & Blogs 302.8
Vlogs 259.1
Travel 157.3
Commercials 124
Conclusions
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YouTube's dominance is clear enough from the data, but equally interesting is the fierce competition on
the periphery, with Veoh, Yahoo! and MetaCafe all vying for top spots. Out of 15 video categories, Yahoo!
came in second place six times, followed by MetaCafe (five) and Veoh (four). MetaCafe's performance is
particularly impressive, given that they have a stricter definition of what counts as a "view," only counting
one per IP address (see our other research report here).
Broken down by video category, some results are surprising. MySpace, for instance, only ranks fourth in
the music category, behind YouTube, Yahoo! and Veoh, respectively. "Autos" received the greatest
average views per video out of all categories in the sample, making car-related content perhaps the
most neglected category out there. "News" having such a low average seems mostly to be caused by a
glut in news content: 13.4% of all videos in the sample are categorized as news, making it the third most
commonly-occurring category.
While YouTube dominates the averages, sites other than YouTube still control a great deal of the audience
out there. Adding up the site averages, a video producer could almost double their audience by also
distributing to the additional sites listed.
More…
Please Support ADM Professional Community Sponsors!
Please enjoy the YouTube Automotive Related Videos Below...
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Hello, Ralph Paglia!
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Quick Add…
About Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community
Ralph Paglia created this social network on Ning.
Automotive Digital Marketing serves Car Dealers, Internet Sales, BDC and OEM Managers, Advertising,
Web Site, CRM and Technology Suppliers as an online exchange for strategy, tactics, best practices,
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resources and contacts within the auto industry.
Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community Badge
Spread the word. Get your own Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community badge for your website or
MySpace page. (Get Code)
Get More Badges
Free SEO Analysis!
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Consulting Services
Ralph Paglia can be booked through ADP for a variety of services:
Speaking sessions at industry conferences, dealer association meetings and automotive related gatherings.
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Powerful workshops
where dealership managers leave with definitive action plans and the knowledge needed to get them done.
Car Company consulting
services that ensure your measurable program objectives are met within the budget and time specified.
In-Dealership Onsite Consulting
and guidance including Ralph's assessment of your current eBusiness and CRM operations, practices and
organizational structure.
Complete Marketing Strategy review
and subsequent management consulting sessions where a new, more effective marketing investment budget is crafted
and an action plan built to implement tactics and techniques to better leverage every dollar spent by a dealer or dealer
group.
Contact Ralph Paglia at:
cell: 1-505-301-6369
Email: RPaglia@gmail.com
Free SEO Report
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ASP buy a car car dealer forums car invoice price car ratings car reviews Career Center Certification chevrolet Dodge edmonds.com
edmunds auto guide edmunds car price guide Internet lead management online lead people profitability sem web
marketing
Grab this swicki from eurekster.com
You can check out Philip Zellinger's AdAgencyOnline.net in a new browser window by clicking the logo below:
*****************************************
Digital Marketing Links
We will display links in this section that may be of interest or could be put to good use by our members. Please
send links and site descriptions to Ralph Paglia using the message system at the top of the page.
SEM Dealer
SEMdealer.com allows you to enter your site's URL and receive a search engine ranking analysis on Google, Yahoo
and MSN sent to you in a useful matrix format that uses keywords generated from your dealership name and
location.
Social Media Optimization A blog focused on using social media networks to improve search engine rankings.
i-Lead Control
Many dealers make the mistake of paying for duplicate leads every month. i-Lead Control is a system designed to
automate the tracking of duplicate leads so ISM's can focus more time on selling cars, and less time on tracking
duplicate leads.
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BZ Results
You've heard the raving fans, and the raving critics! But until you investigate this group of car guys and their unique
holistic system approach to Digital Marketing, you'll never understand why so many big Internet Volume dealers use
BZ Results Digital Marketing Systems.
Automotive Internet Resource iSMToday is a blog that brings news of interest to internet sales managers.
AI Dealer
Brian Hoecht's cutting edge technology converts site visitors into online car buying customers using an innovative
shopping cart approach.
Ford National eBusiness Weekly
This is a powerful online tool for Ford and Lincoln Mercury ISM's and BDC Managers which provides multiple
tools, resources and guidance on how to manage Internet Sales operations.
FordSEM.com
is an online enrollment form for Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers to enter the URL they want to check and then
receive a report that Ford pays for showing the organic ranking of their dealership web site in the 3 major search
engines when key words are used that combine FLM makes and models with the names of communities near the
dealership's location. This is a nice gift from your partners at Ford's Digital Marketing Team in Dearborn.
BZ Results Dealers and User Community
This is an online community set up as an exchange o best practices and ideas relevant to Internet Sales Professionals
working in dealership where a BZ Results Digital Marketing System has been installed.
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Automotive News Feed
Dealers, automakers launch fuel-saving effort
Automakers and dealers today helped launch a campaign aimed at reducing fuel use by persuading consumers to
drive smarter and take better care of their vehicles.
GM confirms employee discounts in incentive plan
General Motors says it will offer employee discounts to everyone starting Wednesday, Aug. 20. The sale will apply
to all of GM's eight brands.
GM to offer employee-level pricing on Chevy models
General Motors will offer employee-level pricing on nearly 90 percent of inventory for its main Chevrolet brand as
part of a new nationwide sales promotion, a dealer briefed on the plans said on Monday. The offer starts Wednesday,
runs until Sept.
VW, Porsche to meet over worker representation
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Executives and union representatives from Volkswagen and Porsche plan to meet on September 10 to try and settle a
dispute over employee representation. VW's union is fighting for its workers to have more say at Porsche, which
plans to take over VW.
India's Mahindra says not pursuing Hummer
Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd., India's top utility vehicle maker, is not interested in buying General Motors' Hummer
brand, but will instead focus on its own models for the key U.S. market, a senior official said. "There has been a lot
of speculation.
New Golf is pride of VW
Martin Winterkorn can't hide his pride when he talks about the new Golf. "Inside this car is all the love Volkswagen
has," the VW group CEO said at a presentation here of the sixth generation of Europe's best-selling car.
Collin: Peugeot will see growth
Jean-Philippe Collin is confident that Peugeot will help parent company PSA/Peugeot-Citroen meet its ambitious
growth targets.
Carmakers cut product plans
Carmakers are canceling or postponing planned new cars because of the economic downturn. Renault, Opel and
BMW are among car companies stopping or delaying planned new models due to difficult economic conditions.
China is poised to be VW's No. 1 market
Volkswagen group expects to sell more cars in China than Germany this year, making the country the carmaker's No.
1 market. Despite slowing growth in June, VW group is on track to sell more than 1.
Ford sees strong 2nd half in Europe
Ford of Europe believes new products and strong sales in Russia will help it grow further in the second half of 2008.
The European division of Ford Motor boosted first-half pre-tax profit to $1.3 billion (867 million) from $481
million.
More…
Paul Rushing's ISMinTraining.com Blog
Automotive Social Networking - Starting to Gain Traction, Finally…
Automotive Social Networking is gaining ground in the Industry at an alarming rate. I did a post here in the past, you
will find the link below, that discussed how much room there was for improvement in this sector and now since
taking on affiliation with http://drivingsales.com feel that it is time to revisit [...]
Consumers are Talking - Everywhere…
There has been a lot of talk lately about consumer ratings. Sites have been created that target buyer reviews of
dealerships and personnel. The topic has been beat to death on other blogs and even here. These sites do bring value
to the dealership in a small way if they can encourage [...]
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Selling Cars Through Reputation Management
A good friend of mine, Tom White Jr., shared a story that bears repeating here. It is a real testament to managing
your online reputation. A customer came on the lot today and bought a car. They would not deal with any of my
other staff or sales people and when I asked why they wanted [...]
Marketing without Selling
Providing value without a sales pitch is a stronger form of persuasion than any well designed marketing campaign. It
shows competence in what you do and people will seek out your services. It is the strongest form of permission
based marketing. Marketing without leading with a sales pitch is a strong testament to [...]
Social Networking vs Print Media
Social Networking in the Car business is finally starting to take traction in a huge way. There are several Automotive
Social Networking sites geared to the online community of industry professionals who make their living on the
Internet. Publications in the industry have tried to attract this same type of user base and [...]
Will the Old School Learn the “Nu Rulz”?
Historic Blockbuster Store Offers Glimpse Of How Movies Were Rented In The Past Times have changed
tremendously since I entered the automotive industry in 1990. The business has a life of it’s own. Things come and
things go. When I first got in the business trucks did not have maroney labels with prices, cars still had [...]
A Mixed Message from Someone “In the Know”
Almost daily I receive UCE (unsolicited commercial email) and I am sure most that read this blog do as well. I have
even done some post in the past about how the vendors in the industry do not follow the CAN SPAM Act. But what
is amazing is when I receive UCE from [...]
What does the future hold for the automotive industry?
“Markets everywhere follow three stages— innovators, imitators, and swarming incompetents..” Warren Buffet
December 22, 2005 in an address to the Harvard Business School. I love to rant and laugh while others enjoy
lamenting and drama. That is just human nature. We all have our styles. One thing is certain, times are changing [...]
Is the Long Tail Important in Automotive SEO?
One thing is for sure not everyone in the Automotive Online Marketing Niche will ever agree on all things. I have
actually become good friends with an individual a little over a year ago debating the power of the “Long Tail”
keywords. For those that do not know what the term Long Tail refers to [...]
Automotive Email Marketing - Are you getting it right?
As an internet marketer I maintain several large mailing list and use them for marketing products and services.
Mostly in the Identity Theft Niche and the Make Money Online Niche. One of the most critical parts of these online
marketing properties is the list that is built around them and the email marketing [...]
More…
Digital Marketing Consulting
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