If you have any doubts about the power of Social Networking just look at the results from this year's election. The Obama campaign was the first to utilize it and they raised a new record of $150 million in September up from their previous high of $66 million. A major part of that was accomplished through Social Networking utilizing everything from their presence on Image via CrunchBase, Twitter, My Space etc to name a few to connecting with people who held rallys in their homes and neighbourhoods. They also encouraged people to download phone lists and make calls and even offered the ability to "mine" your personal phonebook and match up demopgraphics and then download that to your iPhone as a list to make calls when you had time. The McCain campaign eventually saw the power of this and has jumped in with both feet. The benefit has been the personal touch and the empowerment that cannot be retracted and has made everything more transparent now and in the future.
This has the same application to the Auto Industry and by engaging and interacting with your customers in a meaningful way that is important to them you will reap the benefits. Get a blog going and a presence in the Social Networking world and you will find that you will build lasting relationships that result in more sales and a higher gross profit that everyone has been looking for in this new economy. Don't you buy from people you have a relationship with and trust ? What if they referred you to a relative or friend that was in the market for a car, would that increase the likelihood of making a deal ?
To read more on the election and social networking:
In order to maintain a competitive edge, corporations are increasingly looking for opportunities to make them stand out. Although traditional media serves as a solid medium that disperses company messaging to the world, the trends of information consumption are evolving. After some initial hesitancy, corporations are slowly starting to realize that it is important to jump on the virtual bandwagon of blogging. This medium represents the missing ingredient that traditional media lacks: the ability to directly connect a company to its customers.
As of February 2008, 54 companies listed on the Fortune 500 have corporate blogs (source). I had the great honor of interviewing the social media gurus behind three of the top companies with blogs: Michael Brito, Social Media Strategist at Intel, LaSandra Brill, Manager, Web & Social Media Marketing at Cisco, and Tac Anderson, Web 2.0 Strategic Lead at Hewlett Packard (HP).
Below is the information Intel, Cicso and HP have provided me regarding how their companies utilize blogging to connect with their customers.
Why is Blogging Crucial to Corporations?
What is the first image your mind conjures up when a brand is mentioned? Is it the logo, the jingle on the advertisement or the experience you previously had with the brand? Blogging allows current and potential consumers to associate the brand with a face and a personality. It bridges the distant gap that has existed between the “inaccessible” company and the “average” consumer. Brito said, “It’s a way for us to appear less corporate and put a human face when we interact online. We believe people relate more effectively to other people instead of a logo or corporate brand.”
Additionally, the blog is a representation of the company’s values, beliefs, philosophy and direction. If they are involved in a medium that encourages a two-way conversation, it shows their consumers that they care about their opinions. Brill noted, “Blogging lets us communicate with our customers in a more personal and direct way. But more importantly, blogging gives us a much needed way for customers to communicate with us. Customers are able to interact with comments and potentially provide valuable feedback or insight that can be brought back into the business.”
Although direct interaction with customers is an incredible incentive, there are many other benefits to blogging. It has the power to position employees as thought-leaders in their industry, to assist in reputation management during crises; to build brand awareness and loyalty; and to increase brand visibility, traffic and links.
The problem with so many web sites today is that they are built around an advertising model – but the wrong kind. As a result, business owners are throwing away money hand over fist when they could be pulling in tons of qualified, interested prospects and customers.
If you want your web site to capture more quality leads, this article is for you. You see, there are two types of advertising, but only one kind of web site. Unfortunately, most web site designers don’t seem to know this.
By Steve Finlay WardsAuto.com, Sep 5, 2008 8:38 AM
COSTA MESA, CA – Car dealers spend a bundle on conventional advertising, yet balk at small allocations for Internet marketing efforts.
That baffles Todd Stainbrook, even though he says he understands the dealer “mindset” after spending much of his Ford Motor Co. career in the field.
“Same-brand auto dealers at regional marketing meetings will approve millions of dollars on co-operative TV ads,” he says. “But then, when there’s a proposal to spend $25,000 on digital advertising, you’ve never heard so many skeptical questions.”
His job as digital integration manager for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands is to nudge dealers into the brave new world of digital marketing and make it a foundation of their ad plans.
“We’ve made a lot of progress but we have a lot to do,” he says at ENG’s annual automotive customer relationship management conference here. “There’s a lot of room for improvement.”
Stainbrook adds: “The days are changing from dealers saying, ‘I must have a TV (ad) plan, I must be in newspapers, I must do direct mailing, and, oh yeah, what about digital?’”
Still, he adds, many dealers have a last in, first out mentality when it comes to such marketing that ranges from online banner ads to search-engine marketing.
Digital marketing has become a $28 billion part of the ad industry. But at 11.5%, it accounts for the lowest portion of automotive advertising, Stainbrook says.
Still, many dealers – some faster than others – are “getting it,” he says. “I’ve seen a whole new perspective. Dealers today are much more receptive. You can’t escape that huge online presence. In a few years, there will not be a digital discussion anymore.”
Because Ford reaches 70% of its buyers online, “we want to make sure we are relevant to them,” he says.
Relevance is essential when dealing with the younger generation of Internet-savvy car buyers, he says. “Their expectations are high, they are focused on themselves and they are shocked if they get something that’s not relevant.”
As Internet marketing evolves, “we’re beyond, ‘Why digital?’’ he says. “Today, there is no arguing with it. Now, it is a question of what to do next.”
Also evolving are opinions on the best way for dealerships to interact with Internet customers. Responding quickly to their emails once was – and largely is – considered a must.
“But it’s not all about speed,” Stainbrook says. “The mantra used to be: ‘I’ve got to respond to their emails within five minutes.’ That helps. But consumers are looking for information. If all you are interested in is speed, you are missing out on opportunities.
“If consumers, who’ve done their homework, email you with questions, and you quickly reply, ‘When can you come into the dealership? I’m here until 9,’ that speedy response isn’t going to impress them.”
He cites what dealerships should do online to enhance the chances of a sale. Some of those “key drivers” are:
Show real interest.
Give pricing. That remains an issue with some dealerships, but Stainbrook says 72% of Internet users who readily get prices online end up buying.
Confirm vehicle availability. When that’s done, 75% of customers buy vehicles.
Make multiple contacts, including long-term follow ups. “The reality is that people are in the market a long time, so you need a robust CRM (customer relationship management) application that will follow up for a long time,” Stainbrook says.
As part of my training and consultancy with OneCommand, a leading national automotive CRM marketing company with headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio and Costa Mesa, California, I've produced a video titled " Simplifying Fixed Operations Marketing" based upon my recent White Paper by the same name. (a pdf copy of this White Paper is available for download on this Blog). This short 17 minute video highlights the key elements considered to be the basis of a truly solid marketing strategy within the service department of a U.S. automotive dealership.
A concurrent theme that comes out in all of videos and the White Paper is the need of sound management and processes within the service drive. Both videos that focus on the Service Drive, as well as the White Paper, key in on how important this is. From a consulting standpoint, a real depth of knowledge of processes is CRITICAL towards the success of a dealership's fixed operations department and goes hand in hand with having a depth of knowledge in marketing and CRM marketing systems and strategies.
A case in point would be Freeman Motors, a Toyota/Lexus dealership in Santa Rosa, California. Without selling flushes or other added-value chemicals, and without discounting their Oil, Lube and Filter services, they are able to maintain one of the highest customer retention rates in the country. (Based upon their monthly response analysis reports within their CRM software system). Dan McNamee, the Service Manager at Freeman Motors, speaks to processes in both videos.
Another individual interviewed for the Simplifying Fixed Operations Marketing video is Dominic Campanelli, Fixed Operations Director of the Sullivan Auto Group. A brilliant industry leader, Dominic has a clarity of understanding when it comes to micro-marketing (another acronym for segmentation marketing) and service drive processes.
I have been very involved in the sustainable food movement for several years now. Events in my life in 2009 caused me to meditate and reflect on what I could do to give my body and mind the best food possible. The conclusion was that the only diet that makes sense is a Vegan one. Easier said than done in our society and now I am dedicated to changing the landscape a person at a time. You can contact ,me through this blog or by email or mobile.
abird7820@gmail.com
415-717-5079
Image via CrunchBase, Twitter, My Space etc to name a few to connecting with people who held rallys in their homes and neighbourhoods. They also encouraged people to download phone lists and make calls and even offered the ability to "mine" your personal phonebook and match up demopgraphics and then download that to your iPhone as a list to make calls when you had time. The McCain campaign eventually saw the power of this and has jumped in with both feet. The benefit has been the personal touch and the empowerment that cannot be retracted and has made everything more transparent now and in the future.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sE8Uhr8yX5KKQ5VNeSH3lS3-q_ZPCbPIM010cKftN5sNiSHLtw1WfvceyGBj_aevRlm-Y5Vcv_lbwDcY1SSU-jWskXE_O_4N67F_9XKLQeNnI0GyHERJxUUHCYK64ph1kaS5mOkmKOTsz5IGzyB0cm=s0-d)
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