Recent Articles

I’ve been spending time thinking of new ways to assist car dealers brand themselves on the Internet and to promote their excellence in sales and service online. If 85% of all new car purchases start online, then dealers need to get their message in the path of consumers shopping online.  Nothing could be better than strong peer reviews!

Many articles on the Internet have discussed Automotive Internet Reputation Management and the importance of checking what consumers are writing about you on the Internet.  Still many dealers fail to read even what is posted or rolled-up on Google Maps.  Automotive Reputation Management must be a standard operating procedures for car dealers in 2010.

Hare Chevrolet RMP

I would like to offer some new twists on this discuss with the concept of a Reputation Management Portal (RMP).  In the example shown above, we have taken a simple WordPress website and consolidated links to popular review websites.   Each icon is linked to the specific review page for our client Hare Chevrolet. 

Here is an overview of the Reputation Management Portal (RMP):

1. The site is created on a great branding URL, like www.iloveharechevy.com
2. The dealer can print up postcards and give them to happy customers marketing this catchy URL.
3. The single URL can be easily promoted offline and also by email.
4. The review website icons that you show and the order that they appear can be changed.
5. You can add your streaming Dealerrater reviews as a tab, as shown on this site.
6. You can add your Facebook Fan Page stream as a tab, as shown on this site.
7. You can add your YouTube video channel of testimonials, if they exist.
8. You can add your Twitter stream as a sidebar widget.
9. You can add a quote form for consumers who stumble upon you site and want a car.
10. You can add popular links in the sidebar to drive traffic to your main website.
11. You can add blog posts to the site to highlight written testimonials that arrive via email or postal mail.

If  Hare Chevrolet prints up postcards that promote this website www.iloveharechevy.com, you can bet that their service advisors will be able to identify happy customers to hand the card as ask for their assistance.  That’s dozens of postcards in people’s hands each day. 

You can bet that your sales managers know who the customers that are very excited about their purchase experience.  Instead of just handing out a card for one review website, why not create your own Reputation Management Portal postcard and drive reviews where they are needed most.

The great thing about the RMP being a WordPress website, is that anyone can add or change icons to promote higher review counts on new websites.  Once this is set in place, you don’t need a programmer to get involved.  

This will allow you to direct review traffic to different websites throughout the year to have a wider branding influence since there are about 10 review websites that should be included in a comprehensive IRM strategy.

If you like this idea, and would like a RMP constructed for your dealership, its very easy and simple to manage.  I have a few other ideas to help dealers in 2010 increase their brand visibility online.

We’ll have some “killer” strategies revealed at the Automotive Marketing Boot Camp  in Orlando the day before the official start of NADA Convention.  If you are going to NADA, fly in on the 11th and register for an intense day of social media and digital marketing education.

I hope to see you there….

Brian Pasch, CEO of the Pasch Consulting Group (PCG), says a surge of interest by car dealers in Digital Marketing Services bodes well for digital marketing firms in 2010. Based on data collected in a recent study underwritten by PCG, Pasch predicts the Automotive industry will experience a swift and significant increase in advertising dollars allocated towards Digital Marketing strategies. 

During the last month of 2009, calls to the Pasch Consulting Group researching Automotive Internet Marketing strategies was at an all time high.  According to Brian Pasch, over 50 car dealer store locations contracted with his company in the past 30 days looking for assistance with social media, automotive SEO, blogging, press releases, microsites and pay-per-click marketing.

Among the dealerships welcomed by Pasch Consulting are Checkered Flag Auto Group in Virginia Beach, Miller Automotive Group of California, a division of Group 1 Automotive, Jerry Durant Auto Group of Texas, the Rairdon Automotive Group in Washington and Park Avenue Motors in New Jersey.

Furthermore, a recent study commissioned by the Pasch Consulting Group revealed that over 50% of US auto dealers have less than 20% of their total ad spending allocated towards Internet Marketing.   According to Pasch, car dealers could shift 20-30% of their non-digital marketing to online digital services by the end of the year.

Based on this study and dealers’ rising interests in online marketing, Pasch predicts that 2010 will see one of the largest budget shifts towards the Internet.  “We predict that over the next two years, tens of millions of dollars will be pumped into digital marketing strategies and social media marketing by car dealers.” says Pasch.  “Dealers want to be in front of the growing number of consumers researching cars online before making a purchasing decision.  Getting their brand in front of consumers using social media tools and platforms like Facebook is also a hot topic for car dealers.”

To meet this growing demand for online marketing strategies and advice on digital spending, the Pasch Consulting Group is co-sponsoring an Automotive Marketing Boot Camp.  The one-day hands-on skills based training will include classes in social media, search engine optimization, video marketing, pay-per-click marketing and microsites.

The Boot Camp is schedule for February 12, 2010 and is one day prior to the official start of the 2010 NADA Convention in Orlando Florida.  Automotive professionals looking to enhance their 2010 digital marketing strategies are encourage to fly into Orlando a day early and attend the Boot Camp.  The event will be held at the Rosen Centre Hotel adjacent to the Convention hall.

Boot Camp classes will be lead by the industry’s leading experts in all categories, including Brian Pasch, JD Rucker, Eric Mayhew, Paul Rushing and Tim Jennings.  Pasch is also taking appointments from dealer professionals who want to meet with him to discuss digital marketing strategy development for 2010. 

Complete information on the Automotive Marketing Boot Camp can be found online at: http://www.automotivemarketingbootcamp.com

In today’s tough economy, companies are under extraordinary pressure to succeed…and to succeed quickly. Some thrive under such pressure. Others falter and get pushed aside. 

The new buzz words on the street are SEO, IRM and social media; all which promise to drive more customers to your website.  In all the articles we have read, one simple element is left out; how the calls are being handled!

Do you have a system in place for call center training, monitoring and skills development?  The single most important resource a company has is its people. So, the more focused and driven employees are, the more likely a company is to be successful.

Companies should not assume that their employees have the organizational phone skills to move a prospect into a sale.  Call center management strategies and procedure manuals are an important part of your total CRM solution.

Listening to Tracking Numbers

Many car dealers and business owners own a few dozen call tracking numbers from companies such as CallSource or WhosCalling.  These numbers are placed on different websites, newspaper ads or print publications.  These calls are recorded and can be played back via a web browser to review how calls are being handled by your staff. 

The fact though is that many business owners have not set processes in place to score the calls to improve their customer service and sales processes.  Companies are driving more calls and web visits through SEO, SEM and Social Media but have neglected to test new call scripts and to measure the impact of professionally managed call center operations.

Do you have a weekly process in place to listen to a subset of your sales, service and parts calls?

Improved Performance Solutions

If you are looking for an outside review of your call center operations, we recommend Improved Performance Solutions.  Their company helps executives, managers and teams refine their interpersonal and management skills to achieve their goals and get results.  This includes call center management and measurement as well as a review of your entire customer experience.

Their company can asssist your business improve CSI and sales; call them if:

• You are new to management and want to hone your leadership style
• You are an experienced manager and need new management tools to further your career
• You or your company needs to re-energize its leadership
• Your company’s teams and departments need help working more efficiently and effectively
• You need an evaluation on your call center processes
• You would like them to develop call center training materials.

Let IPS be your coach.  They can help you identify and resolve any issues that may be blocking your path to success so you can focus more fully on achieving your short and long-term goals.

Call 732-261-5472 for additional information on the services that IPS can offer your business.

Improved Performance Solutions
16 Mt Bethel Rd #181
Warren, NJ 07069
www.ipsforyou.com