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The Digital Dealer Conference being held this April in Orlando will cover the latest developments in Internet Reputation Management strategies.  Brian Pasch, CEO of PCG Digital Marketing, will deliver an in-depth presentation focusing on proactive reputation management techniques that will establish a winning online strategy for auto dealers in 2010. 

Pasch will review and demonstrate the most effective IRM strategies that car dealers can implement at a low cost that deliver a high ROI. Guests of Pasch’s presentation will also learn what other car dealers are doing to increase their positive customer reviews on Google Maps, DealerRater, Presto Reviews, InsiderPages and other important review websites. 

According to Pasch, Internet Reputation Management will be one of the key metrics for success in 2010 and beyond.  Add to this mix new mobile phone technology that can reward consumers for on-site reviews and it becomes very clear why dealers in 2010 need a reputation management policy and strategy.  

“The Internet has empowered consumers with new tools to express their satisfaction and dissatisfaction with car dealers online. Dozens of consumer review websites now appear on Google page one for searches on a car dealer’s business name. I recommend that all dealers look to see what is being written online about them,” says Pasch. 

Brian Pasch is the founder and CEO of PCG Digital Marketing, formerly the Pasch Consulting Group. He is a respected member of the automotive digital marketing community and an active writer and lecturer.  His expertise in automotive SEO, social media and Internet reputation management have made him a popular name among dealers looking for strategic digital marketing advice.

To learn about the automotive SEO services of PCG Digital Marketing, visit http://www.pcgdigitalmarketing.com .  For more information on automotive Internet Reputation Management strategies, visit http://www.automotiveirm.com/

About the Digital Dealer Conference

The annual Digital Dealer Conference attracts hundreds of dealership attendees that are looking to learn more about Internet and technology-related issues.  Speakers who are experts in the field of Automotive Digital Marketing present seminars which help forward thinking dealerships stay ahead of the ever changing technology curve.   For registration or sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.digitaldealerconference.com/

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….

Today consumers have tremendous power to write and express their opinions online.  This power is sometimes abused and car dealerships can be attacked without a fair chance to respond or rectify the complaint.  Another source for concern for car dealers are ex-employees who have decided to attack their former employer online.

In these cases, employees decide to hang out the employer’s dirty laundry, that most companies, have in the public eye.  In the automotive industry, consumers would be hard pressed to put in perspective some of the behinds the scenes “language”  or strategies crafted by car dealers.  

Former employees use this knowledge to paint their former employer as a bad person, a liar or characterizations that are much worse.

Car Dealer Reputation Management

Car Dealer executives and owners need to have a proactive Internet Reputation Management campaign in place to defend their good name.  In the summer of 2009 we were approached to help one automotive executive fight back against the unsubstantiated claims of online bloggers, many of which were former employees.  Five months later, the results of our Automotive Reputation Management strategies are paying off.

When you do a search for Carol Grossinger, on Yahoo and Bing, the first page of search results now display the good works Caroline is doing in the community as well as leading her business.  This summer there were multiple attacks on Caroline’s reputation that appeared on Yahoo and Bing Page One search results.  That has been corrected by the IRM team at the Pasch Consulting Group.

10 out of the 10 organic listings for Carol’s name on Yahoo and Bing now properly represent her integrity, business success and her charitable work in the community.

In Yahoo and Bing, we have a complete Page One Management (POM) success story and you can see that from the screen shots below:

Google and Rip Off Report Website

On Google we have 9 out of the 10 organic listings on Page One updated with positive news except for the infamous “RipOffReport.com” website.  Google and this website have a long history of high rankings and this site is challenging to remove from Page One.  It will be pushed off of page one over time but it is not a fast process for some posts.

When stubborn posts like this “compliants” site are on Google Page One, we have to employ even stronger measures to promote our clients reputation.  The owner of the RipOffReport.com has allegedly been extorting cash from companies with negative posts for years and has been tied up in many lawsuits that allege the same.  There is no rational discussions with the staff at the RipOffReport.com; their business is tied to being on page one for company name or executive name searches.

The good news is that we are making progress as you can see from the screenshot below; the negative website is now under the fold when before it was #2 on the first page.  The photos were never there before we started and new videos that we will be adding will also help in 2010.

If you or your automotive dealership has been attacked by former employees or disgruntled consumers, give the IRM team at Pasch Consulting Group a call.  You can ask for Jessica Guida, IRM specialist or Brian Pasch, CEO and founder of the company.  We will review your specific situation and help you implement a proactive Internet Reputation Management (IRM) solution.