Automotive Advertising Agencies Use Social Networks and Search Engine Algorithms to Sell More Cars
Automotive advertising agencies are challenged to provide more for less to serve a consolidating auto industry and today’s Internet has provided them with the media and the methods to do it. Budget conscious consumers are firmly in the driving seat on the Internet Super Highway and auto dealers have directed their marketing messages to their online showrooms vs. their brick and mortar facilities to get their attention. More accurately, they are following their customers onto the World Wide Web and hoping that their past and pending customers will find them there.The days of hard sell retail messages in conventional media like radio, T.V. and newspaper as well as dealer-centric banner ads and websites promoting daily dealer specials are numbered. Today’s car shoppers have been empowered by the search engines to filter out dealer messages in favor of information on exactly the new or pre-owned vehicle they are searching for. In addition, Social networking communities of online friends have rallied their support and opinions to help car shoppers decide what they should buy and from which dealership they should buy it from. After all, what are friends for!The consumers’ new found source of information on the Internet to assist them in their car shopping process hasn’t replaced the need for automotive advertising agencies in the retail auto industry, but it certainly has changed their role in it and the methods that they must use to earn their agency fees. The first adjustment that an automotive advertising agency must make in their business model is to recognize that the internal profits that they used to realize in their radio, T.V. and print production departments can no longer be supported by their auto dealer clients. Reduced sales volume and profit margins on the auto dealers’ side of the table demand a better R.O.I. for every dollar and while these departments are still required to produce digital marketing material for online campaigns the production costs must be a fraction of previous pricing to remain competitive with the newly developing online resources that an auto dealer has access to.The agency must still provide creative that is relevant to the market and they must define the target audience that would be most receptive to it, but once again the World Wide Web has changed the rules and automotive advertising agencies must learn what they are and follow them. Top of the mind awareness is still job one for automotive advertising agencies who understand that they can’t time the buying cycle for everyone on the Internet Super Highway and therefore they must maintain a consistent message across multiple channels to be on the short list when the customer is ready to purchase a vehicle. Diversification across multiple media and frequency of targeted messages to qualified buyers isn’t a new practice but the methods, media and skill sets required to get the job done have changed.Networking and the related referrals and sales sourced from it has been an integral component of internal selling processes for auto dealers since the first vehicle was sold but it has had little to do with conventional advertising — until now that is. Social networking and the related Internet media channels that have grown to support it are now a primary target audience for automotive advertising agencies. Word of mouth advertising has grown exponentially as viral messages travel through social networking channels with the opinions of like minded car shoppers who use these online communities of friends to share their car shopping experiences before, during and after their buying cycle.Initial attempts by automotive advertising agencies to market to these social networks from the outside through the use of banner ads or as wolves in sheep’s clothing trying to invade a network of friends were soundly rejected. Members valued each other’s opinions and shared experiences over a self serving auto dealer or their automotive advertising agency.Monetizing social networking has been a challenge but new technologies that integrate established marketing channels with social networks from the inside out have provided the solution. ronsmap, for example, is a game changing consumer-centric online inventory marketing platform that embeds a social networking engine on their communal site as well as every vehicle posted on it by participating auto dealers. Their application, vBack, provides an Ask-a-Friend / Tell-a-Friend feature that solicits feedback from friends on the various social networks that an online car shopper trusts. These influences then act as agents of the auto dealer — without their knowledge — under the direction of a friend which allows the automotive advertising agency to market from the inside out vs. from the outside in. C2C marketing vs. B2C marketing is the key to monetizing social networking and ronsmap is a new technology based exit on the Internet Super Highway that has opened this new channel to auto dealers.In addition, ronsmap enhances the value of the leads generated from within the social networks by accumulating the information gathered through their SellersVantage application. In addition to the anticipated name, IP address and vehicle information requests their new Intelli-Leads include the online shopping selection and vehicle preferences of the initiating car shopper and the comments accumulated by his online network of friends. These enhanced leads allow the auto dealer to anticipate the needs of their potential customers before they open negotiations with them. As a result, the consumer is provided a more relevant and transparent vehicle selection in response to their initial inquiry and the auto dealer has a competitive edge to quote the best price on the best vehicle for the consumer. This is a win-win scenario that increases closing ratios and profits for the auto dealer while offering the consumer the advantage of the information and referrals he gathered from his online car shopping experience.The internet is far superior to conventional media on many levels and social networking is only one of the newest reasons. Automotive advertising agencies must be prepared to direct their clients beyond marketing through social media. They must also provide more than advice on search engine optimization, S.E.O., search engine marketing, S.E.M. and banner ad placements or transparent and relevant website designs. The search engines hold the key to the Internet and understanding the algorithms that determine the rules of the road on the Internet Super Highway that they control are the responsibility of the automotive advertising agency.Google, for example, has clearly stated the weight that they place on video vs. copy or other means of online digital marketing. Today’s Internet consumer grew up watching television and the explosive growth of YouTube proves that their preference for video has survived onto the World Wide Web. One vendor that has listened to Google and their subsidiary YouTube is SiSTeR Technologies with their Video CarLot platform. SiSTer is able to take the existing pictures and vehicle information posted on an auto dealer’s website and convert them into professionally produced videos.More importantly, their videos are fully index-able with multiple schema layers making them interactive and more transparent to the online car shopper. These videos are placed on the auto dealer’s website as well as any third party advertising sites that the auto dealer is linked to. In addition they are driven through a dedicated API to YouTube with individual URLs that extend the reach and frequency of the dealer’s inventory and marketing messages — a proven formula for success in conventional automotive advertising that also applies to Internet advertising.Automotive advertising agencies are not reinventing the wheel by extending their reach and frequency with consistent messages across multiple channels by leveraging access to social networks or by manipulating the algorithms on the search engines. They are simply applying proven and established advertising wisdoms and best practices to an auto industry that has only one constant — change!
A Stainless Steel Sink Purchase Guide For the Best Kitchen Improvement
If you’re planning to remodel your kitchen with the best modern amenities then you need to include a stainless steel sink on your list. Stainless steel sinks are the most commonly-used item in your kitchen; this is where you wash your dishes, kitchen implements, and ingredients. You need to make sure that you get one of high quality, durable enough to withstand use, and of course, with the right specifications to fit your taste.Why Go For Stainless Steel?Gone were the days that sinks are made of stone — cement, marble, or even ceramic. Today, sinks are made from stainless steel and all the benefits that come with it. For starters, stainless steel is a material that is well-known for its ability for durability. Don’t let it thin surface fool you; it is strong enough to withstand pressure and extreme heat. The material itself is immune to rusts and no stains will ever get a foothold on its surface. More importantly, stainless steel is a cheap material compared to marble and stones.Window ShoppingThe first step to any sink shopping expedition is to first see what is available in the market today. Determining the size of the area in your kitchen should be done after you have already picked one out from the choices.You can find these sinks in many home depot shops in your area; but the easiest way to scout for one is on the Internet. There are tons of home improvement sites that offers a wide variety of sink models — from single to double sink varieties with different add-ons and designs to cater to your wants and needs. Check them all out first before you plan on the other details to know what you want for your kitchen improvement.Don’t Base Your Purchase on Price AloneLet’s face it; we are always on the lookout for cheap priced wares, opting for quality goods at the lowest possible price. If you’re aiming for quality then you better dish out a sizable sum for it. Same can also be said for stainless steel sinks; you might want to opt for the expensive ones if you want to get the most use out it. If you picked right then you will end up with a product that caters to all your needs, durable enough to withstand use, and a longevity that should fit well with the investment. If you want to cut down on cost then you might want to scout around for discounts since there is always a possibility that some stores offer their sinks at a relatively low price.
Market Your Business Online – Or Go Out of Business by 2011
Doing business online is different than doing business offline. That seems obvious in some ways, but it is the not-so-obvious ways that can trip people up–especially in the early days of launching an Internet business, or marketing an offline business on the Internet. “Tripping” in business these days, could mean going right over the cliff.What I see a lot of people do when they first decide to market an existing business on the Internet, is create a website, and then work at telling people with whom they already come in contact (offline) to visit it to learn more. They might print the website URL on a business card, and then hand out the business cards wherever they go. Twenty…; fifteen…; even TEN years ago that was considered pretty savvy marketing.Not anymore.In essence, that approach is a lot like buying billboard space, or creating a glossy brochure, and then using traditional (non-Internet) methods of getting people to look at it directly. The “reach” of your message will be limited by the reach of your marketing. And, both billboards and printed materials are pricey as all get out. Who can afford that?Forget the “field of dreams” approach too (that is, “build it and they will come”)–it is a myth that will leave you in the dust, while all around you are Internet-savvy business owners, raking in the profits, because they learned HOW to market their businesses online. There is a HOW here. You with me?Simply starting a blog or building a website will NOT ensure that a prospective customer in another part of the city, state, country, or world will find YOU when they go a-Googling. Remember–most of your future customers do not have your printed business card, therefore they do not have your URL; to be blunt, they have no inkling that you exist. You can count on this though: they will find what they are looking for and they will spend their money–but it will not be with you.In order to get in the game, new Internet marketers must get up to speed quickly on how search engines actually work. The key is to understand what information your website (i.e, you) needs to feed to the search engines in order to be found and displayed in the search results.” ‘…Feed…the search engines?’ What do you mean?” This is more involved than the average Internet user/consumer has any reason to know or understand. It is the essential life-force, however, for a successful Internet marketer. Inside the biz it is called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. Fortunately, SEO is something that even Internet newbies can easily learn and master–with the right training and support.A Super-Short Intro To SEO: The whole point of using the Internet to market your business is so that you can leverage your time, resources, and actions for maximum ROI. In other words, you want to OPTIMIZE the search engine and its search activities to give your business top ranking and make sure it shows up ahead of the competition.Using SEO techniques, a few well-crafted, well-targeted (and mostly free) marketing actions will jettison your unique message, product and/or service out into the Internet universe in a matter of seconds. AND, (once you know what you are doing) you will understand how to “backlink” (an SEO term) everything that goes out, in such a way as to magnetize it and attract massive traffic back to your website or landing page, from the far corners of the Internet universe. Ta-da! Never in the history of the world has there been such an opportunity to connect searchers almost instantaneously with access to the very things they are searching for. We want that to be YOU!A Hard Pill To Swallow: The Internet has so revolutionized the way business is transacted today, that any business owner who does not get up to speed with this in 2010, will have a hard time surviving by 2011. That will be a particularly hard pill to swallow for businesses that did just fine (thank you very much) before the Internet came along. Those days are over. I’m just sayin’.