By: Nick Yocono
You may have heard that you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. But that may not be true, at least when it comes to your new car’s engine.
With gas prices continuing to rise, manufacturers have shifted away from the big engines in favor of smaller engines that produce improved mileage. At the same time, consumers don’t want to lose the power they were accustomed to getting from previous models. So, how do manufacturers give consumers the best of both worlds?
Ford has responded to this new demand with “Ecoboost”. These new engines boast the same specs in horsepower and torque as their bigger displacement opponents, but with much improved mileage and emissions. Ford is not the only one doing this either, other companies have also started utilizing this engine setup, under different names, for their new models. So what is the secret?
The answer is quite simple: turbochargers. A Turbocharger uses exhaust gasses to spin its turbine and suck more air into the engine. That, along with more fuel, will create bigger explosions in the cylinder and therefore more power will be generated. A Ford F-150 equipped with an “Ecoboost” engine has a twin-turbocharged V6 instead of the traditional V8. What the turbocharger allows the engine to do is act like a V6 and get mileage similar to one while driving around. Most of the time you don’t need full power from the engine, such as when you’re maintaining your speed or during deceleration. When you actually do need some power, the turbocharger can spool up and provide that extra boost in power to make the engine perform similarly to a V8. This equates to a engine that will get better mileage and perform the same as a bigger, naturally aspirated, competitor.
Engines similar to Ford’s “Ecoboost” are being used in various new cars. Dodge recently released its new Dart, which on certain models, comes equipped with a 1.4L MultiAir Turbo engine option. The Chevrolet Cruze is equipped with a 1.4L Turbo “Ecotec” engine option. Even luxury manufacturer BMW has switched out the inline six in their 3 series base models for 2.0L Turbo engines. These cars all boast similar performance with much improved mileage to their predecessors.
Fuel mileage is the name of the game when it comes to selling cars in today’s market. Each year more and more small engine turbos show up on the market. If you’re in the market for a new vehicle that gets better mileage than the one you drive now, be on the lookout for setups like these.
The CADEX East Conference announced that Paul Potratz, founder and COO of Potratz, will be a featured speaker when the conference meets on Friday, April 5, at the Casino Nova Scotia, in Halifax.
This is the second annual CADEX Spring Training event, and the speakers will be bringing industry-leading ideas on key topics to the Maritimes.
For more information on the 2013 CADEX East Conference, click here. For additional information on Potratz or to receive announcements of future speaking engagements, contact us now.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuusGBdLzkQ[/fve]
Google Offer Extensions is similar to Facebook Offers and is a must for any business owner and marketer. Be sure to sign up for Fact Finder Friday Google Hangout and Think Tank Tuesday. Follow us on Twitter @potratz
Last week, Facebook announced they would be launching verified Pages to “help people find the authentic accounts of celebrities and other high-profile people and businesses on Facebook.” Users will be able to distinguish which Pages are verified by a small blue check mark besides their name that will appear on timelines, in search results and everywhere on Facebook.
As of right now, this isn’t an option for everyone on Facebook and it is done automatically for a Page of a certain stature; currently it is only available for a small group of prominent people including celebrities, journalists, government officials, popular brand and businesses with larger audiences.
My guess is that eventually this will be rolled out to all business pages allowing them to verify their Facebook Page as legitimate. The benefit of this new feature is that a user will automatically be able to decipher between legitimate and fake Pages without having to do a lot of research. This could essentially help in the growth of Likes; since a user will have no question as to whether a page is real or not, they may be more likely to click to most sought after “Like” button.
Until this feature is available to all Facebook Pages, there are still some steps you can take to help your business page stand out. If you look at a business page, that little box underneath the business name is your holy grail, providing your fan with EVERYTHING they need to know about you!
- Make sure you add your category; just because you have a Facebook Page that represents your business name that does not mean that a user will automatically register what type of business you are. In addition, by adding this to your profile page, you also increase your chances of showing up in a Facebook search.
- The same goes for your address. If you don’t put where you are located your fans will not know where to find your place of business! Sure, they can go to your website and search for it, but the easier it is for them, the more likely they are to visit your location.
- The above applies to your phone number and hours as well. If your fan doesn’t know how or when to reach you, they won’t.
- There are other tidbits of information you can add in your “About” section as well, including your website, a description of your business, and links to other social media sites you might be active on. These are all important as well, but the information in the top box is what the customer sees without having to take the step to find out more about you.
- Have a STRONG profile picture and cover photo.
- The profile picture is the image that shows up in the search. If it doesn’t help represent your place of business, the less likely your customer is going to click on your Page.
- Your cover photo is by far the largest image on your Page, and it is the first thing your fan will see once they click on your Page!
If you’re ready to get started on your social media marketing, it’s time you contact us to take your social media to a new level!
1. Set Goals
- When you think about your dealership, it might seem that the goal is obvious: to sell cars. While that is true, the important thing to remember is that a more specific goal and action plan is easier to obtain. Rather than the basic goal of “sell cars”, you have to develop a realistic plan and set specific goals for who is going to make these sales, what vehicles, when you need to meet this goal and how your going to meet it.
2. Track Your Progress
- Setting your goals is the first step. The second step is to make sure you are accomplishing those goals. It is important to track your progress to confirm whether you are meeting your pre-defined plan. This action is much easier said than done, but, you have to ensure that you are keeping an accurate report of which goals have been reached. Set a schedule of who will evaluate your progress and how often – then stick to it!
3. Evaluating Your Numbers
- The third step to effectively making sales is analyzing your data; is what your doing working? If not, your next step is deciding how to fix the problem. What efforts will you take to effectively meet your pre-determined goals? The important thing is to keep an open mind and remember to be willing to try various avenues to reach your set goals. It may seem like trial and error, but finding the right strategy will ensure that you meet your goals, and ultimately sell cars!
From a young age, students are taught that attending college will increase their chances of following a path to professional success. They are repeatedly told that by obtaining a degree, they will be eligible to grab hold of an entry-level salary, post-graduation, up to 40 percent higher than what they would be offered with only a high school degree. Because of this, the common practice for high school graduates is to continue on to higher education.
However, the real question is: How much does higher education actually prepare an individual for the “real world?”
As a recent college graduate working as an apprentice in the Search Engine Marketing (SEM) department of Potratz, I can honestly say that college has not prepared me for the work that I encounter on a daily basis. While my degree in Marketing Communications has certainly helped me understand the marketing and advertising fields as a whole, SEM is such a new form of marketing that changes so rapidly. There is no way that a higher education school could build a course that is consistently teaching students up-to-date information.
It is because of this issue that I believe the SEM apprenticeship offered at Potratz is such a great opportunity. This six-week paid program goes in-depth to teach apprentices everything they will need to know about the SEM field. The daily teaching sessions mixed with nightly homework assignments ensure that apprentices are getting ample opportunity to learn all necessary information, preparing them for the Google AdWords Fundamentals and Search certification exams. In addition, apprentices are paired with Potratz SEM employees in order to get hands on experience working with Google AdWords and help them better understand how to work the program.
Along with preparing for the Google AdWords exams, apprentices are taught the inner workings at Potratz. They are given the chance to work with all departments within the company, teaching them how these departments work together to form the successful automotive advertising agency that Potratz is. At the end of the six weeks, if they choose, apprentices have the chance to apply for any open position within the company.
With the combination of certification classes and learning to work within the company, this apprenticeship is great not only for someone interested in becoming Google AdWords certified, but also for anyone looking for a full-time employment opportunity.
An abandoned Facebook page is truly a sad site. A page that has gone months without posts, no photos in site, and reviews and comments that have not been responded to is enough to depress any social media user. (user can be replaced with a different word..guru, junkie, fan, expert?)
Now, studies show that a poor Facebook page is more than just an eyesore. A recent market research study concluded that a full 50% of consumers value a brand’s Facebook page more than their website.
This study, which can be viewed here, http://mashable.com/2012/09/24/facebook-brand-page-value/, presented a full look at how a brand’s Facebook presence is viewed and valued. For example, 87% of people like brands on Facebook, and the number one motivation to do so is to take advantage of promotions, discounts, and giveaways. Equally important are the reasons why people choose to unlike brands, the number one being that the brand posted too frequently.
How can your dealership use this information to your advantage? First of all, make sure your Facebook page is well attended. Create a dynamic selection of postings, but don’t post too frequently. Make sure you give users an incentive to like your page. That can be by posting coupons for free services or gifts. For example, post a coupon for a discount on an oil change. Or, offer a coupon that will give users a free gift if they test drive a certain car. You can also run contests and award winners with a prize to increase interaction.
Of course, you’ll want to avoid posting too frequently. Don’t post more than 2 or 3 times per day, and space out your posts to reach customers who log onto Facebook at different times during the day. Always make sure your content is important, relevant, and varied.
While it’s essential to brand management to have a quality Facebook page, don’t abandon your website in the process. Keep in mind that 50% of consumers place more value on a brand’s Facebook page, so that means the other 50% will judge you according to your website.
Does maintaining an online presence seem overwhelming? We’re up to the task. Contact us for help.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Honda has recently adopted a new advertising tactic. Well-known and well-liked music has taken a front sesat in their commercials. This makes them memorable and effectively grasps the attention of potential consumers. According to Honda, the reason behind this is to ‘conjure up the rush consumers experience when they first drive off the lot in a new vehicle’.
It seems to me that Honda is on to something. Music is a great advertising technique for any business, but it’s particularly practical for car dealerships. Of course, the songs being used in Honda commercials come at a high price,, but there are still opportunities for dealerships to include catchy theme music to help draw a consumer in.
Why is music a sensible element in a car commercial? Think about it this way: what is one of the first things you do upon entering your car? You turn on the radio. In my opinion, cars and music go hand and hand. Personally, I don’t drive anywhere without my music on. So why not take advantage of putting a catchy musical undertone to your commercials? As Honda says, driving and music go hand in hand, and having music in your commercial can help the audience relate to the car driving experience more realistically. Contact us now to see how we can help you make your commercials more memorable, and invoke that ‘rush’ for your potential consumer.
By: Yasmine Syed
If you’re not yet familiar with the twitter hashtag #takemymoneyhbo, you ought to be. This hashtag has been utilized by a conglomerate of individuals who petitioned HBO to allow them to subscribe to HBO Go without having to subscribe to a cable TV provider. HBO Go is an app that allows you to stream the HBO programming of your choice to any digital device via the Internet or through a cell phone signal. The app is available for free to HBO subscribers. Adding HBO to your cable package usually costs $10-$15 a month. If HBO Go was available for this same monthly price, it would be a bargain compared to the roughly $100/month that most people pay for cable service.
This petition points to a possible transition of TV to an a la carte service rather than bundled together in expensive packages. After all, does anyone really watch all 300+ channels that come with premium cable packages? We may see a TV platform similar to iTunes in the future, where consumers can purchase individual songs rather than entire albums. It’s also likely that TV will follow in the footsteps of music providers like Pandora and Spotify, which will change how advertising will be disseminated. Audiences may be much more targeted and the potential for wasteful ad spending will be diminished. That being true, the explosion of digitally consumed media is making it possible for marketers to produce original programming and distribute it without the active support of a traditional media channels i.e. broadcast TV channels.
Branded content is gaining in popularity and consumers aren’t hostile to it, so long as it’s good. Brands like Nike, Virgin and American Express have all successfully built a following of their brand-led YouTube channels. One example of brand-created content was Pepsi’s live-streamed concert starring Nicki Minaj, which was available for viewing via twitter.com/pepsi and pepsi.com. Had Pepsi gone the traditional sponsorship route, it would have cost them several millions in ad spending. By producing, creating and digitally disseminating the content, they undoubtedly saved in overhead costs and penetrated their target market more effectively. This is all good news for advertisers.
Over the course of the next five years, the cost of advertising will be reduced as more specific modes for targeting emerge. The challenge is staying ahead of the digital wave, which is something we do best at Potratz.
By: Jenn Mayer
I have to admit I am late to the foursquare game. Although the app was first launched in 2009, I have only recently joined. After moving away from my hometown earlier this year, I was forced to learn the ins and outs of a new state, new city, and a new neighborhood. foursquare became my ultimate tool for discovery.
foursquare (that’s right, it is not capitalized) is a free app that allows you to share with your friends where you are, tips about your favorite places, and helps you discover new places in your area. foursquare gives you personalized recommendations and deals based on where you, your friends, and people with your same taste have been. The app has also recently undergone a makeover, giving it a simpler look and making it more user-friendly.
foursquare allowed me to discover coffee shops, restaurants, nail salons, and more. If it was lunchtime and I was hungry, I would simply type in “lunch”, and foursquare would search the tips and check-ins that had been logged around my current location to suggest places I should try for lunch. This is different, and possibly more effective then using Google, because foursquare was able to more accurately search around where I was, and also took into account how popular the places around me were. Now, I am addicted to checking into my location on foursquare. Not only do I get points, badges and mayorships that encourage me to keep using the app, my past check-ins help to shape my recommendations.
So, how can your dealership use foursquare to enhance business and marketing? First, you must encourage people to check-in when they visit your dealership. One way to do that is to offer a deal. Many businesses offer discounts to patrons who check in at their location. You could offer a free oil change, or even a discount for someone who checks in and signs a purchase agreement on a new vehicle that same day. People will be encouraged to check in and thus make your dealership a more popular place in the area.
You can also encourage employees and customers to leave a tip, or some advice, about your dealership. For example, you can post any specials you have going on, whether you offer free refreshments in your waiting area, or even the best sales people to work with. When people search for your dealership using the app, they’ll see the great things about shopping there and will be more likely to stop in.
As with all advertising and social media campaigns, foursquare must be interacted with regularly. If no one has checked in recently, or if the last tip is from six months ago, the value is lost. Encourage your employees and customers to download and use foursquare and watch its positive effect on business! Take it from me; I’m the mayor of Potratz on foursquare!
