Facebook is constantly changing it’s website to stay fresh and new, as well as keeping up to speed with the ever changing world of online marketing. This happens so often it can be hard to stay up to date with what is going on, but don’t worry, we are here to help! So what’s new on Facebook this week? The answer is retargeting.
Retargeting, in case you may have forgotten, allows you to create a list of who has visited your website and subsequently places ads on the pages they visit after. This means that if a person visits your website, they will see your various ads over and over again on different websites they visit, allowing the opportunity to keep your business at the top of their mind.
With retargeting on Facebook, an additional retargeting code is added to your dealership page, which builds a list. This list is then used to display your ads on Facebook to those same users, allowing them to see your ad again and again on their Facebook page.
Retargeting on Facebook is a very helpful tool and the bottom line is that your retargeting ads can now be expanded to Facebook. While this will require expanding the budget a little, ads can be run for as little as $25 a week! So, what are you waiting for? If you’re ready to reach the 75% of users over the driving age currently using Facebook, then contact us now to get started.
By: Jenn Mayer
Previously, Google Places was always on the “SEO checklist” for dealerships and other businesses that were interested in climbing to the top of the search results page. Creating a Google Places page for your business was fairly simple and required little attention afterwards from the business owner.
All that has changed. Google recently announced its new platform for businesses, called Google+ Local. Those businesses with Google Places pages will automatically be merged to the new platform, but the time-frame for this to happen is not certain. Now, your Google presence is not just a vertical listing, but also a social media page. Google+ Local is a necessity for SEO value, but it also enhances your social media presence. However, with this new development, businesses looking to stay ahead of the competition can no longer “set it and forget it” as they could before.
Google+ Local Pages will give businesses a method to communicate with users in much the same way businesses can use Twitter and Facebook, and therefore needs to be maintained in order to keep pace with the competition. The new layout is part of Google’s mission to expand it’s own social platform, Google+. Google+ users will be able to see local businesses on their sidebar, and you must have a Google + account to review a local business. Google hopes that this will prompt people who have previously avoided Google+ to create an account and become more active users.
Google+ Local Pages will be much more visible than its predecessor. Google+ Local Pages will get precedent when a user makes a Google search for a place. So, if you have a Google+ Local Page, you will automatically get an advantage over the competition. In addition to being integrated into search, Google+ Local pages will also appear in Google Maps, the mobile version of Google and as a new tab in the Google+ sidebar. In essence, it’s crucial to build and grow your page as quickly as possible in order to appear at the top of the search results and above your competition.
A new and integral feature of Google+ Local pages is the scoring system. Since Google bought Zagat last year, they have integrated their famous reviews and scoring system into all Google+ Local pages. Because Google+ users can now leave reviews that are seen on your page and affect your score, it is essential that you are constantly monitoring your page and its content.
Another intriguing thing about Google+ Local is that Google has actually scarified a large part of its ad revenue in order to promote these pages. Now, there is only one paid aid showing up on these local searches. Now, the top organic, or unpaid, listings are even more valuable – and completely free!
Your Google+ Local page is now a vital part of both your social media and SEO efforts, and it is indispensable in placing you on the first page of the Google search results. Google uses an extremely complicated algorithm that takes hundreds of factors into account. While you can’t control all these factors, the number one driver of ranking results is a strong presence on Facebook and other social media accounts. Effectively, search is now social. If you want to be successful in search, you have to be successful in social media.
Does this new platform seem like a lot of work? Let us manage your social media presence. Contact us today!
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: Yasmine Syed
Approximately sixty-seven percent of American adults use some kind of mobile device, whether it be a smartphone or a tablet. But who are they exactly? It’s important to know, especially if you are serving up mobile ads.
In a nutshell, they’re the ideal target consumer. Mobile device users are more educated and earn higher incomes than their non-smartphone using counterparts. This revelation may prompt you to wonder if traditional print media advertising should be relegated to the ash heap, but a study conducted by the University of Missouri’s Reynolds Journalism Institute proves otherwise. The same consumers who use mobile devices also continue to utilize traditional print mediums like newspapers and magazines. Rather than replacing traditional media with digital, these consumers consume both.
Mobile devices are as diverse as their owners. For example, smartphone and iPad owners are predominately male, while e-readers and small tablet owners skew female. IPhone and Blackberry users tend to be more educated and earn higher incomes than Android users and earn, on average, $75,000 or more annually. In fact, a whopping 81.3% of mobile device users earn more than $75,000 per year while 55.5% of mobile device users have a 4-year or advanced degree. What’s even more interesting is that nearly the same percentage of mobile device users and non-mobile device users read print publications. This data suggests that digital media is not replacing traditional media; it is simply an extension of it.
So just how do individuals us their mobile devices? Most people take their smartphones everywhere and use them for task-related activities like sending text messages and reading and responding to email, while tablets are used for longer-term media consumption.
The following chart depicts tablet use:
Because tablets are largely used for viewing richer content and enhancing leisure time, display ads do not perform as well on tablets as they do on smartphones. Because smartphones are task related they are predominately used while traveling, in a store while shopping, in the car, and in a restaurant.
The following chart depicts smartphone use:
When it comes to automotive advertising, the evidence supports the need for ads to be optimized for smartphone users. Given the fact that they have disposable income, they are ripe potential car-buying consumers.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool for managing your online advertising campaign. But did you also consider that tracking your ad campaigns can provide important insights into your business – and help you control your inventory?
Think about it this way. People will search a variety of things to land on your site. They might search “car dealerships” and the area you’re located in to get to you. They might search a particular product – like car model – that is in your inventory. By monitoring what people search to get to you, you can understand what is currently in demand and replenish your inventory accordingly.
For example, if you’re located in the northeast, users might begin search for all-wheel drive vehicles or snow tires at a certain point in late fall or early winter. Monitoring when this search begins to pick up will signal when it is time to push those winter vehicles and accessories.
Similarly, a current client of ours noticed that when the weather began to get warmer, people in the area began to search for convertible cars. It can be difficult to determine on your own what inventory you need; so let your potential customers assist you!
Not only can this analytical monitoring aid your inventory quality, it can also help you design advertisements. If you find that lots of people are searching for the new model your manufacturer has rolled out, make sure to let people know, through commercials, social media, or retargeting, that you’ve got it!
This is just one example of how Google Analytics can enhance your dealership’s performance beyond effective advertising. Want to know more? Give us a call!
By: Jenn Mayer
If your company is involved in pay-per click advertising, click through rate, or CTR, is one of the most important metrics to measure. Click through rate is defined as the number of times a given ad is clicked on divided by the number of times the ad is shown, or impressions.
For example, if an ad is shown 1000 times and receives 10 clicks, the click through rate is 1%. Sites like Google Ad Words provide a plethora of statistics about your CTR and your advertising campaign as a whole, and often it can be overwhelming to wade through them all. With more graphs and charts than you can shake a stick at, how do you know what a good measurement of your success is?
A good click through rate depends on how competitive your industry is. Earlier this year, a Google employee said that beginning advertisers should shoot for a 2% click through rate. Other PPC experts say the figure should be between 2% and 5% for competitive industries, and above 5% for less competitive industries.
Most would agree that the car business is extremely competitive, but your company’s market may be more or less competitive depending on the number of people and dealerships in your area.
Additionally, where your ad is placed can affect your CTR. A recent report concluded that ads on Bing have a higher CTR than Google and Yahoo.
Your CTR is also dependent on the quality of your keywords. It’s important that the users who are clicking on your ad are qualified buyers in your target market. Let’s say, for example, that you sell televisions. People who search “TV” might not be looking to purchase a television, but they still might end up on your site. They might be looking for television programs, television guides, or just want to research types of TVs and aren’t ready to buy.
They might click on your ad, but they aren’t considered qualified buyers, so the chances of them converting are small. A conversion is defined as the move from simply looking at your website to taking some sort of action. That action could be to fill out a form, request more information, or schedule a test drive. In other industries, a conversion could be a sale, but since most car buying transactions take place offline, we usually measure conversion differently.
Therefore, a keyword like “TV” might generate a higher click through rate, but those clicks won’t be from people who actually want to buy from you. A click through rate on an ad with specific keywords might not generate a lot of clicks, but the clicks are more likely to come from qualified buyers.
The best way to ensure you’re getting a good CTR is to monitor your ads progress regularly, and ensure that your bids and keywords are appropriate. There are a lot of factors to manage, so it’s best if a professional mans the helm. Need help? We just happen to be digital ad campaign experts. Give us a call!
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!
Pinterest has recently captured the attention of the masses, and the social media site is definitely gaining traction; it is now the seventh most popular social network, and keeps growing daily, so it’s vital to think about all that it has to offer in the means of social media. It’s important to consider the marketing potential Pinterest has. A popular image you post (which will link back to your business’s website) could theoretically get repinned on hundreds, or even thousands, of different users’ boards!
Using Pinterest For Your Business?
- Make sure your business makes sense with what Pinterest offers. You might be surprised at how many businesses can benefit from Pinterest.
- Use other social networks like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to direct more users to your Pinterest boards.
- Make sure you use Pinterest to feature all the different things your business can offer users.
- Follow popular names to build more awareness around your company.
- Spend a consistent amount of time on Pinterest so that stronger connections can be built.
- Keep your board clean, don’t pin too many different things onto it. Each board should have a clear theme.
- Users like to see boards that relay a lot of concise information, so promote your product as well as others.
What Not To Do On Pinterest?
- Don’t spam your product out.
- There is such a thing as too much promotion for your product. Keep it regular, but not constant.
- Don’t pin too much onto one board, make separate boards so you can keep them clean and easy to look at.
- Keep in mind Pinterest is all about images, so steer away from pinning too much text.
- Be consistent with the network.
The goal of Pinterest is to focus on consumer goods and products, which makes it an opportune social network for marketers to gain more clients and more attention, so don’t miss out! Not sure how to get started? Contact us now!
By: Yasmine Syed
Information and communication technology users are as diverse as the range of technology available today. The Pew Research Center’s “Internet & American Life Project” divides technology users into two core groups: “Motivated by Mobility” and “Stationary Media Majority”.
The “Motivated by Mobility” group comprises 39% of the adult population. Their frequency of online use is growing as their reliance on mobile devices continues to increase. This group is made up of individuals who hold positive and improving attitudes towards mobile access and how it facilitates their availability to others. The “Stationary Media Majority” group is comprised of the remaining 61% of the adult population. These individuals are not enamored by the “always-connected” lifestyle. They are characterized by low-level usage of mobile apps and experience difficulty acclimating to new gadgetry.
Hallmarks of the “Motivated by Mobility” group are varied and are broken down into five sub-categories including: Digital Collaborators (8%), Ambivalent Networkers (7%), Media Movers (7%), Roving Nodes (9%) and Mobile Newbies (8%). Digital Collaborators are mostly male, in their late-thirties, affluent and educated. They enthusiastically use their tech assets to share and connect with others. Ambivalent Networkers are primarily male, in their late twenties, and are ethnically diverse. They use their tech assets to text, participate in social networking and for entertainment. At the same time, they fear that their devices may become increasingly intrusive and feel that it is necessary to take periodic breaks from online use and digital consumption.
Media Movers are mostly male, in their mid-thirties, have children and are middle class. Their online and media habits are varied and they share digital content (i.e. photos). Roving Nodes are the female counterpart to Digital Collaborators; they are mostly women, in their late-thirties, affluent and educated. They use their mobile devices to manage their social and work lives, they use a wide-range of mobile apps, send email, send texts, and use their mobile devices to enhance personal productivity. Mobile Newbies are mainly women in their late forties and early fifties who have lower education and income levels than Roving Nodes. They don’t have very many tech assets and cite that their most used asset is their mobile phone because it helps makes them more available.
The “Stationary Media Majority” group can also be broken down into five sub-categories including: Desktop Veterans (13%), Drifting Surfers (14%), Information Encumbered (10%), The Tech Indifferent (10%) and Off the Network (14%). Desktop Veterans are mainly men, in their mid-forties, affluent and educated. Because this groups skews older, they are content to use their desktop computers and high-speed wired connection to explore the web, connect with friends and family via social media, while allowing their mobile phones to take a backseat. Drifting Surfers are primarily women, in their early-forties, middle class and have average education levels. They have desktop computers and mobile phones but are infrequent online users. They use technology as a basic information-gathering tool and could forgo using the Internet entirely if given the option.
Information Encumbered individuals are two-thirds male, in their early fifties, have an average education and are middle-lower income level. Most individuals in this group feel that they experience information overload on a daily basis and although, they have cell phones, feel that technology is becoming increasingly intrusive. They are largely indifferent to technology and could easily dispense with it altogether. Off the Network individuals are, largely, low-income senior women and are predominately African American. Members of this group have neither cells phones, nor computers or internet access.
The project findings imply that many Americans are deepening their relationship with and dependence on digital resources and tech assets, while others stay stagnant in their consumption of digital resources and tech assets. Both of these groups will undoubtedly ask themselves and others, ‘How did I ever live without a cell phone?” A small percentage of Americans are content to keep technology on the periphery of their lives. They stand in stark contrast to the ever-increasing “Motivated by Mobility” group, whose demand for more and more online content is palpable.
What does this mean for your dealership? In terms of marketing, it means that it’s still important to maintain traditional avenues of publicity, such as radio and television commercials and newspaper ads. These are necessary to reach the portion of Americans who shun technology or still use traditional media to gather information. However, the growing number of people who seek information digitally means that a failure to provide online content is more costly than in the past. Soon, a lack of digital presence could spell disaster for your dealership.
Procrastination
We all know about it– continuously pushing things off until the last possible moment, always saying tomorrow, next time etc. Well one Argentinean publisher says no more, recently developing special ink that will disappear within two months time of coming into contact with the sun and air, allowing a reader a limited time to complete the book before all the ink vanishes.
I believe this is a very effective way to ensure the product is seen and used. It’s very easy to make a purchase and then never use it. I mean I know I have lots of outfits in my closet still with the tags on them; but given the idea that they would dissolve within a few months time, I might consider wearing them especially since the alternative would equate with having just thrown my money away in the trash. I’m sure there will be many people who will not purchase the product knowing it won’t last, but I think there will be a lot of people who will purchase and subsequently use said product in order to beat the constricting time limit.
I think it’s important to apply this way of thinking to your car dealership; how can you make something non-lasting? Now I’m obviously not suggesting we develop dissolving cars; that would just be crazy, but I am saying providing some serious incentives to your customers. Why should they buy this now? Most people purchase a vehicle when they need one, not because they want one but if the deal was really sweet wouldn’t you consider the purchase a little bit sooner?
What Customers Want
Offer your customers something worthwhile. Now, I know you can’t just go out on the lot and decide the prices of vehicles, but you can provide really strong incentives for why they should buy now. The words ‘for a limited time’ are extremely effective because let’s be honest, nobody wants to be the one who missed out. Establish programs that only run for short periods of times such as come in before 3pm to save x amount of dollars on a selected service.
In addition, you could develop contests such as the 100th person to come in a test drive this car today wins an iPad. The opportunities are endless; depending on your dealerships location you could work with a local organization to help promote an event such as free tickets to a theme park, the movies, or even a gift certificate to a popular restaurant.
Have you given your customers a reason not to wait? What are you waiting for? Contact us now and let’s get started!
