By: Jenn Mayer
As November looms closer and closer, talk of the presidential campaign is louder than ever. In this age, candidates don’t just campaign through televised debates and rallies. Rather, they take advantage of digital, email, and text message campaigns – just as you should. Their hits and misses in digitally interacting with their supporters can teach us a lot about how to manage our marketing campaigns.
President Obama was known as the “first social media president”. His use of social media, email, and mobile outreach allowed him to motivate supporters in a way that normally would have required an army of volunteers stationed around the country. His campaign relied so much on the Internet that Ariana Huffington, editor in chief of the Huffington Post, said “Were it not for the Internet, Barack Obama would not be president.”
In 2012, Obama’s Republican opponents have adopted his strategies in the form of intense e-mail marketing. This infographic (http://www.epolitics.com/2012/04/09/infographic-republican-presidential-campaign-emails-compared/) compares the last four Republican candidates standing and their email tendencies. Now that the primary is essentially over, with Mitt Romney as the likely candidate, we can analyze this infographic and see what might have helped Mitt win, and then apply that to your email marketing campaigns.
First, Mr. Romney’s e-mails were among the shortest of the field. The take away? Keep your emails reasonably short, while including relevant and attention-grabbing information. Your reader’s want to learn something from your message, but remember that they have lots of other e-mails to wade through.
Another important part of e-mail marketing is pushing your reader to your social media sites. Mitt Romney included links to his Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and personal website in his emails, while Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul did not include any. Allowing readers to continue onto your other sites makes it easier for them to form a bond with your brand and ultimately, decide to buy.
One mistake that Mitt Romney did make was sending out emails for his campaign from many different people. His campaign sent out messages from fifteen different people, while Santorum used only five. Most people decide whether or not to delete an email based on if they know the sender. Keep the message for your brand clear, and make sure the “From” line stays consistent.
Perhaps the most important part of email marketing is to encourage your readers to make a purchase from you. In the case of politicians, they want not only votes, but campaign donations. Rick Santorum’s emails explicitly requested a donation 92% of the time, while Mitt Romney’s did only 72% of the time. This might be a reflection of where they stood in the campaign – Santorum was the underdog, and needed funds to continue the fight. While you want to call your readers to action, some people are put off by too hard of a sell, especially when it’s in their personal inbox rather than TV or print ads. Similarly, voters need to learn about the candidate and trust him before they will be willing to donate to his cause. Lure your readers with why they should buy from you before you push them to do so.
In many ways, buying a car is similar to choosing whom to vote for. Both decisions are important, and will effect the next four to eight years of your life (or more!). Take a page out of the President’s book, and watch your sales increase.
Anyone who is a real techno-geek about this stuff knows that there are two primary types of ads you can run through Google: text ads on the search network, and display ads on the display network.
Traditional text-based ads can only be run alongside unpaid organic search result listings on Google.com or other websites they partner with. The only images you will ever see on these pages are for related images or videos. But, in general, these are not display ads.
Display ads (often referred to as banner or image ads) show up on other websites across the Internet that provide content users are interested in. These “destination sites” partner with ad networks, like Google, to auction off space for advertisers to display their ads.
While there is far more to know about the intricacies and nuances of both search network ads and display network ads than this overview, they remain significantly different.
Until…
I stumbled upon this:
“What is that image and blurb to the right side of my search engine results,” I thought to myself? There seemed to be no mention of it anywhere online; until, digging through the depths of pages inside Google’s brain I came across this- the answer, which we will all soon become familiar with.
It’s called Knowledge Graph, a feature being rolled out to Google.com users over the next few days. I suggest checking out the video that can be found using the link above, since really only Google could explain a concept like this. If I had to take a stab at it, though, I would say it’s an intricate web of related things and places (similar to six degrees of separation) designed to make it easier for us to find things we are seeking but can’t seem to find the search terms that trigger our desired results.
Be on the look out for Knowledge Graph on your Google.com page in the next few days, and see for yourself the possibilities for your ad campaigns that this new Google feature can bring.
Facebook is starting June out with a bang!
The social media platform has rolled out some great new features that are sure to help dealerships improve their social media marketing strategy.
Facebook Admin Roles
When Facebook Pages first began, each page had administrators and fans. This meant that users of a certain page either had all the control or none of the control. Well, the all or none option just wasn’t cutting it and Facebook has thankfully introduced the addition of ‘admin roles’. Now, there are essentially five different classifications available to Facebook admins – Manager, Content Creator, Moderator, Advertiser and Insights Analyst. This means you can add people to your page to help with content, moderation, advertising and insights but they won’t be able to fundamentally change the page. For example a content creator can do anything except change admins, which is particularly helpful so that a Page owner can not be accidentally kicked off as admin .
All admins start out as Managers by default, and you can change them by heading to ‘edit page’, then ‘admin roles’ and setting the different roles there.
Scheduling Facebook Posts Without Third Party Platforms
Previously, dealerships (and any person marketing a Facebook page) had to rely on third-party platforms to schedule out future Facebook posts. Now admins not only have the ability to construct a post for a page, but also to schedule it to be posted some time within the next six months, without the use of a third party platform. Being able to schedule future posts without a third party platform also means that pesky little “via company xyz” is no longer sitting below your scheduled posts.
Scheduling posts can be helpful, but you do have to use caution. Since social media reflects real time, you want to make sure you are reflecting what is current. For example, you wouldn’t want to schedule a post for two weeks in the future, and by the time it’s sent out, it’s not only old news, but maybe isn’t even correct anymore! Hmm…can you say awkward?
Promoted Posts
This feature lets you promote a specific Facebook post on your Page to more people so that your reach is extended. Previously, this option was limited to advertising a specific post on the left or right of a page. Now, this option will actually extend the reach of your post to your own fan community and their friends if they interact with it, meaning that it will last longer in the Facebook newsfeed. When you input your budget, Facebook will tell you the estimated number of users this post will potentially reach.
With all of these great changes in place, now is a great time to use Facebook to interact with your customers. If you and your dealership aren’t already taking advantage of these tools, now is the time bring your Social Media Marketing Strategy into the 21st Century!
By Dan Vincent
Giving Back to the Community
As a local car dealer one of your main priorities should be to establish a strong community presence. Doing so is a great way to ensure that members of the community know of your dealership for the right reasons. Why not take a different approach than all of your competitors? When you give back to the community people will remember your dealership for being unique.
Giving back is simple and will cost your dealership little to nothing. Try some of these ideas in your area:
Everyone feels better when they are riding around in a freshly washed vehicle. The problem is not everyone has the time to do it themselves, or they do not feel like paying to have something done that they know they can do on their own. Giving out free car washes once a month is a great a way to help out people around the community.
Placing donation containers for food and other products in the waiting areas of your facility (especially service departments) is a simple way to help out in your community. People will see the containers and know that they can donate on their return visit to pick up their vehicle. You can take a proactive approach by using social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter to promote the drive. You will be giving back to the community, but at the same time you will be creating a positive image for your dealership.
There is always a need for school supplies. Supporting children and their education is one of the best reasons and ways to become known in your area. Although donating school supplies will be an expense, it is well worth it. Parents throughout the community will see that your dealership supports their youth. As a result, you will be the first on their list when it comes to buying a car.
As you establish your positive community presence, free publicity will come along with it. People in and around your area will see that your dealership is more than just a selling mechanism. This involvement will lead to a growing support for you and your cars. As a result, you will be making the sales that you desire without leaving the impression that all you are interested in is money. People will now know your dealership for reasons other than just trying to make a sale.
There are talks of a new highway getting the fastest posted speed limit in the United States at 85mph. What do you think, is this a good idea? Should all highways have a faster speed limit?
By: Lauryn Kowalski
“Hands-Free” Technology System Becomes “Eyes-Free” Technology System
This week at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Senior Vice President of iPhone software made an announcement that Apple plans on taking our driving experience to a whole new level by incorporating Siri and the new iOS 6 operating system into several brands of vehicles within the next 12 months.
Apple has partnered with Mercedes, BMW, GM, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Toyota, Chrysler and Honda with a plan to integrate mobile phones and automobiles with features that will upgrade us from a “Hands-Free” technology system to an “Eyes-Free” technology system, with this new enhancement drivers will be able to control the music, send text messages, create reminders, set alarms and create events, all using the virtual assistant Siri. Siri can talk back to drivers so there is essentially no reason that they would need to take their eyes off the road or hands off the wheel thus increasing safety and the increasing the ability to stay connected while on the road.
Another feature that Apple will be offering is a new Maps program that will be part of the new iOS 6 operating system that is set to launch this fall. The new program will not only have turn-by-turn navigation but it will also be using anonymous data sourced from other motorists running iOS 6 to determine traffic patterns and they will use incident reports to tell users what the holdup is on a given route so they can reroute drivers around gridlock.
By: Jenn Mayer
We’ve Heard It All Before.
The Internet is changing the way we live, work, entertain, and market to our customers.
We’ve seen how our changed habits have impacted the newspaper industry, and now experts are beginning to predict the same fate for the television industry. Before you overhaul your ad campaigns, read on to find out exactly how the future of television should impact your marketing strategy.
In the case of newspapers, users began to change their reading habits long before we saw the collapse of the industry begin. Now, some are beginning to predict the same fate for the television industry. While there’s no way to know how the TV business will change in the next five years, we can look at our television consumption habits and think about how they’ve changed in the last five or so years.
In my household and many others, the DVR rules. We almost never watch TV when it’s actually broadcast, with the exception of live sports events. Another way to watch TV is through on demand. Most cable providers offer this free component that lets consumers watch primetime and entertainment TV at will. Additionally, many people are watching their favorite television programs on their computers, iPads, and smart phones.
With all these new technologies driving people away from live TV, how do you continue to reach your target audience? Well, there’s no reason yet to stop investing in traditional commercials yet. Most on demand and online programs still include limited commercial breaks. Additionally, I can’t count how many times I’ve been watching my DVR and simply forgot I had the option to fast forward through commercials.
However, now is the perfect time to begin taking advantage of the new advertising methods that are being developed to adapt to consumer’s new habits, if you haven’t already. Some advertisers are starting to target viewers while their program is running, through pop up type ads that appear on screen during the program, rather than the commercial break. Digital advertising is also growing exponentially, through video pre-roll, and graphic overlays, which target the consumer while they are watching their favorite programs on their computers and smartphones.
Utilizing a mix of advertising is essential in today’s world, when there are so many entertainment platforms available to the consumer. Don’t abandon tried and true forms of advertising, but don’t be afraid to try the new digital possibilities either. Need help developing the advertising cocktail that’s right for you? Give us a call.
By: Felicia Mahabeer
What Approach Do You Use?
Have you ever been out shopping and had the salesperson ask you, “Are you going to buy this or what?” This once happened to me while I was shoe shopping. At first, I was put off by the frank question, but the urgency in his voice prompted me to act, so I bought the shoes.
Was he being rude, or was it a sales tactic? I don’t know, but it worked. I started to think about the different approaches used in dealerships around the world. Could a sales associate get away with saying something similar to a potential consumer? I can imagine some of people being turned off, while I can picture others saying “yes.” This is why a good salesperson is aware of all the tactics used to make a sale.
Hard Selling
Hard sell strategies are aggressive and usually put a high amount of pressure on the customer, like my shoes for instance. Other tactics include cold calls, forceful sales letters, and unsolicited pitches.
The main advantage of hard selling is that it gets you straight to the point. This is especially important for consumers who are ready to buy and aren’t looking to still shop around. The decision should be made now, and you want to step up and offer yourself as a part of their team.
The problem with the hard sell is that when it’s done too aggressively, your attempt to help will be seen as an annoyance. This is especially important in the case of well-researched consumers who are savvy to such sales techniques. No matter how genuine your offer, it might come off sounding like a scam. The bottom line is that your job as sales representative is to sell. Your customer should already be aware of this, so don’t be afraid to get straight to the point.
Soft Selling
Soft selling focuses on the relationship-building aspect of sales. You don’t put psychological pressure on potential buyers. Instead, you find passive ways to show them that you have the solutions they need. There is, however, such a thing as taking an approach that’s “too soft.” Being too gentle with your sales approach might also give clients the impression that you’re not too confident about your services, or that you’re just not interested in working with them.
Soft selling may work in some cases, but it doesn’t make sense to apply those tactics to all of your clients. It’s really dependent on where they are in their buying cycle and what services you’re trying to sell. Experiment to see how your target consumers responds to a soft sell, but don’t spend all your effort using these techniques exclusively.
Action
Whatever approach you use, there’s one thing you should always do at the end of the sales conversation: ask for the order. From a simple, “Will we be working together on this project?” to the more overt, “Buy Now!” there should always be a call to action to indicate the start of a working relationship.
What tactic do you use in your dealerships? What approach works better for you?
By: Justine Cervenka
Think just because they didn’t click on your ad that they’re not converting? Think again! Finally after many years of trying to track brand focused advertising and its correlation to conversions there was a study done by Pretarget and ComScore that may have an impact on how we measure success of a branding campaign. The study revealed that clicking on an ad had the lowest correlation to a conversion than those who viewed, hovered or engaged with the ad. Clicking an ad had a 0.01 correlation rate, followed by viewable impressions at 0.17 correlation rate and hover/interaction scored the highest rate at 0.49 out of 1.0 being the strongest correlation.
This new metric validates that developing ads that engage, entice educate and entertain web users is generating conversions. Brand advertising may no longer be a passive long-term driver, but it may indeed be having a larger influence then what we’ve been able to give it credit for in the past. This opens up many new opportunities as the lines between direct response online campaigns and brand impression based campaigns begin blur.
Source: AdvertisingAge, Crain Communications
By: Justine Cervenka
Think just because they didn’t click on your ad that they’re not converting? Think again! Finally after many years of trying to track brand focused advertising and its correlation to conversions there was a study done by Pretarget and ComScore that may have an impact on how we measure success of a branding campaign. The study revealed that clicking on an ad had the lowest correlation to a conversion than those who viewed, hovered or engaged with the ad. Clicking an ad had a 0.01 correlation rate, followed by viewable impressions at 0.17 correlation rate and hover/interaction scored the highest rate at 0.49 out of 1.0 being the strongest correlation.
This new metric validates that developing ads that engage, entice educate and entertain web users is generating conversions. Brand advertising may no longer be a passive long-term driver, but it may indeed be having a larger influence then what we’ve been able to give it credit for in the past. This opens up many new opportunities as the lines between direct response online campaigns and brand impression based campaigns begin blur.
Source: AdvertisingAge, Crain Communications
Facebook is the second most used website in the entire world, after Google (http://www.alexa.com/topsites), and one in five clicks in the U.S. are made on Facebook. So why did GM decide to pull its advertising campaign just days before the much talked about IPO of this revolutionary company?
GM claims that the campaign didn’t result in an adequate return on investment, but many in the marketing world aren’t buying it. According to Brian Wallace, VP-strategic internet marketing for Samsung Mobile, “Blaming Facebook for a lack of ROI on your advertising is akin to blaming the internet because no one purchased from your website.” He adds, “Facebook is a platform that attracts close to a billion people and it’s ultimately up to advertisers to understand how to optimize this platform for your customers.” (http://adage.com/article/digital/brands-facebook-advertising-optional/234816/)
While Facebook provides the perfect base for advertisers, it’s up to you to properly engage your potential customers and increase your brand awareness.
So what mistakes did GM make?
- By visiting facebook.com/generalmotors, you’ll get a taste of their posting style, which some can say fails to engage readers and encourage “likes” and revisits.
- Most Facebook users don’t visit GM’s page to see a picture of GM’s chairmen, but GM posted a photo of him on their page anyway. Although 379,000 people have “liked” the page, less than 200 “liked” that photo.
- GM also does a poor job motivating their fans to interact with them on their page. There are currently no contests or interactive posts, and GM doesn’t even phrase any of its status updates as questions. Rather than saying “we’re excited to announce the launch of…” why not ask your viewers if they’re excited, or what vehicles they’d like to see introduced next? Overall, the page appears static, and may be more to blame for GM’s success in the Facebook world than any ad campaign.
So how does this affect you? For starters, don’t think that advertising on Facebook or creating a Facebook page for your brand will automatically produce results. With so many people spending so much time on Facebook, you’ll have to work to consistently post value-added content.
What do you think? Did GM make the right move? What’s the best way to advertise on Facebook?
