There are two frames of mind amongst search marketing professionals when it comes to major updates such as the Google Penguin update last year and the upcoming Penguin 2.0 algorithm update. Some start to panic as they’ve seen these algorithm updates force companies to make major changes. In some cases, companies have had to close down because adjusting was just too much to bare. The other perspective is that these changes bring the game of optimization more in line with quality over quantity, strategy over brute force, and perhaps most importantly, art over science. That’s what’s expected with the upcoming update based upon a mixture of common sense and some pointed Tweets by Google’s spam czar, Matt Cutts. The pursuit of quality links instead of having a large inbound link portfolio has been the focus of Google (and Bing) for over a year now and the coming update will likely be more of the same. The art aspect of it all comes down to getting more value ou...Read post

Our business culture has always been to let the customer have the last word, they are always right after all and although some of this way of doing business can still work; it doesn’t on Facebook. Customer service has advanced due to the easier ways of communicating with businesses through social media platforms.  Customers or potential customers are no longer lingering in cyberspace; instead, they are actively looking to interact with your brand. Facebook has become the hub for such interactions as their pages platform have made contacting and connecting with a business the easiest. Through having the ability to comment on shared content, chat via a private message or even leave positive or negative feedback via the resistant recommendations feature. No matter how a person contacts your Business on Facebook, your need to respond is a necessity. However, not only do you respond but now we have finally advanced enough for your business to have the last word.   At ...Read post

We live in the age of instant gratification. (Admit it...you’re irritated when a Web page takes longer than two seconds to load.) Sixty-nine percent of respondents even said that a quick response was important for a positive customer service experience (Dimensional Research). Everyone wants answers right here, right now, including car shoppers. And if you can’t give them, you’ll “lose the race,” as Chris Hill, E-Commerce Director for Bill Jacobs Auto Group, states.Read post

By now you've heard Yahoo announced they plan on aquiring micro-blogging platform Tumblr for $1 Billion. The news made CEO David Karp a very wealthy 26 year old, it scared off a few die-hard Tumblr fans and probably makes Yahoo shareholders a little nervous. Read post

The KBG. Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti. The Committee for State Security for the former Soviet Union was one of the most feared agencies in history. Thankfully, this post isn’t about them. Here, we’re going to talk about a different type of KGB, the type that is plaguing social media on pages across the internet, hurting businesses and striking fear into the hearts of knowledgeable internet marketing professionals around the world. It’s the type of bad posts that were once thought to be effective but that have been debunked time and time again, yet so many businesses (and even vendors) continue to post them. Today’s social media KBG is this: Kitties Games/Giveaways Bogus Questions If you or your vendor are still using these things, stop immediately. They aren’t helping. In fact, they are hurting the cause of using social media as a proper advertising venue through which to increase business. Here’s why:   Kitties Don&rsq...Read post

Fort Lauderdale, FL – May 20th, 2013 — AutoUSA Internet Sales Solutions (www.autousadealers.com) today introduced Shop-By-Payment for Payment ProSM, powered by DriveItNow, a patent-pending next generation payment marketing tool that offers consumers a new way to shop on auto dealer websites. When a customer visits a dealer website with Shop-By-Payment, they are given the option to search inventory based on their desired monthly payment. The customer is prompted to enter in their name and a few details—no SSN or DOB required. Shop-By-Payment searches the available inventory based on their actual credit, the dealers’ current finance programs and returns a list of new and used vehicles that match the desired payment.   “Shop-By-Payment for Payment Pro revolutionizes the online auto shopping experience,” said Phil DuPree, President of AutoUSA. “Instead of searching for vehicles based on make, model or price, customers can now view and choose...Read post

Can you beleive it? The DrivingSales Executive Summit turns five this year. We've seen a natural progression of learning within the industry over the last several years and the DrivingSales Executive Summit has worked hard to contribute to the culture of dealership improvement based upon high level awareness and skills building. Read post

MarketingProfs recently revealed data by Curalate and Digitas, discussing the engagement of automotive brands and the automotive community on Pinterest. This information reinforces the need for dealerships to get involved on this social media site, and provides helpful information on when it is best to post your content. Below are details from the report that you may find useful for your interactions on Pinterest: 75% of the conversation and engagement around autos on Pinterest is being driven by the community, with only 25% of content originating from brands. Top automotive brands average three repins on every pin, whereas the community averages 10 repins per pin.   Are you using the right keywords? Are you pinning at the right time of day? Are you repinning enough? Are your images eye-catching? These are some questions you should be asking if your brand hasn’t received as much attention as you were hoping for from this social medi...Read post