Do you Vine?

Vine is a mobile app created by Twitter that allows you to create short, 6-second video clips, or what could be similiar to an animated gif. The videos can be shared through the app and through Twitter, using hashtags such as #food, #travel, and #pets. It just debuted this week and its impact has been almost immediate in the social networking world. So what are these videos like? People are dubbing it as "the Instagram for Twitter," but through their blog they say:

Posts on Vine are about abbreviation — the shortened form of something larger. They're little windows into the people, settings, ideas and objects that make up your life. They're quirky, and we think that's part of what makes them so special.

Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and now even Vine are shouting one thing to digital marketing enthusiasts everywhere - original content wins and keep it short. Facebook sure doesn't like it - maybe because its the competitor to their newly Read Post

Even though new car sales are the main focus at any dealership, the most dollars and the most foot traffic are found in the service lane. So if Google is going to mark videos as the holy grail of contest in search, online video content about your service department just makes sense.  But why aren't any dealers doing it? There could be a list of reasons why service gets the short end of the stick when it comes to branding or advertising, but these five dealerships are great examples in service videos done RIGHT.  1. Educational Kingsway Toyota's video on tires is short and to the point and is certainly perfect for their Canadian market.    This Indiana Chevrolet dealer created a fantastic how-to and educational video on their transmission flush service.     2. Behind the Scenes Eastside Dodge isn't going to tell you why you should get an oil change or why you should come to them, instead they're going to show yo... Read Post

For weeks I've found myself saying the same one-liner, "reviews are missing from your Google+ Local listing, we reported it to Google but there's not much else we can do." I find myself cringing every time I have to utter those words. I send them the link on Google's response to missing reviews, which really doesn't say much, and then we all wait. After coaching a dealer to ask customers to post reviews for them on Google, how do you explain to them why Google would then delete nearly every single one of those positive reviews, only leaving the negative reviews behind? For two years I have motivated dealers to hop on the Google train, branding them online as "Top Rated Dealer on Google" - but they aren't the top rated dealer anymore. Did we all make a big Google mistake? I've looked outside the auto industry and I have been tracking the very same issues for other businesses. Mike Blumenthal of Blumenthals.com has even took it upon ... Read Post

Defeated.   That is how I would describe many dealers who believe they are “doing social media” but aren't getting the engagement they're looking for. Whenever I sense that a dealer is starting to feel that their time is being wasted on social, I have two options:   I could whip up a fancy report with strategies, social tips, graphics, pie charts and stamp it with the PCG logo to let them know that I am an “expert” and as long as they follow this “strategy” they too, can win! Or, I can admit that there's no such thing as a social media strategy and many dealers are looking at social the wrong way.   No social media strategy?! You're probably thinking that I got way too much sun this July 4th and must be totally out of my mind for saying such a thing.   Here's why I say there's no such thing as a fancy-pants social media strategy (pie charts and all): Because social... Read Post

This past week I attended the 2012 BlogWorld & New Media Expo and was completely blown away with some of the speakers and presentations on content marketing and social media.

Some of the speakers I was already following around on the web, but some of them were new to me. I gain most of my inspiration from looking at non-automotive companies and how they're "doing" social media and then I apply that to the car industry.

I wanted to share who I thought were my current top 5 influencers that I believe every digital automotive professional should be looking to for inspiration for their social strategies. 

 

1. Lynette Young - Lynette stood up in front of the audience and announced that she owned Google+.  She is currently followed by 1.25 million people and through the Google+ circles she is actually connected to everyone who is currently on Google+. Lynette is releasing an e-Book on the platform this year, keep an eye out for it: http://l Read Post

There’s been a major digital dilemma on my mind these days. No, it isn’t the latest Google acquisition, a Facebook privacy issue, or the soul-searching question of, “to tweet or not to tweet?” My digital dilemma is social media and the law. Recently, I attended a small conference solely for the purpose of networking and snooping on how speakers were presenting social media to small businesses just getting their feet wet in the digital ocean. I stumbled into a workshop on social media and the law that featured a panel of NYC-based lawyers who specialized in the subject. I quickly went from observer to student as my notebook pages filled up with legal jargon that affected my own company. As a writer and marketing professional, law is certainly not my specialty or even my area of interest. But I began to do my own research on social media and the law and feel that this is a serious issue that many businesses are ignoring and therefore leaving themselves v... Read Post