I think we have a pretty great attitude in the auto dealer online community. For as long as I’ve been a part of it, I’ve observed dealers helping each other by sharing marketing tactics and Internet strategies. The daily posts about new ideas and enthusiastic cheers reinforces the idea that we’re all in this together.  But the auto industry is a competitive marketplace, and sometimes dealers might forsake a friendly perspective in exchange for an edge over the competition.

So says this article that Ralph Paglia reblogged on ADM a few days ago. Though a dealership is prohibited by trademark law from using a competitor’s proper name in the text of a paid search ad, some wily dealers are buying their rivals’ names when bidding for search terms to direct traffic. Dealership A might buy Dealership B’s name as a search term so that when shoppers search for Dealership B, they get a Google Ad that directs them back to Dealership A. Pretty sneaky, right?

Google claims that this practice is legally sound, but dealers usually have “gentlemen’s agreements” not to buy each other’s names. However, some dealers breach this unwritten rule just to throw a wrench in the competition’s spokes. What can you do about this problem?

Bid on your dealership’s domain name. You can get around this problem entirely if you’re up on your Adwords campaign. Google holds a continuous auction for specific ad words and phrases that allow dealers bidding the most for those phrases to attain top position on a Google search page. Since advertisers only pay when shoppers click on the ad, you may really want to consider bidding on your dealership name.

Search for your store frequently. See your search results through a customer’s eyes by frequently running searches on your own dealership. You’ll know if someone else has bid on your name if you see a competitor’s paid ad appear. Make sure to protect your ad position by checking up on your search practices!

Personally, I consider this practice predatory and borderline unethical. There are tons of ways you can increase your website presence without resorting to lowballing other stores around you. Follow the unwritten dealer code, and remember that we’re all in this together.

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Follow Stephen and the ActivEngage marketing team by subscribing to our blog for daily updates!

I think we have a pretty great attitude in the auto dealer online community. For as long as I’ve been a part of it, I’ve observed dealers helping each other by sharing marketing tactics and Internet strategies. The daily posts about new ideas and enthusiastic cheers reinforces the idea that we’re all in this together.  But the auto industry is a competitive marketplace, and sometimes dealers might forsake a friendly perspective in exchange for an edge over the competition.

So says this article that Ralph Paglia reblogged on ADM a few days ago. Though a dealership is prohibited by trademark law from using a competitor’s proper name in the text of a paid search ad, some wily dealers are buying their rivals’ names when bidding for search terms to direct traffic. Dealership A might buy Dealership B’s name as a search term so that when shoppers search for Dealership B, they get a Google Ad that directs them back to Dealership A. Pretty sneaky, right?

Google claims that this practice is legally sound, but dealers usually have “gentlemen’s agreements” not to buy each other’s names. However, some dealers breach this unwritten rule just to throw a wrench in the competition’s spokes. What can you do about this problem?

Bid on your dealership’s domain name. You can get around this problem entirely if you’re up on your Adwords campaign. Google holds a continuous auction for specific ad words and phrases that allow dealers bidding the most for those phrases to attain top position on a Google search page. Since advertisers only pay when shoppers click on the ad, you may really want to consider bidding on your dealership name.

Search for your store frequently. See your search results through a customer’s eyes by frequently running searches on your own dealership. You’ll know if someone else has bid on your name if you see a competitor’s paid ad appear. Make sure to protect your ad position by checking up on your search practices!

Personally, I consider this practice predatory and borderline unethical. There are tons of ways you can increase your website presence without resorting to lowballing other stores around you. Follow the unwritten dealer code, and remember that we’re all in this together.

_

Follow Stephen and the ActivEngage marketing team by subscribing to our blog for daily updates!

I bet you thought Internet fame means increased sales for your business. Nope. Just ask Chuck Testa. The California taxidermist became an internet phenomenon when he released this comically dry advertisement for his Ojai Valley specialty business. The campy, low-budget Youtube spot monotonously claims that Testa’s stuffed animals look so real, you’ll probably think they’re alive. Within days, the video had gone completely viral, garnering over two million views within 48 hours. Since then, the Ojai Valley commercial has become an Internet classic, inspiring dozens of online mockeries and memes.

But despite his newfound Internet fame, Mr. Testa hasn’t had much business to show for it. This might have something to do with the fact that the man sells exotic dead animals. It’s not much of a consumer product. But outside of a few “Nope” T-shirts, Internet fame hasn’t done much to stymie demand. Since his viral video hit last year, Testa says that his store has done nothing but“business as usual.”

“I’m still broke,” Testa says. The Internet notoriety may have even made the taxidermy business even tougher. After his video became an Internet sensation, someone bought thewww.chucktesta.com domain name and attempted to sell it back to Testa at an extraordinary price. Testa’s voicemail is populated mostly with prank calls instead of new requests. A few months ago, his attire in the video even had some speculating that Testa was a Nazi – and that’s never good for business.

So what?

The auto industry in particular spends a lot of time, money, and effort on video content. How many ridiculous “car guy” commercials have you seen? Sometimes we even get a glimpse of how stressful making a viral video really is. How much do your customers value these attempts? Do they visit your dealership more often because of it?

In the 21st century, your consumers will rely on your website and online information more than anything else. Instead of trying to find Internet fame with campy commercials, devote your time to creating customer solutions that will drive potential buyers to you. Rather than thinking up the perfect tagline for your next commercial, focus on creating content to optimize your dealership page and drive more qualified traffic to your site. Don’t worry about funding that viral hit – implement a better user web experience first. Your customers will appreciate it.

I bet you thought Internet fame means increased sales for your business. Nope. Just ask Chuck Testa. The California taxidermist became an internet phenomenon when he released this comically dry advertisement for his Ojai Valley specialty business. The campy, low-budget Youtube spot monotonously claims that Testa’s stuffed animals look so real, you’ll probably think they’re alive. Within days, the video had gone completely viral, garnering over two million views within 48 hours. Since then, the Ojai Valley commercial has become an Internet classic, inspiring dozens of online mockeries and memes.

But despite his newfound Internet fame, Mr. Testa hasn’t had much business to show for it. This might have something to do with the fact that the man sells exotic dead animals. It’s not much of a consumer product. But outside of a few “Nope” T-shirts, Internet fame hasn’t done much to stymie demand. Since his viral video hit last year, Testa says that his store has done nothing but“business as usual.”

“I’m still broke,” Testa says. The Internet notoriety may have even made the taxidermy business even tougher. After his video became an Internet sensation, someone bought thewww.chucktesta.com domain name and attempted to sell it back to Testa at an extraordinary price. Testa’s voicemail is populated mostly with prank calls instead of new requests. A few months ago, his attire in the video even had some speculating that Testa was a Nazi – and that’s never good for business.

So what?

The auto industry in particular spends a lot of time, money, and effort on video content. How many ridiculous “car guy” commercials have you seen? Sometimes we even get a glimpse of how stressful making a viral video really is. How much do your customers value these attempts? Do they visit your dealership more often because of it?

In the 21st century, your consumers will rely on your website and online information more than anything else. Instead of trying to find Internet fame with campy commercials, devote your time to creating customer solutions that will drive potential buyers to you. Rather than thinking up the perfect tagline for your next commercial, focus on creating content to optimize your dealership page and drive more qualified traffic to your site. Don’t worry about funding that viral hit – implement a better user web experience first. Your customers will appreciate it.

The most trusted name in live chat brings the top ten blog posts, trends and auto news stories right to you! We monitor industry trends, current events and the auto dealer community every week to bring you the top blogs and automotive stories from around the globe. This weekly edition – driverless cars, a foolproof blog formula, and AutoTrader goes public!

What Comes After Driverless Cars?

Someone in Washington told this writer that they hope to get rid of the driver in the car. Doubt that is likely, seeing that people enjoy driving (unless you’re stuck in traffic). Read more to see input on this matter.

The Foolproof Formula for Writing a Blog, According to HubSpot!

Finally! Something that all marketing teams EVERYWHERE have been waiting for. A cheat sheet on writing the foolproof blog. (I really hope you sensed my sarcasm there…)

Toyota Toys With Childish New Concept Car

Move over Power Wheels! Toyota unveiled the three-seat Camatte concept car this week at the Tokyo Toy Show to better target its hypothetical market –- children and their well-heeled parents. This toy car can reach a top speed of 25 mph!

Microsoft Releases Tablet

Xbox aside, this is probably one of the best things Microsoft has put out in the past years. According to this article, “Microsoft didn’t just break the mold. It smashed it into a million little pieces, chucked them all into the furnace and set the temperature to obliterate. There really is no precedent for what Microsoft did this week.”

Internet Strikes Back After Bus Monitor is Harassed

Talk about the degradation of our youth, this poor woman is harassed by some middle schoolers to the point of tears and beyond. Bright side of the story is that people on the Internet took notice and started a fund to send this woman on a nice vacation and hopefully raise enough so she can retire. You can see the video, but to warn you, it’s explicit, it’s horrible, and it’s just plain terrible how cruel these kids are to her.

A Tribute To Karry Moore

The automotive community lost a great thought leader this last week. ActivEngage wishes our heartfelt condolences to the family of Kerry Moore, co-founder of Car-Mercial and beloved member of the automotive community.

Be A Beastie Boy

Joe Webb pays tribute to the recently deceased Adam Yauch by combining his favorite band with some dealer tips. Read up on how the Beastie Boys can teach dealers to stay ahead of the curve.

How To Change The Automotive Industry

Ian Nethercott says that the problem with automotive retail lies in employee compensation and giving customers false expectations. What are you telling your customers? How do you pay your employees? This post definitely belongs on this week’s top ten blogs.

Facebook Lets You Pay Your Way To A Better EdgeRank

Facebook attempts to prove its social media platform is profitable by charging money with its “Promote” option. For a fee, you can give more visibility to each of your posts. Is this a legitimate business practice or a last-ditch effort?

AutoTrader’s Files Are Public

So you know that AutoTrader has filed its initial public offering, but you don’t have time to read all 250 pages of the document. Check out this blog post about the revenue, expenses, and major acquisitions of the car aggregate to learn more about its profitability.
_
Did we miss anything important? Like what you see? Leave us a comment below! Or if you really can’t wait for your automotive fix, follow @activengage on Twitter for daily updates on auto industry news!

The most trusted name in live chat brings the top ten blog posts, trends and auto news stories right to you! We monitor industry trends, current events and the auto dealer community every week to bring you the top blogs and automotive stories from around the globe. This weekly edition – driverless cars, a foolproof blog formula, and AutoTrader goes public!

What Comes After Driverless Cars?

Someone in Washington told this writer that they hope to get rid of the driver in the car. Doubt that is likely, seeing that people enjoy driving (unless you’re stuck in traffic). Read more to see input on this matter.

The Foolproof Formula for Writing a Blog, According to HubSpot!

Finally! Something that all marketing teams EVERYWHERE have been waiting for. A cheat sheet on writing the foolproof blog. (I really hope you sensed my sarcasm there…)

Toyota Toys With Childish New Concept Car

Move over Power Wheels! Toyota unveiled the three-seat Camatte concept car this week at the Tokyo Toy Show to better target its hypothetical market –- children and their well-heeled parents. This toy car can reach a top speed of 25 mph!

Microsoft Releases Tablet

Xbox aside, this is probably one of the best things Microsoft has put out in the past years. According to this article, “Microsoft didn’t just break the mold. It smashed it into a million little pieces, chucked them all into the furnace and set the temperature to obliterate. There really is no precedent for what Microsoft did this week.”

Internet Strikes Back After Bus Monitor is Harassed

Talk about the degradation of our youth, this poor woman is harassed by some middle schoolers to the point of tears and beyond. Bright side of the story is that people on the Internet took notice and started a fund to send this woman on a nice vacation and hopefully raise enough so she can retire. You can see the video, but to warn you, it’s explicit, it’s horrible, and it’s just plain terrible how cruel these kids are to her.

A Tribute To Karry Moore

The automotive community lost a great thought leader this last week. ActivEngage wishes our heartfelt condolences to the family of Kerry Moore, co-founder of Car-Mercial and beloved member of the automotive community.

Be A Beastie Boy

Joe Webb pays tribute to the recently deceased Adam Yauch by combining his favorite band with some dealer tips. Read up on how the Beastie Boys can teach dealers to stay ahead of the curve.

How To Change The Automotive Industry

Ian Nethercott says that the problem with automotive retail lies in employee compensation and giving customers false expectations. What are you telling your customers? How do you pay your employees? This post definitely belongs on this week’s top ten blogs.

Facebook Lets You Pay Your Way To A Better EdgeRank

Facebook attempts to prove its social media platform is profitable by charging money with its “Promote” option. For a fee, you can give more visibility to each of your posts. Is this a legitimate business practice or a last-ditch effort?

AutoTrader’s Files Are Public

So you know that AutoTrader has filed its initial public offering, but you don’t have time to read all 250 pages of the document. Check out this blog post about the revenue, expenses, and major acquisitions of the car aggregate to learn more about its profitability.
_
Did we miss anything important? Like what you see? Leave us a comment below! Or if you really can’t wait for your automotive fix, follow @activengage on Twitter for daily updates on auto industry news!

Facebook’s EdgeRank is the elusive, mystical formula that calculates whether your story is interesting enough to be featured on your friends’ newsfeeds. One site compared the EdgeRank to a credit history: It’s important, unique to each user, invisible, and no one knows exactly how it works. Mathematically stated, the EdgeRank formula would look something like this:

Confused? Yeah, me too. The important thing to know is that the higher your EdgeRank rating, the more people see what you post, and the more viral your content becomes. So it’s especially important to brands that are focused on social media to maintain a high EdgeRank. You can check out this blog for more info about the EdgeRank and how to raise yours.

But that blog won’t tell you about the newest and fastest way to raise your score: pay money.Ever since its lukewarm public offering, Facebook has struggled to come up with ways to prove that social networks can be profitable. So far, their answer seems to be to charge users with new fees to optimize their EdgeRank.

That’s right, you can now use cash to amplify your reach – and your normal Facebook posts conveniently reach a mere 12% of your fans on average. That means that the $15 billion company is withholding your posts from 88% of your fans – unless you fork over some dough. It might be cynical to say that Facebook is artificially hiding your posts for the sake of profit; then again, it might be the truth.

Of course, the entire purpose of the EdgeRank algorithm is to populate your newsfeed with stories that Facebook thinks you want to read – and the notion of robots predicting human behavior is inherently problematic (you can read an earlier discussion about that issue here).

What do you guys think? Is the pay-to-promote option a valuable service, or is Facebook trying to jump start its own economy?

_

You can read more by Stephen and the rest of the ActivEngage marketing team by following our Facebook page or subscribing to our blog!

Facebook’s EdgeRank is the elusive, mystical formula that calculates whether your story is interesting enough to be featured on your friends’ newsfeeds. One site compared the EdgeRank to a credit history: It’s important, unique to each user, invisible, and no one knows exactly how it works. Mathematically stated, the EdgeRank formula would look something like this:

Confused? Yeah, me too. The important thing to know is that the higher your EdgeRank rating, the more people see what you post, and the more viral your content becomes. So it’s especially important to brands that are focused on social media to maintain a high EdgeRank. You can check out this blog for more info about the EdgeRank and how to raise yours.

But that blog won’t tell you about the newest and fastest way to raise your score: pay money.Ever since its lukewarm public offering, Facebook has struggled to come up with ways to prove that social networks can be profitable. So far, their answer seems to be to charge users with new fees to optimize their EdgeRank.

That’s right, you can now use cash to amplify your reach – and your normal Facebook posts conveniently reach a mere 12% of your fans on average. That means that the $15 billion company is withholding your posts from 88% of your fans – unless you fork over some dough. It might be cynical to say that Facebook is artificially hiding your posts for the sake of profit; then again, it might be the truth.

Of course, the entire purpose of the EdgeRank algorithm is to populate your newsfeed with stories that Facebook thinks you want to read – and the notion of robots predicting human behavior is inherently problematic (you can read an earlier discussion about that issue here).

What do you guys think? Is the pay-to-promote option a valuable service, or is Facebook trying to jump start its own economy?

_

You can read more by Stephen and the rest of the ActivEngage marketing team by following our Facebook page or subscribing to our blog!

It’s easy to become distracted by information junk food at work – especially when your work is the Internet. Last Friday I found myself passing the time at ActivEngage by watching an endless Youtube stream of “Call Me Maybe” mashups. My eyes glazed over as I counted down the minutes until I was free for the weekend. Suddenly I felt my headphones snap off. ActivEngage CEO Todd Smith was standing next to me, looking down with scorn at the singing animals on my computer screen.

Todd told me he had something better for me to watch. He directed me to a TED talk by Eli Pariser and said with a smile, “If you have 9 minutes to waste, waste it on that.” I sighed – couldn’t it be the weekend already? But when I started watching this video, I forgot about my weekend freedom and started thinking about our collective online freedom.

Here, I’ll even link it again for you guys: WATCH THIS NOW. It’s completely fascinating.

Basically, Pariser says that where the Internet was supposed to provide complete informational freedom, search engine algorithms actually limit your access. We know that Google tailors your search results to your own preferences, right? So if all you ever click is funny Youtube videos about cats, then that’s all you’ll ever see. The information we seek is actually run through several filters, and what we get at the end is merely what the internet thinks we want.

So now that you’ve seen the video (here it is again, just in case you missed it the first two times), how can we fix this problem? Maybe search engines like Google could offer an unfiltered search – one button to search and one button to validate your mentality. But even that offers no guarantee that people will ever seek new and challenging information or leave their comfort zone.

So it seems to me that the real thrust of Pariser’s speech is that the only way to grow as a person is to challenge yourself. If you think of yourself as politically liberal, force yourself to hear dissenting opinions by listening to a conservative talk show. Read newspapers from another country. Don’t be afraid of debate or disagreement; share your opinions socially and respectfully to stimulate your own online community.

The 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche advocated that we think “with a hammer.” He meant that we should continually test the strength our own convictions by forcing them to clash with opposing viewpoints. Don’t spoil yourself on a diet of information junk food. Test your ideas. Challenge yourself. 

It’s easy to become distracted by information junk food at work – especially when your work is the Internet. Last Friday I found myself passing the time at ActivEngage by watching an endless Youtube stream of “Call Me Maybe” mashups. My eyes glazed over as I counted down the minutes until I was free for the weekend. Suddenly I felt my headphones snap off. ActivEngage CEO Todd Smith was standing next to me, looking down with scorn at the singing animals on my computer screen.

Todd told me he had something better for me to watch. He directed me to a TED talk by Eli Pariser and said with a smile, “If you have 9 minutes to waste, waste it on that.” I sighed – couldn’t it be the weekend already? But when I started watching this video, I forgot about my weekend freedom and started thinking about our collective online freedom.

Here, I’ll even link it again for you guys: WATCH THIS NOW. It’s completely fascinating.

Basically, Pariser says that where the Internet was supposed to provide complete informational freedom, search engine algorithms actually limit your access. We know that Google tailors your search results to your own preferences, right? So if all you ever click is funny Youtube videos about cats, then that’s all you’ll ever see. The information we seek is actually run through several filters, and what we get at the end is merely what the internet thinks we want.

So now that you’ve seen the video (here it is again, just in case you missed it the first two times), how can we fix this problem? Maybe search engines like Google could offer an unfiltered search – one button to search and one button to validate your mentality. But even that offers no guarantee that people will ever seek new and challenging information or leave their comfort zone.

So it seems to me that the real thrust of Pariser’s speech is that the only way to grow as a person is to challenge yourself. If you think of yourself as politically liberal, force yourself to hear dissenting opinions by listening to a conservative talk show. Read newspapers from another country. Don’t be afraid of debate or disagreement; share your opinions socially and respectfully to stimulate your own online community.

The 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche advocated that we think “with a hammer.” He meant that we should continually test the strength our own convictions by forcing them to clash with opposing viewpoints. Don’t spoil yourself on a diet of information junk food. Test your ideas. Challenge yourself.