On Friday, ADP Digital Marketing/Cobalt won a 2011 Pinnacle Award at the Automotive Website Awards (AWA) hosted by PCG Marketing at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. The Pinnacle Award is the highest recognition possible, according to PCG President Brian Pasch. Pasch stated, “Pinnacle Platform winners deliver outstanding digital marketing platforms for car dealers and show an unprecedented attention to detail in live production.”

Pasch elaborated on the dramatic enhancements to ADP Digital Marketing/Cobalt’s digital solution in the printed awards book, saying, “The biggest surprise of this year is the improvements delivered by the new ADP|Cobalt website platform. The design and engineering team at ADP|Cobalt made a strong investment in their website platform that we recognize and reward with their inclusion in the search marketing award list.
The ADP|Cobalt digital marketing platform is rapidly expanding and includes products and services that cover social media, reputation management and enhanced analytics…The dramatic changes in site architecture that have been completed this year are impressive.”

Greg Meyer, Vice President of Technology for ADP/Cobalt responded to the win, saying “I would like to thank our dealer partners who have provided input and review of our new solutions, their insight has been instrumental. This recognition is a significant milestone on the merger of The Cobalt Group and ADP Digital Marketing and a reflection of what is to come as we continue to gain momentum with our ground breaking digital marketing solutions.”

Read the full announcement from PCG Marketing here.

On Friday, ADP Digital Marketing/Cobalt won a 2011 Pinnacle Award at the Automotive Website Awards (AWA) hosted by PCG Marketing at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. The Pinnacle Award is the highest recognition possible, according to PCG President Brian Pasch. Pasch stated, “Pinnacle Platform winners deliver outstanding digital marketing platforms for car dealers and show an unprecedented attention to detail in live production.”

Pasch elaborated on the dramatic enhancements to ADP Digital Marketing/Cobalt’s digital solution in the printed awards book, saying, “The biggest surprise of this year is the improvements delivered by the new ADP|Cobalt website platform. The design and engineering team at ADP|Cobalt made a strong investment in their website platform that we recognize and reward with their inclusion in the search marketing award list.
The ADP|Cobalt digital marketing platform is rapidly expanding and includes products and services that cover social media, reputation management and enhanced analytics…The dramatic changes in site architecture that have been completed this year are impressive.”

Greg Meyer, Vice President of Technology for ADP/Cobalt responded to the win, saying “I would like to thank our dealer partners who have provided input and review of our new solutions, their insight has been instrumental. This recognition is a significant milestone on the merger of The Cobalt Group and ADP Digital Marketing and a reflection of what is to come as we continue to gain momentum with our ground breaking digital marketing solutions.”

Read the full announcement from PCG Marketing here.

The New Digital Automotive Marketing Strategy Gets Bold About Branding

In 2011, a sexy dealer website means creating a stand-up-and-take-notice brand. “It’s time to smash the cookie cutter,” Andy Largent, Product Manager at ADP Digital Marketing said. “To do that, you need to think beyond the brand foundation provided by your OEM, think outside what your neighbor dealer is doing. Be clear about why consumers should want to do business with you and really get creative about taking every opportunity to get that message out.”

Sexy Dealer Website Checklist

1. Get competitive. In order to represent your brand, it’s time to get the lay of the land. Google your top three competitors and read over their sites. What do you have that they don’t? If they emphasize speedy service, emphasize your outstanding selection. If they plug their low prices, emphasize your spectacular customer service. A sexy dealer website is one that stands out from the pack, and a little due diligence can equal a big competitive edge.

2. Spice up your content. A sexy dealer website in 2011 is characterized by exciting, action-inspiring content. To truly create a stand-out brand,  dealers need to think beyond their calls-to-action and look at their site copy as a whole. “Shiny buttons are great, but they’re just a start. Anyone can install a widget,” Paul Nagy, Vice President of Core Products at ADP Digital Marketing said. “But having a sexy dealer website in 2011 means taking the time to truly articulate your core advantages, and then taking every possible opportunity to do so.” Nagy recommends dealers start with traditionally under-utilized pages like the “About Us” page and the company boilerplate. “Look at every page from a ‘why me?’ angle,” Nagy says. “Make sure each and every sentence answers that question in a complete and compelling way.”

3. Think outside the homepage. Though many dealers are urged to adopt OEM compliancy guidelines, in general those standards center on the homepage. Find ways to reinforce your brand by expanding your efforts “away from home.” “There’s more than one road to Rome,” Largent said. “From landing pages to social media channels, there is boundless opportunity for dealers to brand themselves and still stay within OEM guidelines.”  He suggests adding new brand-rich pages, like a Press Page, an Employee Page, or a ‘Top Ten Reasons to Choose Us” page.

We hope you enjoyed part one of this series. Stay tuned for more modern website must-haves from the experts at ADP Digital Marketing.

The New Digital Automotive Marketing Strategy Gets Bold About Branding

In 2011, a sexy dealer website means creating a stand-up-and-take-notice brand. “It’s time to smash the cookie cutter,” Andy Largent, Product Manager at ADP Digital Marketing said. “To do that, you need to think beyond the brand foundation provided by your OEM, think outside what your neighbor dealer is doing. Be clear about why consumers should want to do business with you and really get creative about taking every opportunity to get that message out.”

Sexy Dealer Website Checklist

1. Get competitive. In order to represent your brand, it’s time to get the lay of the land. Google your top three competitors and read over their sites. What do you have that they don’t? If they emphasize speedy service, emphasize your outstanding selection. If they plug their low prices, emphasize your spectacular customer service. A sexy dealer website is one that stands out from the pack, and a little due diligence can equal a big competitive edge.

2. Spice up your content. A sexy dealer website in 2011 is characterized by exciting, action-inspiring content. To truly create a stand-out brand,  dealers need to think beyond their calls-to-action and look at their site copy as a whole. “Shiny buttons are great, but they’re just a start. Anyone can install a widget,” Paul Nagy, Vice President of Core Products at ADP Digital Marketing said. “But having a sexy dealer website in 2011 means taking the time to truly articulate your core advantages, and then taking every possible opportunity to do so.” Nagy recommends dealers start with traditionally under-utilized pages like the “About Us” page and the company boilerplate. “Look at every page from a ‘why me?’ angle,” Nagy says. “Make sure each and every sentence answers that question in a complete and compelling way.”

3. Think outside the homepage. Though many dealers are urged to adopt OEM compliancy guidelines, in general those standards center on the homepage. Find ways to reinforce your brand by expanding your efforts “away from home.” “There’s more than one road to Rome,” Largent said. “From landing pages to social media channels, there is boundless opportunity for dealers to brand themselves and still stay within OEM guidelines.”  He suggests adding new brand-rich pages, like a Press Page, an Employee Page, or a ‘Top Ten Reasons to Choose Us” page.

We hope you enjoyed part one of this series. Stay tuned for more modern website must-haves from the experts at ADP Digital Marketing.

 

It’s 2011; is your dealer website holding its own? Everywhere you turn in the digital automotive marketing world, technology is evolving at a rapid clip. Search engines are going social. Flash is facing new challengers.Tablets are trendy. Mobile is a must. Tastemakers are chomping for quick-loading sites that look slick and perform even better. How does a dealer keep up? For many, it will mean that age-old New Year adage: out with the old, in with the new. But you won’t have to do it alone. My associate Andy and I are here to help you “bring sexy back” to your dealer website with this  five-part series on modern website must-haves.

The New Definition of Sexy

What does a sexy dealer website look like in 2011? The answer is a mix of old and new.  As always, a sexy dealer website is one hundred percent focused on the end goal: helping in-market consumers find and purchase a vehicle as swiftly and seamlessly as possible. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is that consumers expect websites to be “smart” – providing just the information they need when they need it. Knowing that, here's my definition of a sexy dealer website in 2011:

What’s sexy now is a website that is so fast and intuitive that it can literally match its actions to the buyer’s desires, stroke for stroke-wherever the consumer is, on whatever device the consumer is using.

It’s a tall order, but no one said being sexy was easy. Stay tuned over the next month as Andy and I bring you hot expert tips on how to "bring sexy back" to your dealer website.

 

It’s 2011; is your dealer website holding its own? Everywhere you turn in the digital automotive marketing world, technology is evolving at a rapid clip. Search engines are going social. Flash is facing new challengers.Tablets are trendy. Mobile is a must. Tastemakers are chomping for quick-loading sites that look slick and perform even better. How does a dealer keep up? For many, it will mean that age-old New Year adage: out with the old, in with the new. But you won’t have to do it alone. My associate Andy and I are here to help you “bring sexy back” to your dealer website with this  five-part series on modern website must-haves.

The New Definition of Sexy

What does a sexy dealer website look like in 2011? The answer is a mix of old and new.  As always, a sexy dealer website is one hundred percent focused on the end goal: helping in-market consumers find and purchase a vehicle as swiftly and seamlessly as possible. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is that consumers expect websites to be “smart” – providing just the information they need when they need it. Knowing that, here's my definition of a sexy dealer website in 2011:

What’s sexy now is a website that is so fast and intuitive that it can literally match its actions to the buyer’s desires, stroke for stroke-wherever the consumer is, on whatever device the consumer is using.

It’s a tall order, but no one said being sexy was easy. Stay tuned over the next month as Andy and I bring you hot expert tips on how to "bring sexy back" to your dealer website.

“May I have your attention, please: the Internet has not replaced the telephone. I repeat: the Internet has not replaced the telephone.”

In the frenzy of the automotive digital marketing land grab, have you let flashing animated banners dazzle you? Has the faithful jingle of the dealership phone become a pesky buzz in your ear? If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to both questions, you’ve missed the boat. Don’t worry, though; here comes the life raft!

Digital automotive marketing doesn’t replace phone leads. Digital automotive marketing CREATES phone leads. In fact, our own Cobalt research shows that over the past year, phone calls have actually outpaced email leads in a dramatic fashion. Our research shows that in March of 2010, there were approximately 7 phone calls for every 2 e-mail leads.  In March of 2011, that ratio jumped to almost 10 phone calls for every 2 e-mail leads.

Now, let’s be clear: these statistics don’t mean your digital marketing efforts are wasted because we all know today’s consumers prefer to do the bulk of their car-shopping research online. It just means that when it comes time to actually visit a dealership, many people still prefer to pick up the phone and call rather than fill out an email form. The reasons are numerous: identity theft concerns, privacy issues, or plain old “field fatigue” at the thought of filling out a long, cumbersome online form. And, on a more ‘sinister’ front, when customers call they are attempting to cross you off the list of dealerships they intend to visit.

So yes, the Internet does play a more powerful role than ever in the car-buying process. BUT the phone is still the contact method of choice for most serious buyers. In other words, if you’re doing automotive digital advertising right, your phone should be ringing off the hook. The question is, are you prepared to pick it up?

Jon Quade, Performance Improvement Consultant at ADP Digital Marketing (formerly The Cobalt Group),  is one of the most-recognized trainers in the automobile industry. He has  8000+ hours on camera and years of seminar experience with OEM clients like Ford, General Motors, Nissan, and Infiniti.

“May I have your attention, please: the Internet has not replaced the telephone. I repeat: the Internet has not replaced the telephone.”

In the frenzy of the automotive digital marketing land grab, have you let flashing animated banners dazzle you? Has the faithful jingle of the dealership phone become a pesky buzz in your ear? If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to both questions, you’ve missed the boat. Don’t worry, though; here comes the life raft!

Digital automotive marketing doesn’t replace phone leads. Digital automotive marketing CREATES phone leads. In fact, our own Cobalt research shows that over the past year, phone calls have actually outpaced email leads in a dramatic fashion. Our research shows that in March of 2010, there were approximately 7 phone calls for every 2 e-mail leads.  In March of 2011, that ratio jumped to almost 10 phone calls for every 2 e-mail leads.

Now, let’s be clear: these statistics don’t mean your digital marketing efforts are wasted because we all know today’s consumers prefer to do the bulk of their car-shopping research online. It just means that when it comes time to actually visit a dealership, many people still prefer to pick up the phone and call rather than fill out an email form. The reasons are numerous: identity theft concerns, privacy issues, or plain old “field fatigue” at the thought of filling out a long, cumbersome online form. And, on a more ‘sinister’ front, when customers call they are attempting to cross you off the list of dealerships they intend to visit.

So yes, the Internet does play a more powerful role than ever in the car-buying process. BUT the phone is still the contact method of choice for most serious buyers. In other words, if you’re doing automotive digital advertising right, your phone should be ringing off the hook. The question is, are you prepared to pick it up?

Jon Quade, Performance Improvement Consultant at ADP Digital Marketing (formerly The Cobalt Group),  is one of the most-recognized trainers in the automobile industry. He has  8000+ hours on camera and years of seminar experience with OEM clients like Ford, General Motors, Nissan, and Infiniti.

Dealers: Don’t Count on “Fuel Additives” to Power Your Reputation Management

By now, we’ve all heard about the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’S) landmark smackdown: the FTC fined Legacy Learning Systems $250,000 for unethical review practices. For the Tennessee-based company, the unethical behavior consisted of putting some “fuel additives” into their sales process by hiring marketers, disguised as customers, to plaster consumer review sites with comments about “the best home-study DVD course for guitar I have ever seen.” What a fantastic idea (NOT!!!). Sales revenues rose up into the millions, the FTC smelled something fishy, investigated, and the rest is history. Now, companies everywhere are clutching their collective hats, hoping and praying their own reputation management process is above- board.

And really, who can blame them?

Dealership Reputation Management: The Race for Stars

After all, although Legacy Learning System’s methods were fishy, they are hardly the first to feel pressured by the “race for stars.” Reputation management is the hot new buzzword, and we car dealers are in the hot seat, charged with inspiring page after page of glowing reviews in record time, as well as silencing any “Negative Nellys” who have left an unflattering review.

As a “vintage auto old-timer” who has worked in the car business almost two weeks (or was it longer?), this reviews frenzy reminds me of the universal (automotive) marketing law; otherwise known as the TRUTH: No matter how urgent or desperate a marketing campaign might seem, it must always be tempered with ethics, honesty, and wise judgment. Take it from the VJnator (Did I mention you can follow me on Twitter @VJnator?): Fuel additives may offer an exhilarating extra edge for a short while, but you can’t rely on performance-enhancing gimmicks to power your review process in the long run. On that note, here are four tips for “grease-proofing” your dealership reputation management process. Follow these to keep your reputation marketing engine idling smoothly and steadily.

Five Ways to Keep Your Reputation Management Engine Idling Smoothly

1) Do not offer your customers gift cards, free oil changes, or any other compensation in exchange for them posting positive reviews on Merchantcircle, Yelp, etc. It may seem like a great and generous idea to reward your reviewing customers with gifts and perks, but this could be considered a black-hat behavior. As you know, the Google Reviews Help Page states “Do not offer or accept money or product to write positive reviews about a business, or to write negative reviews about a competitor.” Therefore, it is best to avoid the appearance of coercing your customers to write positive reviews, even with good intentions.

2) Do not post fake negative reviews about your competitors. You’ll get caught and “flagged.” Popular dealer reviews sites like DealerRater.com are by adding a Content Monitoring Team designed to weed out “black sheep” in the industry. What happens if you get flagged? According to the site FAQ’s, “If DealerRater.com determines that someone affiliated with a car dealership has written a review, Dealerrater.com may, in its sole discretion, may place a note on the dealership’s review page notifying readers that someone from the dealership has not complied with our website’s Terms of Use. The dealership is also subject to being placed on the probation for six months.” In other words, do not think these review rules do not apply to car dealers. They do!

3) Learn to be patient when installing a “reputation management process” in your dealership. Remember, it IS a process. Decide which RM (reputation management) platform you will focus on, make it part of your salesperson’s delivery process, and emphasize to them the importance of politeness over pushiness. Ask your customer’s permission to send them a link to your review page, where they can grade their buying experience in the comfort of her home and on their own time. No rush, no follow-up call, no badgering questions of “Have you filled out the survey yet”?

4) Make it a company-wide effort. Without resorting to black-hat practices, encourage each and every team member to participate in the reputation management process. Ask for at least 3 reviews a month per sales person. Getting great review feedbacks? Share them with your staff during your sales meeting. Follow the old but ever-new universal public relations law: “Do good things and talk about it.”

5) Do not leave positive reviews of your product without disclosing your connection to the product. Lack of disclosure was the fatal flaw in Legacy Learning System’s plan, and their behavior was in direct opposition to the 2009 FTC regulation, which states: “Under the guidelines, a positive review by a person connected to the seller – or someone who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product or service – should disclose the material connection between the reviewer and the seller of the product or service.” Note: this policy applies not only to review sites such as Yelp, but also to bloggers who post reviews on their own sites, etc)

The Winning Mixture for a Premium Online Reputation Management Process

Because in the future, all dealerships will be considered “Internet stores,” meaning more than 90% of all consumers will “shop and observe” you before even coming to your brick and mortar store, the fuel mixture for driving your future success is already a known fact:

Octane 87 = Consistency
Octane 89 = Persistence
Octane 91 = Passion

Last but not least, remember there’s only two true ways to manage your reputation: Provide a spectacular customer experience, or provide a terrible one. Without having any gray zone, there will be only one white or black decision to do it right.

Volker Jaeckel, Digital Marketing Ambassador for ADP Digital Marketing

Volker Jaeckel works as a speaker, coach and educator in digital marketing. “VJ” is a frequent speaker at industry events like Digital Dealer Conference and NADA; he is also a fixture at NCM 20 Groups and OEM seminars. When he’s not dazzling others with his digital marketing know-how, VJ enjoys vintage Mercedes Benz cars and spending time with his wife and five kids.

The Cobalt Group

www.cobalt.com
www.twitter.com/CobaltMarketing
www.facebook.com/CobaltTalent

Dealers: Don’t Count on “Fuel Additives” to Power Your Reputation Management

By now, we’ve all heard about the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’S) landmark smackdown: the FTC fined Legacy Learning Systems $250,000 for unethical review practices. For the Tennessee-based company, the unethical behavior consisted of putting some “fuel additives” into their sales process by hiring marketers, disguised as customers, to plaster consumer review sites with comments about “the best home-study DVD course for guitar I have ever seen.” What a fantastic idea (NOT!!!). Sales revenues rose up into the millions, the FTC smelled something fishy, investigated, and the rest is history. Now, companies everywhere are clutching their collective hats, hoping and praying their own reputation management process is above- board.

And really, who can blame them?

Dealership Reputation Management: The Race for Stars

After all, although Legacy Learning System’s methods were fishy, they are hardly the first to feel pressured by the “race for stars.” Reputation management is the hot new buzzword, and we car dealers are in the hot seat, charged with inspiring page after page of glowing reviews in record time, as well as silencing any “Negative Nellys” who have left an unflattering review.

As a “vintage auto old-timer” who has worked in the car business almost two weeks (or was it longer?), this reviews frenzy reminds me of the universal (automotive) marketing law; otherwise known as the TRUTH: No matter how urgent or desperate a marketing campaign might seem, it must always be tempered with ethics, honesty, and wise judgment. Take it from the VJnator (Did I mention you can follow me on Twitter @VJnator?): Fuel additives may offer an exhilarating extra edge for a short while, but you can’t rely on performance-enhancing gimmicks to power your review process in the long run. On that note, here are four tips for “grease-proofing” your dealership reputation management process. Follow these to keep your reputation marketing engine idling smoothly and steadily.

Five Ways to Keep Your Reputation Management Engine Idling Smoothly

1) Do not offer your customers gift cards, free oil changes, or any other compensation in exchange for them posting positive reviews on Merchantcircle, Yelp, etc. It may seem like a great and generous idea to reward your reviewing customers with gifts and perks, but this could be considered a black-hat behavior. As you know, the Google Reviews Help Page states “Do not offer or accept money or product to write positive reviews about a business, or to write negative reviews about a competitor.” Therefore, it is best to avoid the appearance of coercing your customers to write positive reviews, even with good intentions.

2) Do not post fake negative reviews about your competitors. You’ll get caught and “flagged.” Popular dealer reviews sites like DealerRater.com are by adding a Content Monitoring Team designed to weed out “black sheep” in the industry. What happens if you get flagged? According to the site FAQ’s, “If DealerRater.com determines that someone affiliated with a car dealership has written a review, Dealerrater.com may, in its sole discretion, may place a note on the dealership’s review page notifying readers that someone from the dealership has not complied with our website’s Terms of Use. The dealership is also subject to being placed on the probation for six months.” In other words, do not think these review rules do not apply to car dealers. They do!

3) Learn to be patient when installing a “reputation management process” in your dealership. Remember, it IS a process. Decide which RM (reputation management) platform you will focus on, make it part of your salesperson’s delivery process, and emphasize to them the importance of politeness over pushiness. Ask your customer’s permission to send them a link to your review page, where they can grade their buying experience in the comfort of her home and on their own time. No rush, no follow-up call, no badgering questions of “Have you filled out the survey yet”?

4) Make it a company-wide effort. Without resorting to black-hat practices, encourage each and every team member to participate in the reputation management process. Ask for at least 3 reviews a month per sales person. Getting great review feedbacks? Share them with your staff during your sales meeting. Follow the old but ever-new universal public relations law: “Do good things and talk about it.”

5) Do not leave positive reviews of your product without disclosing your connection to the product. Lack of disclosure was the fatal flaw in Legacy Learning System’s plan, and their behavior was in direct opposition to the 2009 FTC regulation, which states: “Under the guidelines, a positive review by a person connected to the seller – or someone who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product or service – should disclose the material connection between the reviewer and the seller of the product or service.” Note: this policy applies not only to review sites such as Yelp, but also to bloggers who post reviews on their own sites, etc)

The Winning Mixture for a Premium Online Reputation Management Process

Because in the future, all dealerships will be considered “Internet stores,” meaning more than 90% of all consumers will “shop and observe” you before even coming to your brick and mortar store, the fuel mixture for driving your future success is already a known fact:

Octane 87 = Consistency
Octane 89 = Persistence
Octane 91 = Passion

Last but not least, remember there’s only two true ways to manage your reputation: Provide a spectacular customer experience, or provide a terrible one. Without having any gray zone, there will be only one white or black decision to do it right.

Volker Jaeckel, Digital Marketing Ambassador for ADP Digital Marketing

Volker Jaeckel works as a speaker, coach and educator in digital marketing. “VJ” is a frequent speaker at industry events like Digital Dealer Conference and NADA; he is also a fixture at NCM 20 Groups and OEM seminars. When he’s not dazzling others with his digital marketing know-how, VJ enjoys vintage Mercedes Benz cars and spending time with his wife and five kids.

The Cobalt Group

www.cobalt.com
www.twitter.com/CobaltMarketing
www.facebook.com/CobaltTalent