It's hard keeping pace with Google in the past month. Google Instant, Google Preview, Google Boost, and now Google Hotpot. It seems that I'm chasing Google's product team to understand the implications of all these new tools for search marketing.

The latest tool, Google Hotpot, is a streamlined interface for location based reviews. Location based applications are a hot segment of the market and Google is moving fast into this space to become a dominant player in consumer reviews and feedback loops.

Google Hotpot takes the data from Google Places and the reviews from other consumers and places them in a simple interface that anyone can use.

Getting Started With Hotpot

The first thing you will need to do is to create your account. Click through on this link to get started: http://www.google.com/hotpot

If you have a Google Account, just login and you will be asked to create a screen name. This is your public "reviewer" name so you can get creative at this point or use your real name.

From the screenshot below, you will also see that your default start-up account needs a photo as well as some basic information. I decided to use my actual name so my Google HotPot account.

Once you create your account you can start rating local businesses and places nearby. You are presented with a search box and you can start by reviewing your favorite places. You have unlimited 1-5 star ratings and initially you only get 10 "Best Ever" stars, which is a special rating.

I'm not sure how the "Best Ever" ratings will pan out but since they are limited, they may be weighted heavier.

Google HotPot Targets Review Websites

The default search is restaurants and so Google is taking aim at the most popular ratings engines like Yelp.com and CitySearch.com. Google also knows businesses that you rated in the past.

For example, you will see that my review count started at eight even though this is a brand new account. This is from past reviews that I used with this Google email address on Google Places.

Hotpot takes all of Google Places‘ ratings and reviews features and adds a more personal touch. Currently, Place Pages mostly aggregate review data from sources such as Yelp. With Hotpot, users will be encouraged to rate and review businesses directly from their Google-linked profile.

Users’ ratings and reviews are tracked with a counter at the top of each profile, and likes and dislikes are remembered and used in Google’s recommendation engine. When you post a review, you photo will now appear next to the review as shown below:

Looking At Recent Trends

How does this apply to car dealers? Think stars! The progression over the past few months looks like this. Google upgrades Google Places and emphasizes the important reviews. Then Google integrates Google Places reviews into organic search so business "star" ratings appear for broad business searches. Search for "Baltimore Honda dealers" in Google to see exactly how that look.

Then Google offers business owners the ability to run pay-per-click ads using their star ratings: Google Boost. Now, Google is making it easier for consumers to post reviews for local businesses.

In 2011 the most important investment dealers can make is to establish a strong online reputation management process.

Good customer service will be rewarded ten-fold if Google's Hotpot takes off. Bad customer service will be placed for all consumers to see for popular search phrases. Dealers need to start inspecting all business processes and test ways to integrate review posting strategies.

As Google makes it easier for consumers to post reviews from their mobile devices, like Google Hotpot, you should be encouraging your customers to post reviews on Google Hotpot when they are in your store or when you are on the phone with them. If you are NOT asking your loyal and happy customers, then most likely you will only see negative reviews.

Keeping Pace With Change

Are you prepared for this tsunami of change?  Need help?  Get some great strategies at the 2011 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference February 1-3, 2011 in the Napa Valley.  http://www.digitalmarketingstrategies.org

It's hard keeping pace with Google in the past month. Google Instant, Google Preview, Google Boost, and now Google Hotpot. It seems that I'm chasing Google's product team to understand the implications of all these new tools for search marketing.

The latest tool, Google Hotpot, is a streamlined interface for location based reviews. Location based applications are a hot segment of the market and Google is moving fast into this space to become a dominant player in consumer reviews and feedback loops.

Google Hotpot takes the data from Google Places and the reviews from other consumers and places them in a simple interface that anyone can use.

Getting Started With Hotpot

The first thing you will need to do is to create your account. Click through on this link to get started: http://www.google.com/hotpot

If you have a Google Account, just login and you will be asked to create a screen name. This is your public "reviewer" name so you can get creative at this point or use your real name.

From the screenshot below, you will also see that your default start-up account needs a photo as well as some basic information. I decided to use my actual name so my Google HotPot account.

Once you create your account you can start rating local businesses and places nearby. You are presented with a search box and you can start by reviewing your favorite places. You have unlimited 1-5 star ratings and initially you only get 10 "Best Ever" stars, which is a special rating.

I'm not sure how the "Best Ever" ratings will pan out but since they are limited, they may be weighted heavier.

Google HotPot Targets Review Websites

The default search is restaurants and so Google is taking aim at the most popular ratings engines like Yelp.com and CitySearch.com. Google also knows businesses that you rated in the past.

For example, you will see that my review count started at eight even though this is a brand new account. This is from past reviews that I used with this Google email address on Google Places.

Hotpot takes all of Google Places‘ ratings and reviews features and adds a more personal touch. Currently, Place Pages mostly aggregate review data from sources such as Yelp. With Hotpot, users will be encouraged to rate and review businesses directly from their Google-linked profile.

Users’ ratings and reviews are tracked with a counter at the top of each profile, and likes and dislikes are remembered and used in Google’s recommendation engine. When you post a review, you photo will now appear next to the review as shown below:

Looking At Recent Trends

How does this apply to car dealers? Think stars! The progression over the past few months looks like this. Google upgrades Google Places and emphasizes the important reviews. Then Google integrates Google Places reviews into organic search so business "star" ratings appear for broad business searches. Search for "Baltimore Honda dealers" in Google to see exactly how that look.

Then Google offers business owners the ability to run pay-per-click ads using their star ratings: Google Boost. Now, Google is making it easier for consumers to post reviews for local businesses.

In 2011 the most important investment dealers can make is to establish a strong online reputation management process.

Good customer service will be rewarded ten-fold if Google's Hotpot takes off. Bad customer service will be placed for all consumers to see for popular search phrases. Dealers need to start inspecting all business processes and test ways to integrate review posting strategies.

As Google makes it easier for consumers to post reviews from their mobile devices, like Google Hotpot, you should be encouraging your customers to post reviews on Google Hotpot when they are in your store or when you are on the phone with them. If you are NOT asking your loyal and happy customers, then most likely you will only see negative reviews.

Keeping Pace With Change

Are you prepared for this tsunami of change?  Need help?  Get some great strategies at the 2011 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference February 1-3, 2011 in the Napa Valley.  http://www.digitalmarketingstrategies.org

Video Optimization Webinar Scheduled – Dec 7th

Join Brian Pasch and Karry Moore, President of CAR-MERCIAL on December 7, 2010 at 12:00 noon to discuss video optimization and the unique product that CAR-MERCIAL offers.

Brian has inspected the video optimization tools, products, and strategy offered by CAR-MERCIAL and highly recommends that members of this community attend this webinar.

If you would like to attend, register by following this link:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/891216777

About CAR-MERCIAL

CAR-MERCIAL helps automotive dealerships implement digital marketing campaigns to attract, sell and service more customers profitably. CAR-MERCIAL delivers proven strategies to increase traffic, sales and service business through video search engine strategies.

CAR-MERCIAL’s proven system combines the power of television's sight, sound and motion with the power of search engines' ability to speak directly to consumers who want to buy or service a vehicle now. CAR-MERCIAL is the first company in the world to specialize in the optimization of online TV ads that attract more traffic for less cost than traditional advertising and paid search engine marketing.

Video Optimization Webinar Scheduled – Dec 7th

Join Brian Pasch and Karry Moore, President of CAR-MERCIAL on December 7, 2010 at 12:00 noon to discuss video optimization and the unique product that CAR-MERCIAL offers.

Brian has inspected the video optimization tools, products, and strategy offered by CAR-MERCIAL and highly recommends that members of this community attend this webinar.

If you would like to attend, register by following this link:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/891216777

About CAR-MERCIAL

CAR-MERCIAL helps automotive dealerships implement digital marketing campaigns to attract, sell and service more customers profitably. CAR-MERCIAL delivers proven strategies to increase traffic, sales and service business through video search engine strategies.

CAR-MERCIAL’s proven system combines the power of television's sight, sound and motion with the power of search engines' ability to speak directly to consumers who want to buy or service a vehicle now. CAR-MERCIAL is the first company in the world to specialize in the optimization of online TV ads that attract more traffic for less cost than traditional advertising and paid search engine marketing.

I'm heading out in a few weeks to record a series of educational videos covering different aspects of automotive digital marketing, search engine optimization, reputation management, car dealer microsites, and social media integration.

I would love to get input from the DrivingSales community on the topics that you would like to see filmed.  The videos will be approximately 10-15 minutes in length so they are laser focused on one topic.  More complicated topics would be broken out into parts 1,2,3, etc.

Since September I have been mentoring 100 car dealers in the Automotive SEO Study and one of the most popular comments that I receive is that members of the study love to go back and reply the videos of the live webinars.  Some have commented that they play them back multiple times to catch all the details from our lessons. 

Automotive Training Videos

That is what makes video training so effective; you can repeat the videos until you get the subject matter integrated into dealership process.  With that in mind, I would love for you to make some suggestions.  In order to guide your thoughts and suggestions, here are a couple of planned videos segments:

Google Places

1. Introduction to Google Places
2. Completing Your Business Profile
3. Optimizing Your Business Profile
4. Understanding Google Places Analytics
5. Monitor Consumer Reviews

Search Engine Optimization

1. Introduction to SEO
2. How The Search Engines Work
3. Domain Name Purchasing Strategies
4. Microsite Publishing Strategies
5. Link Building Strategies
6. Creating Optimized Content Pages
7. Content Publishing Strategies

You get the idea.  With larger topics you need to break the videos into segments.  So share your creativity and if you have a "wish list" for great educational video content that you can use in your dealership to train your staff or a refresher course for yourself, make some suggestions.

I'll use the feedback from DrivingSales.com members to guide my video segments that I film this month and also in the coming months.

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO
PCG Digital Marketing

http://www.pcgdigitalmarketing.com 
http://twitter.com/automotiveseo
http://facebook.com/pcgdigitalmarketing

P.S. Don't forget to join me in Napa for our Digital Marketing Strategies Conference on February 1-3rd, 2011 just prior to the NADA Convention in San Francisco.

I'm heading out in a few weeks to record a series of educational videos covering different aspects of automotive digital marketing, search engine optimization, reputation management, car dealer microsites, and social media integration.

I would love to get input from the DrivingSales community on the topics that you would like to see filmed.  The videos will be approximately 10-15 minutes in length so they are laser focused on one topic.  More complicated topics would be broken out into parts 1,2,3, etc.

Since September I have been mentoring 100 car dealers in the Automotive SEO Study and one of the most popular comments that I receive is that members of the study love to go back and reply the videos of the live webinars.  Some have commented that they play them back multiple times to catch all the details from our lessons. 

Automotive Training Videos

That is what makes video training so effective; you can repeat the videos until you get the subject matter integrated into dealership process.  With that in mind, I would love for you to make some suggestions.  In order to guide your thoughts and suggestions, here are a couple of planned videos segments:

Google Places

1. Introduction to Google Places
2. Completing Your Business Profile
3. Optimizing Your Business Profile
4. Understanding Google Places Analytics
5. Monitor Consumer Reviews

Search Engine Optimization

1. Introduction to SEO
2. How The Search Engines Work
3. Domain Name Purchasing Strategies
4. Microsite Publishing Strategies
5. Link Building Strategies
6. Creating Optimized Content Pages
7. Content Publishing Strategies

You get the idea.  With larger topics you need to break the videos into segments.  So share your creativity and if you have a "wish list" for great educational video content that you can use in your dealership to train your staff or a refresher course for yourself, make some suggestions.

I'll use the feedback from DrivingSales.com members to guide my video segments that I film this month and also in the coming months.

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO
PCG Digital Marketing

http://www.pcgdigitalmarketing.com 
http://twitter.com/automotiveseo
http://facebook.com/pcgdigitalmarketing

P.S. Don't forget to join me in Napa for our Digital Marketing Strategies Conference on February 1-3rd, 2011 just prior to the NADA Convention in San Francisco.

PCG is hosting an industry conference in the Napa Valley on February 1-3, 2011 which is conveniently timed to precede the 2011 NADA Convention.  The workshop leaders and speakers are all working with a common goal: help dealers create a powerful digital marketing strategy for 2011.

The process of crrafting your 2011 Digital Marketing Strategy should be starting now. I was wondering how many DrivingSales.com members have a written digital marketing strategy for 2011.   If you have one, consider sharing it with this community.

You may be asking, what should this strategy look like?  For starters, it should list all your current expenses for digital and traditional advertising. 

Next to each item you should be indicating how you will be measuring, inspecting, and adjusting that investment for a better return.  For many dealers, some of these expenses have been on auto-pilot for years.

Then you should be listing new strategies that have not yet been tested.  These items should have estimated budgets and details on how success will be measured.  Some newer ideas may include:

• Facebook Advertising
• Facebook Marketplace
• Digital Radio Stations like Pandora
• Google Places Sponsored Ads
• Content and Inventory Snydication
• Craigslist
• Video Optimization
• Microsites

Then a discussion can start about funding new strategies and eliminating investments that no longer have a strong ROI.  The most important part of this process is to make sure that all spending has a purpose and a strategy.  Paying for something because your competitor is using the "shiny object" is not a strategy.

There are many more details to outlining your 2011 Digital Marketing Strategy. I invite you to start the dialogue here on this post.  What questions do you have that industry peers can answer?  What is working well for you that you can share openly to help the members of this community?

Let's get the conversation stated.

2011 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference

Also, if you would like to collaborate with some of the brighest minds in digital marketing, look into attending the conference. Details on the conference can be found at:  http://www.digitalmarketingstrategies.org

Workshop leaders include Alex Snyder, Gary May, Glenn Pasch, Brian Pasch, Matt Murray, and Christine Rochelle.  Speakers include Sean Wolfington, Jared Hamilton, and JD Rucker.

The conference ends on Friday February 4th and attendees will be taken to San Francisco on Friday morning to the Convention Center  so they won't miss a single event.

PCG is hosting an industry conference in the Napa Valley on February 1-3, 2011 which is conveniently timed to precede the 2011 NADA Convention.  The workshop leaders and speakers are all working with a common goal: help dealers create a powerful digital marketing strategy for 2011.

The process of crrafting your 2011 Digital Marketing Strategy should be starting now. I was wondering how many DrivingSales.com members have a written digital marketing strategy for 2011.   If you have one, consider sharing it with this community.

You may be asking, what should this strategy look like?  For starters, it should list all your current expenses for digital and traditional advertising. 

Next to each item you should be indicating how you will be measuring, inspecting, and adjusting that investment for a better return.  For many dealers, some of these expenses have been on auto-pilot for years.

Then you should be listing new strategies that have not yet been tested.  These items should have estimated budgets and details on how success will be measured.  Some newer ideas may include:

• Facebook Advertising
• Facebook Marketplace
• Digital Radio Stations like Pandora
• Google Places Sponsored Ads
• Content and Inventory Snydication
• Craigslist
• Video Optimization
• Microsites

Then a discussion can start about funding new strategies and eliminating investments that no longer have a strong ROI.  The most important part of this process is to make sure that all spending has a purpose and a strategy.  Paying for something because your competitor is using the "shiny object" is not a strategy.

There are many more details to outlining your 2011 Digital Marketing Strategy. I invite you to start the dialogue here on this post.  What questions do you have that industry peers can answer?  What is working well for you that you can share openly to help the members of this community?

Let's get the conversation stated.

2011 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference

Also, if you would like to collaborate with some of the brighest minds in digital marketing, look into attending the conference. Details on the conference can be found at:  http://www.digitalmarketingstrategies.org

Workshop leaders include Alex Snyder, Gary May, Glenn Pasch, Brian Pasch, Matt Murray, and Christine Rochelle.  Speakers include Sean Wolfington, Jared Hamilton, and JD Rucker.

The conference ends on Friday February 4th and attendees will be taken to San Francisco on Friday morning to the Convention Center  so they won't miss a single event.

I'm not sure what changes are happening behind the scenes at Google, but I received two frantic emails today from clients that saw their review counts practically disappear. Honda Cars of Bellevue had a total of 42 reviews showing on Google Places last week, and this is how things look today:



Acton Toyota last week had over 1,000 reviews last week and this is what their Google Places listing looks like today, November 8, 2010:

Is anyone else seeing their Google Places review counts dropping? It looks like there is a bug in their system that is going to be hurting many businesses.

I'm not sure what changes are happening behind the scenes at Google, but I received two frantic emails today from clients that saw their review counts practically disappear. Honda Cars of Bellevue had a total of 42 reviews showing on Google Places last week, and this is how things look today:



Acton Toyota last week had over 1,000 reviews last week and this is what their Google Places listing looks like today, November 8, 2010:

Is anyone else seeing their Google Places review counts dropping? It looks like there is a bug in their system that is going to be hurting many businesses.