I've been using Vox for a number of years now to post articles and create external blogs.  These free blogs ranked very well and even appear on Google Page One for competitive national search phrases.

It was a shock today to learn that at the end of September, Vox will be shutting down.  Since many DrivingSales.com members use Vox blogs, here is what was posted on their website today.

-------From their website------------ 

I've been using Vox for a number of years now to post articles and create external blogs.  These free blogs ranked very well and even appear on Google Page One for competitive national search phrases.

It was a shock today to learn that at the end of September, Vox will be shutting down.  Since many DrivingSales.com members use Vox blogs, here is what was posted on their website today.

-------From their website------------ 

As many of you already know, Yahoo has started to use Microsoft's search engine technology to power their search results. Have you compared your existing search dealership results in Google to the "new" Yahoo? Try some simple search patterns on Yahoo today.

For example, if you are a Chevrolet dealer in Paramus New Jersey test out a few basic phrases:

• New Jersey Chevrolet Dealer
• Paramus Chevrolet Dealer
• Chevrolet Impala Paramus
• Chevrolet Service Paramus

There are differences in how the Microsoft technology and Google technology work and after you have studied this for a while, those differences become clearer. I would like to challenge all readers to take a moment to take 10 popular search phrases that are part of your SEO strategy and check your rankings in Yahoo.

You can place a "star" beside each listing to see which listings your business controls. Work to raise those positions over the next few months.  Print copies each month to document your progress or use an automated tool that does this for you.

SEO Rewards Those With Persistence

For PCG Digital Marketing, the new Yahoo is actually recognizing our leadership in content publishing. We practice what we preach.

Some of our top keyword targets are "Automotive SEO", "Automotive Reputation Management", "Automotive Social Media", and "Automotive Microsites". You can see that our focus on SEO has rewarded us with good placement in Yahoo.

If your Yahoo results and Bing results are not as strong as Google, or visa versa, it's a good time to roll-up your SEO sleeves and make some investment in updating your Automotive SEO strategies.

In these snapshots taken on 8/30/2010, TK stands for www.tkcarsites, PR stands for Paul Rushing from www.dealerbytes.com and ADM stands for Ralph Paglia's ADM Community. These are companies that are active members of the automotive digital marketing forums.  I took the top five listings to display since most clicks happen above the fold.

Yahoo Search: Automotive SEO

Automotive Reputation Management

Yahoo Search: Automotive Microsites

Yahoo Search: Automotive Social Media

As many of you already know, Yahoo has started to use Microsoft's search engine technology to power their search results. Have you compared your existing search dealership results in Google to the "new" Yahoo? Try some simple search patterns on Yahoo today.

For example, if you are a Chevrolet dealer in Paramus New Jersey test out a few basic phrases:

• New Jersey Chevrolet Dealer
• Paramus Chevrolet Dealer
• Chevrolet Impala Paramus
• Chevrolet Service Paramus

There are differences in how the Microsoft technology and Google technology work and after you have studied this for a while, those differences become clearer. I would like to challenge all readers to take a moment to take 10 popular search phrases that are part of your SEO strategy and check your rankings in Yahoo.

You can place a "star" beside each listing to see which listings your business controls. Work to raise those positions over the next few months.  Print copies each month to document your progress or use an automated tool that does this for you.

SEO Rewards Those With Persistence

For PCG Digital Marketing, the new Yahoo is actually recognizing our leadership in content publishing. We practice what we preach.

Some of our top keyword targets are "Automotive SEO", "Automotive Reputation Management", "Automotive Social Media", and "Automotive Microsites". You can see that our focus on SEO has rewarded us with good placement in Yahoo.

If your Yahoo results and Bing results are not as strong as Google, or visa versa, it's a good time to roll-up your SEO sleeves and make some investment in updating your Automotive SEO strategies.

In these snapshots taken on 8/30/2010, TK stands for www.tkcarsites, PR stands for Paul Rushing from www.dealerbytes.com and ADM stands for Ralph Paglia's ADM Community. These are companies that are active members of the automotive digital marketing forums.  I took the top five listings to display since most clicks happen above the fold.

Yahoo Search: Automotive SEO

Automotive Reputation Management

Yahoo Search: Automotive Microsites

Yahoo Search: Automotive Social Media

As we get ready to kickoff the Automotive SEO Study on September 1st, I was reflecting on both the enthusiasm of the 75 dealers who have committed to the program to date and also the low participation rate for a curriculum worth over $10,000.  By the way,  it is being offered for free.

One of the barriers that I see is that there limited educational resources that are building a bridge between veteran automotive executives (decision makers) and the vocabulary used by digital marketing and social media advocates.   

You may often hear a young Internet Sales Manager say; "My GM doesn't get it!" but in fact few companies have made it easy for that "bridge" education to take place.

I'm sure at one point, many GM's and dealer principals tried to get a better understanding of digital marketing but they were quickly immersed in funny acronyms and words that might as well have been in French.

Automotive SEO Education in Lacking

In the Bible, key figures spoke in parables so the local people could understand their message.  Digital marketing advocates need to build digital marketing parables that can communicate new digital and social media strategies in terms that the majority of dealers can understand. 

Even I have been accused of speaking square words into dealer's round ears.

In the early days of the Internet, sales professionals spoke in "Bricks to Clicks" analogies. I think we need to get back to those basics because owners and General Managers of dealerships are very smart people.  We can not accept the "They Don't Get It" mentality.  We need to find ways to connect their experience with new marketing concepts.   We need them onboard!

Once dealership principals and GM's "get It" , I predict that the dealership will flourish in the coming years. There will be a unified understanding and direction for the dealership's marketing budgets.  We still have some way to go. I estimate that 75% of car dealer executives do not participate in online digital marketing forums and communities so we need to do more to educate.

DrivingSales.com  and the Automotive SEO Study is attempting to take 100 dealers through a 16 week curriculum to educate, mentor and coach them through one aspect of digital marketing; Search Engine Optimization. 

We are attempting to be that bridge for 100 dealers who want to increase their online success.  At the end of the 16 weeks we will document each dealer's success and allow them to tell us if we succeeded in becoming a bridge of understand for their dealership.  

A whitepaper will be created from the study will be presented at 2011 NADA Convention in San Francisco.  It will clearly demonstrate my belief that SEO has to be a part of every car dealership marketing budget.

The Second Barrier is Patience

The excitement for the Automotive SEO Study is at fever pitch and many have emailed Jared and I to say how excited they are to be a part of this historic study.  I will do my best to keep the study members engaged but I will be fighting something bigger inside their dealership; Patience.

The car industry is obsessed with 30 day windows of performance.  One of the biggest obstacles for car dealers implementing a strong organic marketing strategy is time.  Car dealers want to see major results in 30, 60 and 90 days.  I have lost clients because of this very problem even though I try to set clear expectations.

Car dealers who have had the patience to invest in a strong SEO strategy and content publishing process have been amply rewarded.  Tim Martell, Internet Director at Marlboro Nissan and also President of WikiMotive.net has invested in a multi-year SEO strategy. The organic traffic to his website for a dealership of his size is without peer.

I like to use the analogy that SEO is like building a private advertising network in your PMA.  You are building digital billboards on all the major Internet roads and highways in your locale.  It takes a while to build this network but when it is done, it is yours for a lifetime.  No one can take it away from you and this brings independence and more first party leads.

If your dealership measures success in months, then Automotive SEO may not be for you.  Your competitors who have patience will smile at your decision and eventually will choke off your internet visibility.   It's already happening now with third party lead providers and inventory advertisers.

The decision now is to find the right education and commit to being patient.  If you want to experience both, join the study while there are a few spots left.

Brian Pasch, CEO
PCG Digital Marketing
http://www.pcgdigitalmarketing.com
http://twitter.com/automotiveseo

As we get ready to kickoff the Automotive SEO Study on September 1st, I was reflecting on both the enthusiasm of the 75 dealers who have committed to the program to date and also the low participation rate for a curriculum worth over $10,000.  By the way,  it is being offered for free.

One of the barriers that I see is that there limited educational resources that are building a bridge between veteran automotive executives (decision makers) and the vocabulary used by digital marketing and social media advocates.   

You may often hear a young Internet Sales Manager say; "My GM doesn't get it!" but in fact few companies have made it easy for that "bridge" education to take place.

I'm sure at one point, many GM's and dealer principals tried to get a better understanding of digital marketing but they were quickly immersed in funny acronyms and words that might as well have been in French.

Automotive SEO Education in Lacking

In the Bible, key figures spoke in parables so the local people could understand their message.  Digital marketing advocates need to build digital marketing parables that can communicate new digital and social media strategies in terms that the majority of dealers can understand. 

Even I have been accused of speaking square words into dealer's round ears.

In the early days of the Internet, sales professionals spoke in "Bricks to Clicks" analogies. I think we need to get back to those basics because owners and General Managers of dealerships are very smart people.  We can not accept the "They Don't Get It" mentality.  We need to find ways to connect their experience with new marketing concepts.   We need them onboard!

Once dealership principals and GM's "get It" , I predict that the dealership will flourish in the coming years. There will be a unified understanding and direction for the dealership's marketing budgets.  We still have some way to go. I estimate that 75% of car dealer executives do not participate in online digital marketing forums and communities so we need to do more to educate.

DrivingSales.com  and the Automotive SEO Study is attempting to take 100 dealers through a 16 week curriculum to educate, mentor and coach them through one aspect of digital marketing; Search Engine Optimization. 

We are attempting to be that bridge for 100 dealers who want to increase their online success.  At the end of the 16 weeks we will document each dealer's success and allow them to tell us if we succeeded in becoming a bridge of understand for their dealership.  

A whitepaper will be created from the study will be presented at 2011 NADA Convention in San Francisco.  It will clearly demonstrate my belief that SEO has to be a part of every car dealership marketing budget.

The Second Barrier is Patience

The excitement for the Automotive SEO Study is at fever pitch and many have emailed Jared and I to say how excited they are to be a part of this historic study.  I will do my best to keep the study members engaged but I will be fighting something bigger inside their dealership; Patience.

The car industry is obsessed with 30 day windows of performance.  One of the biggest obstacles for car dealers implementing a strong organic marketing strategy is time.  Car dealers want to see major results in 30, 60 and 90 days.  I have lost clients because of this very problem even though I try to set clear expectations.

Car dealers who have had the patience to invest in a strong SEO strategy and content publishing process have been amply rewarded.  Tim Martell, Internet Director at Marlboro Nissan and also President of WikiMotive.net has invested in a multi-year SEO strategy. The organic traffic to his website for a dealership of his size is without peer.

I like to use the analogy that SEO is like building a private advertising network in your PMA.  You are building digital billboards on all the major Internet roads and highways in your locale.  It takes a while to build this network but when it is done, it is yours for a lifetime.  No one can take it away from you and this brings independence and more first party leads.

If your dealership measures success in months, then Automotive SEO may not be for you.  Your competitors who have patience will smile at your decision and eventually will choke off your internet visibility.   It's already happening now with third party lead providers and inventory advertisers.

The decision now is to find the right education and commit to being patient.  If you want to experience both, join the study while there are a few spots left.

Brian Pasch, CEO
PCG Digital Marketing
http://www.pcgdigitalmarketing.com
http://twitter.com/automotiveseo

I would like to encourage employees of car dealerships who want to learn more about Search Engine Optimization to join a historic study sponsored by PCG Digital Marketing and DrivingSales.com.

The Automotive SEO Study will take 100 car dealership employees through a 16 week SEO curriculum.  There is no cost associated with participating in the study but members will need to commit to 4 hours of work a week.

Depending on the dealership, they should expect to spend approximately $100 in various setup fees to setup a WordPress blogs, buy a domain, etc.

Whitepaper To Be Published

The results of the Automotive SEO Study will be published and presented at the 2011 NADA Convention in San Francisco.  We expect to have a good diversity of website platforms represented as well as OEM brands. The initial registrations are strong so many dealers have embraced the study with open arms.  

I expect the Automotive SEO Study to be full by Friday August 20th.  It is important that members of DrivingSales respond this week.  On Wednesday, August 18th there will be an orientation webinar from 11:00 - 1:00 pm.  Details are on the official study website: http://www.automotiveseostudy.com

If you or someone from your dealership plans to participate, then should also attend the webinar.

Ideal For Hands-On Digital Marketers

The study will walk dealership employees through a easy to follow curriculum which will assist members of this community to build a strong SEO strategy for their dealership.  Study members will be building valuable links to their dealership websites.  They will be learning strategies and tools to build powerful offsite content networks.

The study will document the baseline SEO data for each of the 100 dealerships and then show the accomplishments their staff achieve over a 16 week period.  Members will be ending the study with more knowledge and skills to continue their work independently.

The study will also be a case study that will show the benefits of SEO as part of a car dealership's digital marketing strategy.  We will also be making note of individual car dealers that have achieved outstanding results based on their work in the study.

Are You In?

This will be an exciting project and I hope you will consider participating.  I will be teaching the courses so if you have enjoyed my columns in the past, spread the word.  You can email members of your 20 Groups to join as well.

The study members just have to be currently working at a dealership and have permission to create content and blog posts on behalf of the dealership. If you have questions, contact me.

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO
PCG Digital Marketing
brian@pcgdigitalmarketing.com

I would like to encourage employees of car dealerships who want to learn more about Search Engine Optimization to join a historic study sponsored by PCG Digital Marketing and DrivingSales.com.

The Automotive SEO Study will take 100 car dealership employees through a 16 week SEO curriculum.  There is no cost associated with participating in the study but members will need to commit to 4 hours of work a week.

Depending on the dealership, they should expect to spend approximately $100 in various setup fees to setup a WordPress blogs, buy a domain, etc.

Whitepaper To Be Published

The results of the Automotive SEO Study will be published and presented at the 2011 NADA Convention in San Francisco.  We expect to have a good diversity of website platforms represented as well as OEM brands. The initial registrations are strong so many dealers have embraced the study with open arms.  

I expect the Automotive SEO Study to be full by Friday August 20th.  It is important that members of DrivingSales respond this week.  On Wednesday, August 18th there will be an orientation webinar from 11:00 - 1:00 pm.  Details are on the official study website: http://www.automotiveseostudy.com

If you or someone from your dealership plans to participate, then should also attend the webinar.

Ideal For Hands-On Digital Marketers

The study will walk dealership employees through a easy to follow curriculum which will assist members of this community to build a strong SEO strategy for their dealership.  Study members will be building valuable links to their dealership websites.  They will be learning strategies and tools to build powerful offsite content networks.

The study will document the baseline SEO data for each of the 100 dealerships and then show the accomplishments their staff achieve over a 16 week period.  Members will be ending the study with more knowledge and skills to continue their work independently.

The study will also be a case study that will show the benefits of SEO as part of a car dealership's digital marketing strategy.  We will also be making note of individual car dealers that have achieved outstanding results based on their work in the study.

Are You In?

This will be an exciting project and I hope you will consider participating.  I will be teaching the courses so if you have enjoyed my columns in the past, spread the word.  You can email members of your 20 Groups to join as well.

The study members just have to be currently working at a dealership and have permission to create content and blog posts on behalf of the dealership. If you have questions, contact me.

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO
PCG Digital Marketing
brian@pcgdigitalmarketing.com

Car dealers are turning to a second career to jumpstart their online sales: movie director.  Consumer engagement in social media coupled with the popularity of online review sites has forced car dealers to rethink their automotive advertising strategies.

Video production which was once was cost prohibitive for dealers to do themselves has now become an affordable tool for creative automotive professionals. In growing numbers, car dealers are turning to FlipCam video cameras to create video testimonials for their customers, walk around car videos and now a move to create social media viral videos.

These videos are being integrated into their websites, Google Maps, Facebook and loaded on popular video websites like YouTube to extend the reach of their brand.  Customer testimonial videos are becoming standard operating procedure as studies show that consumers trust their peers five times more than a statement from an automotive dealer. 

One of the newest place to leverage a car dealer's video testimonials in on Google Maps. 

I recommend that you load a new car, used car and service testimonial video to your Google Maps listings. 

You should also add 3 or 4  good photos of customers getting delivery of cars and delete those photos of your building.  When you enhance you Google Maps listings with positive eneergy, watch what happens to your click through statistics.

Pioneers in this field of FlipCam videos include Tim Jennings, Ken Beam, Christine Knowles, and a host of advance thinkers who have made their websites come alive with multimedia.  One of the rising stars in automotive videos is Acton Toyota who first made me laugh with their A++ Toyota Warranty videos.

Get Ready To Laugh - Can You Translate Boston Speak?

If you want to see a great video for a revenue source that most dealers ignore, click on this link:  Toyota Extended Warranty

Toyota Dealer Shines for FlipCam

One innovative car dealers has been nationally recognized for their innovative videos using a FlipCam is Acton Toyota.  The Boston Toyota dealership was recently featured in the national magazine "Toyota Today" for their spoof videos that were inspired by the popular Mac vs PC TV commercials.

Acton Toyota had no previous film or editing experience yet their videos have attracted thousands of visitors to their websites. The recent article in Toyota Today highlights that car dealers are just beginning to embrace social media communications that include these creative viral videos.

With the ease of which the FlipCam can create videos, more car dealers should investigate how they can bring their static websites alive with tutorials, testimonials, better display of the cars they sell and warm introductions for the services they offer.

I would estimate that less that 10% of all car dealers in the United States have testimonial videos on their website or integrated into their social media processes.  He who acts first will increase their marketshare and brand awareness.  Are you ready? 

Car dealers are turning to a second career to jumpstart their online sales: movie director.  Consumer engagement in social media coupled with the popularity of online review sites has forced car dealers to rethink their automotive advertising strategies.

Video production which was once was cost prohibitive for dealers to do themselves has now become an affordable tool for creative automotive professionals. In growing numbers, car dealers are turning to FlipCam video cameras to create video testimonials for their customers, walk around car videos and now a move to create social media viral videos.

These videos are being integrated into their websites, Google Maps, Facebook and loaded on popular video websites like YouTube to extend the reach of their brand.  Customer testimonial videos are becoming standard operating procedure as studies show that consumers trust their peers five times more than a statement from an automotive dealer. 

One of the newest place to leverage a car dealer's video testimonials in on Google Maps. 

I recommend that you load a new car, used car and service testimonial video to your Google Maps listings. 

You should also add 3 or 4  good photos of customers getting delivery of cars and delete those photos of your building.  When you enhance you Google Maps listings with positive eneergy, watch what happens to your click through statistics.

Pioneers in this field of FlipCam videos include Tim Jennings, Ken Beam, Christine Knowles, and a host of advance thinkers who have made their websites come alive with multimedia.  One of the rising stars in automotive videos is Acton Toyota who first made me laugh with their A++ Toyota Warranty videos.

Get Ready To Laugh - Can You Translate Boston Speak?

If you want to see a great video for a revenue source that most dealers ignore, click on this link:  Toyota Extended Warranty

Toyota Dealer Shines for FlipCam

One innovative car dealers has been nationally recognized for their innovative videos using a FlipCam is Acton Toyota.  The Boston Toyota dealership was recently featured in the national magazine "Toyota Today" for their spoof videos that were inspired by the popular Mac vs PC TV commercials.

Acton Toyota had no previous film or editing experience yet their videos have attracted thousands of visitors to their websites. The recent article in Toyota Today highlights that car dealers are just beginning to embrace social media communications that include these creative viral videos.

With the ease of which the FlipCam can create videos, more car dealers should investigate how they can bring their static websites alive with tutorials, testimonials, better display of the cars they sell and warm introductions for the services they offer.

I would estimate that less that 10% of all car dealers in the United States have testimonial videos on their website or integrated into their social media processes.  He who acts first will increase their marketshare and brand awareness.  Are you ready?