As I conduct training seminars and webinars for the automotive industry, I often ask dealers what is their current mix between traditional automotive advertising and digital automotive advertising.

What is your mix?  Are you at 10%, 20%, 30%, or over 75%.  Take a minute to share your mix here on DrivingSales.com in the comments area below.

To come up with a good approximation of your "mix", in the traditional advertising category I would place radio, TV, print publications, newspaper, printed yellow pages, billboards, and direct mail costs.

In the digital advertising category I would place your website costs, Google Adwords or similar Pay-Per-Click models, digital display advertising, re-marketing, social media, online videos, third party leads, OEM leads, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services, and inventory advertising platforms like Autotrader.com and the Automotive Advertising Network (AAN).

Why Is The Range So Large?

The responses I get from car dealers range from 10% digital to 95% digital. This large swing reflects the tsunami of change that has engulfed the automotive industry in the last 10 years.

These massive changes are not limited to the automotive sector. All business owners are being faced with the challenge of being open to reconsider if the yellow pages, radio, TV, and newspaper are connecting their brand with the majority of in market buyers.

Dealers Need Digital Marketing Confidence

Recently I spoke with a dealer who had just purchased an existing franchise store that need a complete renovation. He shared all the costs associated with the refit of the building and his upcoming opening. He wanted to turn around this store and make it profitable location.

The conversation we had was focused on how he could make the biggest impact on the market with this new point. Intermixed with the conversation was frequent reminders of how much he was investing in the store, how much this place needed a capital investment, and how much he wanted to make this work.

When I asked him on what portion of his budget was allocated to digital marketing, the answer surprising. Aside from his costs to setup his new website, he had not budgeted for any other digital marketing of the dealership.

His advertising plans were solely radio, TV, and print, and I won't share what he planned to spend. When I suggested an initial investment of $3,000 a month in digital marketing strategies, he said that he didn't have that much to spend.

Welcome to 2011 and the wide gap in knowledge and confidence that digital marketing is a core strategy for automotive retailing.

Working Toward a Reasonable Change

It is easy to say that a car dealer that is only spending 10% in digital marketing is spending too little on new media since over 90% of car buyers use the Internet to research a car. It may also be safe to say that a dealer who eliminates all radio, TV, newspaper, and direct mail are missing a segment of their local market that is influenced by these channels.

Ignoring the extremes, I would like to suggest that to bigger opportunity is to move the majority of car dealers that under utilize digital marketing to the middle. From a survey conducting by PCG Digital Marketing with dealers across the country, the current average "allocation" for digital investments is 20-25% of a dealers total advertising budget.

I would like to see the average dealer investment in digital marketing move to 50% in the next year.

Those that say 50% is still too little, I'll be working on another industry move in 2012! We can't parallel park the Titanic in Manhattan without some patience. Moving digital spending to 50% would be considered a massive change but one that this industry needs to embrace.

This reallocation of traditional marketing investments will not happen without a massive effort to reeducated the dealer community. Proper education on the strategies and opportunities that digital marketing can provide will help make those steps to 50% + with confidence.

Today, dealers are not moving because of fear or they just don't know better. Neither position is attractive to an entrepreneur.

Automotive Advertising Education

We can assume that dealers will make this move on their own but there will be a tremendous opportunity cost for those that take the slow path to 50%; an that still is not the end game. Since first responders are rewarded in search, the sooner dealers make this move, the more they will be rewarded.

This move will need a coordinated effort by industry leaders, vendors, and educational agencies to educate dealers on all of the new media opportunities and marketing strategies for automotive advertising.

The DrivingSales University is one such program that will help dealers achieve greater confidence in digital marketing and innovative dealership operations. Dealer principals need to be able to clearly differentiate and measure the benefits of SEO, SEM, social media, display advertising, and inventory syndication.

Every time I conduct a seminar at a 20 Group meeting or at an automotive conference, light bulbs go off in the audience. Dealers are truly thankful to be shown, in plain English, why their lack of digital marketing investments is hurting their brand. We need to coordinate more "light bulb" experiences at 20 Groups, conferences, and regional teaching events.

Automotive Marketing Conference

One of those opportunities for education is the 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp in Orlando, April 16th-18th organized by my company PCG Digital Marketing. The Boot Camp will be held at the beautiful Hilton Orlando hotel and has attracted a wonderful team of industry leaders and dealership employees to teach.

Dealers spending less than 50% of your total advertising budget on digital marketing and new media, need to attend and find out what is working for dealers that have made that have crossed that line.

If dealers wants to increase their dominant market position, they should attend to learn that latest strategies for digital marketing and social media from industry leaders.

Bring More Than One Person

I would also like to suggest that at least 2 people from each dealership should attend. Why? Because the best opportunity for change occurs when the dealer principals or GM learns side by side with their eCommerce Director or Internet Sales manager.

Too many things can get lost in translation when one of these two roles are missing. The good news is that attendees and educators at the Boot Camp will be willing to share exactly what is working and how they are measuring the ROI of that investment.

Dealers can register for the Boot Camp and make the decision to invest in education and the future of their dealership today. The event website is located at: http://www.automotivemarketingbootcamp.com

DrivingSalesTV.com will also be recording the two keynote addresses live from the Boot Camp.

As I conduct training seminars and webinars for the automotive industry, I often ask dealers what is their current mix between traditional automotive advertising and digital automotive advertising.

What is your mix?  Are you at 10%, 20%, 30%, or over 75%.  Take a minute to share your mix here on DrivingSales.com in the comments area below.

To come up with a good approximation of your "mix", in the traditional advertising category I would place radio, TV, print publications, newspaper, printed yellow pages, billboards, and direct mail costs.

In the digital advertising category I would place your website costs, Google Adwords or similar Pay-Per-Click models, digital display advertising, re-marketing, social media, online videos, third party leads, OEM leads, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services, and inventory advertising platforms like Autotrader.com and the Automotive Advertising Network (AAN).

Why Is The Range So Large?

The responses I get from car dealers range from 10% digital to 95% digital. This large swing reflects the tsunami of change that has engulfed the automotive industry in the last 10 years.

These massive changes are not limited to the automotive sector. All business owners are being faced with the challenge of being open to reconsider if the yellow pages, radio, TV, and newspaper are connecting their brand with the majority of in market buyers.

Dealers Need Digital Marketing Confidence

Recently I spoke with a dealer who had just purchased an existing franchise store that need a complete renovation. He shared all the costs associated with the refit of the building and his upcoming opening. He wanted to turn around this store and make it profitable location.

The conversation we had was focused on how he could make the biggest impact on the market with this new point. Intermixed with the conversation was frequent reminders of how much he was investing in the store, how much this place needed a capital investment, and how much he wanted to make this work.

When I asked him on what portion of his budget was allocated to digital marketing, the answer surprising. Aside from his costs to setup his new website, he had not budgeted for any other digital marketing of the dealership.

His advertising plans were solely radio, TV, and print, and I won't share what he planned to spend. When I suggested an initial investment of $3,000 a month in digital marketing strategies, he said that he didn't have that much to spend.

Welcome to 2011 and the wide gap in knowledge and confidence that digital marketing is a core strategy for automotive retailing.

Working Toward a Reasonable Change

It is easy to say that a car dealer that is only spending 10% in digital marketing is spending too little on new media since over 90% of car buyers use the Internet to research a car. It may also be safe to say that a dealer who eliminates all radio, TV, newspaper, and direct mail are missing a segment of their local market that is influenced by these channels.

Ignoring the extremes, I would like to suggest that to bigger opportunity is to move the majority of car dealers that under utilize digital marketing to the middle. From a survey conducting by PCG Digital Marketing with dealers across the country, the current average "allocation" for digital investments is 20-25% of a dealers total advertising budget.

I would like to see the average dealer investment in digital marketing move to 50% in the next year.

Those that say 50% is still too little, I'll be working on another industry move in 2012! We can't parallel park the Titanic in Manhattan without some patience. Moving digital spending to 50% would be considered a massive change but one that this industry needs to embrace.

This reallocation of traditional marketing investments will not happen without a massive effort to reeducated the dealer community. Proper education on the strategies and opportunities that digital marketing can provide will help make those steps to 50% + with confidence.

Today, dealers are not moving because of fear or they just don't know better. Neither position is attractive to an entrepreneur.

Automotive Advertising Education

We can assume that dealers will make this move on their own but there will be a tremendous opportunity cost for those that take the slow path to 50%; an that still is not the end game. Since first responders are rewarded in search, the sooner dealers make this move, the more they will be rewarded.

This move will need a coordinated effort by industry leaders, vendors, and educational agencies to educate dealers on all of the new media opportunities and marketing strategies for automotive advertising.

The DrivingSales University is one such program that will help dealers achieve greater confidence in digital marketing and innovative dealership operations. Dealer principals need to be able to clearly differentiate and measure the benefits of SEO, SEM, social media, display advertising, and inventory syndication.

Every time I conduct a seminar at a 20 Group meeting or at an automotive conference, light bulbs go off in the audience. Dealers are truly thankful to be shown, in plain English, why their lack of digital marketing investments is hurting their brand. We need to coordinate more "light bulb" experiences at 20 Groups, conferences, and regional teaching events.

Automotive Marketing Conference

One of those opportunities for education is the 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp in Orlando, April 16th-18th organized by my company PCG Digital Marketing. The Boot Camp will be held at the beautiful Hilton Orlando hotel and has attracted a wonderful team of industry leaders and dealership employees to teach.

Dealers spending less than 50% of your total advertising budget on digital marketing and new media, need to attend and find out what is working for dealers that have made that have crossed that line.

If dealers wants to increase their dominant market position, they should attend to learn that latest strategies for digital marketing and social media from industry leaders.

Bring More Than One Person

I would also like to suggest that at least 2 people from each dealership should attend. Why? Because the best opportunity for change occurs when the dealer principals or GM learns side by side with their eCommerce Director or Internet Sales manager.

Too many things can get lost in translation when one of these two roles are missing. The good news is that attendees and educators at the Boot Camp will be willing to share exactly what is working and how they are measuring the ROI of that investment.

Dealers can register for the Boot Camp and make the decision to invest in education and the future of their dealership today. The event website is located at: http://www.automotivemarketingbootcamp.com

DrivingSalesTV.com will also be recording the two keynote addresses live from the Boot Camp.

In my short time being active in the automotive marketing community, my passion has always been focused on dealer education.

I have been blessed traveling around the country meeting dealers at conferences and 20 Groups. From my travels it is clear that dealers and managers are hungry for education and winning strategies.

However, that hunger is not always reflected in dealer budgets and commitments to education for all dealership employees.

A recent PCG Digital Marketing survey indicated that over 35% of car dealers had no line item for employee education in their budgets.

The lack of commitment to education can be seen by the lack of participation for cutting edge automotive conferences. A case in point, one of the most popular automotive conferences is the Digital Dealer Conference. According to their conference website discussing their Fall 2010 Vegas venue:

“We hosted more than 850 dealers and managers at our fall Conference in Las Vegas, coming from 48 states, Brazil, Canada and the Netherlands. … and more than 1,800 total Conference attendees.”

The Education Opportunity

There are approximately 18,000 new car franchise dealers in the United States and many more independent used car dealers. Yet, less than 10% of dealers and likely less than 5% of key employees are sent for cutting edge conferences like Digital Dealer.

Our recent 2011 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference in Napa attracted 90 dealership employees, workshop leaders, and vendor sponsors combined. We are just scratching the surface. Yet I am encouraged by the responses from conference attendees; they want more!

Dealer principals are not the only ones that should be attending educational conferences and let me add 20 Groups. Most dealers will forget over 50% of what they learned and most will have difficulty translating digital marketing, social media, or mobile technology best practices to their internal team who stayed home at the dealership.

As you know, handing your ISM copies of a PowerPoint presentation does not have the same effect as if they were participating in a live workshop.

Send Decision Makers To Conferences

Dealership employees that run all profit centers should be engaged with their peers, inspired by industry educators, and educated by best practice leaders. If you consider service, parts, F&I, used cars, and new car managers a case could be made that every dealership should be sending multiple employees out for peer education each year.

Yet, the industry numbers indicate a very different commitment to education. The vendors, educators, and leaders of the automotive industry must do more to encourage dealer commitments to education.

Throughout the year, our industry needs more educational opportunities that are geographically dispersed to reduce travel costs. As the automotive industry relies more on digital marketing, social media, mobile devices, and new communication channels, education will be a prerequisite for success.

We need the structures in place for dealers, general managers, and front line employees to gain confidence in mastering the new paradigms in automotive marketing and operations.

Innovators Try To Meet Demand

Innovators like Jared Hamilton have announced the DrivingSalesUniversity.com. PCG Digital Marketing has announced the Automotive Internship Program. Industry veterans like Jim Ziegler have successful programs like the Internet Battle Plan.

We need more of these high quality educational opportunities. 90% of the dealership employees that should be involved are not getting the opportunity to engage.

With less than 10% of the employees that need education participating, I see this as an “abundance” opportunity. One could also make a point that since 10% only participate in off-site education, it’s a dog-eat-dog fight for those decision makers and education dollars.

I will prefer to believe in the abundance philosophy; there is so much opportunity for individuals and companies that want to serve car dealers. The market needs more people dedicated to educating dealers with passion and integrity. I am a passionate educator.

I encourage more to step forward to help car dealers master the skills needed for success in today’s changing marketplace.

Mark Your Calendars For Education

I hope to see many of you at the 2011 Innovative Dealer Summit in Colorado on March 30, 2011 hosted by Tim Jackson and CADA.

I invite you to attend the 2011 Digital Marketing Boot Camp, April 16-18th in Orlando.

When the Boot Camp ends, make sure you attend the 10^th Digital Dealer Conference, which starts on April 19th, just down the street in Orlando.

And don’t forget Jim Zieglar’s Internet Battle Plan on May 18-20^th Kansas City.

Make a commitment to education and your investment will be well rewarded!

In my short time being active in the automotive marketing community, my passion has always been focused on dealer education.

I have been blessed traveling around the country meeting dealers at conferences and 20 Groups. From my travels it is clear that dealers and managers are hungry for education and winning strategies.

However, that hunger is not always reflected in dealer budgets and commitments to education for all dealership employees.

A recent PCG Digital Marketing survey indicated that over 35% of car dealers had no line item for employee education in their budgets.

The lack of commitment to education can be seen by the lack of participation for cutting edge automotive conferences. A case in point, one of the most popular automotive conferences is the Digital Dealer Conference. According to their conference website discussing their Fall 2010 Vegas venue:

“We hosted more than 850 dealers and managers at our fall Conference in Las Vegas, coming from 48 states, Brazil, Canada and the Netherlands. … and more than 1,800 total Conference attendees.”

The Education Opportunity

There are approximately 18,000 new car franchise dealers in the United States and many more independent used car dealers. Yet, less than 10% of dealers and likely less than 5% of key employees are sent for cutting edge conferences like Digital Dealer.

Our recent 2011 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference in Napa attracted 90 dealership employees, workshop leaders, and vendor sponsors combined. We are just scratching the surface. Yet I am encouraged by the responses from conference attendees; they want more!

Dealer principals are not the only ones that should be attending educational conferences and let me add 20 Groups. Most dealers will forget over 50% of what they learned and most will have difficulty translating digital marketing, social media, or mobile technology best practices to their internal team who stayed home at the dealership.

As you know, handing your ISM copies of a PowerPoint presentation does not have the same effect as if they were participating in a live workshop.

Send Decision Makers To Conferences

Dealership employees that run all profit centers should be engaged with their peers, inspired by industry educators, and educated by best practice leaders. If you consider service, parts, F&I, used cars, and new car managers a case could be made that every dealership should be sending multiple employees out for peer education each year.

Yet, the industry numbers indicate a very different commitment to education. The vendors, educators, and leaders of the automotive industry must do more to encourage dealer commitments to education.

Throughout the year, our industry needs more educational opportunities that are geographically dispersed to reduce travel costs. As the automotive industry relies more on digital marketing, social media, mobile devices, and new communication channels, education will be a prerequisite for success.

We need the structures in place for dealers, general managers, and front line employees to gain confidence in mastering the new paradigms in automotive marketing and operations.

Innovators Try To Meet Demand

Innovators like Jared Hamilton have announced the DrivingSalesUniversity.com. PCG Digital Marketing has announced the Automotive Internship Program. Industry veterans like Jim Ziegler have successful programs like the Internet Battle Plan.

We need more of these high quality educational opportunities. 90% of the dealership employees that should be involved are not getting the opportunity to engage.

With less than 10% of the employees that need education participating, I see this as an “abundance” opportunity. One could also make a point that since 10% only participate in off-site education, it’s a dog-eat-dog fight for those decision makers and education dollars.

I will prefer to believe in the abundance philosophy; there is so much opportunity for individuals and companies that want to serve car dealers. The market needs more people dedicated to educating dealers with passion and integrity. I am a passionate educator.

I encourage more to step forward to help car dealers master the skills needed for success in today’s changing marketplace.

Mark Your Calendars For Education

I hope to see many of you at the 2011 Innovative Dealer Summit in Colorado on March 30, 2011 hosted by Tim Jackson and CADA.

I invite you to attend the 2011 Digital Marketing Boot Camp, April 16-18th in Orlando.

When the Boot Camp ends, make sure you attend the 10^th Digital Dealer Conference, which starts on April 19th, just down the street in Orlando.

And don’t forget Jim Zieglar’s Internet Battle Plan on May 18-20^th Kansas City.

Make a commitment to education and your investment will be well rewarded!

PCG Digital Marketing is pleased to announce that David Kain, President of KainAutomotive.com, will be a featured presenter at the 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp.

The title of David’s workshop is: "Digital Sales Process Innovation. Making it easy for Customers to Say Yes!"

In his workshop session David Kain will demonstrate the Digital process elements that leading clients of www.KainAutomotive.com use to blow past their competitors and achieve market leadership.

These proven elements will allow dealers attending the Boot Camp to engage their prospects at the highest level, making it easy for them to hear yes to an appointment and a sale.

The Boot Camp Keynote Speakers will be broadcast live on www.DrivingSalesTV.com. 

PCG Digital Marketing organizes the annual Automotive Marketing Boot Camp, which attracts dealers who seek to increase their competitive edge through education of automotive industry best practices, strategies, and technology.
 

Boot Camp Speakers Are Natural Leaders

Attendees of the Boot Camp will benefit from a diverse roster of automotive marketing experts and automotive leaders that include David Kain, Tracy Myers, Jerry Thibeau, Sean Wolfington, Brian Pasch, Jeff Kershner, Andrew DiFeo, Gary May, Matt Murray, Hagen Durant, and Jared Hamilton.

Topics to be covered during the 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp include digital marketing, social media engagement, lead management processes, BDC structure and workflows, video publishing, reputation management, Google Places marketing, Google Adwords strategies, automotive blogging, content syndication, website analytics, as well as Automotive SEO.

The Automotive Marketing Boot Camp is very unique and effective because participants receive conference materials in advance of the class and come fully prepared to engage in actual demonstrations.

Participants use their own accounts during the classes so that they can then continue to work with them on their own long after the boot camp. This year the Automotive Marketing Boot Camp has introduced longer workshop sessions and labs (2.5 hrs) to allow important topics to be covered in greater detail.

The 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp will also feature Technology Showcases, which will offer attendees a glance at the latest vendor innovations for the automotive industry.

Boot Camp Precedes 10th Digital Dealer Conference

The 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp is scheduled for April 16-18th and ends just prior to the 10th Digital Dealer Conference. The two conferences represent the "dynamic duo" of automotive education, technology, and the opportunity to learn industry best practices.

Dealers are encouraged to send their team to both events to get the full benefit of the speakers, classes, and networking while traveling to Orlando.

To view the entire Boot Camp agenda, visit: 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp Agenda

PCG Digital Marketing is pleased to announce that David Kain, President of KainAutomotive.com, will be a featured presenter at the 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp.

The title of David’s workshop is: "Digital Sales Process Innovation. Making it easy for Customers to Say Yes!"

In his workshop session David Kain will demonstrate the Digital process elements that leading clients of www.KainAutomotive.com use to blow past their competitors and achieve market leadership.

These proven elements will allow dealers attending the Boot Camp to engage their prospects at the highest level, making it easy for them to hear yes to an appointment and a sale.

The Boot Camp Keynote Speakers will be broadcast live on www.DrivingSalesTV.com. 

PCG Digital Marketing organizes the annual Automotive Marketing Boot Camp, which attracts dealers who seek to increase their competitive edge through education of automotive industry best practices, strategies, and technology.
 

Boot Camp Speakers Are Natural Leaders

Attendees of the Boot Camp will benefit from a diverse roster of automotive marketing experts and automotive leaders that include David Kain, Tracy Myers, Jerry Thibeau, Sean Wolfington, Brian Pasch, Jeff Kershner, Andrew DiFeo, Gary May, Matt Murray, Hagen Durant, and Jared Hamilton.

Topics to be covered during the 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp include digital marketing, social media engagement, lead management processes, BDC structure and workflows, video publishing, reputation management, Google Places marketing, Google Adwords strategies, automotive blogging, content syndication, website analytics, as well as Automotive SEO.

The Automotive Marketing Boot Camp is very unique and effective because participants receive conference materials in advance of the class and come fully prepared to engage in actual demonstrations.

Participants use their own accounts during the classes so that they can then continue to work with them on their own long after the boot camp. This year the Automotive Marketing Boot Camp has introduced longer workshop sessions and labs (2.5 hrs) to allow important topics to be covered in greater detail.

The 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp will also feature Technology Showcases, which will offer attendees a glance at the latest vendor innovations for the automotive industry.

Boot Camp Precedes 10th Digital Dealer Conference

The 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp is scheduled for April 16-18th and ends just prior to the 10th Digital Dealer Conference. The two conferences represent the "dynamic duo" of automotive education, technology, and the opportunity to learn industry best practices.

Dealers are encouraged to send their team to both events to get the full benefit of the speakers, classes, and networking while traveling to Orlando.

To view the entire Boot Camp agenda, visit: 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp Agenda

One observation from the NADA Convention was the number of website vendors that were integrating social media monitoring and reputation management tracking tools into their client dashboard. Two such companies I had a demo with were @utoRevenue and Dealer.com.

The shift to integrate social media tracking and reputation management alerts will eventually limit the business upside of stand alone reputation management software companies and social media syndication tools.

I predict that these stand alone tools will be seen as a silo applications in the near future. These companies will be either purchased by larger website providers or they will fade away.

Dealer.com Social Relationship Manager

The Dealer.com Social Relationship Manager which was unveiled at the 2011 NADA Convention was impressive.

Customers of Dealer.com that are engaging in social media and use third party reputation management tools should get a demonstration. This is one slick application!

After seeing the integration of social media signals as well as content aggregation, dealers on the Dealer.com platform will be pleased with this timely feature set. I would say that car dealers are finally waking up to the fact that consumers are influenced by the reviews that they find online.

@utoRevenue Reputation Management Tools

@utoRevenue which focuses on client retention processes for the automotive industry has added an IRM dashboard into their product line.

According to their press release: "The 360-degree reputation management solution provides dealers with an innovative approach to tracking, managing, and influencing their online reputation. Going beyond the traditional solicitation techniques employed by most in the industry, customers engage at key points in the retention cycle, when positive experiences are most likely to be captured and negative experiences can be quickly addressed."

It makes sense to me that the service provider that is already responsible to email clients, produce newsletters, and keep client's engaged with the dealership via coupons, offers, and education should leverage that same channel for reputation management.

I know that consumers do NOT want extra calls and email from car dealers. If you are a current customer of @utoRevenue, I would call and get a demo of this new product offering.

Check With Your Platform Provider

Other major website vendors will be rolling out integrated reputation management alerts, escalation processes, and review progress monitoring in the upcoming months. So before you go out an purchase a stand alone product, talk to your website vendor and see what they have in the pipeline.

Data integration will become increasing important in the years ahead, Integrating your IRM data and social engagement stream into your main CRM system will be a wise choice. The opportunities for data mining will only increase when all contact data and outside content are combined in one data warehouse.

One observation from the NADA Convention was the number of website vendors that were integrating social media monitoring and reputation management tracking tools into their client dashboard. Two such companies I had a demo with were @utoRevenue and Dealer.com.

The shift to integrate social media tracking and reputation management alerts will eventually limit the business upside of stand alone reputation management software companies and social media syndication tools.

I predict that these stand alone tools will be seen as a silo applications in the near future. These companies will be either purchased by larger website providers or they will fade away.

Dealer.com Social Relationship Manager

The Dealer.com Social Relationship Manager which was unveiled at the 2011 NADA Convention was impressive.

Customers of Dealer.com that are engaging in social media and use third party reputation management tools should get a demonstration. This is one slick application!

After seeing the integration of social media signals as well as content aggregation, dealers on the Dealer.com platform will be pleased with this timely feature set. I would say that car dealers are finally waking up to the fact that consumers are influenced by the reviews that they find online.

@utoRevenue Reputation Management Tools

@utoRevenue which focuses on client retention processes for the automotive industry has added an IRM dashboard into their product line.

According to their press release: "The 360-degree reputation management solution provides dealers with an innovative approach to tracking, managing, and influencing their online reputation. Going beyond the traditional solicitation techniques employed by most in the industry, customers engage at key points in the retention cycle, when positive experiences are most likely to be captured and negative experiences can be quickly addressed."

It makes sense to me that the service provider that is already responsible to email clients, produce newsletters, and keep client's engaged with the dealership via coupons, offers, and education should leverage that same channel for reputation management.

I know that consumers do NOT want extra calls and email from car dealers. If you are a current customer of @utoRevenue, I would call and get a demo of this new product offering.

Check With Your Platform Provider

Other major website vendors will be rolling out integrated reputation management alerts, escalation processes, and review progress monitoring in the upcoming months. So before you go out an purchase a stand alone product, talk to your website vendor and see what they have in the pipeline.

Data integration will become increasing important in the years ahead, Integrating your IRM data and social engagement stream into your main CRM system will be a wise choice. The opportunities for data mining will only increase when all contact data and outside content are combined in one data warehouse.

Now that the 2011 NADA Convention is over, our industry will set its sites on upcoming educational opportunities.  I would like to remind members of DrivingSales.com of two special opportunities that need your attention to lock in savings on registration fees.

2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp

The much-anticipated 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp is scheduled just prior to the 10th Digital Dealer Conference, which will be held in Orlando Florida.  The Boot Camp is scheduled April 16th-18th.

The 2011 Boot Camp classes provide hands on tactical training for Internet marketing, social media, lead management, CRM systems, phone handling, video SEO, reputation management, Google Places optimization, blogging content creation, as well as Automotive SEO.

This year’s workshop leaders also include dealer principals and dealership employees that have stood above their peers in achieving excellence in their dealership’s digital marketing and sales strategies.

Workshop leaders include Scott Falcone, Jeffrey Kershner, Andrew DiFeo, Hagen Durant, Scott Falcone, Eric Miltsch, and Timothy Martell.

The 2011 Orlando Boot Camp is also attracting popular speakers with specialized skills including Jerry Thibeau, Brian Pasch, Christine Rochelle, Christy Roman, Jared Hamilton, JD Rucker, Matt Murray, and Alex Snyder.

The Automotive Marketing Boot Camp delivers the knowledge and skills dealers need to create, execute and manage effective dealership processes. New to this year’s program will be added seminars on back-end marketing; how to better handle phone calls and leads to maximize lead conversion.

The boot camp is perfect for General Managers, eCommerce Direcrors, and Internet Sales Managers. Last year, Boot Camp attendees posted rave reviews of their investment of time for this event.

The Automotive Marketing Boot Camp is very unique and effective because participants receive preparation materials in advance of the class and participants use their own accounts during the classes so that they can then continue to work with them on their own long after the boot camp.

Save $100 This Week Only

Learn more about the Boot Camp and register online at http://www.automotivemarketingbootcamp.com .

Dealers can save $100 on Boot Camp registration fees by registering by February 11, 2011.

Automotive Internship Program

PCG announced at the 2011 NADA Convention a new turnkey package for car dealers to attract talented college interns to assist with their digital marketing and social media strategies. 

The Automotive Internship Program (AIP) is also an idea program to train existing employees or new hires to bring the needed skills into the dealership to supplement an effective digital marketing strategy.

The Automotive Internship Program (AIP):

• Is the first of its kind intern training program for car dealers
• Programs include printed curriculum guides, marketing materials, and live instruction
• Online materials and community forums aid the learning process
• Attracts and prepares the next generation of automotive marketing professionals
• Dealers receive customized marketing materials to send to local schools
• Each AIP is a complete 12-week course with a final test.
• Programs offered or beginner and advanced skill levels
• AIP classes cycles three times a year: January, May, September
• First AIP classes start in May 2011
• AIP is affordable and provides tremendous value to students and the dealership

Visit the AIP Registration Page for the 2011 Summer Semester starting in May. Certificate Programs Scheduled For May Include:

• Digital Marketing & Social Media Associate
• Automotive SEO Associate
• Automotive SEM Associate

Members of this community can save $200 if they register for the program by February 11, 2011. 

Register now to allow PCG time to create the customized marketing materials for participating dealers for the May semester.  The sooner dealers advertise the AIP to local colleges and universities, the more candidates will be able to participate.

You can click on any of the links to read more details about each certificate program. If you would like to read testimonials from car dealers who have participated in PCG Digital Marketing training programs, I have provided a number of student testimonials.

Now that the 2011 NADA Convention is over, our industry will set its sites on upcoming educational opportunities.  I would like to remind members of DrivingSales.com of two special opportunities that need your attention to lock in savings on registration fees.

2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp

The much-anticipated 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp is scheduled just prior to the 10th Digital Dealer Conference, which will be held in Orlando Florida.  The Boot Camp is scheduled April 16th-18th.

The 2011 Boot Camp classes provide hands on tactical training for Internet marketing, social media, lead management, CRM systems, phone handling, video SEO, reputation management, Google Places optimization, blogging content creation, as well as Automotive SEO.

This year’s workshop leaders also include dealer principals and dealership employees that have stood above their peers in achieving excellence in their dealership’s digital marketing and sales strategies.

Workshop leaders include Scott Falcone, Jeffrey Kershner, Andrew DiFeo, Hagen Durant, Scott Falcone, Eric Miltsch, and Timothy Martell.

The 2011 Orlando Boot Camp is also attracting popular speakers with specialized skills including Jerry Thibeau, Brian Pasch, Christine Rochelle, Christy Roman, Jared Hamilton, JD Rucker, Matt Murray, and Alex Snyder.

The Automotive Marketing Boot Camp delivers the knowledge and skills dealers need to create, execute and manage effective dealership processes. New to this year’s program will be added seminars on back-end marketing; how to better handle phone calls and leads to maximize lead conversion.

The boot camp is perfect for General Managers, eCommerce Direcrors, and Internet Sales Managers. Last year, Boot Camp attendees posted rave reviews of their investment of time for this event.

The Automotive Marketing Boot Camp is very unique and effective because participants receive preparation materials in advance of the class and participants use their own accounts during the classes so that they can then continue to work with them on their own long after the boot camp.

Save $100 This Week Only

Learn more about the Boot Camp and register online at http://www.automotivemarketingbootcamp.com .

Dealers can save $100 on Boot Camp registration fees by registering by February 11, 2011.

Automotive Internship Program

PCG announced at the 2011 NADA Convention a new turnkey package for car dealers to attract talented college interns to assist with their digital marketing and social media strategies. 

The Automotive Internship Program (AIP) is also an idea program to train existing employees or new hires to bring the needed skills into the dealership to supplement an effective digital marketing strategy.

The Automotive Internship Program (AIP):

• Is the first of its kind intern training program for car dealers
• Programs include printed curriculum guides, marketing materials, and live instruction
• Online materials and community forums aid the learning process
• Attracts and prepares the next generation of automotive marketing professionals
• Dealers receive customized marketing materials to send to local schools
• Each AIP is a complete 12-week course with a final test.
• Programs offered or beginner and advanced skill levels
• AIP classes cycles three times a year: January, May, September
• First AIP classes start in May 2011
• AIP is affordable and provides tremendous value to students and the dealership

Visit the AIP Registration Page for the 2011 Summer Semester starting in May. Certificate Programs Scheduled For May Include:

• Digital Marketing & Social Media Associate
• Automotive SEO Associate
• Automotive SEM Associate

Members of this community can save $200 if they register for the program by February 11, 2011. 

Register now to allow PCG time to create the customized marketing materials for participating dealers for the May semester.  The sooner dealers advertise the AIP to local colleges and universities, the more candidates will be able to participate.

You can click on any of the links to read more details about each certificate program. If you would like to read testimonials from car dealers who have participated in PCG Digital Marketing training programs, I have provided a number of student testimonials.