PCG Digital Marketing recenty hosted a Dataium webinar for the automotive industry that featured co-founder Jason Ezell.

I had the opportunity to moderate the webinar and the dealer response was very strong so this product is striking a nerve in our industry.  

Over 142 people registered for the webinar and the attendees were very engaged with feedback and questions.  The webinar ran for about 80 minutes, 20 minutes longer than the scheduled time!

Dataium is set to revolutionize the way in which we operate our BDC or Internet departments.  

Dataium's cloud intelligence data will enrich chat sessions, website leads, and even phone calls with consumer shopping behavior.  The data that Dataium provides will allow dealers to better guide the conversation towards the consumer's perceived needs based on their actions online.

• - Imagine the power of knowing what cars and websites a consumer visited prior to submitting a lead on your website.
• - Imagine being notified that a lead that your BDC marked as "dead" is now back in the marketplace and showing strong buyer signals.
• - Imagine being able to know demand by model one month in advance so you can properly merchandize and purchase your inventory.
• - Imagine how your can merchandize your cars based on viewing demand on other dealer websites in your marketplace.

The business rules and actions that CRM companies will be able to build off of this data will be endless.   A number of CRM companies are already working with Dataium so look for announcements in the coming months.

Dataium has the support of many technology platforms as well as at least 5 OEM's.  The list of companies that will be integrating their API to tap this rich dataset will be growing rapidly.  

For many dealers, ther OEM required websites will include Dataium software which will allow the OEM's to better run their manufacturing plants, sales strategy, and operations.

Watch The Dataium Webinar

We recorded the Dataium webinar because a number of folks could not attend, no surprise in this industry.  Day to day demands and "fires" need to be put out quickly, but we got everyone covered with the recording.  The link is provided below and I encourage all reads to watch the video.

Free Dataium Software for PCG Clients and Friends

Most importantly, we have secured the Dataium base monitoring and reporting tool for no charge for PCG clients and community friends.  To secure the software without charge, you need to follow these steps.

1. Go to the Data Registration Page;  Sign-Up Page  (example above)
2. Use promo code:  PCGWEB
3. Install code on your website
4. You are all set to go and data will start to collect

Watch The Dataium Webinar Video

If you could not attend the webinar, please download the video.  

The follow link allows you to download the video and watch it on your PC: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4522977/dataium-youtube-video-pcg.mov

So enjoy the video and if you have questions, reach out to Jason Ezell at: jason@dataium.com

Please keep in mind that we will be conducting a workshop at the 2012 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference on how to use the Dataium Visicogn software and reporting data.  

Jason Ezell and Christy Roman will be showing dealers how Dataium reports can impact your sales and marketing strategy.  They will be sharing case studies from dealers that have been on Dataium for a number of months.

This will be a great opportunity to learn how to use Dataium cloud intelligence to improve your digital marketing strategy. See you in Vegas!

Brian

 
Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing

Text PCGedu to 75674 get information on our upcoming conferences

Brian Pasch

PCG Digital Marketing recenty hosted a Dataium webinar for the automotive industry that featured co-founder Jason Ezell.

I had the opportunity to moderate the webinar and the dealer response was very strong so this product is striking a nerve in our industry.  

Over 142 people registered for the webinar and the attendees were very engaged with feedback and questions.  The webinar ran for about 80 minutes, 20 minutes longer than the scheduled time!

Dataium is set to revolutionize the way in which we operate our BDC or Internet departments.  

Dataium's cloud intelligence data will enrich chat sessions, website leads, and even phone calls with consumer shopping behavior.  The data that Dataium provides will allow dealers to better guide the conversation towards the consumer's perceived needs based on their actions online.

• - Imagine the power of knowing what cars and websites a consumer visited prior to submitting a lead on your website.
• - Imagine being notified that a lead that your BDC marked as "dead" is now back in the marketplace and showing strong buyer signals.
• - Imagine being able to know demand by model one month in advance so you can properly merchandize and purchase your inventory.
• - Imagine how your can merchandize your cars based on viewing demand on other dealer websites in your marketplace.

The business rules and actions that CRM companies will be able to build off of this data will be endless.   A number of CRM companies are already working with Dataium so look for announcements in the coming months.

Dataium has the support of many technology platforms as well as at least 5 OEM's.  The list of companies that will be integrating their API to tap this rich dataset will be growing rapidly.  

For many dealers, ther OEM required websites will include Dataium software which will allow the OEM's to better run their manufacturing plants, sales strategy, and operations.

Watch The Dataium Webinar

We recorded the Dataium webinar because a number of folks could not attend, no surprise in this industry.  Day to day demands and "fires" need to be put out quickly, but we got everyone covered with the recording.  The link is provided below and I encourage all reads to watch the video.

Free Dataium Software for PCG Clients and Friends

Most importantly, we have secured the Dataium base monitoring and reporting tool for no charge for PCG clients and community friends.  To secure the software without charge, you need to follow these steps.

1. Go to the Data Registration Page;  Sign-Up Page  (example above)
2. Use promo code:  PCGWEB
3. Install code on your website
4. You are all set to go and data will start to collect

Watch The Dataium Webinar Video

If you could not attend the webinar, please download the video.  

The follow link allows you to download the video and watch it on your PC: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4522977/dataium-youtube-video-pcg.mov

So enjoy the video and if you have questions, reach out to Jason Ezell at: jason@dataium.com

Please keep in mind that we will be conducting a workshop at the 2012 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference on how to use the Dataium Visicogn software and reporting data.  

Jason Ezell and Christy Roman will be showing dealers how Dataium reports can impact your sales and marketing strategy.  They will be sharing case studies from dealers that have been on Dataium for a number of months.

This will be a great opportunity to learn how to use Dataium cloud intelligence to improve your digital marketing strategy. See you in Vegas!

Brian

 
Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing

Text PCGedu to 75674 get information on our upcoming conferences

Brian Pasch

One way to build the next generation of leaders and success stories is to start a reading program at your dealership.  At the start of this year I made a commitment to read a book a week and it has been the best decision I made for my personal growth.

Great books will challenge your team to think outside of their direct work experience and see new opportunities for growth, change, and excellence.    Your reading program can be divided into categories like personal growth, sales, time management,  or organizational leadership.

Books are an inexpensive way to grow your existing investment in your team.   So before I list all most favorite books that can assist your team to grow, can you list 5 books that would help members of this community.  

When you list a book, add a quick comment which category the book would fall into like sales, marketing, etc.  It will be great to compile a DrivingSales.com recommend book list and have members add their feedback on specific books after they read them.

Two books that dealership employees can start reading today is "The Go-Giver" by Bob Burg and John David Mann and "Gravitational Marketing' by Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller.  The authors of these two books will be speaking at the Automotive Marketing Boot Camp April 16-18th in Orlando.

For vendors in the community, I strongly recommend that you read "Getting Naked" since this short book will change the way you interact with car dealers.

So, what are your top 5 recommendations for book this community should read?

One way to build the next generation of leaders and success stories is to start a reading program at your dealership.  At the start of this year I made a commitment to read a book a week and it has been the best decision I made for my personal growth.

Great books will challenge your team to think outside of their direct work experience and see new opportunities for growth, change, and excellence.    Your reading program can be divided into categories like personal growth, sales, time management,  or organizational leadership.

Books are an inexpensive way to grow your existing investment in your team.   So before I list all most favorite books that can assist your team to grow, can you list 5 books that would help members of this community.  

When you list a book, add a quick comment which category the book would fall into like sales, marketing, etc.  It will be great to compile a DrivingSales.com recommend book list and have members add their feedback on specific books after they read them.

Two books that dealership employees can start reading today is "The Go-Giver" by Bob Burg and John David Mann and "Gravitational Marketing' by Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller.  The authors of these two books will be speaking at the Automotive Marketing Boot Camp April 16-18th in Orlando.

For vendors in the community, I strongly recommend that you read "Getting Naked" since this short book will change the way you interact with car dealers.

So, what are your top 5 recommendations for book this community should read?

Did you know that your local competitor just got smarter? You thought that they were behind the ball with digital marketing, social media, and leveraging the Internet but that was yesterday’s news.

Your local competitor did wake up. They realized that they were behind and took action. Good entrepreneurs are not perfect but when they realize that they are losing market share and wake up they can be a fierce competitor once again.

If I were you, I would be looking over my shoulder because your competitor is using their recent knowledge to mount an attack.

Your competitor attended a 20-group meeting, a social media conference, or a digital marketing workshop, and the lights went on. You were too busy to notice this change so I thought I would send a warning shot over the bow.

Keep Working On Last Year's Ideas

I was pleased to know that you got started with social media and digital marketing a few years ago and had an edge in your local market. You exploited that edge and basked in the sun of your success. Congratulations.

You were rewarded with greater sales, website traffic, and market share. Over the past few years you have been busy implementing the things that you learned by engaging in the educational opportunities offered by this industry.

In fact, I’ve noticed that you have been so intent on implementing what you learned you have been too busy to attend any new workshops in the past year. Is it still true that you got so many ideas in 2009 and 2010 that you have decided to skip attending conference this year?

Why pile on more ideas when you haven’t had a chance to implement those from 2009 right?

Your Competitor Wants False Confidence

To paraphrase a famous business book, while you have been busy implementing last years’ digital marketing strategies “the Cheese has moved again”.

Do you need an example?

Today being on Google Page One is not as important as being on Google Page with strong positive review stars. If you are one Page One with bad reviews, your advertising budget is helping to direct more business to your competitors.

If you haven’t focused on a strong IRM process, much of your Automotive SEO work may be actually hurting more than helping your online sales.

Where Are You?

Is this scenario describing your dealership?

• Are you the incumbent that has decided to attend conference every other year?
• Are you the dealership that recently woke-up and engaged?
• Are you the dealer who wants to engage but needs assistance creating a competitive digital marketing strategy?

The dealers who want to remain relevant cannot afford to skip a year of education. The industry is moving faster that most can comprehend yet I hear so many excuses why dealers think they can take a break from learning.

• “I’ve been to that event last year”
• “I can’t take time out of the office.”
• “The speakers and topics are always the same”
• “I’m the only person in my market that gets it.”

The reality is that the best conferences have not only new topics but also important revisions to existing strategies that you are using.

Two years ago little data on consumer behavior on dealer mobile websites was being shared, today we have a wealth of data to discuss.

Two years ago the conversation on reputation management was just starting and today the case studies on the impact of online reviews is chilling.

Google has recently changed their standards for organic search rankings and many dealers were penalized for poor link building processes.

Education Is A Continuous Investment

Since your competitors are heading to conferences, workshops, and online learning opportunities based on the most relevant topics for 2011 I thought you would want to reconsider your lack of action.

You have the power to remain ahead of your competition and find where the cheese has been moved. What will you do?

A suggestion:

I hope to see you in Orlando for starters at the Automotive Marketing Boot Camp, April 16-18th. Lock in a $100 discount off Boot Camp Registration by taking advantage of this special registration link.

Did you know that your local competitor just got smarter? You thought that they were behind the ball with digital marketing, social media, and leveraging the Internet but that was yesterday’s news.

Your local competitor did wake up. They realized that they were behind and took action. Good entrepreneurs are not perfect but when they realize that they are losing market share and wake up they can be a fierce competitor once again.

If I were you, I would be looking over my shoulder because your competitor is using their recent knowledge to mount an attack.

Your competitor attended a 20-group meeting, a social media conference, or a digital marketing workshop, and the lights went on. You were too busy to notice this change so I thought I would send a warning shot over the bow.

Keep Working On Last Year's Ideas

I was pleased to know that you got started with social media and digital marketing a few years ago and had an edge in your local market. You exploited that edge and basked in the sun of your success. Congratulations.

You were rewarded with greater sales, website traffic, and market share. Over the past few years you have been busy implementing the things that you learned by engaging in the educational opportunities offered by this industry.

In fact, I’ve noticed that you have been so intent on implementing what you learned you have been too busy to attend any new workshops in the past year. Is it still true that you got so many ideas in 2009 and 2010 that you have decided to skip attending conference this year?

Why pile on more ideas when you haven’t had a chance to implement those from 2009 right?

Your Competitor Wants False Confidence

To paraphrase a famous business book, while you have been busy implementing last years’ digital marketing strategies “the Cheese has moved again”.

Do you need an example?

Today being on Google Page One is not as important as being on Google Page with strong positive review stars. If you are one Page One with bad reviews, your advertising budget is helping to direct more business to your competitors.

If you haven’t focused on a strong IRM process, much of your Automotive SEO work may be actually hurting more than helping your online sales.

Where Are You?

Is this scenario describing your dealership?

• Are you the incumbent that has decided to attend conference every other year?
• Are you the dealership that recently woke-up and engaged?
• Are you the dealer who wants to engage but needs assistance creating a competitive digital marketing strategy?

The dealers who want to remain relevant cannot afford to skip a year of education. The industry is moving faster that most can comprehend yet I hear so many excuses why dealers think they can take a break from learning.

• “I’ve been to that event last year”
• “I can’t take time out of the office.”
• “The speakers and topics are always the same”
• “I’m the only person in my market that gets it.”

The reality is that the best conferences have not only new topics but also important revisions to existing strategies that you are using.

Two years ago little data on consumer behavior on dealer mobile websites was being shared, today we have a wealth of data to discuss.

Two years ago the conversation on reputation management was just starting and today the case studies on the impact of online reviews is chilling.

Google has recently changed their standards for organic search rankings and many dealers were penalized for poor link building processes.

Education Is A Continuous Investment

Since your competitors are heading to conferences, workshops, and online learning opportunities based on the most relevant topics for 2011 I thought you would want to reconsider your lack of action.

You have the power to remain ahead of your competition and find where the cheese has been moved. What will you do?

A suggestion:

I hope to see you in Orlando for starters at the Automotive Marketing Boot Camp, April 16-18th. Lock in a $100 discount off Boot Camp Registration by taking advantage of this special registration link.

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.

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?