When I’m talking with dealers about various aspects of their online marketing strategy, the reason that they most frequently bring up for why they aren't more involved in social media is that they or their teams don't have the time.  I'm a strong believer in the theory that time is the new money, so I agree that sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day.  At DealerOn, we believe that there is a definite benefit to devoting time and effort to social media, and luckily, there are many tools that can help your dealership get the most out of your time.

SocialOomph: I use this to help with DealerOn's tweets and Facebook marketing efforts.  I recommend the Professional version (it's very reasonably priced) to schedule and track tweets and Facebook posts, as well as manage your accounts.  Having a single login and platform to manage all of these activities is a HUGE time-saver.

Tweetdeck: I know a lot of people that love this tool.  Anyone dipping their toe into social media will like that it's free, and allows you to manage multiple social media profiles (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Google Buzz, and Foursquare) in one place.  It also has a great search tool that works across all the platforms they support.

Timely.is:  This is another free tool.  The software analyzes your Twitter updates, uses this information to determine which times during the day people are most likely to retweet and read your posts, and allows you to write and schedule your tweets based on their recommendations for maximum exposure.

I’m always looking for more efficient ways to manage my time.  Does anyone have any other or better social media tools that they recommend?

Last week I wrote a post about Google Local Portal in Portland, available on DealerOn’s blog.  If you’ve already read it, you might have seen mention of Google's new service for businesses: Google Offers.  Google Offers appears to be similar to Groupon and other discount offering services -- it allows you, as a small business owner, to get your business "in front of thousands of customers in your area looking for amazing deals on the best places to eat, shop and play."

Google hasn’t given too much detail, but they have setup a group of "Google Offers specialists" to call or email.  They will "ask all the right questions about your business to help create an attractive offer that is best for you".  Then, as with similar services, an offer will be emailed to subscribers in your area.

It's unclear whether or not these Offers will be integrated into regular Google Local search or their integrated search results pages.  I can't imagine that these Offer icons won't begin to show on maps and next to Places search results in the near future, but I can't find an example of that anywhere.  Feel free to add a link in comments if you are able to.

Here are the cities that have Offers, and those that are coming soon:

Also, Google has produced videos aimed both at businesses and consumers.  Links below.

Google Offers for Businesses
Google Offers for Consumers

Want to sign up?  Click this link to have Google contact you to participate in Google Offers BETA.

There has been some discussion on whether or not using these deal sites can be a successful endeavor for auto dealerships.  To me, unless they integrate fully with Google search results, Google Offers is just another Groupon.  Do you think Google Offers will be any different from Groupon and others?

Last week I wrote a post about Google Local Portal in Portland, available on DealerOn’s blog.  If you’ve already read it, you might have seen mention of Google's new service for businesses: Google Offers.  Google Offers appears to be similar to Groupon and other discount offering services -- it allows you, as a small business owner, to get your business "in front of thousands of customers in your area looking for amazing deals on the best places to eat, shop and play."

Google hasn’t given too much detail, but they have setup a group of "Google Offers specialists" to call or email.  They will "ask all the right questions about your business to help create an attractive offer that is best for you".  Then, as with similar services, an offer will be emailed to subscribers in your area.

It's unclear whether or not these Offers will be integrated into regular Google Local search or their integrated search results pages.  I can't imagine that these Offer icons won't begin to show on maps and next to Places search results in the near future, but I can't find an example of that anywhere.  Feel free to add a link in comments if you are able to.

Here are the cities that have Offers, and those that are coming soon:

Also, Google has produced videos aimed both at businesses and consumers.  Links below.

Google Offers for Businesses
Google Offers for Consumers

Want to sign up?  Click this link to have Google contact you to participate in Google Offers BETA.

There has been some discussion on whether or not using these deal sites can be a successful endeavor for auto dealerships.  To me, unless they integrate fully with Google search results, Google Offers is just another Groupon.  Do you think Google Offers will be any different from Groupon and others?

Since Google+ is so new, I asked everyone on our team at DealerOn to put together a list of resources for car dealers trying to wrap their minds around this new way of social networking (myself included).  Here’s a list of links/sites that we’ve put together.

The Google+ Project: A demo from Google that is pretty informative, but doesn't explore too deeply.

Google+ Unveiled: 9 Things You Need to Know: Very basic explanation of the basic features behind Google+.  Good starting point after the Google demo above.

Your Google+ Guide: 15 Tips for Newbies: Guide to getting the most out of the new social network.

Google+ Cheat Sheet: A short cheat sheet with some keyboard shortcuts and other useful information.

What Will Google Plus Google Places Equal?: Hypothetical look at how business may be able to use Google+ once it is opened to businesses.  Interesting Read.

Google+ in 15 Minutes a Day: Interesting post on how to fit another social networking site into your already busy day.

Google+ takes on Facebook. Is Basecamp next?: Discusses ways that businesses could use Google+ as a business tool.  Seems like it could be used as a project management tool.

Feel free to share any helpful articles or blog posts that you've found, as well as any tips or tricks that help you get the most out of the new tool.

What is the overall consensus on Google+--positive or negative?

Since Google+ is so new, I asked everyone on our team at DealerOn to put together a list of resources for car dealers trying to wrap their minds around this new way of social networking (myself included).  Here’s a list of links/sites that we’ve put together.

The Google+ Project: A demo from Google that is pretty informative, but doesn't explore too deeply.

Google+ Unveiled: 9 Things You Need to Know: Very basic explanation of the basic features behind Google+.  Good starting point after the Google demo above.

Your Google+ Guide: 15 Tips for Newbies: Guide to getting the most out of the new social network.

Google+ Cheat Sheet: A short cheat sheet with some keyboard shortcuts and other useful information.

What Will Google Plus Google Places Equal?: Hypothetical look at how business may be able to use Google+ once it is opened to businesses.  Interesting Read.

Google+ in 15 Minutes a Day: Interesting post on how to fit another social networking site into your already busy day.

Google+ takes on Facebook. Is Basecamp next?: Discusses ways that businesses could use Google+ as a business tool.  Seems like it could be used as a project management tool.

Feel free to share any helpful articles or blog posts that you've found, as well as any tips or tricks that help you get the most out of the new tool.

What is the overall consensus on Google+--positive or negative?

Looks like Facebook is getting in on the reviews game. While checking in on the DealerOn Facebook page today, I noticed a new tool that I think auto dealers may want to keep an eye on.  Expanding on the simple "like" button that seems to be everywhere, Facebook now lets users leave recommendations for business pages.

Located in the sidebar, Facebook has introduced a "Recommend This Place" option on Place pages (if you’ve merged your Place page with your Business page, it will appear there).  Users are asked to write a recommendation, and after clicking in the text box, you're presented with the option of who to share your recommendation with (Everyone, Just Friends, or Customize).

Recommendations will show on the wall of the user and in the news feed of those that the user chooses to share it with.  If a recommendation is shared with "Everyone", the admin of that page will be able to see it.

If you are an admin, you will have control over which public (those shared with Everyone) recommendations appear on your page and can remove them by simply clicking an "x".

The only concern I have with this new tool is that these recommendations are not always visible to the admin of a page.  The default is to share with Everyone, so hopefully most users won’t change that.  Also, I would imagine that Facebook will start to use these recommendations as another ranking factor in their search tool, so the more reviews your dealership has, the more likely you’ll show up in the search results (just a hunch—Facebook hasn’t disclosed their search algorithm).

What do you think?  Have you used this new feature on your dealership's Facebook Place page?  Do you think this is a positive or negative for your dealership and your online marketing efforts?

Looks like Facebook is getting in on the reviews game. While checking in on the DealerOn Facebook page today, I noticed a new tool that I think auto dealers may want to keep an eye on.  Expanding on the simple "like" button that seems to be everywhere, Facebook now lets users leave recommendations for business pages.

Located in the sidebar, Facebook has introduced a "Recommend This Place" option on Place pages (if you’ve merged your Place page with your Business page, it will appear there).  Users are asked to write a recommendation, and after clicking in the text box, you're presented with the option of who to share your recommendation with (Everyone, Just Friends, or Customize).

Recommendations will show on the wall of the user and in the news feed of those that the user chooses to share it with.  If a recommendation is shared with "Everyone", the admin of that page will be able to see it.

If you are an admin, you will have control over which public (those shared with Everyone) recommendations appear on your page and can remove them by simply clicking an "x".

The only concern I have with this new tool is that these recommendations are not always visible to the admin of a page.  The default is to share with Everyone, so hopefully most users won’t change that.  Also, I would imagine that Facebook will start to use these recommendations as another ranking factor in their search tool, so the more reviews your dealership has, the more likely you’ll show up in the search results (just a hunch—Facebook hasn’t disclosed their search algorithm).

What do you think?  Have you used this new feature on your dealership's Facebook Place page?  Do you think this is a positive or negative for your dealership and your online marketing efforts?

Have you seen the new offering from Google for local search?  Unless you live in Austin, Portland, Madison or San Diego, chances are that you haven't.  Google's new “Beta” Local Directory Portals are a bit of a mix between their place pages and Yelp.  They let users look at all of the businesses in a city in one place (similar to Yelp’s model).

Here is a screenshot of Google Portland.

You can sort by category, and then drill down even further using the filters.  While there is no automotive category yet (the tool seems to lean a bit more towards tourists/visitors), it's another example of how important Google Places is now and will be in the future.

These local portals are pulling their results directly from Google Places listings, including the reviews.  In fact, one way to sort is by rating.  If your dealership doesn't have a lot of good, quality reviews, you may not appear above the fold.

If you haven't already, I can't stress enough how important it is to claim your listing and make sure it is as complete as possible.  This means photos, videos, categories, reviews, and information is completely filled out and accurate.

Google's Local Portals are just another example of how Google is relying more and more on the information in their Places, and why your auto dealership needs to have an accurate representation in the Places realm.  How do you think this new offering will impact the local auto dealer industry?

Have you seen the new offering from Google for local search?  Unless you live in Austin, Portland, Madison or San Diego, chances are that you haven't.  Google's new “Beta” Local Directory Portals are a bit of a mix between their place pages and Yelp.  They let users look at all of the businesses in a city in one place (similar to Yelp’s model).

Here is a screenshot of Google Portland.

You can sort by category, and then drill down even further using the filters.  While there is no automotive category yet (the tool seems to lean a bit more towards tourists/visitors), it's another example of how important Google Places is now and will be in the future.

These local portals are pulling their results directly from Google Places listings, including the reviews.  In fact, one way to sort is by rating.  If your dealership doesn't have a lot of good, quality reviews, you may not appear above the fold.

If you haven't already, I can't stress enough how important it is to claim your listing and make sure it is as complete as possible.  This means photos, videos, categories, reviews, and information is completely filled out and accurate.

Google's Local Portals are just another example of how Google is relying more and more on the information in their Places, and why your auto dealership needs to have an accurate representation in the Places realm.  How do you think this new offering will impact the local auto dealer industry?

If you use Facebook with any regularity, I’m sure you’ve seen the rising popularity of Facebook Places, used it yourself, and seen your friends check-in information as well.  If you haven’t noticed this yet, Facebook Places allows users to  "check-in" through their mobile phones, letting their friends (and businesses) know where they are.  It's designed to compete with Foursquare, a similar location-based social network. 

So what happens if someone tries to check-in at your dealership, only to find your Facebook Place doesn't exist yet?  They can create the listing for you—which is probably NOT how you want to establish your dealership’s Facebook Place!  You want to control your FB Place listing, just as you want to control any aspect of your dealership's brand, and this includes making sure that the information presented in your Facebook Places listings is accurate.

Here's how to set up your dealership’s Facebook Place:

1. Check to see if your dealership's Facebook Place already exists.  Using a smartphone, log into a Facebook account and click onto either "Places" or "Check-in".  Type the name of your dealership--if it does not appear, then add your dealership and a description.

2. On your computer, log into Facebook and using the search box at the top of the page, find your dealership.  Make sure you click onto the "Places" version, not your dealership's "Page".

3.  Once there, click on the "Is this your business?" link on the left hand side.  You'll see a small pop-up asking you to verify that you are an "official representative" of your dealership.  Click the tick box, and then "Proceed with Verification".
 

4. Fill in the information about your dealership as accurately and as completely as possible.  It's important that the information you enter on this page matches the information on your dealership's Facebook page, as well as on your Google Places listing.  Click "Continue" when you have everything filled out.

5.  The last step is to show Facebook that you are actually affiliated with your dealership.  This can be done by adding your dealership business email to your Facebook page, entering a dealership email address (it must be one that is associated with your dealership's business page, otherwise you'll need to do step 1 first), or uploading a utility or phone bill from your dealership.  Hit submit when you're finished.

Facebook advises that it can take up to a week for them to verify your "claiming" of the Places page.  If all goes correctly, your dealership will have control of the address, contact information, business hours, profile picture, admins, and other settings of your Places page.  Also, since Facebook is constantly changing their offerings, it's important to claim your page as early as possible to help ensure your dealership has control moving forward.