DM: Smart Web Concepts learned about the open enrollment in October of 2011 and we submitted our application in November 2011 for the Facebook PDC.The Facebook "PDC" Preferred Developer Consultant Program is designed to have a selected group of outside companies improve the Facebook experience through apps, page enhancements, and tools.

DM: SWC's goal for being included in the program is to assist the automotive industry with their presence on Facebook - everything from driving traffic, improving brand recognition and raising the bar for social consumer experiences. Being selected as a Preferred Developer Consultant puts us in close contact with what's going on within Facebook, which allows us to be more proactive when changes happen. The new Facebook pages are a perfect example. We've known these updates were coming and were able to respond to the strategies much earlier than others.

DM: SWC has been building and managing Facebook pages for the last couple of years and has held a good standing with Facebook in regards to their guidelines. We have also been keeping up to date on Facebook's open graph as well. The data we have access to is enabling us to remain two steps ahead of even some of the largest automotive vendors.

DM: The biggest trend I see with apps for Facebook is that it will continue to offer dealers the ability to mirror more of the features of their current site. A dealer must have the ability to have their current inventory, specials and even allow visitors to schedule service. We see more leads coming from within Facebook and we want to be a leader in delivering these solutions. One also has to wonder when Facebook page content will be indexed by search engines (most likely Bing) as that would change the website game! Whatever these changes may be, SWC will be prepared.

DM: Smart Web Concepts was selected to the PDC based on a couple of great new products we'll be launching soon - stay tuned. Our current goal in the social media space is to match the dealers' owner base to a social media profile, which help demonstrate true ROI to the dealer and even deeper customer information.

DM: The benefit to working with SWC will come in the form of the thorough understanding of Facebook's policies and platforms and that we will be recommended by Facebook as a PDC to the automotive industry. A key factor in today's social game is the speed at which strategies can be harnessed and converted into productive, revenue-generating products for the community - and we'll have this competitive advantage now.

Dan, thanks for sharing more information about this new program and what it means to the dealer community. Best of luck to you and Smart Web Concepts - please keep us posted with more news and the new products - we'll be watching for more great things to come.

Have breaking news to share with the DrivingSales community? Contact me eric@drivingsales.com - @emiltsch on twitter.

A very interesting location based marketing discussion popped up online recently. A screen shot of a Mercedes Benz dealership's foursquare venue was posted online by DrivingSales community friend Aaron Strout. (Two-time DSES keynote speaker & Location Based Marketing for Dummies co-author) 

Joe Webb and I share some of our thoughts below.

EM: Aaron posted this picture to highlight the creative tip usage by a large brand. Tips are an extremely important element of the foursquare platform as this is where deeper levels of consumer value can be found. As more brands get involved, even more value can be passed along. However, in this situation, a tip left by Edmunds.com may not be viewed as being helpful for the dealership. 

The tip reads: "Think twice about trading in your car. You'll get more for it by selling it yourself." Aaron called out the unique usage of this element and it's ability to help consumers - exactly what foursquare wants to deliver. Yes, it's a commonly known fact and one that many dealerships clearly share with their consumers. It gets sticky because Edmunds' relationship with the retail community as a vendor, a lead provider and also one who makes a lot of money advertising dealership inventory. 

JW: While badges, Mayorships and general notoriety may be some of the driving forces behind the usage of location based apps like foursquare; taking advantage of Tips and Specials is when the VALUE really kicks in for consumers. Much like Twitter, people enjoy seeing the businesses they frequent join in on the location-based communities they visit. For businesses, adding Tips and Specials shows the customer that you are listening and valuing their business as an online consumer. 

Let’s face it, Eric. We live in a very ME-centric world and everyone (of our customers) feel as if they deserve something special… just for being them. Creating a simple tip or special on foursquare for your customer base is just one small way of offering them an added bonus for participating in that social forum.  They feel as if they’re in the In Crowd… and your dealership is too. The goal of every dealership should be to serve and retain their loyal customers. Location-based services provide a newer (and more quantitative) medium in which to open up a relationship with them.

EM: The solution? More education and awareness. Individuals and brands need to learn more about how the platform works how it can improve a consumer's experience and also help a brand's online presence. This also presents a wonderful opportunity for brands like Edmunds to work with the retail automotive segment to provide deeper transparency and greater consumer value while not appearing to create any potentially competitive activity. 

Imagine if this tip said: "Trading in your car? Sellers checking their trade-in value on Edmunds.com http://www.edmunds.com/sell-car/ get 15% more on avg!” - That's a bit more helpful, drives some traffic and builds awareness.

JW: Exactly! Edmunds is one of the primary automotive resource sites for the public and they are a valuable source for both dealers and consumers. However, these tips only serve one the parties. If Edmunds is to continue on with leaving tips within location-based services, I recommend that they try to champion the dealer and the research rather than the transaction process. For example, I believe they would be serving both parties (dealer and consumer) if they offered more positive tips such as…

1. Considering trading in your current vehicle?  Visit an online trade evaluation site and learn the possible values of your car as a guideline?
2. Not sure which vehicle is best for you?  Run a vehicle comparison study online and determine what benefits [DEALER MAKE] has over their competitors.
3. Is fuel economy/safer/etc. important to you? Visit Edmunds.com and learn the ways that [DEALER MAKE] is leading the way.

Those are just a few I thought up, but they are certainly less antagonistic than the others we’ve shared here. These types of tips are supporting the importance of research while also backing the dealership and brand. Best of all, these tips would serve their initial intent, which was to keep the name of Edmunds.com in front of customers during a critical time.

JW: The whole issue gets cloudy when tips are left by outside parties that can interfere with the goodwill you the dealership is trying to create. In Aaron’s example, we see a situation where a third-party vendor is attempting to be a champion for the consumer. While I’m all for transparency with the public, tips like this are positioning consumer vs. dealer. That relationship isn’t good for anyone.  When we understand that trade-ins are of critical importance to a dealership’s profit, why would a vendor attempt to cut off a profit-center?  Moreover, considering that the dealer is also likely a customer of Edmunds, tips such as these seem antagonistic. If you, as a dealer, are dedicating advertising budget toward a third-party provider and they, in turn, attempt to cause friction in the purchase process, then you will want to rethink your partnership.

EM: Another example of the Wild West activity that can occur on foursquare is between local competitors. Two years ago, I became the Mayor of a local dealership and added a tip to their venue page saying: "Do your research & check the prices at Auction Direct!" I added this tip back when check-ins at this venue, and in the area, were nearly non-existent; I was simply testing the app's functionality and assumed it would be removed eventually. (I thought wrong - it's still there & nobody has ever said anything to me about it) I don't recommend doing this now; it's tantamount to bidding for competitor names in PPC campaigns - not needed.

JW: Here’s another example below that I was alerted to where Edmunds positions themselves as a friend to the consumer, but enemy of the dealership process. I believe we can all agree that this is even less of a tip for the customer and more like an attempt to cause anxiety in the negotiation process. Simply put, it is too vague of a tip to have value for the consumer and is only meant to make a customer question the dealer’s pricing and intent.

Dealers using Tips and Specials are leading the charge in connecting with a more online-loyal and influential clientele. With the ability to track data and usage, the positives far outweigh any negatives. Either way, whether you take advantage of this medium or not, it is crucial that you are cognizant of your dealership’s activity on these forums. You need to know if you are being represented fairly, both by your customers and the vendors you’ve aligned with. Don’t allow your vendor partners to play both sides when it is your profit and reputation at stake.

Aaron - Thank you for sharing the original image and highlighting this usage example. Between your advocacy of location based strategies and our voice(s) within the industry, together we have the ability to provide valuable guidance for everyone involved.  

Joe - Thanks for adding your thoughts and recommendations, I'm sure you're having more of these conversations with your clients these days. Keep pushing the needle and provding the value you're known for.

I’ll continue to pound the table for greater mobile understanding and the inclusion of location based marketing solutions among dealership's digital footprint. Discussions like these will continue to help consumers, dealers and vendors.

Also important to note, Edmunds and their social media team has responded swiftly by starting to remove tips like these and is already exploring other alternatives. The goal of this post is to provide the education and understanding needed for your venues, not to throw Edmunds under the bus.

Take-away: Claim your venue, manage the page activity using foursquare's free analytics, encourage helpful tips from your customers and explore mutually beneficial venue page alliances with industry brands. Haven’t claimed your venue yet? Get started here in three easy steps:  http://Join.4sq.com/emiltsch

How are you leveraging venue tips at your dealership?

Follow me on twitter @emiltsch

A very interesting location based marketing discussion popped up online recently. A screen shot of a Mercedes Benz dealership's foursquare venue was posted online by DrivingSales community friend Aaron Strout. (Two-time DSES keynote speaker & Location Based Marketing for Dummies co-author) 

Joe Webb and I share some of our thoughts below.

EM: Aaron posted this picture to highlight the creative tip usage by a large brand. Tips are an extremely important element of the foursquare platform as this is where deeper levels of consumer value can be found. As more brands get involved, even more value can be passed along. However, in this situation, a tip left by Edmunds.com may not be viewed as being helpful for the dealership. 

The tip reads: "Think twice about trading in your car. You'll get more for it by selling it yourself." Aaron called out the unique usage of this element and it's ability to help consumers - exactly what foursquare wants to deliver. Yes, it's a commonly known fact and one that many dealerships clearly share with their consumers. It gets sticky because Edmunds' relationship with the retail community as a vendor, a lead provider and also one who makes a lot of money advertising dealership inventory. 

JW: While badges, Mayorships and general notoriety may be some of the driving forces behind the usage of location based apps like foursquare; taking advantage of Tips and Specials is when the VALUE really kicks in for consumers. Much like Twitter, people enjoy seeing the businesses they frequent join in on the location-based communities they visit. For businesses, adding Tips and Specials shows the customer that you are listening and valuing their business as an online consumer. 

Let’s face it, Eric. We live in a very ME-centric world and everyone (of our customers) feel as if they deserve something special… just for being them. Creating a simple tip or special on foursquare for your customer base is just one small way of offering them an added bonus for participating in that social forum.  They feel as if they’re in the In Crowd… and your dealership is too. The goal of every dealership should be to serve and retain their loyal customers. Location-based services provide a newer (and more quantitative) medium in which to open up a relationship with them.

EM: The solution? More education and awareness. Individuals and brands need to learn more about how the platform works how it can improve a consumer's experience and also help a brand's online presence. This also presents a wonderful opportunity for brands like Edmunds to work with the retail automotive segment to provide deeper transparency and greater consumer value while not appearing to create any potentially competitive activity. 

Imagine if this tip said: "Trading in your car? Sellers checking their trade-in value on Edmunds.com http://www.edmunds.com/sell-car/ get 15% more on avg!” - That's a bit more helpful, drives some traffic and builds awareness.

JW: Exactly! Edmunds is one of the primary automotive resource sites for the public and they are a valuable source for both dealers and consumers. However, these tips only serve one the parties. If Edmunds is to continue on with leaving tips within location-based services, I recommend that they try to champion the dealer and the research rather than the transaction process. For example, I believe they would be serving both parties (dealer and consumer) if they offered more positive tips such as…

1. Considering trading in your current vehicle?  Visit an online trade evaluation site and learn the possible values of your car as a guideline?
2. Not sure which vehicle is best for you?  Run a vehicle comparison study online and determine what benefits [DEALER MAKE] has over their competitors.
3. Is fuel economy/safer/etc. important to you? Visit Edmunds.com and learn the ways that [DEALER MAKE] is leading the way.

Those are just a few I thought up, but they are certainly less antagonistic than the others we’ve shared here. These types of tips are supporting the importance of research while also backing the dealership and brand. Best of all, these tips would serve their initial intent, which was to keep the name of Edmunds.com in front of customers during a critical time.

JW: The whole issue gets cloudy when tips are left by outside parties that can interfere with the goodwill you the dealership is trying to create. In Aaron’s example, we see a situation where a third-party vendor is attempting to be a champion for the consumer. While I’m all for transparency with the public, tips like this are positioning consumer vs. dealer. That relationship isn’t good for anyone.  When we understand that trade-ins are of critical importance to a dealership’s profit, why would a vendor attempt to cut off a profit-center?  Moreover, considering that the dealer is also likely a customer of Edmunds, tips such as these seem antagonistic. If you, as a dealer, are dedicating advertising budget toward a third-party provider and they, in turn, attempt to cause friction in the purchase process, then you will want to rethink your partnership.

EM: Another example of the Wild West activity that can occur on foursquare is between local competitors. Two years ago, I became the Mayor of a local dealership and added a tip to their venue page saying: "Do your research & check the prices at Auction Direct!" I added this tip back when check-ins at this venue, and in the area, were nearly non-existent; I was simply testing the app's functionality and assumed it would be removed eventually. (I thought wrong - it's still there & nobody has ever said anything to me about it) I don't recommend doing this now; it's tantamount to bidding for competitor names in PPC campaigns - not needed.

JW: Here’s another example below that I was alerted to where Edmunds positions themselves as a friend to the consumer, but enemy of the dealership process. I believe we can all agree that this is even less of a tip for the customer and more like an attempt to cause anxiety in the negotiation process. Simply put, it is too vague of a tip to have value for the consumer and is only meant to make a customer question the dealer’s pricing and intent.

Dealers using Tips and Specials are leading the charge in connecting with a more online-loyal and influential clientele. With the ability to track data and usage, the positives far outweigh any negatives. Either way, whether you take advantage of this medium or not, it is crucial that you are cognizant of your dealership’s activity on these forums. You need to know if you are being represented fairly, both by your customers and the vendors you’ve aligned with. Don’t allow your vendor partners to play both sides when it is your profit and reputation at stake.

Aaron - Thank you for sharing the original image and highlighting this usage example. Between your advocacy of location based strategies and our voice(s) within the industry, together we have the ability to provide valuable guidance for everyone involved.  

Joe - Thanks for adding your thoughts and recommendations, I'm sure you're having more of these conversations with your clients these days. Keep pushing the needle and provding the value you're known for.

I’ll continue to pound the table for greater mobile understanding and the inclusion of location based marketing solutions among dealership's digital footprint. Discussions like these will continue to help consumers, dealers and vendors.

Also important to note, Edmunds and their social media team has responded swiftly by starting to remove tips like these and is already exploring other alternatives. The goal of this post is to provide the education and understanding needed for your venues, not to throw Edmunds under the bus.

Take-away: Claim your venue, manage the page activity using foursquare's free analytics, encourage helpful tips from your customers and explore mutually beneficial venue page alliances with industry brands. Haven’t claimed your venue yet? Get started here in three easy steps:  http://Join.4sq.com/emiltsch

How are you leveraging venue tips at your dealership?

Follow me on twitter @emiltsch

Another excellent year for the NADA Convention in Las Vegas has passed. I wasn’t speaking this year, so I was excited about spending more time on the show floor. I had the opportunity to interview vendors and several successful dealers. (Look for those video interviews from @DrivingSalesTV soon!)

The knowledge and experience base, with regards to advanced digital strategies, has increased tremendously throughout the retail industry in just a couple of years. Dealers clearly recognize the need for an optimized online presence and efficient internal processes. They were hunting for the next set of products and services creating buzz.

We’re seeing another major shift in focus as the community begins to embrace the importance of deeper social integration, data management and mobile strategies for both consumers and internal workflow.

The philosophies have become more encompassing as dealers and vendors look to connect with customers on multiple channels. You may have even heard Search Engine Optimization (SEO) being replaced with Social Engagement Optimization. Dealers continue to see the importance of user-generated content, (ratings/reviews) how it impacts consumers at different stages of the buying cycle and how it also fits into the grand scheme of search as well.

And, where hyper-local concepts left off last year, the SoLoMo (Social+Local+Mobile) movement is quickly gaining traction as a necessary element of any digital marketing platform.

My NADA experience started bright and early at the DrivingSales Awards breakfast Friday morning at the Bellagio. The room was packed with an all-star cast of automotive executives. Considering the success of the people in the room, a noticeable level of humility was consistent among all the award recipients. Another great thing to see was the mutual respect given to each other, their products and their companies.

A Friday night tweet-up sponsored by Jared Hamilton from DrivingSales and Jeff Kershner from DealerRefresh, had a strong turnout. I love having the chance for casual, yet highly detailed, conversations about the nuances of our business and the finer things that make us all tick. A quick stop to the Dominion/Autobytel party was met with another great showing of respectable people doing great things in the industry. A chance meeting with Glen Garvin, Cliff Banks, George Nenni and Will McGinnis will make anyone walk away feeling smart and energized. Throw in conversations with the guys from DealerFire (Eric, Brian, Carl & of course Kristen & Jessica) and Ken Potter from SureSale.com you’ll be so pumped up you’ll want to go out and build a new dealership with your own bare hands.

Friday night ended on the highest end of the excitement spectrum possible as I found myself jumping off the Stratosphere with Sean Stapleton, a group of VIN adrenaline junkies, Brian Young, Dan Moore and Larry Bruce. Spontaneous Vegas at it’s best. If you didn’t jump, you’ll get your chance at DSES in October. Do it.

On Saturday, Dealer.com secured it's spot as a top-notch NADA entertainer with their party at Haze nightclub featuring Grace Potter, Billy Gibbons and the “Most Interesting Man in the World” from the Dos Equis commercials. Sunday’s festivities also included the Autotrader.com Super Bowl party, DealerTrack and J&L Marketing’s events. Monday's closing session with President Bush was entertaining and inspirational.

I couldn’t possibly see everyone on my hit list, but I did have the opportunity to catch up with several new people along with those who I’ve come to know and respect over the years. The activity on the floor was frenzied compared to NADA of just two years ago in Orlando. I noticed a greater urgency from dealers as they appeared more receptive with ideas and how technology is impacting their processes. Another difference is how much more consideration was being given to how consumer behaviors are changing and how they’re connecting with dealerships. Finally.

Here's a quick recap of a few of the booths I visited:

Scan & Drive: QR codes are ok, but a QR code application with specific call to actions for conversion, CRM integration, vehicle history reports and a more value options is ok in my book. And this coming from someone who isn’t a big QR Code fan.

cDemo: Allan and Jay are moving fast with their innovative mobile appraisal application. Simple to use, increased functionalities and a bevy of new enhancements slated for this year make this one of the neatest retail start-ups to watch. I can see their platform moving beyond an operations/sales platform to incorporating deeper customer activities. I like what they’re talking aboot:).

3 Birds Marketing: Kristen and Layton gave a wonderful demo of their integrated newsletter management system. This platform not only helps you produce stunning newsletters, but also helps improve SEO performance with it’s ability to generate additional content and most importantly, provide a deep reporting function to help determine what’s working and what isn’t.

Dealer.com: Everyone was dizzy with excitement to hear more about their new mobile CRM product announcement. (Product name still TBA) Alex Snyder and team have been working away in the labs for a long time – apparently live launch is slated for later this year. Matt Murray was gracious enough to give us an off-camera preview of some other new products as well. Although I promised not to share specifics, I will comment on their overall attention to detail with regards to usability and design – this stuff oozed quality.

Enough can’t be said about the small city they occupied on the convention floor. I especially like the “check-out” style demo lanes, which flanked the center bar. As I watched, it seemed to invited guests nicely without creating the perception of a lengthy sit-down style sales pitch demo.

DealerSocket: Hunter “Thompson” Swift shared his thoughts on the new products introduced: SocketTalk, RevenueRadar, EnterpriseDashboard, MobileCRM and MarketPlace. The general theme centered around integrating multiple data points for additional business intelligence, laser-focused marketing strategies and of course, mobile connectivity to workflows and reporting. They’ve done a great job of wrapping their heads around how the social enterprise concept can help dealerships stay connected with their employees and their customers.

DealerSocket also pulled off a fun social rock-star theme into their conference experience with a dress-up photo booth. Hilarious photos were uploaded to their company facebook page where friends could vote on the best costumes and poses; winners walked away with some pretty sweet guitars.

CallSource: Here’s another great example of how vendors are responding to dealer’s needs with a solid mobile solution for tracking customer phone calls, integrating across multiple devices and providing easy access to the reporting. The mobility workflow movement is alive and well – and for every department now.

Phone Ninjas: Jerry Thibeau has taken his phone skills training company from 0-60 in just a couple of years. Today’s customer is in a rush, wants the best information and demands to talk to well-prepared professionals – Jerry is responding full-steam ahead with his programs and also his expanding support team with talented individuals like Elise Kephardt. 

Dealers United: Everyone is watching Jesse Biter’s new company closely. He’s got a solid concept: helping individual and small dealerships by providing access to group buying power when using automotive vendor solutions. Their first deal is slated to be annouced very soon.

Mudd Advertising: The powerhouse agency was busy introducing their new analytics platform called Mudd AdSuite. The platform is designed to provide real time access to client campaigns and performance data. Another nice example of how agencies are making the shift to accountability and metrics with regards to their marketing efforts.

The one item I didn’t hear much about is the inclusion of more location based marketing strategies. I can see LBS being integrated into more loyalty programs, using photo-sharing and as an extension of dealership analytics as mobile usage continues it’s rise.

Thanks to everyone who met with us, look for more interviews with Brian Pasch, Andrew Wright, Andrew Difeo, Sean Stapleton, Joe Little, Todd Smith, Stan Sher, Shaun Raines, Paul Potratz, John Hairabedian & Tom White Jr.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to connect on camera with people such as Jeff Kershner, Dan Moore, Ralph Paglia, Jim Zeigler, Alex Schoeneberger, Ken Potter, Eric Hoopman, Bill Playford, Joe Pistell, Alex Snyder, Gary May and Joe Webb. (Simply because Joe wasn’t there this year – and he was greatly missed.)

Huge thanks to the DrivingSales & DrivingSalesTV crews for letting me tag along in my first reporting stint. A little more practice and I could get into doing that more often – the DrivingSales Executive Summit is only eight months away!

What did you get out of NADA 2012? What caught your eye on the floor?

Another excellent year for the NADA Convention in Las Vegas has passed. I wasn’t speaking this year, so I was excited about spending more time on the show floor. I had the opportunity to interview vendors and several successful dealers. (Look for those video interviews from @DrivingSalesTV soon!)

The knowledge and experience base, with regards to advanced digital strategies, has increased tremendously throughout the retail industry in just a couple of years. Dealers clearly recognize the need for an optimized online presence and efficient internal processes. They were hunting for the next set of products and services creating buzz.

We’re seeing another major shift in focus as the community begins to embrace the importance of deeper social integration, data management and mobile strategies for both consumers and internal workflow.

The philosophies have become more encompassing as dealers and vendors look to connect with customers on multiple channels. You may have even heard Search Engine Optimization (SEO) being replaced with Social Engagement Optimization. Dealers continue to see the importance of user-generated content, (ratings/reviews) how it impacts consumers at different stages of the buying cycle and how it also fits into the grand scheme of search as well.

And, where hyper-local concepts left off last year, the SoLoMo (Social+Local+Mobile) movement is quickly gaining traction as a necessary element of any digital marketing platform.

My NADA experience started bright and early at the DrivingSales Awards breakfast Friday morning at the Bellagio. The room was packed with an all-star cast of automotive executives. Considering the success of the people in the room, a noticeable level of humility was consistent among all the award recipients. Another great thing to see was the mutual respect given to each other, their products and their companies.

A Friday night tweet-up sponsored by Jared Hamilton from DrivingSales and Jeff Kershner from DealerRefresh, had a strong turnout. I love having the chance for casual, yet highly detailed, conversations about the nuances of our business and the finer things that make us all tick. A quick stop to the Dominion/Autobytel party was met with another great showing of respectable people doing great things in the industry. A chance meeting with Glen Garvin, Cliff Banks, George Nenni and Will McGinnis will make anyone walk away feeling smart and energized. Throw in conversations with the guys from DealerFire (Eric, Brian, Carl & of course Kristen & Jessica) and Ken Potter from SureSale.com you’ll be so pumped up you’ll want to go out and build a new dealership with your own bare hands.

Friday night ended on the highest end of the excitement spectrum possible as I found myself jumping off the Stratosphere with Sean Stapleton, a group of VIN adrenaline junkies, Brian Young, Dan Moore and Larry Bruce. Spontaneous Vegas at it’s best. If you didn’t jump, you’ll get your chance at DSES in October. Do it.

On Saturday, Dealer.com secured it's spot as a top-notch NADA entertainer with their party at Haze nightclub featuring Grace Potter, Billy Gibbons and the “Most Interesting Man in the World” from the Dos Equis commercials. Sunday’s festivities also included the Autotrader.com Super Bowl party, DealerTrack and J&L Marketing’s events. Monday's closing session with President Bush was entertaining and inspirational.

I couldn’t possibly see everyone on my hit list, but I did have the opportunity to catch up with several new people along with those who I’ve come to know and respect over the years. The activity on the floor was frenzied compared to NADA of just two years ago in Orlando. I noticed a greater urgency from dealers as they appeared more receptive with ideas and how technology is impacting their processes. Another difference is how much more consideration was being given to how consumer behaviors are changing and how they’re connecting with dealerships. Finally.

Here's a quick recap of a few of the booths I visited:

Scan & Drive: QR codes are ok, but a QR code application with specific call to actions for conversion, CRM integration, vehicle history reports and a more value options is ok in my book. And this coming from someone who isn’t a big QR Code fan.

cDemo: Allan and Jay are moving fast with their innovative mobile appraisal application. Simple to use, increased functionalities and a bevy of new enhancements slated for this year make this one of the neatest retail start-ups to watch. I can see their platform moving beyond an operations/sales platform to incorporating deeper customer activities. I like what they’re talking aboot:).

3 Birds Marketing: Kristen and Layton gave a wonderful demo of their integrated newsletter management system. This platform not only helps you produce stunning newsletters, but also helps improve SEO performance with it’s ability to generate additional content and most importantly, provide a deep reporting function to help determine what’s working and what isn’t.

Dealer.com: Everyone was dizzy with excitement to hear more about their new mobile CRM product announcement. (Product name still TBA) Alex Snyder and team have been working away in the labs for a long time – apparently live launch is slated for later this year. Matt Murray was gracious enough to give us an off-camera preview of some other new products as well. Although I promised not to share specifics, I will comment on their overall attention to detail with regards to usability and design – this stuff oozed quality.

Enough can’t be said about the small city they occupied on the convention floor. I especially like the “check-out” style demo lanes, which flanked the center bar. As I watched, it seemed to invited guests nicely without creating the perception of a lengthy sit-down style sales pitch demo.

DealerSocket: Hunter “Thompson” Swift shared his thoughts on the new products introduced: SocketTalk, RevenueRadar, EnterpriseDashboard, MobileCRM and MarketPlace. The general theme centered around integrating multiple data points for additional business intelligence, laser-focused marketing strategies and of course, mobile connectivity to workflows and reporting. They’ve done a great job of wrapping their heads around how the social enterprise concept can help dealerships stay connected with their employees and their customers.

DealerSocket also pulled off a fun social rock-star theme into their conference experience with a dress-up photo booth. Hilarious photos were uploaded to their company facebook page where friends could vote on the best costumes and poses; winners walked away with some pretty sweet guitars.

CallSource: Here’s another great example of how vendors are responding to dealer’s needs with a solid mobile solution for tracking customer phone calls, integrating across multiple devices and providing easy access to the reporting. The mobility workflow movement is alive and well – and for every department now.

Phone Ninjas: Jerry Thibeau has taken his phone skills training company from 0-60 in just a couple of years. Today’s customer is in a rush, wants the best information and demands to talk to well-prepared professionals – Jerry is responding full-steam ahead with his programs and also his expanding support team with talented individuals like Elise Kephardt. 

Dealers United: Everyone is watching Jesse Biter’s new company closely. He’s got a solid concept: helping individual and small dealerships by providing access to group buying power when using automotive vendor solutions. Their first deal is slated to be annouced very soon.

Mudd Advertising: The powerhouse agency was busy introducing their new analytics platform called Mudd AdSuite. The platform is designed to provide real time access to client campaigns and performance data. Another nice example of how agencies are making the shift to accountability and metrics with regards to their marketing efforts.

The one item I didn’t hear much about is the inclusion of more location based marketing strategies. I can see LBS being integrated into more loyalty programs, using photo-sharing and as an extension of dealership analytics as mobile usage continues it’s rise.

Thanks to everyone who met with us, look for more interviews with Brian Pasch, Andrew Wright, Andrew Difeo, Sean Stapleton, Joe Little, Todd Smith, Stan Sher, Shaun Raines, Paul Potratz, John Hairabedian & Tom White Jr.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to connect on camera with people such as Jeff Kershner, Dan Moore, Ralph Paglia, Jim Zeigler, Alex Schoeneberger, Ken Potter, Eric Hoopman, Bill Playford, Joe Pistell, Alex Snyder, Gary May and Joe Webb. (Simply because Joe wasn’t there this year – and he was greatly missed.)

Huge thanks to the DrivingSales & DrivingSalesTV crews for letting me tag along in my first reporting stint. A little more practice and I could get into doing that more often – the DrivingSales Executive Summit is only eight months away!

What did you get out of NADA 2012? What caught your eye on the floor?

Google confirmed another algorithm update, Panda 3.2, effective January 18th. Maybe you noticed some changes to your listings. (You are watching your search results placements, right?)

Fortunately I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary, just one new listing and it happens to be one of my favorites: our Foursquare venue pages made a significant jump to page 1, 2nd result; from page 2, 8th spot.  Click image to enlarge.

So, if Google is giving  preference to an optimized location based venue page - how can this be leveraged? (Plus, a few other ways to ensure your Foursquare venue works off-line as well)

• Verify your business on Foursquare. (If you haven't, you can do so in 3 easy steps)
• Create specials. More choices now let you target new customers with first time check-in specials or check-ins with friends and multiple visits or Mayor check-ins for returning visitors to help drive loyalty efforts.
• Add your category (EX: Car dealership) - This will ultimately help drive additional exposure within Foursquare Explore, a location based search engine.
• Add the appropriate tags for your venue.
• Optimize your description. (Looks like they're displying about 150 characters or so - knowing this I want to improve what's shown on our venue)
• Add your twitter handle & a link to your website.
• Be sure your staff is aware of the venue special and how it works. Not knowing ruins the experience for the user.
• Print the employee and customer Foursquare fliers provided - they're free & very helpful.

Have you noticed anything different with your listings? 

Google confirmed another algorithm update, Panda 3.2, effective January 18th. Maybe you noticed some changes to your listings. (You are watching your search results placements, right?)

Fortunately I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary, just one new listing and it happens to be one of my favorites: our Foursquare venue pages made a significant jump to page 1, 2nd result; from page 2, 8th spot.  Click image to enlarge.

So, if Google is giving  preference to an optimized location based venue page - how can this be leveraged? (Plus, a few other ways to ensure your Foursquare venue works off-line as well)

• Verify your business on Foursquare. (If you haven't, you can do so in 3 easy steps)
• Create specials. More choices now let you target new customers with first time check-in specials or check-ins with friends and multiple visits or Mayor check-ins for returning visitors to help drive loyalty efforts.
• Add your category (EX: Car dealership) - This will ultimately help drive additional exposure within Foursquare Explore, a location based search engine.
• Add the appropriate tags for your venue.
• Optimize your description. (Looks like they're displying about 150 characters or so - knowing this I want to improve what's shown on our venue)
• Add your twitter handle & a link to your website.
• Be sure your staff is aware of the venue special and how it works. Not knowing ruins the experience for the user.
• Print the employee and customer Foursquare fliers provided - they're free & very helpful.

Have you noticed anything different with your listings? 

Pinterest. The hottest new community everyone is rushing to. So, what's the big deal? Think of it simply as a digital pin board for the stuff you like online, letting you:

• "Pin" images
• Organize them within "boards"
• Allow others to pin items to your board
• Follow other people or just individual boards
• Like, re-pin & comment
• Share items socially
• Pin items using the browser bookmark

Pinterest is very popular with the ladies. Beautiful images of landscapes, vacation homes, clothes and of course, kittens. The visual nature of the community and the "content stream" is a playground for those with ADD. Endless scanning of awesome pictures and cool content.

What can we learn from Pinterest regarding how we curate and organize content for our customers?

1. Image quality makes a world of difference: Are you making sure your merchandising efforts are top notch?
2. Segmented customer groups are powerful: People enjoy great content when it's organized and easy to access. Is your CRM doing everything it can to deliver the content your customers want?
3. Social sharing (word of mouth) is bigger than you imagine: Website platforms should integrate deeper with Facebook to ensure maximum visibility within the new timeline.

Click image to enlarge

A couple of items I've seen so far:

1. Content gets shared - quickly. I've peppered in a few of our vehicles to my "What Should I Drive?" board and they've all been liked and re-pinned.
2. Boards get followed - quickly. Give them a cool title & add some great content. Boom.
3. When pinning from your website, Pinterest includes a link to your site. Plus, it's a "follow link."
4. When your pins & boards are liked and/or followed, that activity can be pushed to Facebook if users turn on timeline integration.

I like the site's ability to inspire creativity and create additional exposure for great content. If you're going to use it, add the browser bookmark button to pin items quickly. Add it to your mobile browser to pin easily from your phone as well. (And please - don't pin your entire inventory. Nobody wants to see that) Download Pinterest for iPhone.

If the content in Pinterest isn't "manly" enough for you, be sure to check out Gentlemint & request an invite.

Follow me on Pinterest. Let me know if you need an invite.

What are your initial thoughts?

Pinterest. The hottest new community everyone is rushing to. So, what's the big deal? Think of it simply as a digital pin board for the stuff you like online, letting you:

• "Pin" images
• Organize them within "boards"
• Allow others to pin items to your board
• Follow other people or just individual boards
• Like, re-pin & comment
• Share items socially
• Pin items using the browser bookmark

Pinterest is very popular with the ladies. Beautiful images of landscapes, vacation homes, clothes and of course, kittens. The visual nature of the community and the "content stream" is a playground for those with ADD. Endless scanning of awesome pictures and cool content.

What can we learn from Pinterest regarding how we curate and organize content for our customers?

1. Image quality makes a world of difference: Are you making sure your merchandising efforts are top notch?
2. Segmented customer groups are powerful: People enjoy great content when it's organized and easy to access. Is your CRM doing everything it can to deliver the content your customers want?
3. Social sharing (word of mouth) is bigger than you imagine: Website platforms should integrate deeper with Facebook to ensure maximum visibility within the new timeline.

Click image to enlarge

A couple of items I've seen so far:

1. Content gets shared - quickly. I've peppered in a few of our vehicles to my "What Should I Drive?" board and they've all been liked and re-pinned.
2. Boards get followed - quickly. Give them a cool title & add some great content. Boom.
3. When pinning from your website, Pinterest includes a link to your site. Plus, it's a "follow link."
4. When your pins & boards are liked and/or followed, that activity can be pushed to Facebook if users turn on timeline integration.

I like the site's ability to inspire creativity and create additional exposure for great content. If you're going to use it, add the browser bookmark button to pin items quickly. Add it to your mobile browser to pin easily from your phone as well. (And please - don't pin your entire inventory. Nobody wants to see that) Download Pinterest for iPhone.

If the content in Pinterest isn't "manly" enough for you, be sure to check out Gentlemint & request an invite.

Follow me on Pinterest. Let me know if you need an invite.

What are your initial thoughts?

Quora is one of my favorite sites for reading & discovering great info on various topics. Why? Because of it's simplicity, the community dynamic and the ability to get credible information directly from sources I'd otherwise never have a chance to interact with anywhere else. (I've asked questions & received replies from the likes of Dennis Crowley, Ashton Kutcher & one of the original developers of Photoshop) I'm also a fan of being able to vote answers up or down; letting you weed through the junk very quickly.

Here's a simple explanation of Quora, from CrunchBase, if you're not familiar with the site:

Quora, founded in June 2009, first launched in private beta in January 2010.

Quora is a continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it. The most important thing is to have each question page become the best possible resource for someone who wants to know about the question.

One way you can think of it is as a cache for the research that people do looking things up on the web and asking other people. Eventually, when you see a link to a question page on Quora, your feeling should be: “Oh, great! That’s going to have all the information I want about that.” It’s also a place where new stuff–that no one has written about yet–can get pulled onto the web.

Quora also continues to add new features, such as the ability to create F.A.Q sections, boards (think Pinterest) & the ability to add video to it's Q&A boards.

Besides the hordes of brilliant content within Quora, another way the site can help you is it's ability to rank within search results. Google plays nicely with Quora because of how fresh the content is and because it's generated from authentic sources.

You should be able to rank using the Q&A feature within Quora - our link jumped quickly, after just one post. Click image to enlage.

Anyone else using Quora? What are your thoughts?