Lady Gaga has her Little Monsters, Justin Bieber has his Beliebers, Kiss has their Kiss Army, and your dealership has ______? Where are your fans? Musicians focus their marketingon connecting with fans, that’s nothing new, but that approach is grounded in solid business sense. A 2010 Satmetrix study found that evangelists or fans, spend 13% more than the average customer, and they refer business equal to 45% of the money they spend.

How can your dealership think like a rock star?

• Work to better understand your advocates. This will also help you determine the context of your relationship.

• Give your fans the tools and the ability to "share the love."

• There's an old marketing adage: Sell the benefit, not the product. Remember that your fans typically love your brand for many reasons other than just the product itself. Think about how your fans use your product and what's important to them.

• Seek ways to embrace your fans and stay more connected to them, it makes it far easier  for fans to advocate on their behalf.

Now you have your fans, but how do you keep them? Let’s take a look at the Loyalty Playbook:

1. Focus on Your "One Percenters": Gaga spends most of her effort on just one percent of her audience, the highly engaged super-fans who drive word of mouth.

2. Lead with Values: Create an emotional connection with customers by showcasing what you believe in, whether it be a community event or a charity your dealership devotes its time to.

3. Build Community: Connect your most loyal customers with each other to strengthen their bond with you. Have a ladies night or a new owner welcome like this dealership.

4. Give Fans a Name: Gaga calls her fans her “Little Monsters.” A name gives customers a way to self-identify as part of the group.

5. Embrace Shared Symbols: Shared symbols help customers bond by creating a collective experience. Give them a t-shirt or cool keychain.

6. Make Them Feel Like Rock Stars: Become a fan of your fans and find ways to make them feel special. Interact with your customers online, do trivia and giveaways!

7. Generate Something to Talk About: Make your business “word-of-mouth-worthy” by continually giving your fans reasons to talk about you.

Musicians and artists know the value of connecting with fans. Hopefully you do too. Use social media and blog to keep your fans aware of your dealership and what your brand stands for.

----

What do you think of this loyalty playbook? Would you use this playbook for your dealership?

As always follow @activengage for dealership tips and live chat updates! 

Lady Gaga has her Little Monsters, Justin Bieber has his Beliebers, Kiss has their Kiss Army, and your dealership has ______? Where are your fans? Musicians focus their marketingon connecting with fans, that’s nothing new, but that approach is grounded in solid business sense. A 2010 Satmetrix study found that evangelists or fans, spend 13% more than the average customer, and they refer business equal to 45% of the money they spend.

How can your dealership think like a rock star?

• Work to better understand your advocates. This will also help you determine the context of your relationship.

• Give your fans the tools and the ability to "share the love."

• There's an old marketing adage: Sell the benefit, not the product. Remember that your fans typically love your brand for many reasons other than just the product itself. Think about how your fans use your product and what's important to them.

• Seek ways to embrace your fans and stay more connected to them, it makes it far easier  for fans to advocate on their behalf.

Now you have your fans, but how do you keep them? Let’s take a look at the Loyalty Playbook:

1. Focus on Your "One Percenters": Gaga spends most of her effort on just one percent of her audience, the highly engaged super-fans who drive word of mouth.

2. Lead with Values: Create an emotional connection with customers by showcasing what you believe in, whether it be a community event or a charity your dealership devotes its time to.

3. Build Community: Connect your most loyal customers with each other to strengthen their bond with you. Have a ladies night or a new owner welcome like this dealership.

4. Give Fans a Name: Gaga calls her fans her “Little Monsters.” A name gives customers a way to self-identify as part of the group.

5. Embrace Shared Symbols: Shared symbols help customers bond by creating a collective experience. Give them a t-shirt or cool keychain.

6. Make Them Feel Like Rock Stars: Become a fan of your fans and find ways to make them feel special. Interact with your customers online, do trivia and giveaways!

7. Generate Something to Talk About: Make your business “word-of-mouth-worthy” by continually giving your fans reasons to talk about you.

Musicians and artists know the value of connecting with fans. Hopefully you do too. Use social media and blog to keep your fans aware of your dealership and what your brand stands for.

----

What do you think of this loyalty playbook? Would you use this playbook for your dealership?

As always follow @activengage for dealership tips and live chat updates! 

You probably have noticed J.C. Penney's heartfelt apology taking over the airwaves afterposting a 13 billion decline in revenue while trying to attract young customers to their stores.  In this newadvertising campaign, the company admits it made mistakes and alienated many of its longtime customers. The voice-over in its most recent ad, "It's No Secret" states: “Some changes you liked, and some you didn't. But what matters with mistakes is what we learn. We learned a very simple thing, to listen to you."

What if YOU make a mistake?

Admit it--  Managers often look to protect themselves instead of helping the dealership move forward. None of these actions will win back your customers; the only way to get past a mistake is to apologize sincerely and swiftly.

Be empathetic--While there are many things outside your control, you can train your staff to practice empathy when the customer is disappointed with an outcome.

Open your ears-- When a customer actually takes the time to tell you what’s wrong instead of hiding away and complaining online, is a great opportunity to learn something.Give the customer different options for communicating, including social media, email, phone, text, and regular mail. Make sure there are processes in place to  respond to these the same day.

Changes to be made--Tell your customer specific changes that will be made in order to correct a mistake. If you cannot come up with an action plan immediately, get back to the customer in a specific period of time to make sure this is done.

Do better--Customers get frustrated if they get repeat apologies for the same mistakes and nothing ever changes.

So how does J.C. Penney commercial end?

"Come back to J.C. Penney. We heard you; now we'd love to see you," the voice-over states.

--------

What do you think of J.C Penney’s campaign? Would you ever issue a heartfelt apology like this over the airwaves? Comment below! 

You probably have noticed J.C. Penney's heartfelt apology taking over the airwaves afterposting a 13 billion decline in revenue while trying to attract young customers to their stores.  In this newadvertising campaign, the company admits it made mistakes and alienated many of its longtime customers. The voice-over in its most recent ad, "It's No Secret" states: “Some changes you liked, and some you didn't. But what matters with mistakes is what we learn. We learned a very simple thing, to listen to you."

What if YOU make a mistake?

Admit it--  Managers often look to protect themselves instead of helping the dealership move forward. None of these actions will win back your customers; the only way to get past a mistake is to apologize sincerely and swiftly.

Be empathetic--While there are many things outside your control, you can train your staff to practice empathy when the customer is disappointed with an outcome.

Open your ears-- When a customer actually takes the time to tell you what’s wrong instead of hiding away and complaining online, is a great opportunity to learn something.Give the customer different options for communicating, including social media, email, phone, text, and regular mail. Make sure there are processes in place to  respond to these the same day.

Changes to be made--Tell your customer specific changes that will be made in order to correct a mistake. If you cannot come up with an action plan immediately, get back to the customer in a specific period of time to make sure this is done.

Do better--Customers get frustrated if they get repeat apologies for the same mistakes and nothing ever changes.

So how does J.C. Penney commercial end?

"Come back to J.C. Penney. We heard you; now we'd love to see you," the voice-over states.

--------

What do you think of J.C Penney’s campaign? Would you ever issue a heartfelt apology like this over the airwaves? Comment below! 

ActivEngage, the most trusted brand in automotive live chat brings the top ten blogs and news stories right to you! We monitor industry trends, current events, and the auto dealer community every week to bring you the top ten blogs and stories from around the globe. In this weekly edition-- DD14, self driving cars, and playful whales.

10. Going to DD14?

Don’t forget to register for the Blue Martini After Party.

9. Cars.com Responds to Dealer Community

Linda Barman, Cars.com CMO, responded to the dealer community with an open and direct account of what has transpired over the past month with regards to the test email campaign.

8.  Facebook Graph Search...What’s Next?

Even though Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has emphasized that Graph Search is “not Web search,” many would agree that this is Facebook’s attempt to compete with Google. Unlike Google’s current search algorithm, Graph Search relies on social interactions to build its search database.

7. Facebook Ad Boss: Clicks and Engagement Are Not Important As Exposure

Facebook's Rajaram suggests that companies should focus less on engagement and clicks, and more on how people are being exposed to ads because "there's really no correlation between clicks and whether people actually convert."

6.  Chinese Girls Poisoned Over School Rivalry

The head of a rival kindergarten is reported to have confessed to lacing the yogurt with rat poison because the two schools were both trying to attract children

5. Bangladesh Building Collapse Death Toll Tops 500

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith spoke as the government cracked down on those it blamed for the disaster in the Dhaka suburb of Savar

4.YouTube Case Study - BMW

See how BMW turned to digital media – notably Google and YouTube – to deliver engagement and promote their 1series launch in Germany.

3. In the Future, Dogs Will Work Car Deals

Within your dog’s nose…Imagine a maze the size of (if you will) the Universe. Within your dog’s nose, all things are possible. Everything that can happen will, and everything that has happened did. In a space so large, ALL things are possible!

2. This is What Google’s Self Driving Car Sees

Google's self-driving car soaks in a staggering amount of information about its environment as it drives, gathering 750MB of data every second, claims Idealab founder and CEO Bill Gross.

1. Watch These Whales Chase a Boat

This is TOO awesome! Happy Friday!

_

Did we miss anything important? Like our top ten blogs this week? Leave us a comment below! Or if you really can’t wait for your automotive fix, follow @activengage on Twitter for daily updates on auto industry news!

ActivEngage, the most trusted brand in automotive live chat brings the top ten blogs and news stories right to you! We monitor industry trends, current events, and the auto dealer community every week to bring you the top ten blogs and stories from around the globe. In this weekly edition-- DD14, self driving cars, and playful whales.

10. Going to DD14?

Don’t forget to register for the Blue Martini After Party.

9. Cars.com Responds to Dealer Community

Linda Barman, Cars.com CMO, responded to the dealer community with an open and direct account of what has transpired over the past month with regards to the test email campaign.

8.  Facebook Graph Search...What’s Next?

Even though Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has emphasized that Graph Search is “not Web search,” many would agree that this is Facebook’s attempt to compete with Google. Unlike Google’s current search algorithm, Graph Search relies on social interactions to build its search database.

7. Facebook Ad Boss: Clicks and Engagement Are Not Important As Exposure

Facebook's Rajaram suggests that companies should focus less on engagement and clicks, and more on how people are being exposed to ads because "there's really no correlation between clicks and whether people actually convert."

6.  Chinese Girls Poisoned Over School Rivalry

The head of a rival kindergarten is reported to have confessed to lacing the yogurt with rat poison because the two schools were both trying to attract children

5. Bangladesh Building Collapse Death Toll Tops 500

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith spoke as the government cracked down on those it blamed for the disaster in the Dhaka suburb of Savar

4.YouTube Case Study - BMW

See how BMW turned to digital media – notably Google and YouTube – to deliver engagement and promote their 1series launch in Germany.

3. In the Future, Dogs Will Work Car Deals

Within your dog’s nose…Imagine a maze the size of (if you will) the Universe. Within your dog’s nose, all things are possible. Everything that can happen will, and everything that has happened did. In a space so large, ALL things are possible!

2. This is What Google’s Self Driving Car Sees

Google's self-driving car soaks in a staggering amount of information about its environment as it drives, gathering 750MB of data every second, claims Idealab founder and CEO Bill Gross.

1. Watch These Whales Chase a Boat

This is TOO awesome! Happy Friday!

_

Did we miss anything important? Like our top ten blogs this week? Leave us a comment below! Or if you really can’t wait for your automotive fix, follow @activengage on Twitter for daily updates on auto industry news!

Did you know that personal stories and gossip make up 65% of our conversations? Linguists and anthropologists generally agree that storytelling has been the most effective way to penetrate mental defenses and have a message stick in the human mind. Something in our hardwiring actually hypnotizes us when we hear the words: "Let me tell you a story…."

Our unconscious can't resist letting stories in, and their stamp on human nature is everywhere. We're all born to be instant, natural storytellers whenever we have a greatproduct to recommend, we are excited about an idea, a sales pitch, or when parents have to tell their kids where babies come from.

Stories serve the biological function of encouraging pro-social behavior. The theory is that this urge to tell and listen to moralistic stories is hardwired into us, and this helps bind society together. You could say that stories are as important as genes.

A story, if broken down into the simplest form, is a connection of cause and effect.

Since there is such a strong connection between the human brain and stories ask yourself, how am I using storytelling to my advantage? Whether you’re blogging or talking to a prospect about a vehicle use these tips:

1. Avoid complex language

2. Stop using cliches! Certain words and phrases have lost ALL storytelling power

3. Tell a story to plant an idea

4. Testimonials add credibility

5. Avoid complicated nouns and overuse of adjectives

6. Quote experts in their fields

Need an example?

When it comes to presenting, our very own Todd Smith is a great storyteller. Just watch this speaking segment and take notes. I use storytelling in my blog posts, like this one or thispopular Gen Y blog.

---

How do you use storytelling in your marketing, sales presentations, or blogging? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Did you know that personal stories and gossip make up 65% of our conversations? Linguists and anthropologists generally agree that storytelling has been the most effective way to penetrate mental defenses and have a message stick in the human mind. Something in our hardwiring actually hypnotizes us when we hear the words: "Let me tell you a story…."

Our unconscious can't resist letting stories in, and their stamp on human nature is everywhere. We're all born to be instant, natural storytellers whenever we have a greatproduct to recommend, we are excited about an idea, a sales pitch, or when parents have to tell their kids where babies come from.

Stories serve the biological function of encouraging pro-social behavior. The theory is that this urge to tell and listen to moralistic stories is hardwired into us, and this helps bind society together. You could say that stories are as important as genes.

A story, if broken down into the simplest form, is a connection of cause and effect.

Since there is such a strong connection between the human brain and stories ask yourself, how am I using storytelling to my advantage? Whether you’re blogging or talking to a prospect about a vehicle use these tips:

1. Avoid complex language

2. Stop using cliches! Certain words and phrases have lost ALL storytelling power

3. Tell a story to plant an idea

4. Testimonials add credibility

5. Avoid complicated nouns and overuse of adjectives

6. Quote experts in their fields

Need an example?

When it comes to presenting, our very own Todd Smith is a great storyteller. Just watch this speaking segment and take notes. I use storytelling in my blog posts, like this one or thispopular Gen Y blog.

---

How do you use storytelling in your marketing, sales presentations, or blogging? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Earlier this year I wrote a blog on how to make your dealership’s website mobile friendly, however a recent survey (based on an analysis of 1 million websites worldwide last year) found that 93.3% of websites are not mobile-compatible andwill not render successfully on mobiledevices, including smartphones. As Internet-content consumption is quicklymoving away from desktops to portable devices, ensuring your website is optimized for the smaller screens of tablets and smartphones is critically important. Commercial emails opened on mobile devices are on pace to surpass PC opens by the end of 2013, according to recent research from digital messaging solutions provider Knotice.

I cannot stress how important it is that your dealership’s website needs to be mobile friendly. If you don’t have a mobile friendly website - immediately get with your WSP to start working on one! Below are some tips to follow when you are creating your dealership’s mobile site:

• Make text larger for readability. Bonus tip: Consider offering a text resizing control.

• Increase padding and line-height of densely packed links to increase touch accuracy. This applies especially to form elements and calendar dropdowns.

• Remove mouse hover interactions wherever possible. If you want to keep them, extend them to support tap-and-hold interactions as well as mouse hover.

• Consider making your design resize-friendly to cover the full range of tablet screen sizes — from 600px to 1000px wide — instead of fixing page widths in stone.

• Beware of the Flash. With iPads such a big portion of the tablet market, Flash elements need to be removed.

• Remove elements using the declaration (real or simulated) "position: fixed" because they slow down page scrolling on tablets to a much greater extent than on desktop.

• Consider cutting some HTTP requests, as you would on mobile. While tablets have screen area close to that of laptops, their processing power is closer to that of phones. Additional on-page elements like Facebook Connect and Google +1 might fit into a tablet-sized wireframe but real-world performance and user experience can quickly suffer.

If you want more help on making your website tablet friendly, this eBook is a great resource.There are best practices, layouts, and case studies on effective mobile designs. If you have any additional tips, feel free to comment below!

Earlier this year I wrote a blog on how to make your dealership’s website mobile friendly, however a recent survey (based on an analysis of 1 million websites worldwide last year) found that 93.3% of websites are not mobile-compatible andwill not render successfully on mobiledevices, including smartphones. As Internet-content consumption is quicklymoving away from desktops to portable devices, ensuring your website is optimized for the smaller screens of tablets and smartphones is critically important. Commercial emails opened on mobile devices are on pace to surpass PC opens by the end of 2013, according to recent research from digital messaging solutions provider Knotice.

I cannot stress how important it is that your dealership’s website needs to be mobile friendly. If you don’t have a mobile friendly website - immediately get with your WSP to start working on one! Below are some tips to follow when you are creating your dealership’s mobile site:

• Make text larger for readability. Bonus tip: Consider offering a text resizing control.

• Increase padding and line-height of densely packed links to increase touch accuracy. This applies especially to form elements and calendar dropdowns.

• Remove mouse hover interactions wherever possible. If you want to keep them, extend them to support tap-and-hold interactions as well as mouse hover.

• Consider making your design resize-friendly to cover the full range of tablet screen sizes — from 600px to 1000px wide — instead of fixing page widths in stone.

• Beware of the Flash. With iPads such a big portion of the tablet market, Flash elements need to be removed.

• Remove elements using the declaration (real or simulated) "position: fixed" because they slow down page scrolling on tablets to a much greater extent than on desktop.

• Consider cutting some HTTP requests, as you would on mobile. While tablets have screen area close to that of laptops, their processing power is closer to that of phones. Additional on-page elements like Facebook Connect and Google +1 might fit into a tablet-sized wireframe but real-world performance and user experience can quickly suffer.

If you want more help on making your website tablet friendly, this eBook is a great resource.There are best practices, layouts, and case studies on effective mobile designs. If you have any additional tips, feel free to comment below!