Not every pay-per-click campaign is created equally. Let me show you in this video 8 tips to make your campaign the best in the market! Learn to use tools like contextual targeting, mobile targeting, click-to-call ads, remarketing, and more to take your campaigns to a new level.

Facebook is not an idea that is new, but it is a site that is constantly changing, adapting, and furthering itself within the technological word. Most recently, Mark Zuckerberg announced an organ donor status option for Timeline, in which users will be able to share when they registered and their personal story. This status update isn’t officially registering as an organ donor; you still must contact the appropriate registry, however it provides an opportunity to help more than 114,000 people in the U.S. and millions more around the world that are waiting for that life saving organ transplant.

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking – What does organ donation have to do with a dealership? Nothing really to be quite honest, but don’t miss the bigger picture here, in just this week alone thousands of Facebook users have signed up to be organ donors, in part for Facebook making it easier to register.

Technology plays a huge role in society not only on a professional level, but also on a personal level as well, but I think Facebook itself plays an even bigger role. After all most people have some sort of smart phone with access to apps like Facebook at any given moment. Not too mention, if you take a look around people are always on Facebook; at work, in public places, even in movie theatres. I constantly see people on the social network site.

My point here is that as a dealership, you’re a company that is providing products that are also always constantly changing and furthering themselves. Cars are advancing on so many levels, so why shouldn’t the dealership that sells them be advancing also? How do you do this? USE FACEBOOK; promote not only your dealership but also the advances being made in the automotive industry. Get your fans involved, instill trivia games, give away prizes, and ask conversational questions. Facebook is clearly an innovative tool within technology, having 1,000 users sign up for organ donation within a week? Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of a social network that contains 900 million members?

Do you know your customers? – Do you know what a multi-channel funnel is?
A muti-channel funnel allows you to stop spraying and praying. It allows you to track and see how customers are interacting with ads and where the conversions are taking place.

How do you develop a customer’s relationship with your brand when they are always in a hurry? It is no secret that technology and social media have allowed the consumer to be in a power position. They can fast forward through advertisements, subscribe to satellite radio, and simply search (or not search) whatever and whenever they please. Basically, they are too busy to see what they don’t want to see.  Selectivity has become the norm. 

So, how does an advertiser brand an organization to this type of consumer? The secret is to utilize the very same media in which millennial are employing.These people are busy, so as an advertiser, we need to fit neatly into their day. General branding, as a focus, should come to the forefront of an advertisers strategy.  For instance, develop a remarketing strategy that utilizes cookies. Once a potential customer visits a site, they will then have a cookie placed on their device, and a remarketing advertisement will continue to pop up wherever they go.This simple and non-intrusive tool will enable consumer targeting during their evaluation and purchasing stages of the buying cycle.  They visited your site for a reason, so why not remind them why?

Check out this great new blog by Stephanie Hunter, a member of our creative video team at Potratz, as she talks about the technology in new vehicles.

There’s nothing better than realizing you’re starting to sound like your grandparents.  The other day I caught myself throwing it back to the ‘old days’ when car technology was a much simpler beast…

‘Back in my day you had to roll the car window down with a hand crank, none of this motorized window stuff you kids have these days. And oh, our idea of in-car entertainment was singing along to a cassette tape, do you even know what that is?’

So, it wasn’t exactly yesterday when the motorized window was created or the cd player (which is even now almost obsolete) was built into cars, but I can remember when we considered the ‘fancy windows’ a big perk.  Or the relief it was when we were able to get rid of that crazy tethered cassette tape that allowed us to magically play cd’s through our speakers.

While these seemed like big developments when I was a kid, today, it doesn’t even hold a candle to the new amenities that are being thrown into vehicles.

What was once just an AM/FM radio is now a hub for SIRIUS, IPod connectors, and even hard drives designed specifically to hold thousands of songs downloaded at the owners delight.  A clock used to stand alone in the center of the dashboard.  Now it’s filled with a touch screen navigation system fully armed and ready to bring you wherever you need to go and even capable of telling you where you might be interested in traveling to next!  And I must admit, I remember when only crazy people talked to inanimate objects.  Today that just means you are summoning a contact on your Bluetooth for hands-free driving.

There were no rearview cameras or irritating beeps, just a chiropractor waiting to fix that nasty snap-your-head-around-as-far-as-you-can neck pull you got after attempting to back into a tiny parking spot.  And I can only imagine how permit wielding teens everywhere are jumping for joy at the prospect of a driver’s test where a car can parallel park itself.


Stow and go seating… genius!  My muscles twinge just thinking about all the times we pushed, pulled, yanked, and tore seats clear out of the minivan just to have to push, pull, shove, and jam them back in. Not to mention self-closing doors, who knew they could actually exist in places other than hotels and malls?

And with all this new technology we may just see the demise of the backseat driver. Your rearview mirrors can now signal you when there’s someone in your blind spot – which means dad won’t have to yell at you for merging into the truck next to you (oops).  Mom can breath a sigh of relief with adaptive cruise control which acts as a ghost driver to keep you at a safe distance from the car in front of you – so she doesn’t have to blow a gasket about tailgating.  There are even cars that will alert you if you are about to get in an accident – which means no more pesky friends screaming in your ear as you soar ghastly close to the big rig on the highway.

Truck with no keys?  Way back when that meant a hunk of metal sitting in your driveway until you found your spare set.  Now it’s a luxury for drivers, with push-button start. Car turns off while driving?  Back in the day you’d have to call a tow truck. Today, it’s just your car saving gas at a red light. And no gas? No problem! Just plug it in!  Electric cars still seem like a crazy futuristic dream to me, but there they are chugging along right beside me on the road.

It seems to me, the future is here.  Anything and everything we thought would be cool for a car to do, it does.  No more pipe dreams of what life COULD be like, it’s what life IS like now with a new generation of vehicles.

Congratulations we have made it to the future!

Do you have a face in your advertising? – Why Not?
Using a real person will increase, conversions, closing rates and gross dollars.
When you use a face in the display ads there is a 23% increase in click thru rate

Learn more here

Green as in profitable and green as in environmentally friendly. The automotive advertising industry is consistently changing with hybrids and ecofriendly vehicles having an increased importance to shoppers now more then ever before. Green initiatives are presenting new marketing avenues as new ecofriendly vehicles and increased Green initiatives for dealership’s increase your need  to be at the forefront of your dealership’s automotive marketing. Join Kimberly Roselle, Account Executive at POTRATZ, as she reviews what it takes to be Green and how to incorporate such strategies into your 2012 strategies.

Register Here

In October of 2000 there were 124 million people online and today there are 278,196,000 people online which is over 80% of every man, woman, and child in the United States.  



Oh But Wait it Gets Better...

Nielsen estimates by December 25th, 2011 1 in 2 Americans will have a Smart Phone!  It has taken six quarters for the Smart Phone market share to double. 
I could go on about the 5.5 billion text messages being sent every 24 hours and the 17 million tablets but that is not the point…The Point I am Making is…



The Rules of Engagement Have Changed
...
The days of newspaper mixed with radio and an occasional direct mail drop to make a great month is a thing of the past. The relatively new found marketing channels, all driven by the internet, are changing how marketing progresses today and in 2012 as this triple digit growth across the country continues so do the opportunities to grow your dealerships revenues. Most marketing strategies are even more fragmented than in the days of cable and radio advertising. By understanding how the new marketing tools are best put into practice will guarantee profitable results that build momentum in 2012.



It's All Moving So Quickly
...
To be a top and profitable dealership in 2012 it's going to take a new outlook and new strategy for your dealership. Start thinking e-commerce just like Zappos, Dell, and Geico to name a few.  It's a strategy of behavioral marketing, mobile marketing, and social selling.  The focus will be conversion and content engagement with shopping cart abandonment marketing automation processes.  

It's Not Too Late...


This can be overwhelming for some but once you allow yourself to accept how the standards have changed and start adopting an e-commerce strategy it will all become simple. You will become so excited once you see that the possibilities and opportunities are endless as you enter into the most profitable years of your dealerships history.  

Your sales market has now become the entire country and your profits can quadruple with a firm grasp on the new marketing strategies that await you.


It's Not Too Late...
Join me on October 9th at 3:45 at the Driving Sales Executive Summit at the Bellagio in Las Vegas when I deliver the Keynote "Defining 2012's Advanced Marketing Strategy for Progressive Dealers".  

I promise you will have a new outlook and a clear direction of what it will take to "Crush the Competition" as Gary would say! 

Facebook is an ever changing medium for social discourse with more than 750 million active users. On September 21st, the Facebook algorithm changed to no longer broadcast the most recent posts of friends and groups an individual is associated with. Instead Facebook now displays the most recent posts in response to an individuals search terms, interests and interactions.

Whats New:
The new algorithm divides news updates into two categories, "Top Stories" and a “News Reel”. The “News Reel” is located on the right side of the screen, this new feature now allows an individual to view everything that people are posting, liking and tagging because it is constantly updating. To view more on what appears in the reel, hover over the content and click on the down arrow that appears. To close it isn't an option. However, you can hide a story by clicking the down arrow. Status updates and photos have a new look on an individual’s homepage. They are now labeled with a blue corner for easy view ability.

Why is this a Positive:
This is a great opportunity for dealerships who understand how to use social media. Now, more then ever before a dealership can connect and engage their audience and get rid of the background noise. Facebook for dealerships is all about connecting with customers and the public, as well as brand building. These are two important practices that are enhanced by the Facebook format change.


For More Info:
For more information on how your dealership can use social media as a marketing tool visit ppadv.com.

I am not sure if anyone else has seen the new Kia Commercial for the 2012 Soul.  The Hamsters are back, this time spawning dance battles with alien robots to LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" in an effort to "Share some Soul", the title of Kia's new campaign.  Now while I love all of the things listed, Hamsters and LMFAO preferably, I still think the commercial is a little ridiculous, but the one thing it does do (as it is supposed to) is make you remember.  I am not sure I will be buying a Kia Soul due to dancing Hamsters, but it helps you remember Kia in general and when the time comes to research your next new car, then Kia will be in the front of your mind, simply because of the Hamsters.

Other masters of ridiculous branding campaigns that have turned into pop culture references include two of Geico's campaigns, first is the Gecko campaign which at this point I think has been running since I was born, but everyone knows it.  The second Geico campaign, is the "So Easy a Caveman Could Do It", which was so successful it actually spawned a extremely short lived sitcom.  Now when does that happen?  My favorite though and the most recent campaign that comes to mind with this great tactic of ridiculous stuff to put in a commercial and make it work, is the "Mayhem" campaign by Allstate.  I am sorry, I know that this Mayhem does all sorts of really bad stuff, but I love it!  "Shakey, Shakey"  I mean come on, who wrote this, it is fantastic.  Or the latest Fancy Feast campaign, I am still not sure how the campaign has anything to do with feeding a cat, but the "Storybook Wedding" commercials are definitely to die for.  They tell the story of this couple who gets a new house and the guy buys the girl a cute little white kitten with a collar that says "Will You Marry Us" on the tag (spoiler alert: she says yes).  The following series of commercials follows the couple and kitten on the adventure of planning a wedding and going on honeymoons all while showing you the kitten growing up and somehow being an integral part of these situations, such as wedding planning...Weird, but it caught my attention so well that I had to go to YouTube and watch the whole series.

So I understand what the Kia corporation is going for.  They are trying to grab new and returning customers through the power of real entertainment.  If you think about this, it is brilliant.  The campaign keeps the viewer interested whether it be for the comedy of Dancing Hamsters (that can drive mind you), the fabulous music compliments of LMFAO that makes people want to get up and dance, or the fact that this commercial could spawn a series of commercials, all promoting the same product, but giving new story lines through the course of the model year.  The costs of keeping a campaign like this going have to be within reason as you are taking things you have already created for the initial commercial(s) and expanding on them with the same resources.

Many companies might be too scared to do a campaign like this, completely out of their comfort zone.  For some companies it could possibly never work.  But as society continues to change and the new generation comes in to take over jobs held by the "Baby Boomers", I am positive we will start seeing more of this type of advertising.  If your company hasn't started a refreshing branding campaign in a while, it is definitely time to look into starting a new one.  Branding is the most important part of a marketing campaign.  Without establishing WHO you are as a brand, it is difficult to determine your target audience and how to reach them.  I am not saying here that Allstate thinks that they are a dark and sarcastic brand making fun of the horrible incidents that plague people in life, but at least you can see they don't take themselves TOO seriously and have a good sense of humor.  It connects to the audience and makes them a more personable company all around.  Sometimes some of the craziest ideas out there (i.e.  Dancing Hamsters who drive fighting off alien robots who are trying to take over earth, by having a "battle" to a popular song) have a long lasting appeal that keeps people talking years after the campaign has ended...on that note...It's time to make the donuts! And grab myself another iced coffee :)

Please click on the links below to see a commercial from the mentioned above blog.  You can also search for more of these crazy ads on YouTube using the description provided below.

Kia 2012 Soul Commercial

Fancy Feast Storybook Wedding

Allstate Mayhem Commercials

Geico Gecko Commercials

Geico Caveman Commercials

If you are looking for a knowledgeable team that is ready and willing to evolve with your dealership and automotive marketing campaign, visit this page to see more information and contact us now.