In business, just as is the case for any living being, all parts need to be functioning to operate at optimal efficiency. If your right leg wanted to go forward and your left leg wanted to go backwards, you probably wouldn’t make much progress walking. The same principle applies to the health, well-being and efficiency of any business. Have you ever tried to use a coupon or take advantage of a special offer at a store, only to be told by the cashier that they were unaware of the special offer? That’s a huge disconnect. But I see it happen quite frequently – the marketing department or executive management creates an offer, but neglects to tell the employees that it exists.

Communication is essential to the success of any business. However, too often, communication gets segregated by department. A marketing department could do an absolutely fabulous job collaborating and designing creative marketing and sales slicks. However, if the sales department doesn’t know anything about them, they’re pretty ineffective.

Most business utilize outside resources in some way. That could be an external ad agency, a PR company, or perhaps a technology vendor for some key function. These vendors can be important to the success of your company – or why would you have hired them in the first place? To neglect these vendors and/or fail to include them in the loop and provide them with needed communication and information, simply serves to diminish the value they could provide the company.

I’m not implying that every internal company e-mail needs to be seen by everyone. Just make sure that someone is responsible for getting these external resources the correct pieces of information and communication that they need.

I also find for external PR and marketing teams it can be really helpful to have meetings with key executives and other departments within the business when developing new ideas and campaigns. These do not have to be long or frequent -- believe me, I know how busy these departments get! But I promise you, this is time well spent. You’d be surprised at the marketing ideas you might get from your sales department, or vice versa. Include the guys on the front lines that are actually selling the product and/or servicing customers each day. Sometimes, fresh eyes and opinions can open up ideas that otherwise wouldn’t have seen the light of day.

There are so many moving parts involved in any business that it’s certainly difficult for everyone to know what’s going on at any given time. And that’s not necessary. What is necessary is for each department affected by an initiative to have a voice about it and knowledge of it. Otherwise, you can end up with salespeople with no knowledge of new marketing initiatives. Or, content waiting to be read and/or approved by multiple people. Or, announcements that could spur sales falling by the wayside, simply because the right arm doesn’t know what the left one is doing.

Take the time to connect (or reconnect) your management team as well as your outside resources and this could well help to make your initiatives more successful and help them perform better. And, your vendors can serve you in their best capacity.

The 2016 conference season is upon us. Conferences are an excellent place for vendors to gain exposure and connect with dealers in a concentrated area over several days. They are also a definite (and not inexpensive) investment. So, it makes sense to do all that you can to optimize your ROI.

Dealers can get overwhelmed by all of the booths. And, unless they’re searching for a specific solution, they may not take the time to visit every vendor. This can be frustrating for exhibitors. I therefore thought I’d offer up some suggestions as to how your company can increase the odds of capturing a dealer’s attention and increasing your booth traffic.

Press Releases – Press releases serve to inform the industry of any upcoming additions, enhancements or product launches -- especially around conference times. They can also be used to promote any speaking session a company exec may have at the conference. Post these on your site, send out to your media contacts. They can also be promoted in any company newsletter. Be sure to also post them on your social media accounts.

Blogs – Blogs are a great way to generate interest in a topic. If done correctly, and in a non-promotional manner, your blog can attract attention from conference attendees. Use your blog to perhaps discuss an industry pain point. If done correctly, blogs can increase exposure for key executives and help to transform them into thought leaders. Be a resource and dealers will come to you asking for a solution. Post the blog on your website, on the auto industry social sites, and on your social media.

Social Media (In General) – Many vendors neglect to leverage their social media accounts for conference promotion. Or, if they do use them simply blast the same message of “Visit our booth,” “Conference special price!” or, “Come win this Widget!” This gets really old to attendees browsing the conference’s Twitter hashtag. It can very easily get you tuned out. While there’s nothing wrong with any of these messages by themselves, many vendors simply broadcast the same message as if on repeat. Mix up your messaging and don’t set your social media on auto-pilot. Make sure that you have someone monitoring your social media. Be sure to respond to any incoming messages. But also actively search for ways to engage attendees at conferences. Engagement does not mean responding to a tweet with a “come to our booth” message. Just be a real person and engage in conversation. I promise this will get you much further in building rapport with a customer.

Facebook/Twitter ads – Social media ads are an excellent way to target that audience most likely to be in attendance at an upcoming conference. These ads can be a mixture of ones that promote a speaking session; an ad that announces a product launch or some enhancement; or an ad to raise awareness of a booth giveaway. If you have all of the above happening, you are ahead of the game. But, unless you tell people in advance, you’ll be stuck waiting for dealers to visit your booth so you can tell them the news. That typically doesn’t work out well. Utilize the in-depth targeting abilities of these huge social media platforms. In so doing, you gain exposure with your desired audience delivered up on a silver platter.

Giveaways – Yes, this may seem like a no-brainer. The fact is that everyone loves free stuff. Whether we’re talking about swag or a nice prize, offer an incentive to attendees to come visit your booth. And don’t be boring ---- be inventive – there is a heck of a lot of competition among the booths! Cool giveaways increase the likelihood that you’ll gain additional traffic. They also provide more things to talk about on social media.

Don’t be shy! – Last, but certainly not least, pay attention to the attendees. Don’t sit back and focus on your laptops or cell phones, while dealers simply walk by without being acknowledged. Chances are that your booths are manned by salespeople. All salespeople are used to rejection. That’s part of the job. There’s no reason that they shouldn’t be front and center, greeting each attendee as they walk by, inviting them to check out their product. Just because everyone is in the same place doesn’t mean that dealers are going to flock to your booth. You still need to “sell” them on why they should listen to you. The advantage is that you don’t have to do it over the phone -- at a conference you can do it in person.

Have a great and successful 2016 conference season. I hope these tips and strategies help you be more successful in your investment, and look forward to seeing everyone soon!

The 2016 conference season is upon us. Conferences are an excellent place for vendors to gain exposure and connect with dealers in a concentrated area over several days. They are also a definite (and not inexpensive) investment. So, it makes sense to do all that you can to optimize your ROI.

Dealers can get overwhelmed by all of the booths. And, unless they’re searching for a specific solution, they may not take the time to visit every vendor. This can be frustrating for exhibitors. I therefore thought I’d offer up some suggestions as to how your company can increase the odds of capturing a dealer’s attention and increasing your booth traffic.

Press Releases – Press releases serve to inform the industry of any upcoming additions, enhancements or product launches -- especially around conference times. They can also be used to promote any speaking session a company exec may have at the conference. Post these on your site, send out to your media contacts. They can also be promoted in any company newsletter. Be sure to also post them on your social media accounts.

Blogs – Blogs are a great way to generate interest in a topic. If done correctly, and in a non-promotional manner, your blog can attract attention from conference attendees. Use your blog to perhaps discuss an industry pain point. If done correctly, blogs can increase exposure for key executives and help to transform them into thought leaders. Be a resource and dealers will come to you asking for a solution. Post the blog on your website, on the auto industry social sites, and on your social media.

Social Media (In General) – Many vendors neglect to leverage their social media accounts for conference promotion. Or, if they do use them simply blast the same message of “Visit our booth,” “Conference special price!” or, “Come win this Widget!” This gets really old to attendees browsing the conference’s Twitter hashtag. It can very easily get you tuned out. While there’s nothing wrong with any of these messages by themselves, many vendors simply broadcast the same message as if on repeat. Mix up your messaging and don’t set your social media on auto-pilot. Make sure that you have someone monitoring your social media. Be sure to respond to any incoming messages. But also actively search for ways to engage attendees at conferences. Engagement does not mean responding to a tweet with a “come to our booth” message. Just be a real person and engage in conversation. I promise this will get you much further in building rapport with a customer.

Facebook/Twitter ads – Social media ads are an excellent way to target that audience most likely to be in attendance at an upcoming conference. These ads can be a mixture of ones that promote a speaking session; an ad that announces a product launch or some enhancement; or an ad to raise awareness of a booth giveaway. If you have all of the above happening, you are ahead of the game. But, unless you tell people in advance, you’ll be stuck waiting for dealers to visit your booth so you can tell them the news. That typically doesn’t work out well. Utilize the in-depth targeting abilities of these huge social media platforms. In so doing, you gain exposure with your desired audience delivered up on a silver platter.

Giveaways – Yes, this may seem like a no-brainer. The fact is that everyone loves free stuff. Whether we’re talking about swag or a nice prize, offer an incentive to attendees to come visit your booth. And don’t be boring ---- be inventive – there is a heck of a lot of competition among the booths! Cool giveaways increase the likelihood that you’ll gain additional traffic. They also provide more things to talk about on social media.

Don’t be shy! – Last, but certainly not least, pay attention to the attendees. Don’t sit back and focus on your laptops or cell phones, while dealers simply walk by without being acknowledged. Chances are that your booths are manned by salespeople. All salespeople are used to rejection. That’s part of the job. There’s no reason that they shouldn’t be front and center, greeting each attendee as they walk by, inviting them to check out their product. Just because everyone is in the same place doesn’t mean that dealers are going to flock to your booth. You still need to “sell” them on why they should listen to you. The advantage is that you don’t have to do it over the phone -- at a conference you can do it in person.

Have a great and successful 2016 conference season. I hope these tips and strategies help you be more successful in your investment, and look forward to seeing everyone soon!

In reflecting back on 2015, I would like to reach out and share my thoughts about how grateful I am to be in a career I love and for that career to be in an industry that I love!  Very few days go by without thoughts of how truly thankful I am to be involved with so many great companies – from the large mainstays to the tech start-ups. And I am also lucky to work with the many truly great editors, publishers and sites that provide such good content and opportunities for us all. There are so many unique and wonderful people I get to work with. I just added it up and 2016 will mark my 23^rd year in this industry!

Regardless of whether someone is my client, or simply a business associate, there are so many wonderful people in this industry striving to help dealers be more successful through innovation, training and support. It’s always a pleasure when I get the opportunity to attend conferences and catch up with friends, while also making new ones. It’s my goal going into 2016 to make a concerted effort to attend more industry events in order to support and nurture the relationships I have that I truly treasure.

The automotive industry is constantly in motion. It’s challenging sometimes to find that right balance in order to effectively deliver a message to dealers. I’ve found that most of the individuals on the vendor side of our industry truly have a deep appreciation for and sincerely wish to help dealers. This is not just an industry, but a community, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.

As we move into 2016, I look forward to continuing to be a part of this industry. In some cases, that may be assisting vendors to get their message out to dealers and, hopefully, directly contributing to their growth. In other cases, I’m content to simply watch as the industry transforms and changes in the dynamic way it always is. Regardless of which situation I find myself in, I want everyone to know that I appreciate being a part of this wonderful industry. I cherish the relationships I have and those yet to be formed. And I’m excited to see what the next wave of entrepreneurs and innovators brings, while the larger companies continue to bring more value to their clients.

Thank you all for the opportunity to be a part of this intricate, dynamic and complex thing we call the auto industry. Each individual has the ability to change things for the better and I hope that I can continue to be a part of this wonderful group of people and companies. Lastly, I want to thank my great team of public relations professionals, social media gurus and masters of content creation – you know who you are and I LOVE working with each and every one of you.

Best wishes to you and yours.

Sara Callahan

In reflecting back on 2015, I would like to reach out and share my thoughts about how grateful I am to be in a career I love and for that career to be in an industry that I love!  Very few days go by without thoughts of how truly thankful I am to be involved with so many great companies – from the large mainstays to the tech start-ups. And I am also lucky to work with the many truly great editors, publishers and sites that provide such good content and opportunities for us all. There are so many unique and wonderful people I get to work with. I just added it up and 2016 will mark my 23^rd year in this industry!

Regardless of whether someone is my client, or simply a business associate, there are so many wonderful people in this industry striving to help dealers be more successful through innovation, training and support. It’s always a pleasure when I get the opportunity to attend conferences and catch up with friends, while also making new ones. It’s my goal going into 2016 to make a concerted effort to attend more industry events in order to support and nurture the relationships I have that I truly treasure.

The automotive industry is constantly in motion. It’s challenging sometimes to find that right balance in order to effectively deliver a message to dealers. I’ve found that most of the individuals on the vendor side of our industry truly have a deep appreciation for and sincerely wish to help dealers. This is not just an industry, but a community, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.

As we move into 2016, I look forward to continuing to be a part of this industry. In some cases, that may be assisting vendors to get their message out to dealers and, hopefully, directly contributing to their growth. In other cases, I’m content to simply watch as the industry transforms and changes in the dynamic way it always is. Regardless of which situation I find myself in, I want everyone to know that I appreciate being a part of this wonderful industry. I cherish the relationships I have and those yet to be formed. And I’m excited to see what the next wave of entrepreneurs and innovators brings, while the larger companies continue to bring more value to their clients.

Thank you all for the opportunity to be a part of this intricate, dynamic and complex thing we call the auto industry. Each individual has the ability to change things for the better and I hope that I can continue to be a part of this wonderful group of people and companies. Lastly, I want to thank my great team of public relations professionals, social media gurus and masters of content creation – you know who you are and I LOVE working with each and every one of you.

Best wishes to you and yours.

Sara Callahan

As a PR professional, my primary goal is to assist my clients in achieving the most exposure possible and build top-of-mind brand awareness among their potential customers. To help better understand how to best position my clients for success, I did a little research on how dealers perceive vendors and their practices.

I reached out to Bobbie Herron, Digital Sales and Marketing Manager for the Garber Automotive Group. Herron was recently named to Automotive News’ “Retail 40 under 40” list and she was kind enough to share a few things with me that vendors do to irritate her, causing them to potentially lose her business.

Herron responded with what irritates her, along with some best practice tips on how vendors can better approach dealers as follows:

1. “I’m a very progressive person and willing to try new solutions if I feel that they will benefit the stores in my group. One of the things that irritates me is when a vendor asks me to participate in a beta test of their product and then wants to charge me for it. In my opinion, I’m doing them a favor. They are getting access to my data and getting feedback from me as a user, which assists them in fine-tuning their product. This is very valuable data for them to have and for them to try and charge me for it is ridiculous.”
2. “When a vendor reaches out to me trying to solicit their product or service, my first piece of advice is to back off with the constant calling and e-mailing. Most vendors don’t provide me with any useful information in these communications. I either get a generic voicemail or an obvious e-mail template that offers me no reason to return their call. The best way for a vendor to earn my business is to learn about me and my stores before they contact me. Give me a reason why their product is a good fit, with examples and data specific to my group. Most of the time, it is obvious that I’m simply on a list and have been placed on a CRM cycle. That drives me nuts. If a vendor doesn’t care enough to take time to learn about me, and can’t provide me with a thoughtful and logical argument for why their service will help my group, then they won’t get my attention.”
3. “Vendors who approach me with over-the-top claims and promises might as well stop. I know this business very well. If you think you will earn my business by making outlandish claims that are impossible to achieve, you’re wrong.”
4. “When I get calls from vendors that actually do get through to me, have managed to get my attention, then cannot answer my questions, they’re done. If you’re going to try and sell me something, at least know your product and enough about the automotive industry to give me practical examples.”
5. “The fastest death sentence a vendor can achieve is by overstepping a hierarchy. I understand that the obvious assumption most vendors make is that they need to contact either the General Manager or Dealer to speak with a decision maker. The fact is that there are many stores in which an Internet Director, e-Commerce Director, or Digital Marketing Manager are the actual decision makers. Make an effort to know who the decision makers are. There’s nothing I hate more than being called into one of my General Manager’s offices to be confronted with a vendor who managed to skip over me. They’re only going to throw the vendor back to me. Even worse is when I walk into a meeting in which a vendor proceeds to criticize and blast all of the things we’re already doing in an effort to prove how much their product or service will improve our existing marketing.”

Herron didn’t stop there, however. She also had some valuable advice for her existing vendors as to the three things they do that make her question their partnership:

1. “One of my biggest pet peeves is a vendor who never reaches out to me. I feel like once they got my business, they stopped caring. They should be reaching out to me regularly; if only to check in with me and see if I have any questions. Many vendors don’t do this very simple thing and then wonder why the dealer cancels their service. Maybe if they had ensured that the dealer knew how to use their product properly, and were using it to its fullest potential, they wouldn’t have lost a client.”
2. “Many vendors, especially at the start of the relationship, will automatically advise me to change my process to whatever process their best clients are using, without taking the time to learn my existing process. Rather than trying to transform everything we do immediately, they should take the time to see how their product or service can fit in with what we are already doing. I’m not opposed to changing processes if they will help my stores sell more vehicles, but don’t come in with guns blazing and shoot down everything we’re already doing before even knowing what those things are.”
3. “Last, but not least; when one of our existing vendors makes additions or changes to products or services we are already using without notifying me. One of the first things I do at each conference I attend is visit the booth of every vendor we use. I have them give me a product demo as if I were a prospect, rather than an existing customer. By doing this, there have been many times where I have learned of new features or services that I already had, but didn’t know about.”

Taking the time to listen to feedback from a dealer can help all of us vendors better evaluate practices so as to offer our clients a first class experience; from prospecting to customer service. Dealers share stories about companies and products in the same ways that consumers do about dealerships. Every employee and customer touch point shapes a company’s personality. Knowing what irritates potential and existing clients is the first step to earning and keeping business. To your success!

As a PR professional, my primary goal is to assist my clients in achieving the most exposure possible and build top-of-mind brand awareness among their potential customers. To help better understand how to best position my clients for success, I did a little research on how dealers perceive vendors and their practices.

I reached out to Bobbie Herron, Digital Sales and Marketing Manager for the Garber Automotive Group. Herron was recently named to Automotive News’ “Retail 40 under 40” list and she was kind enough to share a few things with me that vendors do to irritate her, causing them to potentially lose her business.

Herron responded with what irritates her, along with some best practice tips on how vendors can better approach dealers as follows:

1. “I’m a very progressive person and willing to try new solutions if I feel that they will benefit the stores in my group. One of the things that irritates me is when a vendor asks me to participate in a beta test of their product and then wants to charge me for it. In my opinion, I’m doing them a favor. They are getting access to my data and getting feedback from me as a user, which assists them in fine-tuning their product. This is very valuable data for them to have and for them to try and charge me for it is ridiculous.”
2. “When a vendor reaches out to me trying to solicit their product or service, my first piece of advice is to back off with the constant calling and e-mailing. Most vendors don’t provide me with any useful information in these communications. I either get a generic voicemail or an obvious e-mail template that offers me no reason to return their call. The best way for a vendor to earn my business is to learn about me and my stores before they contact me. Give me a reason why their product is a good fit, with examples and data specific to my group. Most of the time, it is obvious that I’m simply on a list and have been placed on a CRM cycle. That drives me nuts. If a vendor doesn’t care enough to take time to learn about me, and can’t provide me with a thoughtful and logical argument for why their service will help my group, then they won’t get my attention.”
3. “Vendors who approach me with over-the-top claims and promises might as well stop. I know this business very well. If you think you will earn my business by making outlandish claims that are impossible to achieve, you’re wrong.”
4. “When I get calls from vendors that actually do get through to me, have managed to get my attention, then cannot answer my questions, they’re done. If you’re going to try and sell me something, at least know your product and enough about the automotive industry to give me practical examples.”
5. “The fastest death sentence a vendor can achieve is by overstepping a hierarchy. I understand that the obvious assumption most vendors make is that they need to contact either the General Manager or Dealer to speak with a decision maker. The fact is that there are many stores in which an Internet Director, e-Commerce Director, or Digital Marketing Manager are the actual decision makers. Make an effort to know who the decision makers are. There’s nothing I hate more than being called into one of my General Manager’s offices to be confronted with a vendor who managed to skip over me. They’re only going to throw the vendor back to me. Even worse is when I walk into a meeting in which a vendor proceeds to criticize and blast all of the things we’re already doing in an effort to prove how much their product or service will improve our existing marketing.”

Herron didn’t stop there, however. She also had some valuable advice for her existing vendors as to the three things they do that make her question their partnership:

1. “One of my biggest pet peeves is a vendor who never reaches out to me. I feel like once they got my business, they stopped caring. They should be reaching out to me regularly; if only to check in with me and see if I have any questions. Many vendors don’t do this very simple thing and then wonder why the dealer cancels their service. Maybe if they had ensured that the dealer knew how to use their product properly, and were using it to its fullest potential, they wouldn’t have lost a client.”
2. “Many vendors, especially at the start of the relationship, will automatically advise me to change my process to whatever process their best clients are using, without taking the time to learn my existing process. Rather than trying to transform everything we do immediately, they should take the time to see how their product or service can fit in with what we are already doing. I’m not opposed to changing processes if they will help my stores sell more vehicles, but don’t come in with guns blazing and shoot down everything we’re already doing before even knowing what those things are.”
3. “Last, but not least; when one of our existing vendors makes additions or changes to products or services we are already using without notifying me. One of the first things I do at each conference I attend is visit the booth of every vendor we use. I have them give me a product demo as if I were a prospect, rather than an existing customer. By doing this, there have been many times where I have learned of new features or services that I already had, but didn’t know about.”

Taking the time to listen to feedback from a dealer can help all of us vendors better evaluate practices so as to offer our clients a first class experience; from prospecting to customer service. Dealers share stories about companies and products in the same ways that consumers do about dealerships. Every employee and customer touch point shapes a company’s personality. Knowing what irritates potential and existing clients is the first step to earning and keeping business. To your success!

When writing content – whether that content is a short, social media post or blog article, or a full-length feature article – form is just as important as the content itself. Proper spelling and grammar can dictate whether your content is received well or not. It’s not uncommon for readers to start reading an article or social media post that initially grabbed their attention but change their mind upon encountering spelling and grammar errors. It’s very easy for a reader’s attention to get transferred away from the content and towards the errors. There are entire websites devoted to unfortunate spelling errors. All of a sudden the content you created with the goal of engaging your audience is engaging them in a completely different way than originally intended.

Imagine the impression you leave on prospects when a sales sheet or brochure contains these mistakes. That person who was interested in your product or service could very easily rule you out as a solution. If you don’t care enough to make sure your own marketing material, social media post or content is professional looking, then how can you expect your customer to think it is?

Writing isn’t for everyone. Some people can write very good content but aren’t great at spelling and grammar. Then there are people who aren’t necessarily great writers but have the ability to edit well. Identifying these people within your organization and teaming them up is a step in the right direction. If you don’t have the resources available to accomplish this, one solution would be to outsource your content marketing or, at the very least, hire a professional proofreader or editor. This ensures that your content portrays you in the very best light to your audience.

For those without the support team or budget to use either of the services I mentioned, here are two tips that may help you improve the impression your writing leaves upon your readers:

1. Spelling: Most programs have spellcheck functionality. You can’t rely only on this to correct your spelling. “Their” and “there” are both correctly spelled, but I’m sure that you’re aware that they are not interchangeable. Some programs have grammar checks as well. While those are helpful, they’re not perfect. The easiest way to spell and to grammar check any content is to read it through carefully, multiple times, aloud. Once satisfied that it is correct, have someone else read it. A second set of eyes can typically catch mistakes that you may have made.
2. Grammar – Good grammar and sentence structure are just as important as spelling. Content that reads well and transitions properly between paragraphs and thoughts is important to keep your readers’ interest. What makes sense to you may confuse your reader. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Don’t try to be William Faulkner and create a 1,287-word, run-on sentence. There aren’t very many writers that can pull that off effectively without English teachers around the world cringing. Make your content flow and easy to read. You’ll find that more readers will stick around.

Publishing content riddled with spelling and grammar errors is counter-productive. Your content is a reflection of you and your company. Potential readers may bypass your article entirely, or cease reading it, if they encounter too many mistakes. This then defeats the purpose of the content as it can hurt the effectiveness of any campaign and even your overall professional image. 

When writing content – whether that content is a short, social media post or blog article, or a full-length feature article – form is just as important as the content itself. Proper spelling and grammar can dictate whether your content is received well or not. It’s not uncommon for readers to start reading an article or social media post that initially grabbed their attention but change their mind upon encountering spelling and grammar errors. It’s very easy for a reader’s attention to get transferred away from the content and towards the errors. There are entire websites devoted to unfortunate spelling errors. All of a sudden the content you created with the goal of engaging your audience is engaging them in a completely different way than originally intended.

Imagine the impression you leave on prospects when a sales sheet or brochure contains these mistakes. That person who was interested in your product or service could very easily rule you out as a solution. If you don’t care enough to make sure your own marketing material, social media post or content is professional looking, then how can you expect your customer to think it is?

Writing isn’t for everyone. Some people can write very good content but aren’t great at spelling and grammar. Then there are people who aren’t necessarily great writers but have the ability to edit well. Identifying these people within your organization and teaming them up is a step in the right direction. If you don’t have the resources available to accomplish this, one solution would be to outsource your content marketing or, at the very least, hire a professional proofreader or editor. This ensures that your content portrays you in the very best light to your audience.

For those without the support team or budget to use either of the services I mentioned, here are two tips that may help you improve the impression your writing leaves upon your readers:

1. Spelling: Most programs have spellcheck functionality. You can’t rely only on this to correct your spelling. “Their” and “there” are both correctly spelled, but I’m sure that you’re aware that they are not interchangeable. Some programs have grammar checks as well. While those are helpful, they’re not perfect. The easiest way to spell and to grammar check any content is to read it through carefully, multiple times, aloud. Once satisfied that it is correct, have someone else read it. A second set of eyes can typically catch mistakes that you may have made.
2. Grammar – Good grammar and sentence structure are just as important as spelling. Content that reads well and transitions properly between paragraphs and thoughts is important to keep your readers’ interest. What makes sense to you may confuse your reader. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Don’t try to be William Faulkner and create a 1,287-word, run-on sentence. There aren’t very many writers that can pull that off effectively without English teachers around the world cringing. Make your content flow and easy to read. You’ll find that more readers will stick around.

Publishing content riddled with spelling and grammar errors is counter-productive. Your content is a reflection of you and your company. Potential readers may bypass your article entirely, or cease reading it, if they encounter too many mistakes. This then defeats the purpose of the content as it can hurt the effectiveness of any campaign and even your overall professional image. 

Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year. People start lining up for sales hours and sometimes days in advance for an opportunity to purchase a television or other hot holiday item and save money. For many, it’s the thrill of the hunt. However, it’s estimated that consumers will spend half of their holiday budget on this single day this year. While everyone is looking to save money, car dealers have historically found it difficult to draw people away from Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target or, more recently, away from their computers as online retailers get more aggressive. Retailers have even begun to open on Thanksgiving Day itself in an attempt to one-up competitors and grab a larger percentage of the pie.

Unlike holidays such as Labor Day and Memorial Day, Black Friday is typically not known for being one of the best days of the year to buy a vehicle, despite many dealerships advertising deep discounts. According to Automotive News, one dealer in Houston has succeeded in turning Black Friday into an event. In what can only be considered a public relations all-you-can-eat buffet, Sterling McCall Toyota has taken an idea directly from the 2004 movie “Slasher” to generate crowds of people lining up as early as 5 a.m., as well as local news coverage. Started in 2008, their “Slicer Sale” offers “three vehicles… priced at $1, $10 and under $1,000 and 50 below $10,000.” According to the article, they sell up to 40 percent of their used car inventory that day, in addition to enjoying a 30 percent increase in new-vehicle sales.

Manufacturers are beginning to create programs designed to increase traffic at their franchises with special savings on Black Friday. GM is currently promoting its “GM Supplier Pricing“ special which is voluntary for their dealers.  This manufacturer-sponsored program could very well help increase traffic at dealerships and set a precedent that other OEMs may start to adopt. 

For many consumers, Black Friday is more than just about savings. It’s also about the thrill of the hunt. Being able to grab one of the five deeply discounted televisions at Best Buy or one of the holiday’s hottest gifts is worth the price of admission. The admission price typically includes long hours spent waiting in lines. You’d think that someone in the market for a vehicle would see the value in saving thousands of dollars on their new vehicle acquisition over the $50 (and time lost) to secure that television. However, historically, that’s just not been the case.

Group 1 (the organization that owns Sterling McCall) sees this as an “advertising and promotion” opportunity and it has certainly paid off for them. “Think about what three cars might cost and factor into what a TV ad or mass media would cost” said Group 1’s vice president of manufacturer relations and public affairs, Pete DeLongchamp.  I think there is also great public relations value in that it helps increase awareness of the dealership in the local community, and creates an event that generates buzz the entire year.

On this hyper-competitive shopping day, Sterling McCall Toyota, has managed to compete with all of the other retailers vying for consumers’ shopping dollars and create an event that generates buzz and excitement in their community – something that doesn’t happen very often with car dealerships. Their clever marketing has allowed them to generate massive traffic on the biggest shopping day of the year and has also gained exposure for the dealership that money just can’t buy.