The news is just getting better for mobile marketers and retailers, especially early-adopters of the mobile bandwagon-. A new IBM study confirms my earlier hypothesis on why you need to have a mobile marketing resolution for 2012 in your business planning.

Fact: The IBM study proves that potential customers use their smartphone devices to shop.

As of December 25, 2011, there’s been an almost 173% increase of sales made via a mobile device over 2010 (5.3%).  Couple this with steadily  increasing traffic to mobile sites year-to-year (almost 118% on December 25, 2011) and we have a pretty clear picture of the meteoric rise of mobile.

The lesson for dealers is clear: if you don't have a mobile website, do not participate in mobile group shopping site or have no clue what "geo-location" means, you need to get a handle on this right now. We are already into 2012 for 11 days – do you and your dealerships “think mobile” yet?

With this dramatic  increase of mobile traffic, it’s a natural assumption that time on mobile site will also increase, as well as sales. Indeed, we are seeing customers opening their wallets as a result of mobile search, especially the day after Christmas. Consider the following stats: Numbers here are showing the pattern pretty drastically evolving:

• 27.8% online sales increase for December 26th (YTD)
• 109% increase of mobile traffic compared to 2010 (16.4% for 201111.3% of all web-based sales after Christmas were generated through a mobile website (in 2010 the figures were 4.3%)

2012 will be the year of Mobile

When we believe the mobile marketing experts (and in this case we really should), in 2012 we will see even more mobile shopping apps popping up. More check-ins, more digital coupons, more mobile pay and check-out applications, more mobile devices, more deals and especially more mobile e-commerce. eMarketer’s Prediction is that  mobile commerce will reach $11.6 billion for the "Mobile Year 2012" - just slightly up from the approximately 2011 numbers of $6.7 billion (wink, wink)

Time to act now

Although the big crystal ball did fall on New York's Times Square, you have still time to get in on the 2012 mobile trend time left.

Here are my suggestions for what you should do right now.

1. You CAN’T AFFORD ANYLONGER to have not a mobile website. Not only is the mobile adaption rate of consumers going through the roof, but facts are also showing higher conversion rates for mobile sites than static websites. Keep in mind, you are actually getting the low-funnel consumer engaging with you on your mobile site – short before he will turn into a buying customer.
2. Make sure that your mobile site will have the capability to assist the consumer right then when they are ready to take a plan into action. Internal research here at ADP | Cobalt showed that these consumer in particular skewing towards “setting service appointments” – so your mobile site should have the connectivity to your DMS, allowing the customer to pick the time, the day, service menu and even which Service Adviser should help her further in real-time. One of the prime examples in the dealer world is i.e. Diver Chevrolet in Wilmington, DE. A seamless integration with all digital components and DMS resulted in tremendous success, especially in appointment set / show ratio.
3. Get familiar with the current Groupon and/or Living Social (more cities will be added in the future) or any other group buying websites in your area.
4. Find out if any of your car dealership competitors are running specials on accessories, driver gear, or the fixed ops stuff like brake services or  oil changes.
5. The same counts for offers from your local Pep Boys or Autozone stores, who may currently have tire sales and battery specials running.
6. Target not just the city where your dealership or store is located, but also the surrounding suburbs and towns. People will indeed drive a few miles even to save just a couple of bucks (Just ask Jessica, our digital ad specialist http://www.drivingsales.com/videos/friday-happy-hourbig-city-ads ).
7. Get acclimated with the Foursquare app. It will combine the need for people to get "vocal" aboutwhere they are right now and to check if the place they want to be a Mayor of in the future runs anything on specials.

Get going and start your marketing today!

The news is just getting better for mobile marketers and retailers, especially early-adopters of the mobile bandwagon-. A new IBM study confirms my earlier hypothesis on why you need to have a mobile marketing resolution for 2012 in your business planning.

Fact: The IBM study proves that potential customers use their smartphone devices to shop.

As of December 25, 2011, there’s been an almost 173% increase of sales made via a mobile device over 2010 (5.3%).  Couple this with steadily  increasing traffic to mobile sites year-to-year (almost 118% on December 25, 2011) and we have a pretty clear picture of the meteoric rise of mobile.

The lesson for dealers is clear: if you don't have a mobile website, do not participate in mobile group shopping site or have no clue what "geo-location" means, you need to get a handle on this right now. We are already into 2012 for 11 days – do you and your dealerships “think mobile” yet?

With this dramatic  increase of mobile traffic, it’s a natural assumption that time on mobile site will also increase, as well as sales. Indeed, we are seeing customers opening their wallets as a result of mobile search, especially the day after Christmas. Consider the following stats: Numbers here are showing the pattern pretty drastically evolving:

• 27.8% online sales increase for December 26th (YTD)
• 109% increase of mobile traffic compared to 2010 (16.4% for 201111.3% of all web-based sales after Christmas were generated through a mobile website (in 2010 the figures were 4.3%)

2012 will be the year of Mobile

When we believe the mobile marketing experts (and in this case we really should), in 2012 we will see even more mobile shopping apps popping up. More check-ins, more digital coupons, more mobile pay and check-out applications, more mobile devices, more deals and especially more mobile e-commerce. eMarketer’s Prediction is that  mobile commerce will reach $11.6 billion for the "Mobile Year 2012" - just slightly up from the approximately 2011 numbers of $6.7 billion (wink, wink)

Time to act now

Although the big crystal ball did fall on New York's Times Square, you have still time to get in on the 2012 mobile trend time left.

Here are my suggestions for what you should do right now.

1. You CAN’T AFFORD ANYLONGER to have not a mobile website. Not only is the mobile adaption rate of consumers going through the roof, but facts are also showing higher conversion rates for mobile sites than static websites. Keep in mind, you are actually getting the low-funnel consumer engaging with you on your mobile site – short before he will turn into a buying customer.
2. Make sure that your mobile site will have the capability to assist the consumer right then when they are ready to take a plan into action. Internal research here at ADP | Cobalt showed that these consumer in particular skewing towards “setting service appointments” – so your mobile site should have the connectivity to your DMS, allowing the customer to pick the time, the day, service menu and even which Service Adviser should help her further in real-time. One of the prime examples in the dealer world is i.e. Diver Chevrolet in Wilmington, DE. A seamless integration with all digital components and DMS resulted in tremendous success, especially in appointment set / show ratio.
3. Get familiar with the current Groupon and/or Living Social (more cities will be added in the future) or any other group buying websites in your area.
4. Find out if any of your car dealership competitors are running specials on accessories, driver gear, or the fixed ops stuff like brake services or  oil changes.
5. The same counts for offers from your local Pep Boys or Autozone stores, who may currently have tire sales and battery specials running.
6. Target not just the city where your dealership or store is located, but also the surrounding suburbs and towns. People will indeed drive a few miles even to save just a couple of bucks (Just ask Jessica, our digital ad specialist http://www.drivingsales.com/videos/friday-happy-hourbig-city-ads ).
7. Get acclimated with the Foursquare app. It will combine the need for people to get "vocal" aboutwhere they are right now and to check if the place they want to be a Mayor of in the future runs anything on specials.

Get going and start your marketing today!

A survey of social brand reception by gender, country and age

With my two posts “Why Online & Offline Marketing could be best partners in crime” and “Why should you listen to the Consumer Voice” I am concluding today with “Brands and Friends – Your Social Opportunity” the series of reflections on the TNS Digital Life Study. 

The question was: “How open are people to brands on Social Networks?”

The Findings: The big elephant in the room here – There is great acceptance and openness from consumers to brands in socially networked brands when the market in the country is considered “fast growing”. On the other hand, there is much higher brand resistance from consumers when in a developed market. For us here in the U.S., this means that the approach to connecting with potential customers needs to be carefully planned. According to the TNS study, the stakes are for damaging a brand, image, and perception are much higher in countries like the U.S. and Central Europe due to social resistance. The luckiest retailers are in Russia, where 17% of people are more open to brands than they are resistant to them.

Focus U.S.A.: People are more resistant to buy actually products they are not familiar with than they are open to learn about them online through social networks. Even so social networks are not considered the most ideal spaces for a retail business; it became clear that the growing popularity of group buying sites like Groupon, Yipit, Livingsocial and others opened up new opportunities as we can see here in the example below.

With localizing and personalizing the business’s digital footprint the retailers could be able to sell or offer a service more overtly rather than pushing too many offers in too frequent manner into their social media streams and networks. It is considered a more unapologetically approach to push these offers onto group buying sites rather than be a social spammer. Driving Traffic to the store – Yes! Creating profits – Depends!

Another interesting finding of this study was looking into gender behavior. Do Women approach brands on social networks different than men? – And? Any guesses? You have 3 more seconds to find out…Okay, here we go:

Survey question: How do you feel about finding out about a brand through a social network?

11% of women in the U.S. are more open to brands than they are resistant to them. Men on the other hand are  only 7% more open to connect via social.

Follow-up survey question: How do you feel about buying products through a social network connection?

[BUMMER ALERT!] 16% of the females are more resistant to brands than they are open to them and just 8% of the males showed more resistance to brands than openness.

VJ’s Question: Knowing now that there are indeed differences in brand acceptance and resistance between male and female – how does the research data reflects on age groups? Is there a chance for us dealerships to target in particular Boomers, Gen-X’s and Millenals (a.k.a. Gen Y’s)?  

VJ’s Answer: “Yes – and - No.”Hold on…I am not at all indecisive to provide you a clear answer. Here is why I came to this mixed conclusion.

According to the Data research of the TNS Digital Study – “Age Does NOT Matter”. [Quote]: Globally people’s openness or resistance for brands on social networks is NOT dependent on age. There is an assumption that younger people are more open, but this study shows that older age groups are as open to brands as their younger counterparts. [Quote-end]

Here are the figures I could dug out for you and indeed the fluctuation of the percentage points are minimal.

So YES, there is a chance to target your marketing messages and social network approach more towards your clientele, focusing on the more reciptive age groups discussed above.

Let’s take our future consumers here at the dealerships – The Millenials. From studies by Exact Target 2010, PEW Research and Morepace Omnibus Report we know that Millenials will “befriend” 51% of brands they like on Facebook. Keep in mind, BRANDS THEY LIKE, and not brands you think they should like! Furthermore, the study states that when Millenials are Facebook friends with an offline retailer (yes, that is you, the dealership) 26% LIKE special offers – again, please read carefully, - and I will spell it out for you “S P E C I A L offers”. Do not use social media “spam them to death” with countless oil-change coupons or car detail specials – they don’t care. Rather tease them with brand clothing and accessories, which appeals more to their brand loyalty. Hip is in! (Scion dealers, VW dealers, Hyundai – are you listening?!).

When looking at the Gen-X clientele consider communicating all the things what could make their life easier, when dealing with your dealership. No matter if you do it via social, in-store or in your marketing messages off- and online. A Nielsen study found that for this age group the convenience factor is considered huge. So when you have a 5-10 miles radius loaner car drop-off and pick-up, – communicate about it. When you want to display your monthly specials on let’s say Facebook, do so in a separate tab of your Facebook Business Page. Gen-X knows how and where to find your offers, believe me – you just need to make sure there are online, considering 80% are checking social networks on a daily basis.

Which brings me to the last group – the Baby Boomers. They are one of the fastest growing groups around social networking. They are still a little bit shy around Twitter, but Facebook plays a huge factor for them to re-connect with all school friends and colleagues. They love to see Reward Programs from businesses they follow. So similar to a frequent flyer card, why not create something similar for your fixed operations department and communicate with messages targeted to them. Loyalty is still highest priority for them and when combined with some savings during a service visit – you’ll win!

I hope you got some brain food reading throughout my “Trilogy” of this TNS Digital Life Study, and I hope you will see the word “Marketing” not any longer as a noun, but foremost as a verb…because it is!

Happy selling and do the right marketing!

A survey of social brand reception by gender, country and age

With my two posts “Why Online & Offline Marketing could be best partners in crime” and “Why should you listen to the Consumer Voice” I am concluding today with “Brands and Friends – Your Social Opportunity” the series of reflections on the TNS Digital Life Study. 

The question was: “How open are people to brands on Social Networks?”

The Findings: The big elephant in the room here – There is great acceptance and openness from consumers to brands in socially networked brands when the market in the country is considered “fast growing”. On the other hand, there is much higher brand resistance from consumers when in a developed market. For us here in the U.S., this means that the approach to connecting with potential customers needs to be carefully planned. According to the TNS study, the stakes are for damaging a brand, image, and perception are much higher in countries like the U.S. and Central Europe due to social resistance. The luckiest retailers are in Russia, where 17% of people are more open to brands than they are resistant to them.

Focus U.S.A.: People are more resistant to buy actually products they are not familiar with than they are open to learn about them online through social networks. Even so social networks are not considered the most ideal spaces for a retail business; it became clear that the growing popularity of group buying sites like Groupon, Yipit, Livingsocial and others opened up new opportunities as we can see here in the example below.

With localizing and personalizing the business’s digital footprint the retailers could be able to sell or offer a service more overtly rather than pushing too many offers in too frequent manner into their social media streams and networks. It is considered a more unapologetically approach to push these offers onto group buying sites rather than be a social spammer. Driving Traffic to the store – Yes! Creating profits – Depends!

Another interesting finding of this study was looking into gender behavior. Do Women approach brands on social networks different than men? – And? Any guesses? You have 3 more seconds to find out…Okay, here we go:

Survey question: How do you feel about finding out about a brand through a social network?

11% of women in the U.S. are more open to brands than they are resistant to them. Men on the other hand are  only 7% more open to connect via social.

Follow-up survey question: How do you feel about buying products through a social network connection?

[BUMMER ALERT!] 16% of the females are more resistant to brands than they are open to them and just 8% of the males showed more resistance to brands than openness.

VJ’s Question: Knowing now that there are indeed differences in brand acceptance and resistance between male and female – how does the research data reflects on age groups? Is there a chance for us dealerships to target in particular Boomers, Gen-X’s and Millenals (a.k.a. Gen Y’s)?  

VJ’s Answer: “Yes – and - No.”Hold on…I am not at all indecisive to provide you a clear answer. Here is why I came to this mixed conclusion.

According to the Data research of the TNS Digital Study – “Age Does NOT Matter”. [Quote]: Globally people’s openness or resistance for brands on social networks is NOT dependent on age. There is an assumption that younger people are more open, but this study shows that older age groups are as open to brands as their younger counterparts. [Quote-end]

Here are the figures I could dug out for you and indeed the fluctuation of the percentage points are minimal.

So YES, there is a chance to target your marketing messages and social network approach more towards your clientele, focusing on the more reciptive age groups discussed above.

Let’s take our future consumers here at the dealerships – The Millenials. From studies by Exact Target 2010, PEW Research and Morepace Omnibus Report we know that Millenials will “befriend” 51% of brands they like on Facebook. Keep in mind, BRANDS THEY LIKE, and not brands you think they should like! Furthermore, the study states that when Millenials are Facebook friends with an offline retailer (yes, that is you, the dealership) 26% LIKE special offers – again, please read carefully, - and I will spell it out for you “S P E C I A L offers”. Do not use social media “spam them to death” with countless oil-change coupons or car detail specials – they don’t care. Rather tease them with brand clothing and accessories, which appeals more to their brand loyalty. Hip is in! (Scion dealers, VW dealers, Hyundai – are you listening?!).

When looking at the Gen-X clientele consider communicating all the things what could make their life easier, when dealing with your dealership. No matter if you do it via social, in-store or in your marketing messages off- and online. A Nielsen study found that for this age group the convenience factor is considered huge. So when you have a 5-10 miles radius loaner car drop-off and pick-up, – communicate about it. When you want to display your monthly specials on let’s say Facebook, do so in a separate tab of your Facebook Business Page. Gen-X knows how and where to find your offers, believe me – you just need to make sure there are online, considering 80% are checking social networks on a daily basis.

Which brings me to the last group – the Baby Boomers. They are one of the fastest growing groups around social networking. They are still a little bit shy around Twitter, but Facebook plays a huge factor for them to re-connect with all school friends and colleagues. They love to see Reward Programs from businesses they follow. So similar to a frequent flyer card, why not create something similar for your fixed operations department and communicate with messages targeted to them. Loyalty is still highest priority for them and when combined with some savings during a service visit – you’ll win!

I hope you got some brain food reading throughout my “Trilogy” of this TNS Digital Life Study, and I hope you will see the word “Marketing” not any longer as a noun, but foremost as a verb…because it is!

Happy selling and do the right marketing!

As I had promised, in Part 2 of my series, I wanted to reflect on the “Consumer Voice”, based on the insights and results from the latest TNS Digital Life study. The interface they provide on their website allowed me to specifically focus on the automotive sector here in the U.S.

With Part 2 and the previously released Part 1 (Why Online and Offline Marketing could be best partners in crime), you as a dealer will be able to see more value in the findings and adapt one or more suggestions into your marketing mix – suggestions that  will improve your marketing ambitions and outcome positively, when implemented.

Unpacking the Value of the Consumer Voice

DATA POINTS; Part 2:

The question was: “What are people saying?” and “Who believes what they say?”

Statistics around Commenters: I was surprised to find out that 40% of all commenters online left comments for the purpose of helping others (even though nobody asked them to do so). Comparing this stat to the 11% of Complainants and the 11% of “Praisers”, we as dealerships should be able to be more pro-active and just ask our consumers to chime in with some praise. ((only after you’ve provided an exceptional purchase experience, of course). With Google newest algorithm change bumping events and fresh review contenthigher in the SERP’s reviews will be your friend when it comes to “beating” the competition (see also Ellen Jones’s latest article on that topic “Latest is the Greatest – Keep Your Stars Hot for an SEO Hike”.

Now please take a look at the two smaller pie charts here. Sixty one percent (61%) of all written comments are trusted when they come from a friend. Can you now see the connection between consumer voice and social media playing hand-in-hand? All these theories around “There is no ROI on social media” can be easily debunked just by taking these figures here into consideration. There is an immediate correlation between these two entities and the final answer to the question: “Where should I possibly buy a car?” or “What car brand should I try next?”

On the other hand, “only” 4 out of 10 stranger’s comments will have an impact on a consumer’s behavior; this number is not at all bad. Just think about it… 41% will somehow allow a complete stranger’s recommendation or rant about a dealer, product or service to influence their decision to go ahead with their purchase?! Crazy?

VJ’s Question: So would it make sense to have a process dialed into your dealership which will allow you to ask for more “praise” from your customers? Would it make sense to guide them to these review sites where they can leave rave reviews that will now help you rank higher in search results and also help you gain more stars on your virtual report card?  

VJ’s Answer: “Of course and YOU HAVE TO.”All these charts and figures attached to it speak a very clear language. Consumers’ want to be guided to make the right decision by finding relevant information before the purchase and validating it with the opinion of others that they trust.   .

When we started to “hunt” for positive reviews and put a Reputation Management process in place in my dealership in early 2008, we actively engaged the owner of a new car in our process. Just when she or he was ready to drive from the lot with her brand new BMW (and after having received a tremendous buying experience from negotiation to finance up to the delivery process), we shut the door of the new Beamer and said :

Us: “Ms. Miller, aren’t you excited to drive this beauty home now and show it to the neighborhood, friends and family?”

Mrs. Miller:“Yes…”

Us:“I am so glad to see you so happy and I know you are thrilled with your choice to have picked this 135i – it is so you… - I have one more little thing for you waiting at home in your email box, which I will send in the next minute…would you just do me the favor and help me to tell my General Manager how great we both did here to have you now driving the prettiest car on the block?...It is an email of mine with a link, and I call it my grade card. My boss is really in to it and I want to show him that I wanna be the student of the month – and your rave review would just put me into this spot. Do you think you can do that for me?”

What do you think the outcome was? 8 out 10 new customers came home the same day, opened my email, clicked on the link (whatever review site you want them to fill out the rave comment about you on), and we gained an average 4.8 star ratings out 5 stars possible, leaving the competition to swallow our dust.

Last word: Make sure you install your own reputation management process into your overall delivery process. Do not forget that this recipe can also work for your fixed operations. Talk about your personal “Grade Card”, because people still buy from people and you are much more likable than just a brick and mortar location. And make sure to tell your customers that the CSI survey has nothing to do with your personal Grade Card. When you have received an “A” from your customers, I predict that your CSI will show a 100% as well – and last but not least: DO IT EVERYTIME, EVERY DAY.

Part 3 and final reflection of this series will discuss the findings around Social Media interaction and how people thinking about “Brands as Friends” – until then, happy selling and do the right marketing.

As I had promised, in Part 2 of my series, I wanted to reflect on the “Consumer Voice”, based on the insights and results from the latest TNS Digital Life study. The interface they provide on their website allowed me to specifically focus on the automotive sector here in the U.S.

With Part 2 and the previously released Part 1 (Why Online and Offline Marketing could be best partners in crime), you as a dealer will be able to see more value in the findings and adapt one or more suggestions into your marketing mix – suggestions that  will improve your marketing ambitions and outcome positively, when implemented.

Unpacking the Value of the Consumer Voice

DATA POINTS; Part 2:

The question was: “What are people saying?” and “Who believes what they say?”

Statistics around Commenters: I was surprised to find out that 40% of all commenters online left comments for the purpose of helping others (even though nobody asked them to do so). Comparing this stat to the 11% of Complainants and the 11% of “Praisers”, we as dealerships should be able to be more pro-active and just ask our consumers to chime in with some praise. ((only after you’ve provided an exceptional purchase experience, of course). With Google newest algorithm change bumping events and fresh review contenthigher in the SERP’s reviews will be your friend when it comes to “beating” the competition (see also Ellen Jones’s latest article on that topic “Latest is the Greatest – Keep Your Stars Hot for an SEO Hike”.

Now please take a look at the two smaller pie charts here. Sixty one percent (61%) of all written comments are trusted when they come from a friend. Can you now see the connection between consumer voice and social media playing hand-in-hand? All these theories around “There is no ROI on social media” can be easily debunked just by taking these figures here into consideration. There is an immediate correlation between these two entities and the final answer to the question: “Where should I possibly buy a car?” or “What car brand should I try next?”

On the other hand, “only” 4 out of 10 stranger’s comments will have an impact on a consumer’s behavior; this number is not at all bad. Just think about it… 41% will somehow allow a complete stranger’s recommendation or rant about a dealer, product or service to influence their decision to go ahead with their purchase?! Crazy?

VJ’s Question: So would it make sense to have a process dialed into your dealership which will allow you to ask for more “praise” from your customers? Would it make sense to guide them to these review sites where they can leave rave reviews that will now help you rank higher in search results and also help you gain more stars on your virtual report card?  

VJ’s Answer: “Of course and YOU HAVE TO.”All these charts and figures attached to it speak a very clear language. Consumers’ want to be guided to make the right decision by finding relevant information before the purchase and validating it with the opinion of others that they trust.   .

When we started to “hunt” for positive reviews and put a Reputation Management process in place in my dealership in early 2008, we actively engaged the owner of a new car in our process. Just when she or he was ready to drive from the lot with her brand new BMW (and after having received a tremendous buying experience from negotiation to finance up to the delivery process), we shut the door of the new Beamer and said :

Us: “Ms. Miller, aren’t you excited to drive this beauty home now and show it to the neighborhood, friends and family?”

Mrs. Miller:“Yes…”

Us:“I am so glad to see you so happy and I know you are thrilled with your choice to have picked this 135i – it is so you… - I have one more little thing for you waiting at home in your email box, which I will send in the next minute…would you just do me the favor and help me to tell my General Manager how great we both did here to have you now driving the prettiest car on the block?...It is an email of mine with a link, and I call it my grade card. My boss is really in to it and I want to show him that I wanna be the student of the month – and your rave review would just put me into this spot. Do you think you can do that for me?”

What do you think the outcome was? 8 out 10 new customers came home the same day, opened my email, clicked on the link (whatever review site you want them to fill out the rave comment about you on), and we gained an average 4.8 star ratings out 5 stars possible, leaving the competition to swallow our dust.

Last word: Make sure you install your own reputation management process into your overall delivery process. Do not forget that this recipe can also work for your fixed operations. Talk about your personal “Grade Card”, because people still buy from people and you are much more likable than just a brick and mortar location. And make sure to tell your customers that the CSI survey has nothing to do with your personal Grade Card. When you have received an “A” from your customers, I predict that your CSI will show a 100% as well – and last but not least: DO IT EVERYTIME, EVERY DAY.

Part 3 and final reflection of this series will discuss the findings around Social Media interaction and how people thinking about “Brands as Friends” – until then, happy selling and do the right marketing.

During my last trip to my homeland Germany, I discovered how far ahead we are here in the U.S. in regards to consumer behavior and the online research we conduct around our potential car buying clientele. Don’t get me wrong- websites for German automotive dealerships exist. But as far as execution, when you see how inventory is displayed (or should I say, not displayed), how inconsistent the OEM message is portrayed on the dealership website, or why a URL name is chosen and not marketed in their off-line marketing approach – I am stunned!

These numbers become even more impactful when I share with you this research data from the current TNS Digital Life study. In this study, TNS looked at the global view of buying behavior. In this example, allow me to dissect the U.S. data based on the automotive consumer. I want to share how advanced the American online consumers are at using the web to evaluate your merchandise. It will reveal their preferred and “important decision making hubs.”

The research I am reflecting on will be split into 3 articles and released one-by-one over the term of the next 3 weeks. I hope that I will create some tipping points and brain teasers for you over this 3-week period, allowing you to reflect on your current marketing mix and what you ought to try out to find the right recipe and outcome for you.

Unpacking the Path to Purchase DATA POINTS; Part 1: The question was: “How do we decide to buy?” and “How do you become aware of a product?”

Fact: There is massive opportunity for brands to be discovered online. Although some marketing myths out there suggest that consumers won’t listen to advertising and marketing messages any longer, the data clearly shows that during the Awareness Phase, a consumer will follow a brand or product (average 3.1) onto the online path (3.5) to gather more information. The brand message here is the most influential mind trigger to get consumers interested.

When prospects finally narrow down their “chosen product,” they still will research their desired car make and model online (3.0) rather than looking into off-line generated sources (1.2) What’s interesting is the fact that in the final decision “Where to buy” the Brand Voice (with an average of 2.3) still is more influential than the Consumer Voice; here with an average of 1.2.

VJ’s Question: Does that mean that aligned OEM Brand messaging and your marketing approach as a dealership should be synced?

VJ’s Answer: “You betcha.” As these numbers indicate – the more touch points your online marketing message has, the more you will be involved somehow in the consumer’s decision making process. As TNS states in their research: “Brands need to pinpoint accurately the most influential touch points on and offline to ensure that they maximize their presence and impact across different media.”

What I would love to see (and actually did, when I was still in the dealer operations) is that each seasonal or special event message of your OEM, like the “Sign Then Drive Event” or the “December to Remember Event” campaigns will be adapted on a smaller scale into your dealership.

It starts with your website message (using the original OEM images for the event) all the way to adjusting your SEO content with the “slogan” inside your content pages, up to the signage inside your brick and mortar location (yes, you heard right – offline will in this case close the circle). Also when you send your internet lead responses, integrate the OEM Event message with links back to your website event page. You can even instruct your receptionist to ask “Are you calling for our Sign Then Drive Event,” and create table toppers inside your service waiting area and the desks of your sales people stating and using the original OEM Marketing message.

Last word: “Your store needs the same impact on and off-line. Shoppers need to get the same message and impression of the brand in both the real and virtual world, to engage rather than alienate,” according to researchers of TNS Digital Life.

• Part 2 of this series will take a look at the importance of the “Consumer Voice” next week – until then, happy selling and do the right marketing.

During my last trip to my homeland Germany, I discovered how far ahead we are here in the U.S. in regards to consumer behavior and the online research we conduct around our potential car buying clientele. Don’t get me wrong- websites for German automotive dealerships exist. But as far as execution, when you see how inventory is displayed (or should I say, not displayed), how inconsistent the OEM message is portrayed on the dealership website, or why a URL name is chosen and not marketed in their off-line marketing approach – I am stunned!

These numbers become even more impactful when I share with you this research data from the current TNS Digital Life study. In this study, TNS looked at the global view of buying behavior. In this example, allow me to dissect the U.S. data based on the automotive consumer. I want to share how advanced the American online consumers are at using the web to evaluate your merchandise. It will reveal their preferred and “important decision making hubs.”

The research I am reflecting on will be split into 3 articles and released one-by-one over the term of the next 3 weeks. I hope that I will create some tipping points and brain teasers for you over this 3-week period, allowing you to reflect on your current marketing mix and what you ought to try out to find the right recipe and outcome for you.

Unpacking the Path to Purchase DATA POINTS; Part 1: The question was: “How do we decide to buy?” and “How do you become aware of a product?”

Fact: There is massive opportunity for brands to be discovered online. Although some marketing myths out there suggest that consumers won’t listen to advertising and marketing messages any longer, the data clearly shows that during the Awareness Phase, a consumer will follow a brand or product (average 3.1) onto the online path (3.5) to gather more information. The brand message here is the most influential mind trigger to get consumers interested.

When prospects finally narrow down their “chosen product,” they still will research their desired car make and model online (3.0) rather than looking into off-line generated sources (1.2) What’s interesting is the fact that in the final decision “Where to buy” the Brand Voice (with an average of 2.3) still is more influential than the Consumer Voice; here with an average of 1.2.

VJ’s Question: Does that mean that aligned OEM Brand messaging and your marketing approach as a dealership should be synced?

VJ’s Answer: “You betcha.” As these numbers indicate – the more touch points your online marketing message has, the more you will be involved somehow in the consumer’s decision making process. As TNS states in their research: “Brands need to pinpoint accurately the most influential touch points on and offline to ensure that they maximize their presence and impact across different media.”

What I would love to see (and actually did, when I was still in the dealer operations) is that each seasonal or special event message of your OEM, like the “Sign Then Drive Event” or the “December to Remember Event” campaigns will be adapted on a smaller scale into your dealership.

It starts with your website message (using the original OEM images for the event) all the way to adjusting your SEO content with the “slogan” inside your content pages, up to the signage inside your brick and mortar location (yes, you heard right – offline will in this case close the circle). Also when you send your internet lead responses, integrate the OEM Event message with links back to your website event page. You can even instruct your receptionist to ask “Are you calling for our Sign Then Drive Event,” and create table toppers inside your service waiting area and the desks of your sales people stating and using the original OEM Marketing message.

Last word: “Your store needs the same impact on and off-line. Shoppers need to get the same message and impression of the brand in both the real and virtual world, to engage rather than alienate,” according to researchers of TNS Digital Life.

• Part 2 of this series will take a look at the importance of the “Consumer Voice” next week – until then, happy selling and do the right marketing.

Want it – Read it – Listened to it – or How to Build Your Context Library

It hit me like a ton of bricks when Gary Vaynerchuk entered the stage during the Driving Sales Executive Summit in Las Vegas this week and shouted out “SEO and Content is Dead – Context is the new King” – and I believe he has a very valid point here.  

With Google+ now open for everyone, Facebook announcing new changes on an almost weekly basis that allow fans to tell their friends not only what they “LIKE” but very soon even having buttons like “Want It” – have “Read It” and “Listened to it”.  

Because of this extension of features we will have an enormous avalanche of CONTEXT rolling towards us. With Google+ circles for example, we see not only what our friends have eaten, but when, where and if it was great. I can see which book my closer circle of friends just finished reading (the book “Go Giver”) and their praise, triggering me to buy it instantly on Amazon’s Kindle store. (Brian Pasch what I am referring to;))  

With this created context I as a consumer now have a much more pinpointed “search” result – even though I didn’t start my Google search engine at this point. The so-called Social Graph of immediate circles, friends or followers will be the new influential factors for checking out new businesses or weighing in on recommendations for which car to test drive or even to buy.  

As Gary Vaynerchuck said, “The more we create context, the more our wallet is going to be decided based on our friends.”

Let’s face it: Isn’t Google feeling more and more cluttered and diluted when it comes to finding exactly what you are craving or searching for? Even the so-called long-tail search terms sometimes leave me frustrated on search engines. I believe that just an SEO strategy alone is not cutting it any longer for dealerships or any other business. The task for 2012 is to have a well-balanced Content and Context strategy in place.  

So what would be my strategy in a dealership to build what I call a Context Index Library?

• Logging in everyday (as a ritual) into search.twitter.com and choose advanced search. In my example, I chose to look for tweets about “Honda” in “Atlanta” within a radius of “15 miles” – QUESTION: Do you think I could somehow engage with the following people below?! ANSWER: You bet! I see possibilities for Sales and Service (Dent removal) here, when approached right.

[Twitter search is next to Google, and YouTube the next "search engine" to consider to find context rich information]

• Make sure you ask your new or existing customers to join and LIKE you on Facebook. A study shown and presented by Kevin Root and Matt Murray during the DSES event showed that 25% of those questioned would say “Yes, I will like you” and 82% of these would actually follow through to “Like” you on Facebook. Pretty good outcome when you ask me, and again it tells us, “When you do not ask you won’t receive!”

• Last but not least. Create context for your clientele, not just context you have on your website, but context on your Facebook business page, your Twitter account, your YouTube channel and hopefully your blog. No die-hard sales pitch but context about everything and everybody.

Some Great Context Examples:

1) World Hyundai does movie reviews and movie ticket giveaways

2) Hare Chevrolet, who posted a “Favorite Things about Fall” poll and in no time received 10 comments.

Using techniques like these, you can then weave the fan responses into your next marketing gig, like hosting a “Warm Cider Tasting Event” or even a “Pumpkin Carving Event” with prices around the car…think about it!  

Please let me know in the comment section how you introduce your context into your marketing strategy and what you found “really works for you”.

Happy Selling and of course do your context marketing constantly!  

Want it – Read it – Listened to it – or How to Build Your Context Library

It hit me like a ton of bricks when Gary Vaynerchuk entered the stage during the Driving Sales Executive Summit in Las Vegas this week and shouted out “SEO and Content is Dead – Context is the new King” – and I believe he has a very valid point here.  

With Google+ now open for everyone, Facebook announcing new changes on an almost weekly basis that allow fans to tell their friends not only what they “LIKE” but very soon even having buttons like “Want It” – have “Read It” and “Listened to it”.  

Because of this extension of features we will have an enormous avalanche of CONTEXT rolling towards us. With Google+ circles for example, we see not only what our friends have eaten, but when, where and if it was great. I can see which book my closer circle of friends just finished reading (the book “Go Giver”) and their praise, triggering me to buy it instantly on Amazon’s Kindle store. (Brian Pasch what I am referring to;))  

With this created context I as a consumer now have a much more pinpointed “search” result – even though I didn’t start my Google search engine at this point. The so-called Social Graph of immediate circles, friends or followers will be the new influential factors for checking out new businesses or weighing in on recommendations for which car to test drive or even to buy.  

As Gary Vaynerchuck said, “The more we create context, the more our wallet is going to be decided based on our friends.”

Let’s face it: Isn’t Google feeling more and more cluttered and diluted when it comes to finding exactly what you are craving or searching for? Even the so-called long-tail search terms sometimes leave me frustrated on search engines. I believe that just an SEO strategy alone is not cutting it any longer for dealerships or any other business. The task for 2012 is to have a well-balanced Content and Context strategy in place.  

So what would be my strategy in a dealership to build what I call a Context Index Library?

• Logging in everyday (as a ritual) into search.twitter.com and choose advanced search. In my example, I chose to look for tweets about “Honda” in “Atlanta” within a radius of “15 miles” – QUESTION: Do you think I could somehow engage with the following people below?! ANSWER: You bet! I see possibilities for Sales and Service (Dent removal) here, when approached right.

[Twitter search is next to Google, and YouTube the next "search engine" to consider to find context rich information]

• Make sure you ask your new or existing customers to join and LIKE you on Facebook. A study shown and presented by Kevin Root and Matt Murray during the DSES event showed that 25% of those questioned would say “Yes, I will like you” and 82% of these would actually follow through to “Like” you on Facebook. Pretty good outcome when you ask me, and again it tells us, “When you do not ask you won’t receive!”

• Last but not least. Create context for your clientele, not just context you have on your website, but context on your Facebook business page, your Twitter account, your YouTube channel and hopefully your blog. No die-hard sales pitch but context about everything and everybody.

Some Great Context Examples:

1) World Hyundai does movie reviews and movie ticket giveaways

2) Hare Chevrolet, who posted a “Favorite Things about Fall” poll and in no time received 10 comments.

Using techniques like these, you can then weave the fan responses into your next marketing gig, like hosting a “Warm Cider Tasting Event” or even a “Pumpkin Carving Event” with prices around the car…think about it!  

Please let me know in the comment section how you introduce your context into your marketing strategy and what you found “really works for you”.

Happy Selling and of course do your context marketing constantly!