Social media destinations today seem to be a what’s trending, what's fashionable media where Social Icons are losing ground and where smaller ones are constantly being replaced with the next technologically fad driven way to communicate and share with one another on the internet.

Facebook makes a weak showing when it comes to ad performance for direct response marketing (lead generation) and this month, during a quarterly earnings call, David A. Ebersman, Facebook's chief financial officer, made a startling acknowledgment that confirms what many had suspected but were never able to prove - that the service had become less appealing for at least some of its users. And though Facebook is still the default social network for many people, perhaps it is no longer as crucial as it once was for social survival.

There are also recent studies that are suggesting that people still prefer non-paid ads for search and show that the higher CTRs come from ads with a lower position that actually look likes an organic result, even though it’s often paid. This points to the fact that people are trying to skip the ads and failing.

Organic search has been and still is the search method of choice. There will always be a reason to reach out over social channels as part of your overall marketing mix but why dedicate more and more resources chasing the next hot social channel when that same technology that is changing the social media landscape on an almost daily basis can now benefit companies the most by originating the bulk of your social media initiatives from your own site.

It is time to look more within your organization to find better and more stable ways of attracting customers and communicating with your existing customer base. And this can be done by forming onsite communities, online events and classified marketing initiatives to organically grow your inbound traffic.
These integrated initiatives can effectively reduce the cost of your online marketing and provide a host of benefits that cannot be achieved or more effectively controlled in any other way.

One Big Broadcast has been pioneering these integrated technologies for years. We can show you how to effectively reduce costs and increase your ROI, Inbound marketing, Service, Sales and Customer retention.

In what direction do you feel this is all going? And what would your suggestions be?

William Cosgrove

Social media destinations today seem to be a what’s trending, what's fashionable media where Social Icons are losing ground and where smaller ones are constantly being replaced with the next technologically fad driven way to communicate and share with one another on the internet.

Facebook makes a weak showing when it comes to ad performance for direct response marketing (lead generation) and this month, during a quarterly earnings call, David A. Ebersman, Facebook's chief financial officer, made a startling acknowledgment that confirms what many had suspected but were never able to prove - that the service had become less appealing for at least some of its users. And though Facebook is still the default social network for many people, perhaps it is no longer as crucial as it once was for social survival.

There are also recent studies that are suggesting that people still prefer non-paid ads for search and show that the higher CTRs come from ads with a lower position that actually look likes an organic result, even though it’s often paid. This points to the fact that people are trying to skip the ads and failing.

Organic search has been and still is the search method of choice. There will always be a reason to reach out over social channels as part of your overall marketing mix but why dedicate more and more resources chasing the next hot social channel when that same technology that is changing the social media landscape on an almost daily basis can now benefit companies the most by originating the bulk of your social media initiatives from your own site.

It is time to look more within your organization to find better and more stable ways of attracting customers and communicating with your existing customer base. And this can be done by forming onsite communities, online events and classified marketing initiatives to organically grow your inbound traffic.
These integrated initiatives can effectively reduce the cost of your online marketing and provide a host of benefits that cannot be achieved or more effectively controlled in any other way.

One Big Broadcast has been pioneering these integrated technologies for years. We can show you how to effectively reduce costs and increase your ROI, Inbound marketing, Service, Sales and Customer retention.

In what direction do you feel this is all going? And what would your suggestions be?

William Cosgrove

 Nigel Hollis ,Executive Vice President and Chief Global Analyst at brand research consultancy Millward Brown, and author of two books on developing a meaningful brand tells us that Everything you do in business builds your brand for good or ill, as your actions generate feelings, associations, and ideas in the minds of your consumers.

 He goes on to say that the challenge is to make sure those actions create a meaningfully different experience that people want to repeat. This is because people are predisposed to choose things that stand out from the crowd. A brand’s difference gives consumers an easy rationale for choosing it, and a ready justification for paying a price premium.

Research done by Millward Brown finds that brands with a meaningful difference command a price premium 13 percent higher than weaker category alternatives.

For example, look at Lululemon. Founded in 1998, Lululemon produces sports apparel for women that is fashionable, environmentally friendly, and as technically advanced as sports apparel for men. The company spends virtually nothing on advertising. Instead, it concentrates on building an ardent consumer base by creating a unique customer experience. Instructors wear the clothing at in-store events like self-defense and goal-setting workshops, simultaneously building product awareness and forging ties with local communities. Through the community portal on its website, Lululemon invites customers to share their experiences via Instagram and Twitter.

They are encouraged to apply to become Lululemon ambassadors, “unique individuals … who embody the Lululemon lifestyle and live our culture.” The company now has over 200 stores, and sales soared from US $40 million to US $1.37 billion in eight years. In the US alone, sales grew 40 percent in 2012.

There is a saying that content is the fuel and social is the fire. And for businesses in today’s customer centric marketplace creating a private social networking platform connects your customer and potential customer base into a single-focus environment, enabling them to exchange ideas which will ultimately strengthen your brand and broaden your customer base.

In addition to your overall Digital marketing strategy social communities are a perfect branding platform to show your members your appreciation and dedication to serving them by offering member only specials on purchases and services all geared towards producing devoted customers who will ultimately become your brand ambassadors.

This sense of community creates a win, win relationship where both you and your members can communicate closely and collaborate on such things as events, volunteer efforts, etc which in turn is channeled through organic seo and social networks to generate goodwill across the internet from your website.

In today’s world of being relevant using content marketing in all its forms, what better way is there to be relevant than by creating your own brand ambassador community program.

The following video is a, Food for Thought, testimonial on how creating Brand Ambassadors can work for your business and create a low cost way to gain customers for  the long term.

Click Here To Watch Video

William Cosgrove

 Nigel Hollis ,Executive Vice President and Chief Global Analyst at brand research consultancy Millward Brown, and author of two books on developing a meaningful brand tells us that Everything you do in business builds your brand for good or ill, as your actions generate feelings, associations, and ideas in the minds of your consumers.

 He goes on to say that the challenge is to make sure those actions create a meaningfully different experience that people want to repeat. This is because people are predisposed to choose things that stand out from the crowd. A brand’s difference gives consumers an easy rationale for choosing it, and a ready justification for paying a price premium.

Research done by Millward Brown finds that brands with a meaningful difference command a price premium 13 percent higher than weaker category alternatives.

For example, look at Lululemon. Founded in 1998, Lululemon produces sports apparel for women that is fashionable, environmentally friendly, and as technically advanced as sports apparel for men. The company spends virtually nothing on advertising. Instead, it concentrates on building an ardent consumer base by creating a unique customer experience. Instructors wear the clothing at in-store events like self-defense and goal-setting workshops, simultaneously building product awareness and forging ties with local communities. Through the community portal on its website, Lululemon invites customers to share their experiences via Instagram and Twitter.

They are encouraged to apply to become Lululemon ambassadors, “unique individuals … who embody the Lululemon lifestyle and live our culture.” The company now has over 200 stores, and sales soared from US $40 million to US $1.37 billion in eight years. In the US alone, sales grew 40 percent in 2012.

There is a saying that content is the fuel and social is the fire. And for businesses in today’s customer centric marketplace creating a private social networking platform connects your customer and potential customer base into a single-focus environment, enabling them to exchange ideas which will ultimately strengthen your brand and broaden your customer base.

In addition to your overall Digital marketing strategy social communities are a perfect branding platform to show your members your appreciation and dedication to serving them by offering member only specials on purchases and services all geared towards producing devoted customers who will ultimately become your brand ambassadors.

This sense of community creates a win, win relationship where both you and your members can communicate closely and collaborate on such things as events, volunteer efforts, etc which in turn is channeled through organic seo and social networks to generate goodwill across the internet from your website.

In today’s world of being relevant using content marketing in all its forms, what better way is there to be relevant than by creating your own brand ambassador community program.

The following video is a, Food for Thought, testimonial on how creating Brand Ambassadors can work for your business and create a low cost way to gain customers for  the long term.

Click Here To Watch Video

William Cosgrove

Social Communities can redefine the customer experience and how businesses interact with their customer base by taking rewards programs, customer service and feedback to a whole new level. Onsite Social Communities shifts customer support and service to being part of the brand marketing mix.

Onsite Communities brings together the customer's voice with data from enterprise systems such as CRM. In addition to other benefits, engaging customers in community also drives transparency and openness - attributes that modern consumers increasingly expect. In these days of information overload, many people are simplifying their lives to focus on their particular interests.

Creating a private social networking platform connects your loyal like-minded customer base in a single-focus environment, enabling them to exchange ideas and develop groups and ultimately strengthen your customer base.

Social Communities are a perfect platform in which to show your members your appreciation and dedication to serving them by offering members specials on purchases, service and financing all geared toward customer retention and satisfaction.

Companies with private social networks can experience better customer service, reduced customer complaints and even higher brand loyalty due to brand ambassador programs. Think of having a central place in which to read and understand your customers’ concerns, wants, needs and expectations.

As your community strengthens, your brand’s momentum becomes energized, resulting in increased word-of-mouth marketing and increased sales. The result is a powerful onsite socialcasting platform disseminating these interactions across the social and search spectrum.

Social networks also connect to events marketing allowing businesses their customers and event sponsors to manage their own profiles – including creating their own content, updating their company news and social media – which can all be administered with specified permissions tools. This “conglomerate”-style online network harnesses the power of multiple content writers which acts like a magnet to attract search back to your site.

Although your social brand strategy is important, don’t overlook the potential of harnessing your own community in a niche social community network. An onsite social community offers many benefits for you as the business and the customer that cannot be duplicated elsewhere-providing a win-win situation for all.

One Big Broadcast is a pioneer in Social Community and Events marketing technology which is part of our Integrated Digital Marketing solutions.

Social Communities can redefine the customer experience and how businesses interact with their customer base by taking rewards programs, customer service and feedback to a whole new level. Onsite Social Communities shifts customer support and service to being part of the brand marketing mix.

Onsite Communities brings together the customer's voice with data from enterprise systems such as CRM. In addition to other benefits, engaging customers in community also drives transparency and openness - attributes that modern consumers increasingly expect. In these days of information overload, many people are simplifying their lives to focus on their particular interests.

Creating a private social networking platform connects your loyal like-minded customer base in a single-focus environment, enabling them to exchange ideas and develop groups and ultimately strengthen your customer base.

Social Communities are a perfect platform in which to show your members your appreciation and dedication to serving them by offering members specials on purchases, service and financing all geared toward customer retention and satisfaction.

Companies with private social networks can experience better customer service, reduced customer complaints and even higher brand loyalty due to brand ambassador programs. Think of having a central place in which to read and understand your customers’ concerns, wants, needs and expectations.

As your community strengthens, your brand’s momentum becomes energized, resulting in increased word-of-mouth marketing and increased sales. The result is a powerful onsite socialcasting platform disseminating these interactions across the social and search spectrum.

Social networks also connect to events marketing allowing businesses their customers and event sponsors to manage their own profiles – including creating their own content, updating their company news and social media – which can all be administered with specified permissions tools. This “conglomerate”-style online network harnesses the power of multiple content writers which acts like a magnet to attract search back to your site.

Although your social brand strategy is important, don’t overlook the potential of harnessing your own community in a niche social community network. An onsite social community offers many benefits for you as the business and the customer that cannot be duplicated elsewhere-providing a win-win situation for all.

One Big Broadcast is a pioneer in Social Community and Events marketing technology which is part of our Integrated Digital Marketing solutions.

Sara Callahan recently posted a great piece entitled “Don’t Be afraid of Content” On Automotive Digital Marketing. She said that Content is life which is true.  If you think about it content originates through us and content defines us. Our social interactions and life experiences create the content that makes up and defines the society we live in. How we work, play and interact is all creating content which is how we learn and how we are influenced.

Content is the byproduct of all these diverse societal interactions and has been with us since the beginning. Content originally communicated through storing telling evolved to include written language. Fast forward into the electronic age from which emerged radio and TV; to the computer and internet as a means to collectively store, make available, and disseminate content efficiently to the masses.

Today Business refines this content into, what I’ll refer to here, as “niche content” and uses it to influence people to buy its goods and services based on trends and societal moods. Business takes into account cultural diversity and emotions such as fear, desire and vanity to influence our buying decisions.

The internet has made it possible for companies to use Digital Marketing to get closer to its market and develop niche content to influence people on a much more personal level. 

Looking at it in this context, content is and has always been intended to be shared and used to inform and educate us as a society and as consumers. Most writers that publish their work on the internet encourage others to share their work with others. These writers understand that content is meant to be shared to educate and inform.

It is a compliment to the writer that someone thought enough of the content contained in their writing to pass it on and share it with others. Also, there is the conception that posting someone else’s work may in some way work against you.

I have personally and have seen others who have had first page rankings sharing and commenting on the work of others. Therefore relevance and interaction must be how search engines make their determination.  I write blogs but I also share posts written by others.

Sarah’s points of writing about personal and professional experiences are by far the best form of content sharing. This original content or storytelling in a traditional sort of way captures ones attention and also projects the human side of the business and lets people know that you are concerned about your customer’s experience. 

If the content is good and the message is clear, a few grammatical mistakes are not going to annoy most people. It is also true that a lot of writers use punctuation and structure that is not grammatically correct to highlight something or to make points.

In addition to Google Search, another resource is Google alerts. Google alerts is a great tool to search for content. You can create different searches based on a particular subject and Alerts will send you results on a daily basis directly to your inbox. How convenient is that?

Other great resources include subscribing to newsletters and joining groups. These provide a steady stream of updated and industry specific information to draw from. Then there is always the option of buying quality content from professionals.

Content in all its forms is king in media marketing and blogging helps to identify and personalize you as more than just another business but as a contributing part of your local community and a customer centric company.

“Don’t be afraid of content is so true” because we are content and content defines us- and content lives everywhere.

By William Cosgrove

Sara Callahan recently posted a great piece entitled “Don’t Be afraid of Content” On Automotive Digital Marketing. She said that Content is life which is true.  If you think about it content originates through us and content defines us. Our social interactions and life experiences create the content that makes up and defines the society we live in. How we work, play and interact is all creating content which is how we learn and how we are influenced.

Content is the byproduct of all these diverse societal interactions and has been with us since the beginning. Content originally communicated through storing telling evolved to include written language. Fast forward into the electronic age from which emerged radio and TV; to the computer and internet as a means to collectively store, make available, and disseminate content efficiently to the masses.

Today Business refines this content into, what I’ll refer to here, as “niche content” and uses it to influence people to buy its goods and services based on trends and societal moods. Business takes into account cultural diversity and emotions such as fear, desire and vanity to influence our buying decisions.

The internet has made it possible for companies to use Digital Marketing to get closer to its market and develop niche content to influence people on a much more personal level. 

Looking at it in this context, content is and has always been intended to be shared and used to inform and educate us as a society and as consumers. Most writers that publish their work on the internet encourage others to share their work with others. These writers understand that content is meant to be shared to educate and inform.

It is a compliment to the writer that someone thought enough of the content contained in their writing to pass it on and share it with others. Also, there is the conception that posting someone else’s work may in some way work against you.

I have personally and have seen others who have had first page rankings sharing and commenting on the work of others. Therefore relevance and interaction must be how search engines make their determination.  I write blogs but I also share posts written by others.

Sarah’s points of writing about personal and professional experiences are by far the best form of content sharing. This original content or storytelling in a traditional sort of way captures ones attention and also projects the human side of the business and lets people know that you are concerned about your customer’s experience. 

If the content is good and the message is clear, a few grammatical mistakes are not going to annoy most people. It is also true that a lot of writers use punctuation and structure that is not grammatically correct to highlight something or to make points.

In addition to Google Search, another resource is Google alerts. Google alerts is a great tool to search for content. You can create different searches based on a particular subject and Alerts will send you results on a daily basis directly to your inbox. How convenient is that?

Other great resources include subscribing to newsletters and joining groups. These provide a steady stream of updated and industry specific information to draw from. Then there is always the option of buying quality content from professionals.

Content in all its forms is king in media marketing and blogging helps to identify and personalize you as more than just another business but as a contributing part of your local community and a customer centric company.

“Don’t be afraid of content is so true” because we are content and content defines us- and content lives everywhere.

By William Cosgrove

You have a Digital Marketing initiative in place and you're measuring its effectiveness. Great. Now I would like point out a couple of tools you can put in your Organic SEO arsenal based on some telling statistics

Paid Search
With the incredible benefits of Organic SEO over Paid Search you might want to take a look at some other options that can be utilized using Organic Search. 

Organic SEO 

The importance of Organic SEO speaks for itself. Also you can see that Blogging is having a big impact. Blogging (Content) which is engaging and drawing visitors creates the type of inbound link that the search engines new algorithms reward and can lead to higher rankings.

Here are some  Statistics on Blogs:

Blog frequency impacts customer acquisition. 92% of companies who blogged multiple times a day acquired a customer through their blog (HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing, 2012)

The global population of blog readers keeps growing and 81% of marketers rated their blog as useful or better.  (HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing, 2012)

These other options I mentioned that use Organic SEO  can also play a big role in generating incoming leads. I will also point out that companies like One Big Broadcast, parent company of OBB Auto, (For One) has been in the forefront of Organic SEO Technology and is constantly pioneering technology to take full advantage of Organic SEO Marketing.

Online Classified ADS

Car dealers have been running ads in newspapers since day one and although it is less important today it is still a part of a dealerships marketing plan. One thing that remains constant is that in many cases the vehicle information is often outdated when the ad hits the street with no way to update. 

Classified Applications like OBB allow users to create an identical ad on the web site with the ultimate flexibility. Users choose vehicles by stock number(s) or by clicking on the vehicle image to create their online car ad

Once created each vehicle image is linked to the full inventory detail via the new online classified ad. Users can add a header, footer and any amount of information about the ad. They can change the color of the background and even the background image. Edits can be done via the CMS should further adjustments be required during the campaign. 
You can also create a link for printing in the newspaper and insert a QR coded for mobile access. Leads can also click through to the vehicle detail, chat live with someone  connect via trade in, credit approval, etc.
Once the newspaper campaign is complete the ad lives on your web site as yet another way to connect with local search. 

Social Communities

In our days of information overload, many people are simplifying their lives to focus on their particular interests.
 
Creating a private social networking platform on your website connects your loyal like-minded customer base in a single-focus environment, enabling them to exchange ideas and develop groups and ultimately strengthens your customer base.
 
Companies with private social networks often experience better customer service, reduced customer complaints and even higher brand loyalty due to brand ambassador programs. As your community strengthens, your brand’s momentum becomes energized, resulting in increased word-of-mouth marketing and increased sales.
 
The Platform can allow for customers to manage their own profiles – including create their own content, update their company news and social media – which can all be administered from your end with specified permissions tools. This “conglomerate”-style online network harnesses the power of multiple content writers which acts like a magnet to attract search back to your site.

Although you’re Social brand strategies are important, don’t overlook the potential of harnessing your own community in a niche social network.
 
As always you must find what works best for you but Organic SEO should be a large part of your marketing initiatives. Just keep in mind if you have an outdated website or if you don’t have the proper technology whatever you do is not going to produce the results you could be enjoying.

By William Cosgrove

DealerNet Services

You have a Digital Marketing initiative in place and you're measuring its effectiveness. Great. Now I would like point out a couple of tools you can put in your Organic SEO arsenal based on some telling statistics

Paid Search
With the incredible benefits of Organic SEO over Paid Search you might want to take a look at some other options that can be utilized using Organic Search. 

Organic SEO 

The importance of Organic SEO speaks for itself. Also you can see that Blogging is having a big impact. Blogging (Content) which is engaging and drawing visitors creates the type of inbound link that the search engines new algorithms reward and can lead to higher rankings.

Here are some  Statistics on Blogs:

Blog frequency impacts customer acquisition. 92% of companies who blogged multiple times a day acquired a customer through their blog (HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing, 2012)

The global population of blog readers keeps growing and 81% of marketers rated their blog as useful or better.  (HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing, 2012)

These other options I mentioned that use Organic SEO  can also play a big role in generating incoming leads. I will also point out that companies like One Big Broadcast, parent company of OBB Auto, (For One) has been in the forefront of Organic SEO Technology and is constantly pioneering technology to take full advantage of Organic SEO Marketing.

Online Classified ADS

Car dealers have been running ads in newspapers since day one and although it is less important today it is still a part of a dealerships marketing plan. One thing that remains constant is that in many cases the vehicle information is often outdated when the ad hits the street with no way to update. 

Classified Applications like OBB allow users to create an identical ad on the web site with the ultimate flexibility. Users choose vehicles by stock number(s) or by clicking on the vehicle image to create their online car ad

Once created each vehicle image is linked to the full inventory detail via the new online classified ad. Users can add a header, footer and any amount of information about the ad. They can change the color of the background and even the background image. Edits can be done via the CMS should further adjustments be required during the campaign. 
You can also create a link for printing in the newspaper and insert a QR coded for mobile access. Leads can also click through to the vehicle detail, chat live with someone  connect via trade in, credit approval, etc.
Once the newspaper campaign is complete the ad lives on your web site as yet another way to connect with local search. 

Social Communities

In our days of information overload, many people are simplifying their lives to focus on their particular interests.
 
Creating a private social networking platform on your website connects your loyal like-minded customer base in a single-focus environment, enabling them to exchange ideas and develop groups and ultimately strengthens your customer base.
 
Companies with private social networks often experience better customer service, reduced customer complaints and even higher brand loyalty due to brand ambassador programs. As your community strengthens, your brand’s momentum becomes energized, resulting in increased word-of-mouth marketing and increased sales.
 
The Platform can allow for customers to manage their own profiles – including create their own content, update their company news and social media – which can all be administered from your end with specified permissions tools. This “conglomerate”-style online network harnesses the power of multiple content writers which acts like a magnet to attract search back to your site.

Although you’re Social brand strategies are important, don’t overlook the potential of harnessing your own community in a niche social network.
 
As always you must find what works best for you but Organic SEO should be a large part of your marketing initiatives. Just keep in mind if you have an outdated website or if you don’t have the proper technology whatever you do is not going to produce the results you could be enjoying.

By William Cosgrove

DealerNet Services