The world wide web has replaced car row as the place to shop for a vehicle. The consolidation of brick and mortar facilities might have been accelerated by a shrinking economy and government dictates; nonetheless, the writing has been on the virtual wall for some time. Technology has always served as the catalyst for change and the Web has proven to be the platform to introduce the next evolution of the auto industry.
The world wide web has matured as an efficient data resource to replace the real world auto dealership as the place of selection for car shoppers to gather the details they want to choose a vehicle and a dealership -- in that order! Internet based social networking is the virtual version of a Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, Community Event, Fraternity, etc., linked together by a technology that serves as a central communication and distribution tool.
The significance of relationship based selling in the real world is supported in e ach and every sales training manual based on the observation that people like to do company with folks that they like. The logic to Sell yourself, sell the dealership, sell the vehicle and then justify the price is an accepted wisdom that is based on the 1 constant that has survived in both the real world and the world wide web -- Human Nature! Net based social networks represent an on the net community of like-minded consumers who have a strong influence on their on-line friends. Auto dealers should invest and involve in these on the net communities as men and women not as an auto dealer.
They must prioritize the interests of their new on the web friends before, during and after their purchasing cycle to earn their trust and consideration when they have a want for a new vehicle or to service their present 1. After all, what are friends for!
Once a require has surfaced it is critical that the transition from casual conversations to focused selling proce sses is transparent and comprehensive to move the consumer seamlessly through their online shopping experience. Technology can communicate the information needed by both the consumer and the dealer to move forward into a transaction. Even so, the processes should create on the personality and relationship built on the social networking website that surfaced the chance. The special differentiator between the dealers down the street selling the same product is not the price, but the people that started the dialogue built on an earned relationship and trust.
Viral advertising is a natural extension of social networking that distributes a message in such a way that it will be forwarded by the recipient in a geometric progression enhanced by its valued content, distinctive creative, entertaining production or some quality that will motivate the initial consumer to share it with their spheres of influence. The exponential growth of this kind of on-line distribution chan nel affords an extremely price efficient media to distribute the initial message to a diverse audience that might or may not be interested in the content, but even a little percentage of conversions represent a superior short term and quantifiable R.O.I. to conventional marketing media. The buzz created by the extended on-line community also develops lengthy term branding recognition that enhances the reach and frequency of the message with less measurable outcomes but similar value in developing top of the mind awareness for future consumers.
By extension, social media as it is applied for the purpose of advertising for the retail auto industry is a channel for distribution of both viral and targeted advertising messages through controlled blogging forums as well as expanded spheres of influence by means of on the net communities such as Twitter, Face book, LinkedIn, Naymz, YouTube, etc.
These on the web social networking communities have unique profil es that attract different varieties of users. Twitter and Face book, for example, are much more universal and personal in nature although Naymz and LinkedIn are additional professional and focused on business to enterprise networking with YouTube utilizing video to express the message. These on the internet communities will be component of your extended social media channel, on the other hand, much more specialized networks targeted to the auto business must be the core channels based on their applicable content, audience and related links.
It must also be noted that recent market studies confirm that the efficiency defined by Twitter - in that they limit their postings to 140 words - has served to differentiate them from other sites with a superior growth curve to prove it. Conversion rates from Twitter users who access on the net banner ads or comparable commercial messages are twice those of social networkers who do not have Twitter in their on the internet pro files. The revelation is that numerous on the web networkers are overwhelmed by the fragmented on the net communities that they participate in and limited time demands them to seek out a lot more effective methods to manage their on the web and real world lives.
New platforms that link these diverse on the web communities into one central access point now exist that offer efficiencies beyond those provided by any single website. Power.Com -- for example -- functions as a layer or residence page that represents this one stop social networking site philosophy. Newly developed marketing platforms serving the auto industry, like ronsmap.com, integrate social media with their vehicle listings with localized search engine functions -- think Google Local! ronsmap is a game changing on-line vehicle buying/selling internet site for both customers and dealers that makes automobile buying quick, comprehensive, transparent and live. Their proprietary technology gives clients unparalleled buying and negotiating power over the automobile purchasing/selling processes including the opportunity to accommodate For Sale By Owner listings. It offers auto dealers with unprecedented levels of sales intelligence on consumer leads and it enables automotive advertising agencies to promote and engage customers via social networks.
The capability to supply both B2B and B2C advertising messages supported by relevant social networking forums is an efficient combination of company and pleasure that will attract today's time challenged consumers. Of course, company opportunities must be subordinate to providing relevancy and fascinating content to the end users -- the car shoppers -- nonetheless, the convenience of providing a locally targeted inner circle of connected real world friends by means of an on the web communication tool is an example of the leveraged and efficient resources that are emerging on the Internet. Marketing to customers in social networking communities demands resources, tools and skill sets to compliment and supplement auto dealers existing on the internet selling efforts and ronsmap supplies all of these elements in a cost efficient scalable manner whilst delivering market intelligence that enables the auto dealer to maximize their conversion rates and preserve gross profit in their on the internet negotiations.
Finally, quite a few dealers have learned the value of integrating customer generated content onto their web sites via blogging forums and other strategies to present past and present customer experiences to possible future clients. These dealer sponsored social networking platforms are generally suspect and dealers tend to filter negative comments on their own internet site which limits participation by customers and adversely impacts the confidence of visitors in the value of the content. A far more proven platform has been for auto dealers to support third party micro-web site s that distance the dealer from the on the internet community. The web site can then expand on the messages it presents to consist of problems of interest to potential clients. Links to community organizations and related data resources supported by the dealer do not require a sales message, which would likely alienate the on-line community. The value of developing relationships with the website visitors on the frequent ground of your shared support for the activities coordinated on the web site will plant the seed that will grow when they are looking for a friend in the vehicle enterprise.
The agenda of participants in social media and social networking does not include commercial messages as it is primarily an on-line platform to construct relationships and share facts. On the contrary, any commercial abuse of a social media web site will alienate users and produce negative backlash. That said, as previously stated, human nature has survived from the real world to the virtual world and people still prefer to do enterprise with friends -- real or virtual. As lengthy as the sales message is secondary to supplying valued content or is placed in the context of a relationship focused community with shared interests then the capacity to develop sales is both measurable and assured.
Viral advertising and social media have price advantages over conventional media -- such as radio, TV, print, direct mail, etc. -- as well as on the internet investments in search engine advertising, (SEM) -- such as pay per click and banner advertisements -- since there is no direct costs.
They are similar in their R.O.I. and value to World wide web based search engine optimization, (SEO), with comparable indirect costs in that they are labor intensive. However, correctly leveraged reciprocal links and automated content provided by RSS feeds from related on the web sources can be integrated to reduce the labor for both content and distribution enhancing the R.O.I. even after the price of labor is considered.
An extra special value of social media is the growing significance of relevancy and consumer generated content in consumer preference in their selection of sites as a resource for details. Improvement in conversion and bounce rates, time on page and a number of other internet site analytics can be directly attributed to improved relevancy and consumer content -- as is provided by social media when properly integrated with a web site.
A lot more substantially, is the resulting impact it is having on searc h engines such as Google in adjusting the algorithms that establish both page rankings and even costs associated with their pay per click programs. Also, the constantly changing messages provided by user generated content on the posting website improves its seo. The significance of relevancy has been firmly established by both customers and the search engines insuring that its impact on Internet use will increase as must your focus on it.
A less obvious but equally valued aspect of the use of social media to extend your advertising plans is the evolution of the use of the Web by consumers to be much more of a pull/push media vs. the old world advertising logic of push/pull. The World wide web has allowed customers the freedom to gather details from a selection of on the web resources to prevent the sales hype and self serving messages employed by advertisers in other media.
The recognized preference for consumers to rely on referrals and shared personal experiences from third party sources and "friends" has been enhanced by the World wide web and, additional specifically, social media which has been shown to present a stronger influence on customers than both conventional and other strategies of World wide web based marketing efforts. Leveraged resources in the auto business social networking arena offer consumers, auto dealers and vendors with the inside story on the auto business. These web site offer shared content by direct and indirect links with other established social media networks as well as specialized auto business networking communities in consumer/dealer/consultant/vendor facing forums.
It is critical to note that the messages and even the portals themselves are established as open forums with minimum self serving or obviously commercial elements. Of course, the underlying purpose of quite a few of these web sites is to improve the seo and relevancy of the auto dealer participants and all of the contributing members. Even so, social media rely on relationship based communications. If a web site is perceived by customers as being self serving or commercial it will be shunned by consumers.
The demand by consumers for transparency on an auto dealer's site is coupled with the auto dealer's need to convert these virtual clients to real world selling opportunities for vehicle sales and service. The following online processes are designed to replicate and integrate with established real world selling systems with out offending the online shoppers by delivering the details that they want, when they want it -- which is immediately!
1) Meeting and Greeting: Meeting and greeting is step 1 in both the real and the virtual world. If a customer walks into a showroom he expects to either locate the information he wants or to be directed to where he can discover it. Conversion tools, such as Argistics AutoTransaXion and Auto Site Plus, permit a pro-active engagement with an invitation to answer a customer's questions.
AutoTransaXion links with the dealer's DMS and CRM to integrate with established real world selling systems. A lot more uniquely, their two way video customer interaction platform replicates the human experience" for relationship based communications. Yet another chat application with a exclusive added value is AutoWebsitePlus.Com. It replaces the video function found in AutoTransaXion with a 15 language translation application that permits an English speaking sales staff to directly communicate with Spanish, German, Italian, etc. speaking consumers. Specialized R.O.I. analytics contain S.E.M. and S.E.O. quantified and qualified reports to monitor and manage all of your on the internet advertising and marketing investments that are driven to your site.
Both AutoTransaXion and Auto Website Plus also offer a staffed answer to supplement -- or even replace -- an auto dealer's sales or world wide web staff in processing world wide web leads sourced from the website. Justified cuts in expenses by auto dealers struggling to adjust fixed and semi-variable expenses to be in synch with reduced profit margins and sales volume has forced many dealers to reduce the efficiency of their selling processes on both their real and virtual showrooms. The ability to add a remote staff to immediately respond and procedure on the internet sales and service opportunities in a consistent manner can either supplement existing staff or extend the on the web showroom hours to a 24/7 schedule.
2) Initial T.O. + qualifying + feature/benefit presentations: AutoTransaXion and Auto Web page Plus both supply a real time interaction which can be used to accommodate an initial T.O. and to initiate an interview to qualify the customer's needs. Once their needs are determined, the application continues in a push/pull manner to present facts on a variety of vehicles.
3) Inventory walk and test drive: The use of videos in conjunction with embedded links to relevant data, such as Automobile Fax reports, combined with a list of comparable vehicles based on the customer's needs, can replicate the consumer experience in the real world. SiSTeR Technologies Video CarLot is an automated video production service that can convert an auto dealer's on the net pictures into a professional video with human voice as well as the capability to integrate existing video content into the stitched pictures provided on the dealer's website. In addition, multiple schema layers linked to a dedicated micro-website -- vShock -- offers an extended marketing platform for similar inventory on the dealer's web page. This procedure will narrow down the inventory to a short list of possible vehicles to permit the on the internet selling process to continue into relevant negotiations and in some instances even to an actual online transaction. This application also integrates a lead conversion form that is directly sourced back to the video posted on the dealer's internet site, third party advertising internet sites and even on the search engines as a distinctive URL linked to the video posted on You Tube through a dedicated API that delivers the vehicle with integrated meta tags and search words tied to the vehicle as well as links back to the posting dealer's website in synch with their established S.E.O. programs. (vSEO)
4) Trade-in evaluation and negotiations: AutoTransaXion and Auto Web page Plus push/pull capabilities consist of the capability to request pictures and details on a trade-in that will supply sufficient info for a dealer to establish an actual appraised value subject to confirmation at the time of delivery. Similarly, since the applications are linked with the auto dealer's DMS, the 1st pencil can be delivered at the point of 1st contact with actual negotiations in a comparable fashion to established real world selling processes.
5) On the net transactions and delivery: AutoTransaXion and Auto Web page Plus can complete a negotiation and process all customer and vehicle details directly into an auto dealer's DMS and CRM with the capability to push all forms required to consummate a sale. The dealership can then deliver the vehicle along with the appropriate paperwork. The delivery can be scheduled at the dealership to stay away from proper of rescission rules that exist in many states. It really should be noted that even if an appointment is made at the dealership the method will be greatly enhanced by the online communications that preceded it.
6) Follow up for sold and un-sold units: Database advertising for sold and unsold clients has existed for a lot of years, even so, matrix based automa ted solutions have been very limited. Bulldog Advertising Technologies and their integrated Consumer Cleanse offer a custom follow up to any customer that has been entered into a dealer's database. The messages can be delivered via email or direct mail with a personalized message drawn from the initial contact.
The distinctive feature of Bulldog is their capability to select comparable vehicles for the ongoing consideration of unsold clients. The contact can consist of present price details such as factory incentives, interest rates and payments to address problems that may have prevented the initial sale.
In addition, Consumer Cleanse uses third party resources to figure out if a customer has already purchased a vehicle -- even if from a diverse dealership -- so the message can be converted to a service provide rather than a sales message that will be ignored by the customer. Sold consumers are also included in the method with service offers and custom er satisfaction messages to supplement the dealer's existing CRM functions.
7) Inventory management and ongoing on the web advertising: It is an accepted wisdom that dealers make their money on Utilized Cars when they acquire them, not when they sell them. Inventory management systems like AAX, vAuto, eCarList and FirstLook offer applications that use historical sales data as well as present on-line postings in varying ratios of relevancy to assist in the appraisal process. Extended and integrated advertising platforms also seamlessly place the newly acquired inventory onto the dealer's web site and third party advertising web sites. Since time is cash the faster the vehicles are placed on the virtual inventory and on the net marketing plan the sooner they are sold and the profit is turned into an additional vehicle.
FirstLook has the special capacity to apply their proprietary algorithm to design the copy of the on the internet ads for the vehicles uti lizing their Consumer Optimization procedure to prioritize the features and benefits for each vehicle to precisely match proven customer preferences. This automated production process increases conversion and profits from the posted ads and extra features and functionality are planned to further improve the ads. (Can you say VIDEO!)
All of the issues discussed in this article can be referenced to the key differentiator between conventional advertising/advertising and the newly maturing position being reserved for social networking. For example, customer reviews exist in most retail verticals on the World Wide Web and the auto industry is no exception. Although the significance of this component of many social networking site can't be over emphasized, it is only 1 bullet in the gun of auto dealer's that are constantly expanding their investment in reputation management and branding via the use of their social networking/marketing plans.
Web 2. has turn o ut to be an established buzz for today's automotive advertising agencies but User Generated Content, (UGC), has earned a position in their vocabulary in a selection of forms. Social Media -- for example -- references communication technology provided in a public forum that makes it possible for users to interact and contribute shared content by way of a variety of tools such as forums, blogs, Weblogs, networking communities, wikis and radio podcasts -- like my own blog talk radio shows on AdAgencyOnline.Net.
Social Advertising describes a grouping of social media tools that supply direct personal relationships with a targeted group of clients. Social Networking Web sites consist of well recognized on the net communities like Face Book, Twitter, Bebo, MySpace and newly maturing centralized aggregator internet sites like ronsmap.com that allow men and women to connect with old and new on-line friends by means of personal profiles that define their shared interests i n both the real and the virtual world on an individual basis as well as with groups that they have in widespread.
The growing acceptance and recognition of these numerous and related facets of the new phenomenon of Social Networking is built on established enterprise and advertising advertising principals enhanced by the new language of today's Web and technology driven auto business. They all recognize the significance of relationship selling and branding to supplement and compliment -- not replace -- conventional calls to action and direct selling messages.
The search engines are also playing a growing role in the acceptance of UGC and the importance of reputation management with the development of new tools -- like Google's Sidewiki -- that provides web site visitors with a text box to post their opinion of an auto dealer's website to future visitors. They have an added self serving agenda to eventually sell this information and data to potential on- line advertisers since the application also tracks the user's history on the Web but it raises the significance and urgency of protecting auto dealer's on-line reputation to a new level!
Automotive advertising agencies are learning and applying the rules established by the search engines but dictated by the on the net consumer who ultimately is the only driver on the Web Super Highway that matters. In summation, monetizing social networking and applying it into selling processes that blur the line between the real and the virtual world is the objective and role of today's automotive advertising agencies.
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Automotive Advertising Agencies Monetize Social Networking by Integrating it Into Real World Process
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