Wow - what an incredible 8 days in California!  I don't know if it is the jet-lag or the fact that I hit the ski slopes hard after getting back, but I am exhausted today.  This exhaustion is so worth it!  I may be physically tired, but I am pumped.

Napa

Brian Pasch's Napa Valley Digital Marketing Strategies Conference was one of the best, if not the best, automotive marketing conferences I have ever been to.  This was the first conference where I saw so many vendors, consultants, and advanced dealers drop their titles and their brands to simply help.  It was parity for the sake of the greater good.

The theme of the conference was leadership and with so many dealership decision makers present I believe that theme sunk-in.  Many of the dealer principles were there to learn and we were all there to translate from geek to real world dialogue.

It was interesting to note that all the digital people at this conference were mostly saying the same thing:  don't get hung-up on shiny widgets and social media fairy dust.  Profit is made through intelligent process and management.

However, one company's representatives did not get the memo that we were all there to help.  I guess egos have a tendency to get in the way sometimes.  I had a few dealers mention to me that it was hard to learn with one particular individual in the classes.  All I know is that it was hilarious to watch him smack his yellow Corvette rental car (do I really need to say anymore) into the curb - it sounded like a missile exploded.  It made my day.  Since I'm sure he's reading this I have to ask how the 50th interview with Dealer Digest went?  Sorry they had to interrupt all those demos you did at NADA.

Brian - you and the PCG team did an incredible job.  There really isn't anything you can do about the previous paragraph, so don't worry about it.  I walked away with a lot of new friends and look forward to making more at the Bootcamp in Orlando this coming April.  This conference format is really strong.

NADA

It is vastly different being a vendor at a NADA.  It is hard work on either side of the aisle, but dealers get to make their own days.  For a vendor it is like taking 100 floor ups in a day, selling a few, but collecting the prospects for future follow-up.  It is non-stop.

As a dealer I didn't think about what a vendor is after at NADA other than some new accounts.  Vendors look for partnerships with other vendors just like dealers look for new vendors to partner with.  It was very interesting to be involved in these kinds of innovative conversations.

I didn't get too many opportunities to make it out of the Dealer.com booth for long.  I missed every workshop, but I did get an opportunity to catch-up with some old friends at their booths:  Dominion, Dealer Socket, vAuto, eLead, and Phone-Up Ninjas plus visits from iMagicLab, TK Carsites, and ActivEngage.  Always good to see you all.  There were some very impressive new products launched at NADA this year, and I have to say that I am most interested in watching Dominion.  They're based in my hometown so I have a lot of history with them and I am glad to see them finally doing stuff with all those product lines they have.  We need more players who can challenge the ADP's and Rey Reys out there.

This is going to be entirely biased, but I have to give a shout-out to Dealer.com.  The Saturday night party with Third Eye Blind at MOMA was the best NADA party I've ever attended.  The attention to detail was amazing and both Amy Parker and Dennis Lemoine at Dealer.com deserve massive applause for putting it all together.  Johnny Utah (John Jones - DDC Trainer), our DJ, tore it up at the party and in the booth.  You know you're doing a good job when people are hanging around for hours and the conference staff are constantly asking you to turn the volume down - if the cops don't show up it ain't a party.

As it is with every event there are always people I miss.  I apologize and hope we can connect by email or phone before the next event.

The next event is the Automotive Marketing Bootcamp before the Digital Dealer Conference in April.

CarMax on Twitter

I have a confession, when I first jumped on Twitter I had no clue what I was doing. I would log-in from time to time and retweet an interesting article or add what I thought was a nugget of wisdom, but overall I had no clue what a hash tag was, much less a retweet.

After I had a bit more experience and actually threw myself into using it, I realized the golden rule of Twitter – the entire system is built on relationships. You can’t jump on and off, posting vehicle inventory or your newest YouTube ad and expect to build a following. You have to invest the time and energy to actually engage with people in your network.

Twitter has a language all its own and the more you tap into the power of receiving and sharing relevant news, the wider your network will grow. Below I want to share best practices from a dealership I’ve seen rocking their Twitter brand on a daily basis.

The dealer brand is @CarMax. If you don’t follow these guys, stop reading and follow them this instant. You will see on a first hand basis why Twitter can be such a powerful PR tool for a dealership when used correctly. Here are just a few real Twitter postings from @CarMax from the last few weeks:

1. In response to a person who tweeted she was not happy with an aspect of her CarMax experience. (Keep in mind, she tweeted this to her list of followers, not directly to CarMax.) @CarMax
   Response: Hi, we saw your tweets. Pls give us a call. (phone #) We would like to look into this.
   
2. In response to a post from a woman who tweeted: found a great car @CarMax, but I think the dealership sold it. @CarMax
   Response: We have other great cars too!
   
3. In response to a Tweeter who said she had to go to @CarMax to get a new car after an accident. @CarMax
   Response: We’re so sorry to hear that! Here’s a ten percent off service coupon for you.

A couple of things strike me about these responses.

1) @CarMax Needs a Raise
First and foremost, whoever is handling their Twitter handle should be getting either a fat bonus or a raise. The online presence created for CarMax from this Twitter account alone is a huge public relations success. CarMax customers no longer feel like they’re being handled by a faceless dealer group, there’s a person behind the twitter handle and what’s more, the person cares enough to reach out to them.

2) @CarMax is Creating Active Discussions
Secondly, notice how @CarMax is creating discussions with these users? They’re reaching out directly to individuals – that’s powerful stuff! Imagine what all of these twitter user’s followers see from @CarMax. They see a dealership that cares more about the people in their store than the inventory on their lot. They see a company reaching out to instantly right wrongs and to truly engage them in a discussion. And speaking of righting wrongs…

3) @CarMax Is not Shying Away from Negative Tweets, But Actively Embracing Them.
So often in public relations we hear that clients don’t want to open themselves up to negative comments and perceptions when dealing with social media. But here’s a player that’s using negative tweets to change the game. By reaching out quickly to those Twitter users who have had a less than ideal experience, CarMax is showing they care about customers and want to turn their experience around. Just think of the good juju that comes from righting a wrong in front of the user’s entire network. Makes me want to buy my next car from CarMax, don’t you?

I’m still a long way from knowing the secrets to Twitter success (how in the world are people getting 15,000 followers?), but by following dealerships like @CarMax, I’m closer to understanding the power of this channel.

Are you creating active discussions and embracing negative tweets for your dealership?

HomeNet Gives Dealers Command of Their In-Market Social Media Landscape With SOCIALDEALER

February 2, 2011 (West Chester, PA) – HomeNet announced it is now reselling SOCIALDEALER, the most complete social media management (SMM) platform available, and tying it back to the inventory of users of HomeNet’s Inventory Online (IOL) Vehicle Marketing Suite.

SOCIALDEALER gives automotive dealers the ability to leverage their current sales and service customers to connect and engage on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other social networks to market their dealership’s brand and inventory to the online community, all from one location.

“By tying in with HomeNet’s inventory, SOCIALDEALER becomes an intelligent, inventory-specific prospecting tool that completely transforms how the dealership can finds new customers,” said Phil Penton, HomeNet’s VP of Business Development.  “From the millions of social conversations on the web, it can distill identifiable, live, in-market prospects.  It then allows the dealer to isolate those shoppers most likely to purchase from them and engage with them.”

“And, connecting to new buyers is just one part of the solution,” said Joe Castle, SOCIALDEALER’s CEO and founder.  “SOCIALDEALER also allows dealers to market in real-time to the online community with highly relevant information to drive more sales and service leads to the dealership.”

For instance, SOCIALDEALER hosts inventory on Facebook, monitors brand reputation, observes the competition online, effectively markets every department within the dealership, and even finds relevant articles and other fresh content to post, ensuring the dealership is an ongoing resource to their online community.

“The social media landscape is rich with active car buyers, but they are so scattered, and the potential for engaging shoppers so fleeting, that social media can be overwhelming to penetrate,” added Castle.  “Because SOCIALDEALER automates much of the process and provides such focus, it becomes efficient and cost-effective for the dealer to command that landscape with precision.”

About SOCIALDEALER: SOCIALDEALER was founded in 2008 by a group of automotive industry professionals who, in a challenging economy, realized the need for a change from traditional to revolutionary auto dealer marketing in order to evolve profitably.  SOCIALDEALER launched its forward-thinking Automotive Social Media Management Platform into the hands of Revolutionary Digital Dealers.  In 2010, SOCIALDEALER launched a social media management tool that gives dealers the ability to enter into the cluttered, fast-changing world of auto marketing through the use of social media to build their business, engage with customers, and drive dealership customer retention and loyalty.

About HomeNet Automotive, LLC: HomeNet Automotive helps the automobile industry save time and sell more vehicles. It is the leading provider of inventory merchandising, management, and marketing solutions, led by its flagship product, Inventory Online (IOL) Internet Marketing Suite. IOL is a web-based vehicle marketing solution relied upon by thousands of automotive dealers to engage buyers online and bring them into the showroom by streamlining the process of converting raw vehicle data into consumer-friendly and emotional online ads.  With 120 employees, HomeNet has garnered numerous awards, including a spot on Inc. Magazine’s "Inc. 5000" for the third year in a row, its fourth recognition by the prestigious magazine in as many years. HomeNet, based in West Chester, PA, with offices across the U.S., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AutoTrader.com, a leading automotive marketplace and consumer information website .  For more information, please email salesteam@homenetauto.com, visit www.homenetauto.com, or call (877) 738-3313.

OAK BROOK, IL (February 2, 2011) – vAuto announces today that it’s customers can now quickly and efficiently source used vehicles available at Manheim operating locations with the ability to access Manheim run lists from within vAuto’s proprietary stocking module.

“Partnering with Manheim is the first of many exciting integrations with our new AutoTrader.com relationship,” says Keith Jezek, vAuto’s president. “Combining vAuto’s stocking tool with Manheim’s comprehensive list of vehicles is a huge win for our customers. Manheim is a key player in facilitating the buying and selling of used vehicles for automotive dealers, providing vAuto’s customers the best resources to stock vehicles.”

Manheim is the world’s leading provider of vehicle remarketing services. In 2010, Manheim handled nearly 10 million used vehicles, facilitating transactions representing more than $50 billion in value. vAuto’s stocking module allows dealers to make their decisions for purchasing vehicles based on what the customers are actually buying in their own marketplace at that exact time, down to the level of year, make, model, trim and equipment configuration. In the past, dealers had to rely on historical data, not current trends, when making stocking decisions.

“Having access to comprehensive vehicle intelligence has become criticalto a dealership’s profitability,” says Joe George, group vice president, Manheim Online Solutions. “vAuto allows dealers to make buying decisions based on current supply and demand trends. Adding Manheim’s extensive data offering as a means to find these vehicles offers a competitive advantage to their customers.”



About vAuto

Headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, IL, vAuto also maintains a research and development center in Austin, TX. vAuto’s innovative “Live Market View” technology allows dealers to manage their used-vehicle inventories based on actual supply-and-demand for their specific market. Today, more than 3,000 dealerships across the country use vAuto’s pricing, appraisal, stocking and merchandising systems. Dale Pollak, vAuto’s founder, is the author of two books featuring best practices and strategies for the used car department, Velocity: From the Front Line to the Bottom Line and Velocity 2.0: Paint, Pixels & Profitability. vAuto is a wholly owned subsidiary of AutoTrader.com. Additional information about vAuto is available at www.vauto.com



About Manheim

Manheim is the world’s leading provider of vehicle remarketing services. Through its 130 worldwide wholesale operating locations, Manheim impacts every stage of a used vehicle’s life cycle, helping commercial sellers and automobile dealers maximize the full value of their vehicles. Drawing from its auction transaction volume, Manheim Consulting publishes the annual used Car Market Report, the definitive source of data for the used car industry. Manheim Consulting offers a wide range of services including custom analytics, business optimization and macro economic analysis. Manheim is the online vehicle remarketing leader, connecting buyers and sellers to the world’s largest, most comprehensive wholesale marketplace through its extensive in-lane and online offerings. Manheim.com receives nearly 900,000 visits each week. Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, Manheim is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, a leading communication, media and automotive services company.

HomeNet Offers “Free 30-Day Test Drive” of Facebook Marketplace to Help Dealers Reach Facebook’s Nearly 600 Million Users

West Chester, PA  (February 2, 2011) --  HomeNet Automotive today announced a “Free 30-Day Test Drive” of Facebook Marketplace for NADA attendees. The campaign to introduce automotive dealers to the power of Facebook’s Marketplace runs through February 11, 2011.

“What distinguishes our Facebook offering from the others is we provide unlimited premium listings of the dealer’s inventory on Facebook Marketplace as well as posting it onto the dealership’s fan page (other companies only perform the latter),” said Neal Gann, SVP of Strategic Development and Advertising Solutions at HomeNet.  “So, through HomeNet, our dealers’ inventory is exposed to 15 million monthly Marketplace users, not just their limited fan base of two to three hundred Facebook friends.”

HomeNet also directly integrates automotive listings on Facebook Marketplace with the dealer’s Fan Page and their website, so someone viewing a HomeNet dealer’s vehicle in the Marketplace can also see the dealer’s inventory, videos, employee and department pages, articles and other content, find similar vehicles, access the dealer’s website, become a fan, and generally focus their car shopping efforts around the dealers they like.

“Of course, the real power of this solution lies in the exponentially explosive, viral nature of Facebook,” adds Gann.  “As marketers, what we all want is for the consumer to promote us, and Facebook Marketplace does just that.  Each time one of those 15 million people comments on a vehicle, all of their friends see it.  As others join in the conversation, the dealer’s visibility then radiates throughout all of these friends-of-friends’ networks.  Best of all, as people peruse the Marketplace, they see listings that their friends ‘like’, adding invaluable credibility and trust to the shopping experience.”

Facebook has reached nearly 600 million users, and the Facebook Marketplace automotive section grew 354% last year.

Dealers who sign up for Facebook Marketplace through HomeNet enjoy unlimited premium listings, saving them hundreds of dollars each month.

HomeNet’s Facebook Marketplace includes:

• Integrated Marketplace listings with Dealer Fan Page, My Showroom, and My Listings pages
  
• Unlimited listings with priority placement in search results included
  
• Professional-looking, dealer-branded, vehicle display pages
  
• Friend-of-a-friend indicator on all listings, adding credibility to inventory and softening every sale
  
• One-stop syndication to over Oodle Pro’s 250 classified sites included, like Facebook Marketplace, Military.com, and Walmart.com
  
• Easy-to-use reporting monitors the impact and value of social media; conversions, traffic, page views, etc.
  
• Dealers can save hundreds of dollars through HomeNet’s unlimited listings and premium placement privileges

About HomeNet Automotive: HomeNet Automotive helps the automobile industry save time and sell more vehicles. It is the leading provider of inventory merchandising, management, and marketing solutions, led by its flagship product, Inventory Online (IOL) Internet Marketing Suite. IOL is a web-based vehicle marketing solution relied upon by thousands of automotive dealers to engage buyers online and bring them into the showroom by streamlining the process of converting raw vehicle data into consumer-friendly and rich online ads.  With 120 employees, HomeNet has garnered numerous awards, including a spot on Inc. Magazine’s "Inc. 5000" for the third year in a row, its fourth recognition by the prestigious magazine in as many years. HomeNet, based in West Chester, PA, with offices across the U.S., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AutoTrader.com, a leading automotive marketplace and consumer information website.  For more information, please email salesteam@HomeNetAuto.com, visit www.HomeNetAuto.com, or call (877) 738-3313.