Last updated 3 days ago
It can be hard to keep track of everything that happens in a week. That’s why we endlessly roam the Internet in search of some of the most interesting stories from the automotive and social media industries – so you don’t have to. Take a look at what we’ve found this week:
5 Ways Social Media Supports All Critical Areas of Any Company
“Making social media work for your company is not a matter of ‘if.’ It’s a question of ‘how.’ Social media marketing affects and supports all critical areas of the organization – from sales and marketing to HR and client services. Here’s how you can show those pesky, stubborn, decision-makers that social is a key investment for the growth of their organization and has multiple benefits to each discipline…”
5 Steps to Create Brand Advocates for Your Small Business
“In today’s socially-driven world, your customers aren’t just customers – they’re valuable marketing assets. Word of mouth – or keyboard, as these days it’s mostly done via social media – is what drives your business’ success. If companies want to promote themselves in an organic way, they’ve got to develop brand advocates…”
Pinterest Analytics: The Ultimate Guide to Tracking Your Site’s Performance on Pinterest
“According to Nielsen’s State of the Media: Social Media Report 2012, Pinterest has over 27 million active users as of July 2012, and has shown explosive growth in the last three years… Even though Pinterest can’t yet compete with Facebook, it is growing exponentially and in three short years is now one of the top six largest social media networks, alongside Twitter, LinkedIn Google+, and YouTube…”
Memes with Meaning: Why We Create and Share Cat Videos and Why it Matters to People and Brands
“Google’s Abigail Posner explains why those screaming goat videos aren’t just a mindless distraction; they reflect a real human need to evaluate the everyday, make connections, and exchange energy. Here, she outlines how brands can participate meaningfully…”
How to Convince Your Skeptical Boss That Facebook Marketing Works
“Is your business on Facebook? Do you need to convince your boss – or a client – that Faceobok is a worthy marketing investment? In this article I’ll show you 7 things you can do to convince decision-makers of the value of Facebook…”
Last updated 6 days ago
Plenty of businesses are starting to use content marketing to promote their products and services. They’ve heard how it can boost discoverability online and ultimately increase sales leads. However the majority of those companies won’t get the results they’re looking for. Why? They’re turning off potential consumers with these 4 common content marketing mistakes.
Pushing the hard sell.
Closing the deal may be the underlying goal of your content marketing efforts – but that doesn’t mean you should push for the sale in every piece of content. Instead, use carefully planned content to move potential customers through the sales cycle, from discovery to purchase. Creating content aimed at helping customers learn more about the benefits of your vehicles and service plans builds trust, as it helps the consumer make a more informed buying decision.
Monopolizing the conversation.
The ideal conversation should be a mix of listening and talking – and the same rules apply to your dealership’s online communities. When sharing your content, ask for consumers’ opinions and take their comments and suggestions seriously. By showing you value their input, you’re taking steps to build a real relationship with your customers. Plus, their feedback can make for an awesome source of potential blog topics to keep your content flowing.
Talking-smack about the competition.
Stressing your competitors’ flaws only makes your dealership appear insecure. Instead, focus on what you do well, and how your vehicles and service plans can make your customers’ lives easier. By showing how the different vehicles in your new car line up can solve unique problems customers inevitably face, you’re putting your best foot forward.
Overloading online communities.
Are you sharing the exact same information on blogs, social networks and email at the exact same time? If so, you’re probably turning off your customers. Rather than having updates send automatically every time you publish a new blog post, consider customizing your social updates to make them appeal to each unique online community. You probably have fans that follow you on Twitter and also ‘Like’ you on Facebook – so do your best to vary your content and publishing times to maximize your reach on each social network.
When done right, content marketing can be an incredibly effective way to generate customer leads for your dealership. However, plenty of businesses are just starting to regularly create great content, and are inevitably making some mistakes along the way. That’s ok – provided you learn from them.
Has your dealership made any content marketing mistakes? Share your cautionary tales in the comments below.
Last updated 10 days ago
It can be hard to keep track of everything that happens in a week. That’s why we endlessly roam the Internet in search of some of the most interesting stories from the automotive and social media industries – so you don’t have to. Take a look at what we’ve found this week:
How to Sell Anything Using Social Media
“Three years ago, my wife and I sold our co-op apartment in New York to move into a bigger home – and I created a Facebook page entitled Dave’s House for Sale, dedicated exclusively to selling my home. The page actually generated three leads, one of which led to an offer… Three weeks ago, a client of our partner agency in Turkey, Likeable Istanbul, sold a car on Twitter. Dogus Otomotiv’s second hand car dealing brand DOD managed to sell an automobile via its Twitter account (@DODcomtr) with a proactive strategy and successful customer listening…”
The 5 Things Customers Actually Want
“My 8 year-old daughter came to me recently with an urgent request… ‘Dad,’ she said, ‘I need an iPad mini.’ While I would usually dismiss this request as the cravings of a child who watches too much TV (see: is exposed to too much advertising), my interest was piqued and I asked her to explain… It was through this – albeit expensive – exercise, that I started to wonder, how is it that an 8 year-old has mastered the art of persuasion, when so many professional marketers fail?...”
Small Business Social: How to Build Relationships
“Do you use social media to attract and engage customers? Are you wondering how you can use social media to market your business and drive sales? To learn how you can develop relationships with social media and content, I interview Jeff Korhan for this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast…”
This is the Perfect Pinterest Picture, According to Science
“For the past year, a Philadelphia-based startup called Curalate has been stalking Pinterest, amassing a database of millions of images shared on the picture-collection hub, plus information on how often those images were shared, liked, or commented upon. The Curalate team, including a computer vision PhD and a dedicated in-house data scientist recently did some intensive number crunching on that database, sampling 500,000 images and distilling them from half a dozen or so characteristics that seem to distinguish popular Pinterest images…”
The Impact of Contests on Email Leads
“Landing pages running $500 giveaway contests generate 700% more email subscribers than landing pages not running contests, according to a recent study by Incentivibe, a company that provides contest services…”
Last updated 13 days ago
Social network Pinterest is a virtual pin board that allows users to ‘pin’ and save things that they’re interested in. According to a Bizrate Insights study, 70% of the social network’s near 25 million visitors say they use the site to get shopping inspiration [via Digiday]. And customers are using the site to shop for everything from clothing to cars. In fact, Pinterest has a ‘Cars and Motorcycles’ category devoted solely to vehicles.
Buick recently took to Pinterest to advertise the new Encore, creating a contest to reach a market of approximately 12.5 million users who are between the ages of 25 and 44. (You can read more about the contest at Digiday.) But how can your dealership leverage the social network to reach potential customers? Read our 5-tips below:
Be descriptive.
Include descriptions for all of your dealership’s boards and pins. Where possible, be sure to use location-based keywords in your description. That will help individuals looking for local services to find your boards. Like Twitter, Pinterest recognizes hashtags – so feel free to use them in your pin descriptions to ensure they’re tagged with high value keywords.
Pin it.
Add the ‘pin it’ button to your website to encourage customers to pin products or articles from your website to their pin boards. Of course, Pinterest is about more than sharing your own content – repining other content that’s relevant to your users helps to create a more well-rounded experience. To get noticed by pinners in your community, consider creating a board for local events or businesses, and repin some of their content that could also be of interest to your customers.
Think visual.
Pinterest is all about eye-catching images and videos. Look for ways to create visual content as you build your marketing calendar. Take pictures of your vehicles, at events in your dealership, or use images to construct a “how-to” guide for your customers. Expand your pins to include more than just your own products coupons or advertisements and look for ways to incorporate interesting images that capture the attention of consumers.
Follow locals.
Find potential customers in your community using Pinterest’s search tools. Search for your city, click on ‘People,’ and find potential customers to follow. Checking out their pin boards is also a great way to learn more about your target market.
Leverage Pinterest reports.
Pinterest now has reporting tools for businesses. First, join Pinterest as a business, or convert your dealership’s account into a business account. Next, verify your website, and add the ‘pin it’ button so that it’s easy to pin from your website or blog. Once you’ve completed the set up process, you’ll be able to see what people are pining from your website, track your pinning activity, and check out your most repinned images and videos to see what really resonates with your target market. Take a walkthrough of Pinterest’s analytics features to learn more.
Has your dealership reached local customers on Pinterest? Share your tips in the comments below.
Last updated 17 days ago
It can be hard to keep track of everything that happens in a week. That’s why we endlessly roam the Internet in search of some of the most interesting stories from the automotive and social media industries – so you don’t have to. Take a look at what we’ve found this week:
What a Real Relationship in Social Media Should Look Like [Infographic]
“The promise of social media was once ‘one-to-one engagement’ and ‘relationship building’… but somehow ‘building a relationship’ in social media has morphed into blasting messages at as many people as possible and hoping someone is attracted. How the heck did this happen?... are genuine social media relationships even possible today? The answer is yes – and we’ve got a real-life example to prove it…”
11 Checks to Ensure Your Facebook Page is Up-to-Date
“How long has it been since you’ve reviewed your Facebook page? Are you taking advantage of the latest Facebook features? It’s critical that Facebook Page managers take time to regularly audit their Page and ensure that they are not missing out on new features. This Facebook Page audit guide outlines 11 key items to review to help maximize your Page’s potential…”
Where Do Marketers Get Customers? [Data]
“Time and time again, we get asked for benchmark data, particularly about customer generation. Well, you may remember we recently launched our 2013 State of Inbound Marketing Research Report, and we used the mounds of research there to try to, you know, ‘give the people what they want.’ And the people want benchmark data. I broke down survey responses about customer generation through the lens of simple demographic information – B2B versus B2C, industry, company size, and company location…”
26 Ways to Create Engaging Content
“Are you looking to create content that engages? Does your content connect with people and encourage them to engage? In this article I’ll show you 26 ways to make content that engages people, in an A-Z guide of tips…”
4 Ways to Find Your Brand’s Voice
“Ready to start marketing your new company, product or brand? Before you create a blog, draft content for your brand-spanking-new website or start tweeting, first define your ‘brand voice.’ In a nutshell, this is the heart and soul of your communications. More than specific words and phrases, your brand voice is the tone in which you speak to and connect with your audience…”
