The discussion taking place regarding social media is fascinating. It’s a very predictable conversation as a business jumps into this new exciting media channel.
It goes something like this.
“WE HAVE TO GET INTO SOCIAL MEDIA!”
“I agree we can’t be left behind and it might be a silver bullet!”
“HOW DO WE DO IT?”
“I have a friend who’s into social media or we can use our internet guy.. he’s a wizard on Facebook. Let’s get one of them to set it up and run it.”
“HAVE WE SOLD ANYTHING?”
“No not yet. I’ve been posting deals of the week and nothing sold. But, I haven’t looked at it in a few days.”
“HOW COME WE ONLY HAVE A FEW LIKES?”
“I don’t know. I told you this was a waste of time!”
This scenario has taken place thousands of times. All you have to do is look and you’ll see Facebook skeletons littering the internet. All the sights look the same, very few likes and no post for months.
Here’s the problem! Narrow thinking and a lack of social media knowledge. It’s not the media! It’s the driver. It’s a new media AND very few people understand how to make it work.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS
1) Review your social media platform.
You must have a blog but it shouldn’t appear to be a sales site.
2) Integrate your blog into digital and traditional media!
The blog gives you great content every month for an e-newsletter. Put 4 blogs into the newsletter and send it out. Add fixed ops offers and encourage them to engage your social pages.
Each blog you publish enhances your Organic search rankings. You’re becoming more relevant!
The blog gives you editorial content to run in local newsletters for churches and other local organizations, community newspapers, and internet sites. Everyone needs free content!
3) Integrate Social Media into your sponsorships!
Don’t sponsor one more event or organization without creating a social media event out of it.
For the first time you can actually get value out of every donation you make. In fact you’ll see returns you never thought possible. When one of these opportutinites goes viral look out. The added exposure of TV, radio or newspaper exposure can be significant.
4) Integrate Social Media into your media negotiations.
Social Media should be apart of every media negotiation you do in the future. Look for opportunities to tap into the media’s social networks. Ask how do we create a dynamic social program with this promotion. If you really want some added value out of your next media buy include social media.
OK… Social Media WORKS! The problem is the discussion is usually centered around the wrong topics.
You shouldn’t be asking is it working. You should be asking…..
”How do I Integrate Social Media into everything we do?”
Last thought>>> Stop thinking of Social Media as a stand alone media. It’s a critical communication channel for your customers. Make it a big part of yours. Integrate!
Put a Post-It note right where you can see it and write down:
Marketing Is About To Get Really Hard! What Am I Doing About It?
It’s the calm before the storm.
Are dealers about to be caught unprepared? The answer is a resounding YES!
If you thought marketing was challenging in 2009 watch the next few years closely!
HERE’S SOME BREAKING NEWS
There’s a dealer or two in your market who is preparing to dominate your market. They’re developing an integrated marketing strategy that focuses on relevancy. They understand the change in the air.
Here’s what they know! The market place wants you to be relevant to their information needs and their communication preferences.
Many experts are calling it circle marketing or small town marketing. Either way the consumer wants more relevant information and on their terms.
For example this is going to affect:
How you approach Google Ad Words
Where you send your consumers
What offers you make
How you connect via Social Media, Digital or Traditional Media
Every message and path needs to be Integrated!
Social Media has forever changed the landscape. It has empowered people to get relevant information and to share their experiences. They’ve discovered they can dictate how they wish to be communicated with.
Stop and write down Social Media is my friend not my enemy. It’s the missing link. The link that will allow you to fully integrate your marketing efforts. It will allow you to reach the circles and to be the leader in small town marketing.
Don’t think I’m talking about Facebook. Facebook is only a tool. I’m talking about the entire social media world. It’s a place not a tool.
Integration strategists understand by expanding your frequency and interaction between media channels, you’ll expand both your reach and your frequency while maintaining your brand and retail message.
Remember this>>> “The early adopters of integration strategies are thrilled about the reluctance of it’s competitors to keep pace.”
Don’t stick your head in the sand. Marketing is about to get REALLY, REALLY HARD!
If your automotive ad agency is not taking to you about integration they might just be too old school. Don’t let their lack of vision affect your future. Ask about small town marketing. Ask about relevancy.
Give me a shout if you want to talk integration.. I love it!
Is it possible to have love and automotive marketing in the same sentence?
Yes it is….
Really it is. We’ve been trained for years to think of each individual media as it’s own silo. You don’t fall in love with any marketing plan if you’re constantly evaluating each effort on it’s own merit.
Did the mailer work?
Did the TV spot drive traffic?
Did my web site create leads?
Is Social Media driving any sales?
What’s this have to do with LOVE?
(Note: There’s nothing wrong with tracking and holding your marketing effective.
I’m sure your spouse is good at something, not so good with others, brilliant with some but when you put this all together you have someone you can’t live without.
You could find different people whom are brilliant at certain things. You could spend time with the good cook when your hungry. Call the good dancer when you’re ready to go dancing. And you call the spiritual one when you’re ready to attend church on Sunday.
The problem is you won’t LOVE any of them. You’ll change them out like pieces in a puzzle before you would ever know if they might be a good match for you.
Marketing is the same way. If you want to love your marketing you must integrate all aspects of your marketing into one great plan. A plan with everything rolled up into one incredible automotive marketing effort.
Take your traditional advertising and integrate into digital and social.
Take your digital marketing and integrate it into social and traditional advertising.
Integrate everything into one complete plan.
STOP… treating every marketing opportunities as stand alone options.
The question you need to be asking is can I integrate this into other advertising channels and can it make something else more productive. If you answer yes…. add it to the mix. Don’t let your automotive ad agency keep you from integrating! So many do without even realizing it! They maybe be too small and don’t have the resources or they just focus on one particular media.
Traditional negotiations of a television buy consisted of the number of spots you could get for your budget. You’d also look at reach and frequency in an effort to hit some minimum numbers. You’d look at the cost per thousand as you targeted a specific demographic. Finally, if you didn’t like the programming it was usually eliminated.
It’s time to now integrate social media into your television, radio or print negotiations.
Yes, social media is a high priority with most local media properties. The obstacle for most stations is how do they leverage thier media with advertisers most auto client don’t have a vibrant social program?
The answer is they can’t!
This is great news for you! (You do have a social media program don’t you?)
There are two dynamics working here. The stations are looking for partnerships with dealers who have a social media program and a media budget. The stations have two strong motivating factors.
1) To get your ad dollars 2) To show some value in their social networks
For example WFAA here in Dallas Fort Worth has over 23,000 likes on facebook and over 18 twitter accounts. About 16,000 on one account alone.
Here’s how you do it… ASK!
Ask how can we tie your social network into theirs. Can we do some joint social promotions? Can we tie into some events you have scheduled? Can we tie into your local programing? Can we offer your social networks something exclusive?
For no extra cost you’re potentially connecting into another 40,000 targeted individuals simply by participating in social media. Just ask! You have a motivated partner.
Integration of social media into your media negotiations is a must. Leverage, leverage and more leverage!
It’s undeniable Integration will make your marketing more effective and provide plus leads.
However, Integration can also help you increase appointments and sales!
One industry expert recently showed us how Integration of call data can do just that.
Dr. Mlinarcik of PCS Global has developed and incredible service and you should take a close look at.
Anytime I can find a low cost way to create more appointments and improve a dealers closing ratio I’m all ears.
Dr. John’s and PCS Globals Integration strategy centers around the phone call. Most dealers are recording their call traffic for marketing purposes but very few effectively use the call recordings for additional appointments.
PCS Global has several solution you should look at integrating into your call system.
Tele Pulse gives you a snap shot of each call by providing a written overview of each call. This saves you valuable time. You won’t have to allocate the resources to listen to each call and it gets done everyday. The executive review is easy to read and provides the important elements of each call.
Save A Deal does just what it promises… it saves deals. These are deals that clearly have an issue and need someone stepping in to make sure the customer gets what they need.
PCS Globals Training and Coaching process is very effective. They review your calls and rate the handlers on a variety of important subjects.
This is an effective Integration process that should take place every day. I encourage you to take a look at this service. This is a great example of how Integration can give you a better ROI. Remember, it’s not always about more traffic. Integration can be about taking advantage of the traffic you already have. Make sure you have your automotive ad agency checks this out.
If you’d like to know more on how Integration can help you just give me a shout out.
The results are in. Integration of traditional, digital and social media is the perfect storm. Yes, the market will always be fluid but when you harness the power of integration you really have something.
Integration requires you to look at things differently. You must stop evaluating traditional, digital and social media as independent silo’s. They can no longer be single tools. They must interact! They must be connected.
The power of integration is simple. You stay connected with your prospect and customer through the buying cycle. Your marketing is more viral, more interactive, more responsive and more effective.
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is the coordination and integration of all marketing communication tools, avenues, functions and sources within a …..
You Get The Picture!
Here’s your starter rules to get started.
Stop treating each media channel as a stand alone tool.
Ask your self how can I integrate this.
Live by the motto… I Integrate Everything!
Believe me there’s a way to integrate everything. All you have to do is ask the question!
Ask your automotive ad agency or search google for more help. But what ever you do start integrating today!
Google Has Combined It’s Local Map Search With Organic Results!
If you haven’t noticed yet the Google map has been pushed to the right side of the screen above the sponsored links. Businesses no longer are listed directly to the right of it.Moving the map to the right has allowed the organic results to move up.
This is an effort by Google to put more emphasis on local searches. Place Searches will become a big player in your future.
If a business that’s listed well in the organic results has a Google Places account set up, its listing will be enhanced from the photos, reviews and contact information pulled from Google Places.
You’ll also notice on the left side of the page, beneath some of the organic search listings a button that say Places. If a consumer clicks on this bottom they’ll see all the Google Places Results.
Important to notice the review sections here. This is going to become really important to you!
So how does this effect you…
Since you do business locally you need to get all over Google Places.
Traditional search engine strategies (Bloging for one) that help a website rank high will have more importance.
Reviews will be easier for consumers to find. You must work on good Customer service and getting reviews published.
You may see less website traffic because addresses and phone numbers are easier to find in the search engine results. .
What the Dealer Should Do?
It will be hard for you to rank well for local search without a well-optimized website, a claimed optimized Google Places page and social media program centered around a blog.
Set up or claim your Google pages/local account at http://bit.ly/gooclaim. Fill out your listing as completely as possible, including images. Add as many categories as you can (five as of now).
Start asking people to leave reviews on your Google Places page as well as on third-party sites.
If you don’t have a social media program get one started today!
Google is making “local and relevant” a priority. If your automotive ad agency isn’t ready to help give us a call.
Integrated marketing is here! And it’s more powerful than you can imagine.
Talk about a competitive advantage!
If you want to know what it looks and feels like watch this video from Social.Motive.
Traditional Advertising + Digital Advertising + Social Media
Hold ON!
If you’d like more thoughts on how to make integrated marketing work just drop me a note. It will be interesting to see how many Automotive Ad Agencies can connect with this new world.
Although digital marketing might not be as old as television and radio it gives you a great opportunity to reach out to your customers. Creating a newsletter using your Blog content will connect with your database.
These three examples are taken from a Social.Motivesldie show. They demonstrate regardless the size of your database you can expect some great results. Each of these newsletters would cost $500 to $ 1,000 if created from scratch. In a good social media program they are just an added benefit.
Open rate in these three examples ranged from 18% to 32%. You really should be doing this once a month if you want to effectively own your customers and grow your market share. This is great ROI!
If your Automotive Ad Agency or staff is not prepared to execute give us a call. We put in the game in a very short order.
Ron, Wheeler, Founder/CEO, Wheeler Advertising, Tel-Edge, and the Wright Edge Advertising.
The Integration of today's marketing channels is the single most important task you have as a retail marketer. This blog is designed to assist you in discovering ways to integrate traditional, digital and social media into a dynamic free flowing marketing program. Up Your Ups is "An Integration Think Tank" and we look forward to your interaction with us.
If you have questions or if you have suggestions on how I can improve this site, please don't hesitate to email them to me at rwheeler@wheeleradvertising.com
