Social-Media Car Survey Focuses on Cultivating Loyalists | News & Analysis content from WardsAuto More and more car shoppers use social-media websites to obtain vehicle information and peer advice, says a new survey on modern buying habits. And after a purchase, many consumers log on to those sites to comment on their new vehicles and buying experiences, according to the joint study by Dealer.com, DrivingSales and GfK Automotive Research. That online activity presents opportunities for alert auto makers and dealers to identify “loyalists” and ask them to share their automotive views with others online, says Kevin Root, Dealer.com's chief product officer. “If a dealership asks for reviews, most people are willing to post them,” Root says. “Foster that relationship.” He recommends dealers step up post-purchase marketing efforts in that way. About 40% of 2,000 people polled identify themselves as staunchly loyal a brand or dealership, “unless the relationship is screwed up,” Root says. Facebook is the Internet's dominant social-media site.
March 2012 - Social Media as a Collaborative Community Builder For Joe Mazza, 34-year-old principal of the Knapp School, an elementary school in Lansdale, PA near Philadelphia, a family tragedy serendipitously launched an interest in social media as a tool to build collaborative school-community engagement. On January 18, 2011 a huge gas line explosion in Philadelphia took the life of Mr. Mazza’s 19-year-old brother-in-law, Mark Keeley, a gas company employee. A self-described “tech geek,” Mr. Mazza, a University of Pennsylvania doctoral candidate, and his family launched a Facebook page, backed by a Twitter campaign, to persuade his late brother-in-law’s favorite band, Mumford & Sons, to play a concert in Philadelphia in his brother-in-law’s honor. Before tragedy struck, Mr. Mr. Joe Mazza, M.Ed., Speaks Joe Mazza developed his affinity for cutting edge technology in the early days of universal personal computer use. He advises his community partners to “find your passions and utilize them to do good.” Mr. Suddenly Last Summer Mr. Kids and Twitter
Everyone Should Hire 'Social Media Experts' I caught a post this week from Peter Shankman entitled "I Will Never Hire a Social Media Expert and Neither Should You." It's not the first of its kind, nor was it the best argued, but it struck a nerve and has made a number of waves around the web. Needless to say, as someone who employs multiple team members with a great deal of social media expertise, I strongly disagree with the substance and sentiment of the piece. Here's Peter's argument in his own words: No business in the world should want a “Social Media Expert” on their team. Being an expert in Social Media is like being an expert at taking the bread out of the refrigerator. The full piece makes a passionate case, but an entirely false one. As with my arguments against Mr. Let's start by exploring the popularity of social media experts in comparison to another job role Mr. As you can see, there's a dramatic rise in interest and demand for social media folks. The primary point Mr. I beg to differ. I don't see how Mr. Mr.
Social Media, Web Review Sites Strongly Influence Satisfaction with Car Buying Process The new study makes it clear car buyers want dealers to listen and help them make the right decision. How satisfied you are with the process of purchasing your next vehicle will likely be influenced by whether – and where – you do your research online, according to a new study. Among the various brands, Lexus achieved the highest level of satisfaction among luxury brands but Mini wasn’t very far behind. Nearly 80% of all American car buyers go online during at least some part of the purchase process, according to the latest annual Sales Satisfaction Index from J.D. Come Along for the Ride! “For years, new-vehicle buyers have accessed the Internet to research model information, vehicle features, configurations and pricing,” said Chris Sutton, senior director of the Automotive Retail Practice at J.D. There’s a definite gender gap at work, Power’s SSI reveals. As in past year, luxury brands tended to out-perform mainstream marques.
mary_madden: Parents (of minors) are mo... Is Pinterest The Next Great Place To Get Links & Social Mentions? Even if you’re one of the few people who say they love link building, it’s still the most tedious aspect to being an SEO. It seems like new sites pop up weekly, if not daily, as “yet another great way to get links.” While the creative part of you may be motivated from a new, untapped resource, the overworked part of you is likely deflated. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard where you can tag and organize images from across the Internet into category-specific groups. On a personal level, the value of Pinterest is easy to see: I’m always surfing to find new recipes to test, new looks to try or new music to listen to. But naturally, the next logical stop in my train of thought of what’s the value these “pins” have on SEO. Since August, Pinterest has seen more than 100% growth in both traffic and unique page views. To be effective for SEO, it makes the most sense for products that appeal to women as they make up the largest demographic. Getting Your Content Pinned Pin It Product Listings
How the Auto Industry is Leveraging Social Media Americans may not have the same taste for cars they once did — China is now the number one auto maker — but you'd never know that was the case based on how much people tweet about their rides. Salorix, a social media marketing firm, put together a report on Twitter trends about the US auto market. It's one good example of the kind of insight that can be gained in any industry just by looking at trends on one social channel. Social Media Engagement at Scale This is where things get a bit trickier. Salorix thinks it has a solution with its brand engagement and social marketing platform, and a couple of recent reports on the state of social media have them listed alongside names like IBM and Adobe. To do this, Salorix used its automotive vertical keywords list, and found over 650,000 different people sending out various messages about what kind of car they own, want or were simply buzzing about. Salorix infographic based on the 22 page report. Who Tweets When + What it Means Useful article?
pewinternet: Fast facts on social netwo... How To Create Better Facebook Ads Alright, I’m sick of this. Nearly every time that I log in to Facebook I see another poorly-produced, ineffectually-targeted Facebook ad. Behind that ad? Some poor schmuck who’s spent way too much time and money, and has wasted both of them. For that solution, I turned to some of the best in the business. Why Do You Care? Good ads cost less – Yes, really. Aim First, Fire Fast Facebook has a setting that allows you to show ads only to people who are friends of your existing fans. According to Jeff Widman, Co-Founder of PageLever, “If you’re trying to get fans, target ads at friends of fans.” As this writing in Search Marketing Insider shows, it’s critical to get those first few influencers. Design Is Important I can’t tell you the number of ads that I’ve overlooked because they simply didn’t grab the eye. The folks over at Wildfire bring about one very important point – make it pretty. But looking good, of course, isn’t enough. Test, Re-test and Keep Testing Need a Fan?
Car Industry Making Social Media Headway It is no secret that for some time now the automotive industry has struggled to sow sales success with social media. American carmakers like GM and Chrysler have routinely been unable to parlay brand recognition and customer loyalty on social media into showroom sales. There’s no more quintessential, alpha male shopping experience than car buying. It’s probably the only one, and because car buying is a big ticket purchase, men traditionally prefer to go the brick and mortar route. However, is social media changing car buying habits now? Salespeople and Social Media The auto industry is promoting a bout between salespeople and social media. Ford has shown more initiative and daring in the social media arena than other car manufacturers. Keys To The Mysteries of Social Media Car manufacturers are finding the keys to solving the mystery of social media. A blueprint for engaging car buyers on social media has been discovered. Image credit: kornette
Digital Air Strike Study Finds Car Buyers Increasingly Rely on Social Networks and Review Sites during Dealership Selection Process | Automotive Social Media and Internet Lead Management – Digital Air Strike A study of more than 1,600 car buyers and 600 automotive dealerships found that nearly 70 percent of recent car buyers said review sites influenced where they shopped. Many buyers were also willing to drive long distances to purchase vehicles from dealers with positive reviews. Sunnyvale, CA (November 2nd, 2012) – Digital Air Strike™, the nation’s leading full-service automotive social media, online reputation, and lead-generation management company, today announced the results of its Fall 2012 Automotive Social Media and Reputation Trend Study. The study found that car buyers are increasingly using social media in the vehicle purchasing process. “The study found evidence that car dealers actively engaging in social media and reputation management have the potential to increase both their market share and their market reach,” said Alexi Venneri, co-founder, CMO and COO-Social Media of Digital Air Strike. Additional key findings include: “Get Social or Go Home” Webinar Media Contact: