Automotive SEO

If you are ready to soar with your personal knowledge and actions in 2011 with digital marketing, I would like to recommend that you mark your calendars for two upcoming events.

February 1-3, 2011 - Digital Marketing Strategies Conference - Napa Vally CA

This conference is organized by PCG Digital Marketing and has attracted the top speakers and educators on important subjects for your dealership's online marketing success. You can read more about the conference at http://www.digitalmarketingstrategies.org.

Seating is limited to 50 dealerships because the format is to provide focused classroom education. There are a few seats left, and I can't encourage you enough to attend. When the conference ends, attendees will be taken to San Francisco to attend the NADA Convention that starts on February 4th. If you are not going to NADA, you can just head to the airport.

April 16-18, 2011 - Digital Marketing Boot Camp - Orlando FL

The Boot Camp will feature two full days of classes on Sunday and Monday to provide the strongest educational experience for all that attend. Attendees should arrive on Saturday April 16th in the afternoon so they can participate in the opening reception on Saturday Night.

The Automotive Marketing Boot Camp (#AMBC) will provide and early breakfast on Tuesday morning April 19th. After breakfast, attendees who will be going to the 10th Digital Dealer Conference can shoot over for opening day activities. The conference centers will be less than 5 minutes away from each other so jump over the DD10 will be very easy.

More details on the Boot Camp will be posted in January as we finalize the roster of speakers, educators, and sponsors. Last year the Boot Camp attendees posted rave reviews of their investment of time for this event. Don’t miss on this Dynamic Duo of automotive conferences in April. Details at: http://www.automotivemarketingbootcamp.com

PCG Digital Marketing today announced on December 27, 2010,  a follow up study to their widely popular Automotive SEO Study designed for car dealers in the United States and Canada.  The new program called the Automotive SEM Study , will guide 100 dealers through creating, managing, and analyzing paid digital marketing campaigns. Pay-per-click marketing are a critical part of a comprehensive automotive advertising campaign.

Automotive Internet sales and marketing professionals who are currently working at car dealerships and want to master powerful SEM tools and strategies to improve the search visibility of their website are invited to participate in the Automotive SEM Study. The study is open to employees of car dealers only.

The Automotive SEM Study will be limited to 100 automotive dealers. Enrollment is free and is now open for a limited time.  Dealers who wish to participate in the 8-week program will need to devote 2-3 hours per week to the study as well as a minimum of $1,000 per month to go directly to their dealer’s paid digital marketing campaigns.

For more information about enrolling in the study, please visit http://www.automotivesemstudy.com/ and sign up using the link on the right.

Study members will be trained and coached on the proper setup, execution, and measurement of paid automotive advertising campaigns.  The primary focus will be on Google and Facebook marketing with a secondary focus on Yahoo and Bing advertising.

The 100 participating dealers will have access to winning digital marketing strategies, marketing outlines, tutorials, and websites managed by PCG Digital Marketing that will enhance the results of their work. In return, members in the study will share the results of their work and be included in a whitepaper being prepared by PCG Digital Marketing.

The first webinar of the study kicks off on February 15^th 2011.

Automotive SEM Study Requirements

 The requirements to participate in the study are:

1.     Participants must be an employee of a car dealership, proof will be required.

2.     Participants must have written permission to setup a PPC campaign and have a budget to run the campaigns.

3.     Participants must have an email address from an active dealership domain.

4.     Members in the study will be required to dedicate up to 3 hours a week to complete the tasks required for success.

5.     Participants must be willing to share the results of their work to allow the data to be summarized* in the final study whitepaper.

* No confidential data or specific dealership website results will be published in the whitepaper or made public without written permission from participant.

Register For Study

Dealers interested in participating should register online at http://www.automotivesemstudy.com  . PCG Digital Marketing retains the right to decline dealer participation in the Automotive SEM Study based on conflicts of interest with current clients.

This week I had the opportunity to visit Wheelers GM in Marshfield Wisconsin and one of the projects we worked on was a digital marketing strategy for their Wheelers Auto Body & Collision Shop. Unlike their main store, their new Auto Body facility was not listed in Google Places and the basics of online marketing were absent.

So, I created a Google Places listing, started a WordPress microsite for the shop, and started to research keywords for content development. I was surprised to see how WIDE OPEN digital marketing is for collision repair shops. In this area of Wisconsin, there were no local shops that really had optimized Google Places listings let alone a content publishing strategy.

When competitors are asleep at the wheel, the first body shop to get it right in the marketplace will have a strong digital marketing advantage. If you own a body shop, how would you rate your SEO campaign for the keywords related to the services you offer?

Collision Center SEO Strategies

It got me to think that over the past 5 years I really have not been asked too many times about SEO and digital marketing strategies for Body Shops. I know that a number of my clients have collision repair facilities but it seems like these areas of revenue are digital advertising orphans.

As dealers look toward 2011 and plan their automotive advertising budgets, I encourage everyone to look at all the profit centers and inspect their digital visibility in the local market. I have seen an increased interest in dealers for marketing tires, brakes, and oil change services in 2010 but don't ignore the body shop if you have one.

I'm a firm believer that attracting more customers to your service facility or body shop will allow you to connect with more consumers that will eventually need a new or used car. Dealers should not allow independant service centers and body shops to rule the day in their local market.

Fixed Operations SEO and content publishing is a great way to energize revenue, profits, and local consumer engagement in 2011.

If you would like to get insights on creating an effective Digital Marketing Strategy for 2011, visit:  http://www.digitalmarketingstrategies.org

I was visiting an established dealership group recently and I chuckled when one of the General Managers stated that they STOPPED taking calls from ANY vendors that were attempting to sell them on digital marketing, digital advertising, and social media services.

His reason was simple; he didn't know enough about the subject to filter through the sales speak and to get to the facts on ROI.  He quickly admitted that by doing this he could be missing something "BIG" that could really make a difference in his business.  For him at this moment, it was easier to shut off the constant stream of solicitations.

I wonder how many other dealers in the country feel the same way. 

Calls to their phones or the barrage of emails in their mailbox touting the best CRM, IRM, SEO, SEM, and now Social Media Optimization (SMO) tools is just too much.  Do they have the tools to determine fact from fiction?

For me, it was a great opportunity to LISTEN and assess what it is like on the other side of the table.  I was also blessed with the opportunity to educate and help this dealership understand the opportunities in the market for growth.

As a vendor community and as an industry we need to invest MORE in dealer education before a sales pitch.  We need to create the bridges of understanding from traditional marketing to their digital and social equivalents. 

This dealer's feedback was clear that our CURRENT industry practices has NOT made it easy for them to comprehend the changes that are second nature for some of us on this forum.

2011 Digital Marketing Strategies

If you are a dealer on this forum and feel the same way, I invite you to attend the 2011 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference.  It is being held just before the 2011 NADA Convention in beautiful Napa Valley California. 

The dates are February 1st - 3rd and on the 4th we will transport attendees to San Francisco in the morning to register for the start of the 2011 NADA Conference.

The 2011 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference has attracted some of the the industry's top thought leaders in social media, Automotive SEO, SEM, IRM, Content Publishing, Automotive Advertising, Branding, and the latest insights on the things you NEED to know to succeed in 2011.

If you are looking for guidance to create an effective digital marketing strategy in 2011, I invite you to register for the Conference by visiting:  http://www.digitalmarketingstrategies.org. 

The conference is limited to the first 50 dealerships that register and seating is selling out quickly.  This will ensure that every dealership that attends gets personalized advice, attention, and take home action plans.

Conference Speakers

Speakers and workshop leaders at the Conference include:

• Jared Hamilton
• Alex Snyder
• Gary May
• Matt Murray
• Glenn Pasch
• JD Rucker
• Sean Wolfingtion
• Christine Rochelle
• Brian Pasch

The conference will also feature technology updates from VinSolutions, Dealer.com, TK Carsites, DealerTrend, Smart Web Concepts, PrestoReviews.com, DealerFire, CAR-MERCIAL, Automotive Advertising Network, and a few special guest that will be unveiled at the Conference.

I hope to see you in Napa prior to the 2011 NADA Convention.

Brian

I have setup Google Alerts for a number of key car dealership names and terms to keep me posted on changes on the Internet.

From recent alerts, it is clear to me that Edmunds.com is readying a full-blown attack on automotive review websites.  Popular car dealer review websites like Dealerrater.com and PrestoReviews.com should be on the lookout for signals from Edmunds. My Google alerts have been lighting up with Edmunds.com BETA testing pages for car dealers that I follow. 

It is interested to note that Edmunds has not blocked the BETA pages from being indexed.  Is this intentional or a misatle by their development team?

Car Dealers Most Important Work in 2011

This is a WAKE-UP call.  I think I must sound like a broken record.

Car dealers have to have a written Internet Reputation Management policy and process in 2011. Google Places integration with organic search results was the warning shot over the bow. Now Google Boost and Google Hotpot make it VERY CLEAR that Google is in the review business.

In 2011 your Automotive Advertising strategy must include leveraging Google Places review stars! This is why Google BOOST has so much potential for car dealers with good review counts.

If your dealership does not have over 100 POSITIVE reviews and at least TWICE the number of reviews as your major competitor you need help ASAP. Call or ask for help but DO NOT ignore Internet Reputation Management (IRM) in 2011.

Need strategies? Consider attending the 2011 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference.

Edmunds.com Automotive Review Portal

Edmunds.com looks like it wants to be a major force in the Car Dealer Review game and we know that Google already respects the Edmunds.com website because it is rolling up Edmunds.com reviews on Google Places. It seems that inclusion is not enough for Edmunds so it is flexing its muscles by creating REVIEW PAGES for each car dealer in the United States for SALES and SERVICE.

My Google Alerts have been buzzing this week as these pages are being tested on URL names like:

http://beta.edmunds.com/dealerships/Acura/Virginia/VirginiaBeachCityCounty/VirginiaBeach.html

Notice the BETA in the URL name...a look at things to come. The BETA page on this URL looks like:

And other pages dedicated to AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE reviews looking like:

Automotive Internet Reputation Management

So you need to decide if you want OTHER 3rd PARTIES to control your Page One reputation management or are you going to take the lead? Without a plan and a process you will be fighting an uphill battle in 2011 with the recent Google changes.

Need help?? Ask here on this forum.

If you are one of the lucky dealers in the USA to be chosen for a Fiat Studio (franchise), I would like to encourage you to take advantage of some free SEO tools and advice. Fiat dealers need to start their automotive advertising strategies immediately. They should not be waiting until their franchise officially opens.

Most new Fiat dealers have not started their digital marketing strategies so readers of this blog will get a head start. The early bird will get the worm - believe me! When I acted quickly during the Cash for Clunkers program, I created the #1 consumer website for the program in the USA.

1. CarDealerWiki.org - New Fiat dealers in the USA should create an account and update the www.CarDealerWiki.org page for your dealership. A generic template has been created for each of the 128 dealers in the USA. By creating an account and editing your page, you can increase your POD Score for your dealership.

If you have any doubt how powerful CarDealerWiki.org can be for your dealership, Google: "Fiat of Scottsdale" and see where the website is ranking for the official name of the dealership. You can create a free account by visiting http://www.cardealerwiki.org

2. FiatDealer.org - If you would like a custom page on this national Fiat Dealer portal, send an email to: fiat@pcgdigitalmarketing.com and we will create a login for you to update your profile page. You can also send a Word document to this email address and we will update the directory page for you. The directory page can have links back to your website which will add inbound links to your new website.

You can also send photos to spice up your listing. Cost = Zero. You can visit the consumer based Fiat Dealer Directory website at: http://www.fiatdealer.org

3. Fiat500USA.org - If you would also like to list your Fiat 500 inventory on this website, once your franchise is open, you can submit an RSS feed of your car inventory for a free listing. If you can't provide and RSS feed, you can join the AAN and an RSS feed is part of your membership. This site will be expanded once the cars so on sale to also include customer profiles of their Fiat 500 cars. The upside to listing your in-stock cars on this site for free will be great marketing tool with back links to your website.

Once again, send information on your RSS feed to: fiat@pcgdigitalmarketing.com

Fiat Dealer SEO

Google rewards first to act dealers in any market. I strongly encourage anyone who knows a dealer who received a Fiat franchise to take action now. If they delay, third party lead collectors will have the first strike advantage. Fiat dealers should be publishing their website as soon as possible. I hope that they have purchased their domain names and have a site ready to be published soon. The longer they wait, the harder it will be to dominate organic search results.