Dealer Internet Ups - Blogs

Odds of Contacting a Lead Decrease More Than 10 Times in the First Hour

William Becker — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:17:57 GMT

MIT examined 3 years of data across six companies that generate and response to web leads, from over fifteen thousand leads and over one hundred thousand call attempts. The study was designed to identify how much time before leads go cold and what day of week, time of day and time from creation to call back a web-generated lead for optimal contact and qualification rates. This study did not address close ratios

Highlights:
Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best days to call to make contact with a lead

Wednesdays and Thursdays are also the best days to call to qualify leads, with Wednesday 24.9% better than the worst day, Friday

Thursday is the best day to contact a lead in order to qualify that lead, 19.1% better than Friday, which is again the worst day.
Monday was consistently poor for every category, but note that Friday wasn�t bad to make contact, just poor in qualifying.

Between 4 to 6pm is the best time to call to make contact with a lead. In fact, it's 114% better than calling at 11 to 12am, right before lunch

Between the hours of 8�9am and 4�5pm are the best times to call to qualify a lead, with 8�9am 164% better than calling at 1�2pm, right after lunch

The odds of calling to contact a lead decrease by over 10 times in the first hour

The odds of calling to qualify a lead decreases by over 6 times in the first hour

After 20 hours every additional dial your salespeople make actually hurts your ability to make contact to qualify a lead
Do additional call attempts after 20 hours actually turn people off to the point they actually hurt your chances of doing business? But EVERYONE calls leads after 20 hours. Do they know that every additional calls actually hurts them? Should your sales reps just stop calling after 20 hours? Ideally, if you had enough leads, and could make enough attempts to make contact in 20 hours, yes. Is this realistic? It probably is not. But this data is EXTREMELY significant to Internet Sales Mangers

The odds of qualifying a lead in 5 minutes versus 30 minutes drop 21 times, and from 5 minutes to 10 minutes the dial to qualify odds decrease 4 times

What are the Takeaways?
Time of day and day of week each have significant impact, with time of day being the greater of the two

Immediacy of response far overshadows both time of day and day of week in its effect on contact and qualification ratios

When a person submits a lead in a web form, you know where they are at that exact moment: they are at their computer desk, probably right near their phone. If you call them immediately, they answer. If you wait, they move on to something else, often away from their phone

People search the Internet because they want things now. Interest and need wane quickly. A few days later they often don�t even remember they submitted a lead. Immediacy of response hits the respondent at their highest point of interest or need at the time they submit the inquiry

When a person who submitted a lead is contacted in seconds, rather than minutes, the respondent quite often reacts with, �wow, that was fast! You are impressive.� We have been told that they feel that the sales representative must be really on top of things, and that is the kind of person and company they want to do business with

Remember the early days of caller id when people answered a call and said the name of the caller? What surprised initially is now commonplace. Nevertheless, first impressions continue to have a strong influence on trust and relationships

Internet Sales Manager Pay Plans

Jason Lentini — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:14:12 GMT

Internet Sales Manager & Internet Sales Representative Pay Plans

One of the most common mistakes when it comes to incentives is a focus only and specifically on money as a way to motivate people to perform. It takes far more than a well-thought out pay plan to motivate people to perform and keep turnover to a minimum. A good work environment and customized non-monetary benefits may be even more effective than pay in employee satisfaction and performance. For example, a flexible work schedule as a reward for reaching objectives goes a long way toward satisfaction for some people. See Rewards that Motivate.

An important distinction should be noted in the responsibilities and pay plans for Internet Sales Representatives versus those of the Internet Sales Manager. The ISR performs duties similar to Sales Representatives, demonstrating and delivering cars and is responsible for Customer Service Index scores. There is generally more than one ISR in any given dealership.

The Internet Sales Manager is not rated on Manufacturer CSI and there is typically only one ISM in the dealership. The ISM's responsibilities include such things as website maintenance and all other duties related to the success of the digital dealer. The ISM pay plan is based on the assumption that this position does not go on demos or deliver vehicles.

Internet Sales Representative - Gross Oriented

Description:
The most common pay plan for ISR's is gross oriented because it has worked for so many dealerships for so long. Based on front-end gross profit alone, this plan is common to the showroom sales department and offers the ISR a commission based on a percentage (usually 20%-25%) of the front-end gross profit for each of their monthly sales. If other sales representatives are compensated on back end spiffs, those too will apply to the ISR.

Example:
A $1,000 gross profit sale would pay $200 - $250 based on a typical commission range of 20% - 25% of front-end gross profit.

Pros: Motivates ISRs to try and maintain a high gross profit average for the dealership. Another pro for the dealership is that they only pay their people a percentage of what they make, so higher profit margins can be maintained. This pay plan is also simple to calculate and has been used by dealership accounting offices for years.

Cons: The amount of front-end gross profit is often out of the ISR's hands � this can be a source of frustration for the ISR and may pit him against the customer. There is little incentive to sell a large volume of vehicles for the ISR that can maintain a high gross profit average.

Internet Sales Representative - Volume Oriented

Description:
Percent of front-end gross profit (FEG) that increases or decreases based on previous months sales volume, plus a bonus (or penalty) based on customer satisfaction index (CSI) average for previous month.

% FEG sliding scale:
0 � 7 sales = 19%

8 � 12 sales = 23%

13 � 16 sales = 25%

17 + sales = 28%

CSI Bonus:
� + 2% CSI average above the Dealership CSI average for same month

� - 3% CSI average below the Dealership CSI average for same month

Example:
A $1,000 gross profit sale would pay as much as $300 (30%) if the previous months sales for this ISR were 17 vehicles or greater and if his/her CSI average was above the Dealership CSI average.

Pros: Motivates ISRs to move volume while maintaining gross profit and customer satisfaction.

Cons: Complicated and requires more administration than other pay plans. The amount of front-end gross is often out of the ISR/ISMs hands.

Internet Sales Manager � Volume Oriented

Description:
This management position does not demo or deliver cars, but focuses exclusively on Internet and phone activities to set appointments in addition to other responsibilities noted above. Face-to-face customer interaction is generally limited to meet and greet and Turnovers.

Salary, plus commission based on number of units delivered appointments that showed, but did not buy, and a percentage of total dealership front and back-end gross profit.

Example:
A $1,000 weekly salary $50 per delivered unit, $20 per appointment show that is not delivered, up to 1.5% against total F& I gross. The appointment pay is not combined with delivered unit as each are mutually exclusive.
Explanation: ISM reports 40 delivered units and 15 unsold appointments resulting in $2,000 delivered and $300 for unsold appointments kept totaling $2,350. Total F&I gross is $175,000 X 1.5% = $2,625. ISM is paid $2,350 bonus.

ISM reports 50 delivered units and 25 unsold appointments for $2,500 and $500 calculated bonus, totaling $3,000. Total F& I gross remains the same at $175,000 X 1.5% = $2,625. ISM is paid out $2,625.
Pros: Allows for aggressive up front pricing for maximum volume while encouraging ISM to maximize back end profit average for the dealership. ISM is not the only manager making money in any given month. Requires ISM to track unsold appointments in addition to sold units, exposing weaknesses in road to the sale.

Cons: The amount of back-end gross profit is often out of the ISMs control and no motivation to keep front end gross. This has potential to pit Sales Manager against ISM in the case of under performing Business Managers place. Significant incentive to sell a large volume of vehicles for all managers with strong F & I department.

Pay & Compensation - Rewards that Motivate

Matt Lamontagne — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:31:31 GMT

The two major motivational objects are:
Reward - something of material value and

Recognition - public expression of excellence and achievement

Although most reward systems are based upon material reward, the most motivating of all gratuities is public recognition.

The primary reason for any reward is to increase the quantity or quality of performance of employees to the benefit of the dealer. The reward is usually mutually beneficial to both employer and employee, and therefore effective in gaining the intended goals. It must align the goals of the employee EXACTLY with the goals of the dealership.

Incentive plans and rewards should not be viewed as a gift from management to employees. To be of value should it must be an earned achievement, vary with performance and ideally, be measured by only those elements under the direct control of the participants. It must be perceived as fair by all parties and to be effective, must stimulate positive action.

The ultimate success of an incentive system is in the desirability of the reward or recognition. A profit oriented management team tends to think in terms of monetary incentives. When a reward other than money is offered, personal taste often prevails; e.g. a dealer principal who likes sailing may reward employees with a day on the water; the hunter may offer hunting lease privileges, etc. The reward is too frequently determined by the perceived value of the giver.

A "reward" must have value to the receiver, and therefore will vary from person to person. Many times, having a menu of rewards is more satisfying than a single award. The reasons for giving rewards are as varied as the value of each individual's desire. Personal motivation has varying drives for each individual.

Rewards should meet the following criteria:
Have perceived value to the receiver.

Include public recognition, particularly to peers.

The achievement should have known factors of measurement; otherwise it cannot stimulate individual effort to excel.

Must be attainable to all participants.

Must be given frequently to be most effective. (An "Employee of the Year" award is a one time a year reward, whereas "Employee of the Month" would, or could, stimulate more regular interest).

FIVE PRIME MOTIVATING FACTORS

When using motivation as an aid to productivity, it makes sense to select those factors which will motivate most of the people most of the time. If you dismiss the �wage paid for work done on the basis that it is adequate� factor, then you can give your attention to the five prime motivators:
Appreciation for accomplishment

Work satisfaction

Respect from others

A sense of belonging

Personal identification

Think back to the spiffs you've used in the past. How many of the five prime motivators have you taken into consideration? Cash does, in fact motivate some people some of the time - for a very short period of time. Recognition on the other hand motivates all people all of the time - for extended periods of time. What's it going to be, the short-term lazy way out of a couple hundred bucks, or a long-term motivation that will change the culture of the dealership? Think about it.

Dealer Reputation Management

Erica — Sat, 15 May 2010 19:33:14 GMT

A Step-by-Step Approach to Managing Online Reviews

1. Get Top Management Buy-in
a. Must change entire mindset & culture of store
2. Motivate Sales Teams, Service Writers, Parts & Body Shop personnel
a. Salespeople work their pay plans
b. Remove all spiffs & replace with $25/review for 3.5 / 5 rating or better.
Facebook reviews count only if accompanied with photo of customer with car
c. Must have 5 or more reviews per month
d. Pay out weekly in store meeting with whole store
i. All reviews (good & bad) are read
ii. Discuss what was done / learned
iii. Spiffs distributed like awards ceremony
Deal with the Negatives

Managers are responsible for all bad reviews because no one should leave the dealership unhappy
1. GM calls every unhappy customer
2. If satisfied / resolved, ask customer for revised review
3. If no phone contact, GM responds via email with the tone �Customer is always right.�
How to Get Started

Establish the right to solicit a review, and then inform the customer you�ll send an email follow up
� Ask in person at time of delivery � NOT BEFORE
� Train Staff on the Following Script:
Would you folks do me a favor? We mainly promote our dealership from within and it would mean the world to me and my family if you would share your experience here at online. If I send you a quick link would you do that for me?
� Do not have customers submit reviews from dealership computers � review sites track IP addresses and may blacklist you.
Get a Jump Start
Sales
1. Go back 1 � 3 months and pull all �5�s� and �Y�s� � (New car smell worn off after 3 months)
2. Have people call with review-gather script
3. If yes, follow-up with email template
Consider additional employee / management contests
Service
� Service review email template sent to satisfied customers after follow-up calls
� Customers that submit reviews are sent $5 Starbucks card incentive
� Every good & bad review is read every week
� Spiffing is �pool� system, distributed evenly across service team
4-star-plus review = $10

3-3.99 star review = $5

< 3-star review = pool docked $5

Joe Orr from Dick Hanna Honda presented First Impressions Now Happen Online at the 8th Digital Dealer Conference in Orlando resulting in this step-by-step approach to Reputation Management. *With permission; joe@dickhannah.com.

Dealers Block Social Media

Chuck Evans — Sun, 02 May 2010 19:25:12 GMT

An article from a business journal highlighted a company�s reservations on the subject of new technology that many businesses were overwhelmed with. The solution was to restrict employees� use because of the fear of marketable secrets being exposed; inside information shared, and workers simply wasting their time. Company executives resolved the dilemma by locating a single station in the middle of the workplace so that everyone could keep a watchful eye on those while they used it. That article is from a 1930s business journal and the new technology was the telephone.

Nearly one in four businesses block employee access to social networking Web sites such as Facebook and MySpace, according to a survey of about 200 human resources professionals, but if you narrow the field to only dealerships you know the frequency is higher than one in four.

Businesses have been blocking gaming, porn and entertainment from the workforce for some time and in many industries blocking social networking sites may be just an extension of that. The reasons that dealers are less than receptive to social media exceed the number of makes and models, but surely some obstacles lie in the historical approach that dealers have dealt with consumers. That approach was the dealer controlling a one-way flow of information. Not all dealers have accepted the reality today, but the days of that on-way flow are over.

Today 4 out of 5 buyers do their research online before visiting the showroom. Internet Sales Managers and salespeople alike have been enlightened by customers with accurate facts ranging from invoice and hold back to safety and performance. Nevertheless, the 20% of customers that visit the dealership without that information is enough for some dealers to hold on to processes built around a time-honored tradition of evasiveness. The reluctance to divulge information on the road to the sale perpetuates the age-old consumer perception of distrust in our industry keeping salesmen ranked just above members of congress. The dealer�s that just can�t shake that instinctive approach to a sale may also spill over to the lack of genuineness when dealing with employees. After all, how much detail do you provide when a salesperson questions the accuracy of his commission check?

Social media offers forward-thinking dealers a way to change this perception with consumers and an opportunity to demonstrate a new level of directness with the workforce. A whole new way has been opened up for people to express themselves. As people become more comfortable sharing information granting access to social media in the dealership is just a matter of time. Will your dealership be ahead of, or behind the curve?

The Web introduces transparency into the processes of creating, sharing and interpreting information. With so much information available on the Internet, transparency in surviving dealerships will be the rule rather than exception. More importantly, if done right, transparency will begin to build customer confidence encouraging them to visit your showroom and openness with employees will go a long way in reducing another long standing dealership tradition - excessive turnover.

Don't you agree that the way you deal with access to social media today is the same way your dealership would have dealt with the advent of the telephone 80 years ago?

Outsource Your Reputation Management?

Chuck Evans — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:57:28 GMT

Google Alerts offers notification of automated searches of your dealership name and other keywords including News, Web, Blogs, and more. You're notified by email when your keywords show up in searches, but don�t think of this as reputation management on autopilot. While automated tools notify you when your dealer name shows up, bear in mind that's when the work begins.

If you can't, or won't dedicate the time necessary to do the work to follow up you can pay someone to do the work for you. Some inexpensive services that might be looking at include:
BrandsEye � Starting at $1 per month

Naymz � Premium service is $9.95 per month

ReputationDefender�s MyReputation $14.95 per month

Trackur � Starting at $18 per month

Manage Your Reputation on Twitter

ISM — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:57:44 GMT

You need to know what people are saying about your dealership and your brand. Twitter is particularly important because as a public forum a lot of damage can be done quickly. If someone is unhappy with you and tweeting about your dealership you need to act fast in acknowledging the problem and offering a resolution. An easy way to do this is by checking the following:
Twitter Monitoring Tools

� Monitter - search tweets related to keywords
� TweetBeep - get an email when others tweet about you
� Twitter Search - search the most common phrases appearing in messages
� TweetScan - search Twitter for snippets of text
Monitor Your Competitors

When you�re checking Twitter with keywords look for tweets about your competitor�s as well. You may see promotions they�re running learn good and bad things about their sales tactics or see some service complaints. Someone expressing frustration with a competitor on Twitter is also likely to tweet good things. So while you�re monitoring your own reputation you might as well keep an eye out for customers that might promote your dealership as well.

If the customer is upset in an area your dealership can help they might welcome an invitation from you to come to the rescue. Imagine the tweets you�ll see about your dealership if you turn a competitor�s disgruntled customer into a perfectly satisfied at your store!

Truly Effective Testimonials

Erica — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:55:05 GMT

Wow, great deal, excellent job, 5 out of 5, nice guy;)�

All complimentary comments and typical of most, but these just don�t cut it for a truly effective testimonial. Your prospects expect to see nice things coming from happy customers, so simply confirming that won't sell others on their experience at your dealership. The best testimonials are convincing because they convey a story about the customer's experience -- a story your prospect can relate to. The best testimonial reads:

I was like you, I needed what you now need,
and thanks to this dealership I found it.

When a customer explains what he was looking for, why he chose your dealership, why his experience was positive compared to others, and why he feels good about it, the tribute is much more likely to persuade others to make the same decision. Surely most of your customers will agree that they feel good about dealing with you at time of delivery, but how do you get glowing reviews in writing? It takes more work. To get a lot of effective recommendations you need to ask for a testimonial from every customer you have. Then, do the heavy lifting for them; they�ll appreciate your help.

Interview your buyer, get all the details, and then write the testimonial yourself keeping it short and simple. Tell your customer what you plan to do and let him know that when you finish writing you�ll be asking him to sign off for his approval. Don�t just put it in your �Why Buy from Me� book. Email the testimonial to your customer in a template with links to review sites. All that�s left for the customer to do then is to cut and paste.

Is it worth all this work? With your name on multiple testimonials and customers looking at review sites it's only logical that they ask for you by name when they arrive at your dealership.

Why Have a Dealer Facebook Page?

Erica — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:45:17 GMT

Think back to how you approached the first website for your dealership. It�s likely you�ll approach Facebook and other social media outlets in the same way and years from now you�ll end up with similar results. Some dealerships went along kicking and screaming to their very first website 10 or more years ago. Now Facebook is the prevailing force for dealers in every market as dealer websites were then.

Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you. Your objective should be to connect with your target audience and give them the opportunity to connect with you. Much like your website, Facebook pages offer a powerful tool to reach prospective customers, but the greatest potential may be in customer retention. Unlike your website, social media outlets provide an opportunity for customers to interact with your dealership. Personal stories about dealership associates can create a sense of family and a personal identity for your store, so your customers can begin to feel like they know you.

Facebook is the top social search engine and has been adding 250,000 new users every day since January of 2007. Like a Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event without the constraints of time or space, Facebook offers the opportunity to meet people, start conversations, answer questions, help others and ask questions of those that you trust.

So how did you approach the first website for your dealership?

8 Steps to Your Dealer Twitter Account

Chuck Evans — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:18:31 GMT

Creating your Twitter account is quick and easy. Twitter is a website where you can leave messages up to 140 characters long and can be very useful in keeping your followers up to date on news and events at your dealership.

A Tweeter (Twitter user) leaves Tweets (messages) on Twitter. While your Tweets are limited to 140 characters and even spaces count in the total, when used in combination with other social media it can be very effective. Tweets can drive visitors to your Facebook and website pages, your blog and encourage customer interaction to ultimately increase revenues.

Follow these 8 steps to your dealership's Twitter account:
Go to www.twitter.com and click on the "Sign Up Now" button.

Enter your first and last name in the box labeled �Full name�

Enter your username in the box labeled �User Name�

Since this is the name that will accompany every tweet, it must include your dealership. Ideally, your name will include your brand and primary market area. e.g. HondaChicago

Enter a password in the box labeled �Password�

Enter a valid email address in the box labeled �Email�

Complete the security box

Click �Create my account.�

Before you start Tweeting, upload your dealership logo or picture of your store by going to Settings � Picture; add your website URL and your location.

The art of leaving good messages is the subject of many books, websites and tutorials because posting a message of interest in 140 characters can be really difficult. You want to get your point across quickly and make people want to find out more about what you�re saying. Generally, leaving links followed by comments on what you�ve posted can be most effective.

You don�t want to spam Twitter as you may be reported at Twitter Spam. If you need to report someone this is the place to do it, but don�t include your username anywhere in the message as your account may get accidentally shut down at the same time.

Things to make Twitter more useful:
#hashtags � the Twitter equivalent of metatag in website headers to be picked up by Google spiders when they visit. hashtag tracks all the top hashtags and is helpful to see what others are talking about right now. Say you want to talk about the latest article in Motor Trend announcing your brand as the car of the year. When you write your 140 character message you also might also enter Car of the Year. Then when someone enters the keyword Car of the Year into the Twitter search engine, your message would be included in their results.

ReTweet � You�ll notice the letters RT followed by another person�s Tweet and other Tweeters love them. It�s simply passing a Twitter message that you like to your Twitter followers, much like posting a link to something you like on your blog. If many people ReTweet the same message then an idea or web link could go viral. To ReTweet, just start a new Tweet and begin with the letters RT followed by the original message in full. To insert the name of the original Tweeter, just enter @ followed by their Twitter name.

Direct Message to another user � There are two ways to send a message, public and private. The public method will appear on the Twitter time line and you start with @ followed by the Twitter user name. To send a private message you must first be following that person. You can then go to the main Twitter page and types d followed by the person�s username or go to that persons Twitter page and select the �Message� option on the right side of the page.

Searching Twitter � Google is an excellent search engine, but it�s just a series of computer algorithms. Google offers no feelings or emotions so it just returns results based on your keywords. What if you want to know where you�ll get the best Toyota Service in Dallas? A computer algorithm cannot offer personal preferences nor does it offer real-time information. Search Twitter in your market to see if others are talking about your dealership. If not, begin a Tweet on it and wait for others to respond.

Your Twitter Reputation � Some Twitter accounts rank higher on Google than normal websites so you'll want to keep your Tweets polite and professional while sharing your knowledge. Discuss subject matter you know something about, link to relevant stories online and answer people using the @reply tag when something crosses your area of expertise.

Keep Your Twitter Account Manageable � Following everyone in hopes that everyone will follow you is counterproductive. Twitter is about connecting with people on a personal level and you simply cannot track and answer thousands of people? You want to follow people that are interesting and relevant to you and your dealership so it�s a waste of time to follow anyone unless they are a prospect for your vehicles or you are genuinely interested in what they have to say.

Twitter Apps & Bots You Should Know About
Tweetdeck - allows you to Tweet and offers ready access to shorten all your links using a shorten URL feature. You can also see everything in a series of columns that you can customize to suit your needs and you can even add other accounts such as Facebook.

twilert � Much like Google Alerts, you can track your username, dealership name or trending topics. Just set up the Twilert email alert and all relevant results will be emailed to you.

tweetmeme � shows at a glance the hottest links on Twitter. You can also get a Wordpress plugin so you can put the �Retweet� button on your blog giving visitors the ability to send your blog stories to Tweetmeme at the click of a button.

bit.ly � to get the most out of your 140 character limit, all URL�s should be shortened. You simply enter your URL then copy and paste the shortened URL to your Tweet. With bit.ly you can also measure the number of hits on the shortened URL.

Get the Real URL - lets you know what lies behind a shortened URL so in effect it's the opposite of bit.ly. Get the Real URL interprets the shortened URL to tell you what the real URL is in case you want to see if it�s safe to visit.

Socialoomph and HootSuite - offer productivity tools such as automatically following everyone that follows you and even send out a Tweet with text that you specify for such things as thanking them for following you. You can also filter new follower emails to the trash can to cut down on incoming emails.

Another Sip of Social Media Kool-Aid Please?

Chuck Evans — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:51:55 GMT

Internet Sales Managers struggle to justify investments of time and money in social media as measuring ROI on email inquiries and third party lead providers becomes second nature. Third party options multiply and flourish and some dealerships are farming out social media relieving the ISM of yet another task. Subcontracting it out is �just money,� but do social media gurus justify the investment or are dealers jumping aboard simply because everyone else is doing it?

Exact Target, a provider of email software published the results of a Dec �09 � Jan �10 survey finding marketers are budgeting an increase in ad spend for e-mail, social media and other non-traditional lines of advertising in 2010. While 42% plan no increase in overall marketing budgets and 13% plan to spend less than last year, the report indicates 54% will hike budgets for electronic mail and 66% will spend more in social media. More than half of respondents will increase paid-search budgets and more still will add greater investments to mobile marketing.

Social media is the fastest growing area of digital marketing ranging from Facebook to blogs, yet 80% of respondents concede they have no reliable way to measure return on investment in the social arena. Almost two-thirds of survey respondents will increase spending in areas �off-site� such as Facebook and Twitter, and more still will step-up �on-site� investments in areas like blogs, ratings and reviews. Social media marketing shows the greatest increase while budgets for other digital areas like web sites, SEO, and Pay-Per-Click show no sign of cut backs.

So how can you measure ROI on social media with any level of confidence? The common thread with dealerships across the country is that when it comes to measuring ROI, these "professionals" are rolling the dice just like us. Less than 20% feel that the ability to measure results from social media is "good" for on-site and even less for off-site. Fewer still suggest that mobile marketing is "good" in measuring ROI, but more than 50 percent say their ability to measure ROI on email marketing is "good."

Don�t get me wrong. We�re in a drunken stupor drinking the social media Kool-Aid. We passed only on MySpace while maintaining Facebook, Twitter, blog, Flickr, and YouTube accounts that so far are impossible to cost justify. We�re no better than most when it comes to sourcing ups and we may not be social media �experts,� but a Google search for our dealership name displays a direct link to our site in 10 of 11 first page results and the listings continue on page 2. The first sale crediting Facebook, Twitter, our blog, Flickr, or YouTube will be a sobering moment and that will be cause to have a drink!

How�s it working out for you?

5 Tips for Dealer Facebook Pages

Erica — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:24:51 GMT

Tip #1: Create an Engaging Page
� Dealership Events
� Videos
� Discussions
� Photos of new customers
� Blog Articles

Tip #2: Leverage the Viral Nature of Facebook � News Feed
� News Feed shows updates on activity
� First thing you see when you log in
� Your updates show on your profile �Wall�
� Allow users to engage with you � each activity is shared with their network
Tip #3: Draw on Your Network
� Email your mailing list
� Include link in your email signature
� Blog about your Facebook Page
� Post a link or badge on your dealership website
Tip #4: Optimize for Search
� Facebook Search
� Public Search
� Based on # Fans
� Check your settings
Tip #5: Advertise on Facebook
� Target by Location, Gender, Age, Keywords, etc.
� Choose Pay Per Click or Pay Per View
� Click Through Rate on Facebook is LOW! Go PPC

Does Your Dealership Have a Facebook Page?

Erica — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:04:28 GMT

Facebook reached the number one most visited site in the US pushing past Google last Christmas Eve and New Years day. The comparison measures Facebook�s overall traffic to only one aspect of Google, Google web search.

Why Should an Internet Sales Manager Care About Facebook?
� Over 120 million active users
� Adding 250,000 new users each day since Jan 07
� Most trafficked social media site
� Top Social Search Engine
� More than 55,000 networks
� Fastest growing demographic is 25 years or older
Social media is growing and more time is spent on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs than everything else on the Internet combined.