It May Be the Internet, but It’s Still Advertising
Learn how to get ahead of your competitors by really understanding and utilizing the Internet as the most effective advertising media ever invented
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Automotive Consumer Engagement Techniques for your Web Site and Social Media Platforms
Leverage online conversations to turn anonymous consumers into engaged shoppers
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J.D. Power: Consumers eye auto, third-party sites for useful info
Although new-vehicle buyers visit automotive manufacturer Web sites and third-party automotive Web sites at the same rate during the shopping process, buyers rely on each type of Web site for different types of information, according to the recently released 2009 Web Site Performance Tools Report--Wave 1, a collaborative effort between J.D. Power and Associates and Compete Inc.
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GM names Docherty to head U.S. sales
General Motors Co.'s sales organization saw a shake-up Wednesday, when the automaker named the head of GM's Buick-GMC brands the new vice president of U.S. sales, the Detroit Free Press reports. Mark LaNeve, who had held the post, is leaving GM on Oct. 15 "to pursue another opportunity outside of the industry...Mark has contributed significantly to GM in several key positions, including transforming the Cadillac brand and leading the Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing organization during one of the most challenging periods in GM's history," according the a GM message announcing the departure. Later in the day, GM announced Susan Docherty, Buick-GMC general manager, as his replacement. "This will infuse new ideas and an outside perspective into our marketing efforts," according to a GM statement. Docherty began working for GM in 1986 and was considered a rising star by some dealers. LaNeve joined GM in the early 1980s and has spent most of his career there.
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Study: Most paid search results don't match consumer searches
Online marketing solutions company Dealer.com announced the results of the Sorgenfrei, LLC, comprehensive study, "Optimizing Paid Search Advertising- Used Vehicle Market in the U.S." The findings suggest that while some companies may be adept at providing a high quantity of ads, most have much room for improvement in terms of the quality of ads. The national study examined ads that displayed in search results for the top 10 used vehicles in 10 major markets to determine the leaders in effective paid search, in terms of both quantity and quality of results produced. The results included a total of 87 companies that produced 992 ads with varying degrees of relationship to the searches. The research was commissioned by Dealer.com.
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 The October Digital Dealer is out in its new E-zine format. Click here
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Google now serving ads in iPhone Maps
Google updated AdSense this week adding support for high-end smartphones like the iPhone 3GS bringing desktop styled advertising to mobile devices, CNet writes in a recent review. "The change led to Google's insertion of advertisements, alongside search results, into the iPhone Maps app. Local iPhone map searches will now display sponsored listings in the view and list modes of the Maps app. We discovered examples of these ads on Monday while searching for a Verizon Wireless store. You should also take note -- this is the first time advertisements have appeared within one of the iPhones default apps rather than something we've downloaded for free or purchased from the App Store."
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Online newsrooms not just for big business
For years, online press release distribution company eReleases advised its customers to create and maintain online newsrooms or, at the very least, to publish their press releases on their own sites. The company says, however, that 80% of its clients simply lacked the time or staff resources to do so. Earlier this year, eReleases launched eNewsroom, an online newsroom feature it offers free to eReleases customers.
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GM takes to the Web with mixed results
The auto industry, an "old economy" basket case in desperate need of 21st century ideas, is finding out first-hand what does and doesn't work when trying to sell online, writes a commentator in thedeal.com. "General Motors Co. has pulled the plug on its much-ballyhooed experiment to sell cars on eBay, calling the seven-week program a success but suspiciously offering no sales figures. The automaker boasted 1.5 million visits to its special section on eBay Inc.'s Web site, but it seems GM was unable to change typical auto customer behaviors like haggling in a showroom. Dealers were unimpressed, complaining that their staffers were left to sift through low-ball offers submitted via the Web site. As much as the auto companies would love to use the Web to streamline delivery, it seems unlikely they will be able to do away with dealerships any time soon. A car, for many, is the second-largest purchase made in a lifetime after a house, and while consumers complain about dealer sales tactics, most want a chance to test-drive potential vehicles before committing to a purchase. But if cars are a tough sell online, human interest stories are much easier. A group of dealers who had their franchises rejected during GM and Chrysler Group LLC's bankruptcies have turned to the Web to launch a channel on YouTube where they are pleading for Congress to act on their behalf."
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Dealer Communications adds Cliff Banks to its team
Leading automotive trade publishing firm names Banks Vice-President and Editorial Director
NASHVILLE – October 6, 2009 -- Dealer Communications, the leading multi-media information source for franchised automotive dealers and managers, has named Cliff Banks as Vice-President and Editorial Director.
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AutoUSA says dealers seeing 500% increase in leads
Internet lead provider AutoUSA today said it has measured a 500% increase in e-mail and phone leads for dealers since April 2009 from its pay-per-lead Inventory Listing Network, powered by Vast.com. The company also reported a 20% per month increase in the number of dealers listing their inventory through the service.
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Reynolds launches vehicle search portal for consumers
Reynolds and Reynolds announced today the nationwide roll-out of a new product for automotive dealers and the car-buying public: CarLocate.com, a car search portal designed to offer a better way for consumers to find a car they want to buy and to provide dealerships a way to market their vehicle inventory to more consumers.
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Greasing Fixed Operations by Learning the Nuts and Bolts of e-Commerce
Six key e-Commerce elements to improve and get ahead in today’s market
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Web 2.0: Solving the Mystery and Improving your Web Results
How to differentiate your dealership from the competition online
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Carfax and eCarList in online deal
Carfax and eCarList have teamed up to allow dealers using eCarList’s inventory management software to obtain Carfax information and make it available with their vehicles listed online. The idea is for used car shoppers to get the information they need up front to make faster buying decisions, the companies said.
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managerial duties and conformity are major traps for mediocre managers and the casualties are our sales personnel. The time has come to shed the old-school bureaucratic manager and move this business into the 21st century people development arena, to not only stay in business, but to grow the business. For way too long the automobile industry has accepted as a norm underestimating the outcome of tomorrow by the choices managers make today. I was just looking at a number of automobile job descriptions written by various dealers and organizations. Not one of these job descriptions for general manager, general sales manager and sales manager contained the single most critical element of any of these powerful jobs: growing people! Sure, they all contained numbers and job functions and the assorted requirements, but not one spoke about the number one task of a leader is to grow people. Maybe that is why they don’t call it general leader or general sales leader or sales leader. Because we have forgotten that this industry, in order to sustain itself, has to develop and grow talented and professional individuals in order to turn things around to being the professional occupation it once was. 
