Automotive Digital Marketing Blog

Consider these ways to stay in front of mobile customers in a two-way dialogue.

Stay in front of mobile customers minds.

People love their smartphones. Whether you’re walking down the street or inside a shopping mall, sitting in a coffee shop or at the airport, half the people around you are looking down at their cellphones.

Eighty-three percent of American adults own a cell phone, and 42 percent of them own a Blackberry, iPhone, or a similar smartphone, according to a recent Pew Internet Project report. The study also found that 87 percent of smartphone users access the Internet or email on their device. Two-thirds of smartphone users do so daily. Increasingly, just as how the home broadband connection remains always on, the mobile connection seems to be ever present.

Today’s apps-savvy consumers want business information delivered concisely and available for reading on the fly. Thanks to the explosion of Internet-enabled mobile devices, you and your customers can communicate on the go. Here are six easy ways to deliver on mobile devices marketing that encourages customer interaction.

1. Make Your Emails Mobile-Friendly
Whereas delivering email marketing that can be read on mobile devices used to be optional for a business, now it’s essential. Keep a message’s subject line short and place high up in the message your brand name, the offer, and the call to action.

Related: Your Customers Are Talking. Are You Listening?

Keep your email design simple and light on text, and offer a link to your company’s website or Facebook page so a reader can find out more.

2. Give Mobile Customers What They Need
Forty percent of U.S. smartphone owners compare prices on their mobile device while shopping inside a store, according to HubSpot, an Internet marketing firm in Cambridge, Mass. If you do not optimize your site for mobile users, you may miss sales opportunities. The most sought-after information (a company’s hours, locations, and directions) and popular features should be front and center where customers can easily find them. If mobile consumers cannot find the information they need to guide their purchasing decisions, they may click — but then take their business elsewhere.

3. Invite List Sign-ups via Text Message and Quick-Response Codes
Customers entering into your retail establishment probably are carrying their cellphones on them. Build your contact list by inviting patrons to send a text message (if your email service provider offers this feature) or scan a QR code. Put a sign at your cash register to encourage such activity while the shopping experience is still fresh.

Related: Three Ways to Spark Engaging Social Conversations

A savings coupon or special offer can sweeten the deal for any customers who sign up via text message or QR code. And you end up building your list without having to manually enter email addresses after deciphering handwriting on a sign-up sheet.

4. Build Your Fan Base
Your socially active customers have a Facebook or Twitter app loaded on their smartphones. A sign or poster that encourages them to connect with you in the social media sphere can propel significant growth of your network — and expand your company’s visibility to the contacts of your new followers. Be sure to give customers a good (and fun) reason to like or follow you.

5. Tap Location-Based Services
If you run a brick-and-mortar business or host an event, encourage people to check in on location-based services like Foursquare,  or Where. You will gain information about your regular customers and how often they visit you. It also lets your customers share information and tips about your business with others. A unique special offer can encourage these regulars to check in more often.

6. Encourage Reviews on the Run
Encourage customers to share their thoughts about their experience while they are still at our place of business. Post a sign that says, “How’d we do? Let us know!” You can even direct customers to sites like Yelp, Where, Google Places, or TripAdvisor, where you would like them to offer reviews of your business. Make sure you post your company’s Twitter handle, so customers can include it in reviews and follow your business on Twitter for updates. Be sure you stay on top of any customer reviews posted about your company.

More mobile technologies are springing up, enabling businesses and customers to stay connected, regardless of location. Remember: All these gadgets and apps can support your marketing but they should not drive it. You still need to focus your message on how your company provides great products and services. Know who and where your customers are. Then bring the goods to them. Mobile strategies let you package your marketing to better reach them.

Chad Haas, a Naked Lime Web expert was chosen to be a speaker for Digital Dealer.

You are in luck! It’s your second chance to experience Digital Dealer presentations!

The Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition has become one of the premier events for auto dealers to learn about all things digital that impact their business. If you missed the Digital Dealer Conference this year – no money, no time, overslept – it’s not too late to catch the best of the presentations from the show.

Dealer Communications, which organizes the Digital Dealer Conference, has named the Top 25 sessions from the 12^th Digital Dealer Conference, held in April. The presentation from Naked Lime’s own Chad Haas has been selected as one of the Top 25, and Dealer Communications now has made the Top 25 presentations available for purchase in easy-to-use training media formats.

You’ll want to catch Chad’s presentation, “Your Website Isn’t Just a Sales Tool” to learn how to get noticed and retain service business through digital advertising, online specials, online appointment scheduling, and a personalized customer portal on your website. You’ll also learn more about best practices for service advertising and follow-up communication, incentive ideas, up-sell opportunities, and customer service.

For more information, visit http://www.playbacknow.com/digital-dealer/12th-digital-dealer-conference.

(Note: Naked Lime doesn’t benefit directly from the sale of these presentations, but you can bet we’re very proud of Chad for being selected!)

If you are looking for a fun, creative career in a successful and growing company, please consider us!

Are you looking for a fun, creative career in a successful and growing company?

Are you interested in joining a world-class, high-energy team?

Naked Lime Marketing is looking for top talent to join the cutting-edge new realm of marketing: Digital Marketing. With the success of the Naked Lime Marketing brand, we are looking to expand our Digital Marketing Specialist team with qualified new faces.

But what would you do as a Digital Marketing Specialist?

Your range of responsibilities will ensure that your duties are different and exciting every single day. You’ll focus on Search Engine Optimation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and play an essential role in Naked Lime’s services to our customers by managing the digital marketing campaigns of car dealerships and working to increase their online presence. You’ll also be monitoring the success of ad performance and analyzing the return on investment of the campaign; writing press releases, blogs, and website content; and even maintaining dealerships’ social media, like Facebook pages and Twitter accounts!

Naked Lime Marketing offers traditional benefits as well as a state of the art facility (including a coffee bar, health center, and fitness center), networking opportunities through associate sports leagues, and long-term career and advancement opportunities. The environment is fun and engaging!

Qualified applicants will have a bachelor’s degree or digital marketing experience. If that’s you, contact our recruiting department by submitting a resume to apply@nakedlime.com or visit our website — www.reyrey.com/careers.

With Mother’s Day around the corner, it’s time to thank our moms for putting up with us (not always an easy job) and reflect on the lessons she taught us as kids.

Mom knows best – but what she probably didn’t know is that her advice also applies to your social media strategy.

• Follow the Golden Rule: How many times have you heard this one: “Treat others how you want to be treated”? Probably a ton, but don’t roll your eyes, because it’s true. If you want to encourage people to comment on your posts and feel comfortable doing it, give them a safe environment in which to do that. Even if you don’t agree with what they say, be nice and appreciate the fact they took the time to read your post in the first place.
• Use your manners: Mom taught you to say “Thank you” to acknowledge a good deed. Good manners are always appreciated. A simple “Thanks for the Retweet” or “Thanks for sharing our article” goes a long way. It’s good etiquette, and it can help build your impressions and reach across social media channels.
• Share with your brother (or sister): I always hated this one. Why would I want to share my new crayons or my peanut butter and jelly sandwich with anyone? As we get older, sharing tends to translate into “I’ll scratch your back if you’ll scratch mine.” Share someone’s Facebook post and they may share yours. Retweet their post and see what happens. Comment on their blogs and see who starts commenting on yours.
• Clean your room: Ok, maybe this is the one I hated most. Keeping your Web pages clean and your content updated is crucial. Not only will this make it easier for customers to find information they need, but it also will look more appealing, which in turn makes your offerings more appealing.
• Eat your vegetables; they’re good for you: Managing all of the different social sites can be overwhelming. But, there’s no denying that social media benefits SEO, increases customer engagement and interaction, and broadens your reach to more prospects. So while you might drag your feet to do it, it’s for the best.

As a teen, you wouldn’t admit it, but as usual, mom was right. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!

Facebook has more than 845 million users with millions of content uploaded every day, and while people think they know what they’re doing, many are making mistakes along the way. Here are some common mistakes that you should avoid when trying to increase your dealerships fan base, engagement and community involvement.

Common Mistake #1: Text Heavy

Facebook allows you to post paragraphs of information at one time, but why would you? Decide what point you want to get across and keep the post short and sweet so people will read it. If you would like to write longer posts, consider creating a blog post and link  to it from Facebook. This way, you get the point across but they can obtain more information if needed.

Common Mistake #2: Frequency of Posts

Updating your Facebook page consistently is important, but you don’t want to bombard your fan base with information. You probably can think of a few people off the top of your head you’re friends with who post new status updates almost hourly. If it annoys you, it will annoy your customers. Too many posts can result in fans becoming uninterested in your content; keep them intrigued with more sporadic posts, and post information just 3-5 times per week. Remember, sometimes less is more.

Common Mistake #3: Tone

Sure, you want your community to think of your dealership as professional, but that doesn’t mean you can’t show your personality. When posting information, keep in mind your community wants to feel connected to you and your dealership.  People don’t want to talk to a brand; they want to connect with a person and share common ideas and interests. Ideally, the person responsible for your social media should understand the company’s tone and add their own twist to posts.

Though there is no complete best practice guide to social media, there are general guidelines to help enhance your friends’ and fans’ experience.

While most households share computers among several family members, it’s likely that each one of those individuals has his or her own cell phone. And, where can that cell phone be found? With the person at all times.                                                              

So how do you take advantage of the mobile phenomenon and incorporate it in your current marketing plans?

The answer begins with traditional advertising.

• Do you know how many leads you get each month from newspaper or TV? What about from radio?
• How do you determine the success of your traditional advertising if you don’t have the ability to effectively measure the results?

That’s where mobile marketing can help. Enhance the advertising you’ve been doing for years – and advertising your local community is used to seeing – with the added ability to track the effectiveness of your efforts.

Using text-message codes in your traditional advertising gives shoppers a way to interact with your dealership wherever they are, and it gives you something traditional advertising never gave you before – trackability. 

As customers and prospects reply to your ads by text, you end up with:

• Trackable results: reports from text campaigns show the actual number of interactions received from shoppers based on a given ad or call to action.
• Outbound marketing opportunities: separate marketing opt-in campaigns allow you to build a list for which you can conduct future text campaigns.

Let’s look at a couple of examples:

1. Traditional Ad: Sunday ad/Classifieds

With traditional advertising, shoppers must visit your dealership, go to your website, or call for more information. When you get that walk-in, email, or phone call, you may never know what prompted it.

Sunday ad/Classifieds integrated with mobile marketing:

When you integrate text-message codes into your advertising, now shoppers have the option to text for more vehicle information no matter where they are, and you can easily identify which ads produced which leads.

2. Traditional Ad: Window stickers

Window stickers typically are only a “read only” source of vehicle information. When you add mobile marketing to window stickers, those stickers are transformed into a marketing tool by allowing prospects with your dealership immediately – no more depending on the prospect to call or email you later. Plus, you’re now able to track how many people visit the dealership lot at any time, even after business hours.

Window sticker integrated with mobile marketing:

Traditional advertising is a staple for dealerships and a mainstay for shoppers everywhere. Get more from your ad spend by using a mobile solution to help connect consumers instantly to your dealership and help you measure the effectiveness of your traditional advertising.

What is your digital reputation? What are customers saying about you?

You might remember from grade school how fast a rumor can spread from person to person. Now, think of how fast that same rumor could spread today (and how far it could spread) thanks to Facebook, Twitter, and blog sites. Ouch. Maybe you shouldn’t think about it.

While you don’t want to believe that someone would say anything negative about your dealership, getting a bad online review has become as inevitable as flat tires, running out of milk, or getting lost.

Follow these steps to deal with unfavorable online reviews:

1. Monitor the Web: In order to know what customers are saying about your dealership, you’ll need to scour the web to hear the word on the street. Most people won’t call to tell you they have a problem, yet they also won’t hesitate to complain on social media sites or forums. Think about it like this: if you have to bail on a friend last minute, isn’t it so much easier to text him to break the bad news rather than calling him?

2.      Think It Through: It all goes back to what your mother used to tell you: “Think before you speak.” When you find a negative comment, it’s easy to want to respond right away and defend your business; however, you don’t want to jump the gun and say something you’ll regret later. Take a deep breath, think it through, and respond when you’re acting on best practices, not anger.

3.      Respond: Make sure customers know you have heard their concern, apologize for any inconvenience you may have caused, and let them know you are working to fix the problem. Not only will troubled customers’ attitudes likely change for the better, but other customers will take note of the customer service you provided and appreciate your dedication to helping your customers. 

4.      Promote the Good: The good news is that not all online reviews will be bad. When you find customers who rave about your dealership, ask them to post the review in other places as well. Word of mouth can be a great thing, so it pays to use it to your advantage when a happy customer is willing to spread the good news.

Ignorance isn’t always bliss. Know what customers are saying about your dealership and follow these steps to prepare yourself for the online reviews you find so that you can make customers happy and keep them coming back.

Did you know that this:  

…And this: http://www.facebook.com/NkdLime?sk=wall

…And this: http://fb.com/NkdLime

All take you to the same location? It’s true. It just depends how you look at it.

If a consumer’s email client is set to Rich-Text or HTML format and their email provider allows for images to be displayed, then the consumer will see the image onscreen.

If those images are blocked in any fashion, the consumer likely will see a URL that’s long, clunky, and confusing, such as the example here: http://www.facebook.com/NkdLime?sk=wall.

However, if you want your emails to look good in any format, there’s a simple way to make that happen. Optimizing the images in your emails for text-centric viewing can be one of the best weapons against email providers or user settings that block images in email messages.

In a text-centric email, you will need to add alternate text – or “alt text” – for each image that describes the image clearly and succinctly. That way, the recipient gets the point of your message, regardless of whether images are displayed onscreen.

This works for any image in the email, whether that’s a picture of a vehicle or a social media icon.

How you add alt text to the images in your email messages will vary depending on the tool you’re using to create the email. Refer to the Help files or contact your marketing company for assistance.

One final thing to note is that the most appealing URLs are generally the shortest ones. Look for ways to use the most direct link possible, such as using your vanity URL for your Facebook page (you’ll need at least 25 “Likes” for your page to set this up) and abbreviating the domain name for Facebook to “fb.com” at the start of your URL, as in the example http://fb.com/NkdLime.

Email recipients may incorrectly identify complex, strange-looking URLs as being broken links or spam. Be mindful of the images you’re putting into your email campaigns and be sure they’re optimized for viewing for all types of email formats.

Is your dealership missing out on an enormous opportunity to create long-term customer loyalty, increase customer retention rates, and most importantly, drive business into your service bays, your parts department, and your showroom? You might be if you’re not already using targeted emails as an integral part of your overall marketing plan.

Here are a few tips to get your email marketing program rolling:

• Keep in mind that email marketing is a program, not a one-time event. Email communications strengthen customer loyalty by delivering unique messages and special offers that are personalized for the recipient once they have opted-in to the program.

• Coordinate efforts in the sales and service departments to collect valid customer email addresses. The average dealership has email addresses for fewer than 30% of its current customers; however, collecting upwards of 70% is an attainable goal if you put the right processes in place to collect email addresses at every touch point.

• Remove the word “blast” from your vocabulary and avoid “one size fits all” messages. Email offers should be targeted provide deals based on where individual customers are within their sales and service lifecycles.

• Brush up on state laws and policies. Errors in disclaimer size or omissions of information can lead to hefty fines! OEM brand standards must be followed if you wish to co-op the cost of your efforts. If you’re unsure of all the rules, a knowledgeable email marketing company can be a great resource in helping you meet state laws and OEM guidelines.

Using these tips as a foundation, you’re now ready to plan your email marketing program and start connecting with your customers using this important channel.

What are your dealership’s best practices for email marketing?

You wouldn’t send your mom the same birthday card as your new girlfriend or boyfriend, right?  While this isn’t a relationship advice or self-help article, some of the same rules apply when it comes to communicating with customers or prospects.
Your prospects and existing customers have very different views about your dealership and require different messages to encourage action and long-lasting engagement.

Here are a few simple guidelines to remember when communicating with each audience:

Treat Customers Like Family

Even though your mother’s known you forever, she still wants to feel special and appreciated; so do your existing customers. Customize an eNewsletter to your existing customers with special customer-only offers, industry news about the vehicles they own, and relevant lifestyle articles to increase customer loyalty and retention.

Court Your Prospects

Prospects, like a new relationship, can be more difficult to sway. They want to be impressed and swept off their feet. Send a separate eNewsletter designed specifically to grab the attention of your prospects. This eNewsletter may include news on the latest car, truck, and SUV models, tips for servicing any vehicle, and community news all to engrain your brand in the mind of prospects.   

Update Your Black Book

Your messages can be divine, but why send them if they’re not sent to the right person?  Use market reports such as the Polk Customer Loyalty and Cross-Sell Reports to help you know who your prospects and existing customers are, what they are shopping for, and what they currently own. Some companies offer this service  and your specialists use these reports when crafting your newsletters for you.

Whether it’s your mom, new crush, customer, or a prospect, make sure you’re sending the right messages to the right audience. Remember these guidelines and you will be number one in all their hearts.