PCG DIgital Marketing, host of the  upcoming 2011 Automotive Website Awards (AWA), has released the list of website companies that will be included in their annual website and technology review.  The 2011 AWA white paper will detail the scoring for each website provider and the award winning companies in various categories.

The award ceremony is scheduled on Friday October 7, 2011 in Las Vegas.  Tickets for the awards ceremony must be reserved in advance since the awards and cocktail reception is a popular event for the automotive industry and seating is limited.  Tickets can also be reserved by calling Carrie Hemphill at 732.450.8200

40+ Automotive Website Companies Reviewed

This year over 40 companies will be included to the 160+ page report which assists car dealers select the website platforms and related technology to best support their online marketing goals.  The 2011 AWA ceremony will include awards for mobile websites which are a mandatory part of any competitive automotive digital marketing strategy.

For the first time PCG Digital Marketing will also be presenting the Automotive Social Media Awards to set the bar for the emerging vendor community offering Social Media tools and technology for dealers.

The list of companies that will be included in the published AWA report on October 7th includes, in alphabetical order, are:

• ADP/Cobalt
• All AutoNetwork
• Auto Fusion
• Auto Jini
• Auto Lot Manger
• Auto Revo
• Blu Solutions
• Captive Lead
• Click Motive
• Dealer Car Search
• Dealer E-Process
• Dealer Fire
• Dealer Impact
• Dealer Peak
• Dealer Specialities
• Dealer.com
• DealerHD
• DealerOn
• Dealerskins
• DealerTrend
• Driving Force
• eBizAutos
• eCarList
• Fresh Input
• GS Marketing
• Higher Turnover
• Izmo Cars
• Jazel Auto
• K3 Automotive
• Liquid Motors
• MJMI
• Nexteppe
• Promaxonline
• Pure Dealer
• Reynolds & Reynolds
• Search Optics
• SEO Sport
• Smart Web Concepts
• TKCarsites
• VinSolutions
• Wilson Software
• World Dealer
• Xspond.com

#1 The Wrong Questions

Dealers are constantly asking me how they can drive more “In Market” or “Relevant Fans/Likes” to their Facebook pages. It is in the question itself that dealers go wrong. Social Media isn’t a trick. You can’t approach it by prejudging the value of one fan or like over another. If you are determined to fight this truth then save yourself the time and investment. You will never be successful with Facebook Marketing using this approach.

The Right Question

How do I drive more fans/likes to my Facebook Page? The short answer: Hire Wikimotive to do this. The long answer: You’ll need to hire 10 social media professionals and provide them with access to a number of ISP portals. Then have them create a few hundred Facebook accounts. They will need to work about 60 hours a week for a year to a year and a half engaging with people all over the country and becoming their friends. Once all of those accounts have a few thousand friends, you can begin inviting people to your fan page and you will begin to drive fans in high volume to your page.

Can you drive fans to your page without this huge investment? Sure, but it will take years. Remember, this is the car business. It’s a numbers game. You can have the best Social Media guru in the business writing awesome content on your Facebook page every day, but if no one is seeing it there will be no ROI. Thousands of people must WANT to visit your page every single day. You want them addicted to your page so every day they will visit your page, have a laugh or answer a question and get their daily fix. That is how you create powerful brand awareness. That is how you market to them without the target ever being aware that they were marketed to.

The Rebuttal

But my dealership is in Cincinnati! Why do I care about someone liking my page that lives in Houston, TX? Answer: Circle of Influence. Circle of what? Wikimotive’s most successful Facebook Marketing dealership is Marlboro Nissan. At the time of this post their fan page has 13,406 fans that like their page. Their fans are from all over the United States and some who take part in the pages daily content are even from other countries. Marlboro Nissan consistently sells over 20 cars a month as a result of their Facebook page because of the Circle of Influence of the page’s fans.

What does this mean, Circle of Influence? Well the average Facebook user has 130 friends. Do the math (13,406 x 130) and Marlboro Nissan’s daily content has the potential to reach 1,742,780 people. Most dealer fan pages have between 300 and 600 fans. That’s a reach of 39,000 to 78,000 people. It takes a huge circle of influence to drive a significant number of consumers into your store on a consistent basis.

But you still haven’t told me why that fan in TX will be a sale in Cincinnati! Well that takes us back to the circle of influence. Many people have relatives or friends who live in other parts of the country. They are part of that circle of influence. Case in point: Just yesterday Karen Kaster, from Westford, MA, came to Marlboro to pick up her prize, an iPad she won by solving a very difficult challenge question on Marlboro Nissan’s fan page.

After chatting for a while I asked how she became a fan of Marlboro Nissan’s page. Her response was all too common: “My brother lives in Indiana and is a fan of the page and he knew the answer. Since he wasn’t eligible to win the prize and he knew I was here in MA, he called me and told me to join the page. So I did!”

I congratulated Karen and wished her well when she said, “well actually, my husband needs a new car…” An hour later she was driving her husband’s Christmas present home, a brand new Nissan Altima. The point of the story isn’t that you need to give away an iPad to get a car sale.

There are many other examples of people who came in because an out of market relative told them about our store because of our FB page. But it is because of the circle of influence that the individual fan that may live outside of the dealer’s market is a strong influencer upon people they may know who live in the dealer’s market. Remember, just like car sales, it’s a numbers game. The more people you can influence, the better your chance to create a sale and promote brand awareness.

#2 The Wrong Content

“The snow is coming! It’s a great time to come down to XYZ motors and buy a new Ford Explorer! Get your 4×4 before the snow sets in!” “Right now at ABC Auto Sales the new 2011?s just came in and we have 0% financing for a limited time!”

“We just took in a great trade! An 8 year old accord with only 20k on it!” Does this sound like the crap your dealership is posting on their Facebook wall? Congratulations, you’ve discovered the #1 way to lose fans and alienate potential consumers.

People don’t spend time on Facebook so they can search for all the advertising they just fast-forwarded past on their Tivo or DVR. Facebook is supposed to be fun. It is a distraction – an escape. I mean if you really think about it, why the hell would anyone who isn’t in the car business have any interest at all in liking a dealership’s fan page anyway? They wouldn’t! Unless it was fun! Unless it was different! Unless there was that something that differentiated it from the usual crap dealer’s propagate.

Remember, they already know you’re a car dealer. Your page is named “XYZ Motors”. If they actually clicked on your page, you’ve just succeeded. They already got marketing. They saw you’re name. Give yourself a pat on the back. Now reward them for coming there. Give them something they want! Talk about something fun or entertaining or controversial – WHATEVER YOU WANT EXCEPT THE CAR BUSINESS OR SALES AND OFFERS!

The best way to keep them involved with things that are socially relevant is to ask questions! Why questions? Because a question needs to be answered! Give a prize away once in a while when some one answers correctly! You’ll train them in the value of answering questions! That will keep them coming back. You never know when you might get a chance to win something! Now they’ll tell other people, “hey you won’t believe what XYZ motors is doing right before Christmas! They’re giving away that widget that everyone wants! No really, there’s no catch they’re just giving them away if you can figure out this puzzle or riddle, etc”. Bottom line give them a reason to be there. Then give them a reason to come back.

#3 The Wrong Reason

Dealers are always looking for that magic bullet. “If I just get this new marketing program going, the up bus will come rolling in and we’ll sell!” A successful Facebook Marketing strategy isn’t going to help you sell more cars if you don’t already have a well-trained sales staff.

If they can’t get people in the door; if they’re not treating people right once they come in; if they’re not following up; if your store doesn’t have a strong commitment to their online reputation, then all Facebook will do is show more people why you suck and give them a forum to share stories about just how bad you suck.

Facebook Marketing is what to do when you’ve got a strong foundation and you’re looking to add incremental business; when you’re looking to enhance your brand awareness; when you’re looking to be more than “just another dealer”. If you’re looking for a quick fix, this isn’t it. It took 93 days to generate $153 in gross profit for Marlboro Nissan. It takes commitment and a long-term strategy. It takes fighting the temptation to try and advertise on the wall when that one of a kind car that should be worthy of being posted there just came in. There is no car, no incentive; no special that is worthy of being posted on your dealer’s Facebook wall.

Specials belong on a specials tab written in FBML – NOT THE WALL. Should I repeat that? THERE ARE NO ADS ON THE WALL…NONE…NEVER…EVER.

Successful Facebook Marketing requires that the dealer be humble enough to admit that they don’t already know how to do it and that it will take a long term commitment to be great at it.

Timothy P. Martell, President
Wikimotive

But, I don’t want to offend anyone.”

Those are the most common words when I tell clients that they can express their opinions on social media, even on their business pages. It seems that being neutral on everything is the way of this politically correct world and that social media is no exception.

Bulls… (I’m so passionate about the topic I nearly cursed for the first time on this blog).

The Middle is False Sincerity

Walking down the middle on a topic is not noble. In most cases, it seems indecisive. If you live in Oklahoma City, chances are you are either an Oklahoma Sooners fan or an Oklahoma State Cowboys fan. Pick one. If you’re a business in Oklahoma City, there is nothing wrong with supporting your team even from a business perspective.

It can actually help, believe it or not, because even Oklahoma State fans can appreciate that you love your Sooners. To support both evenly is insincere and people will know it.

Be Respectful and Professional

Even if you support the Sooners loudly and proudly, that doesn’t mean you go negative on the Cowboys. Being extreme and picking a side does not give you a license to lose professionalism. Had the Cowboys beaten the Sooners in football this year, supporting the Sooners does not mean that you wouldn’t congratulate the Cowboys.

“Congratulations to the Oklahoma State Cowboys for beating our Sooners this year. We’ll see you again next October! The revenge-wagon will be rolling up and down the halls at (your business) in 2011.”

A post like that will likely get replies from both sides. On Facebook, replies means that you have discussion. Discussion means that your post will be present on more pages and will move up in people’s news feeds. Moving up in people’s news feeds gets more impressions for your page. More impressions for your page… you get the picture.

“Congratulations on excellent seasons by both the Cowboys and the Sooners.”

Boring. Fail. No engagement will come.

What to (Maybe) Avoid

Local news, local sports, national events, holidays, and industry-relevant news – all of those make for perfect discussion points on your pages and through Twitter. Some businesses that are willing to “go extreme” will still avoid politics and religion. That’s fine.

It’s also fine to express yourself if you so choose. Don’t let silly “rules of thumb” get in the way and make you gun-shy. If you have views and you’re willing to back them up, the notion that you MUST avoid politics or religion from a business perspective is ludicrous.

There are risks. Few things polarize people more than the two taboo subjects, and there is a chance that you can get some backlash. I’m not recommending that you go far right or far left on your social profiles. I’m telling you that if you are passionate and willing to accept the potential consequences of doing so, don’t let a social media guru tell you otherwise.

Business is business, but it’s in how we handle ourselves in our real lives that determine how deep we’re willing to go in that business when it comes to truly polarizing issues. Follow your heart (yes, it’s cliché, but it’s true) and don’t walk down the middle on issues that you’re comfortable discussing in real life.

Just because everyone else avoids the topic doesn’t mean you have to.

JD Rucker
Director of New Media
TK Carsites

http://www.tkcarsites.com