The 2011 Automotive Website Awards ceremony on October 7, 2011 in Las Vegas will start promptly at 6:00 pm.

This year PCG is adding awards for Automotive Social Media solutions and best practices.  The 2011 ASMA awards will be presented in conjunction with the AWA awards in Las Vegas.

PCG Digital Marketing has released the list of awards that will be presented at Caesars Palace Hotel which recognize the best products, services, and technology serving the automotive industry.

• Four Companies will receive the Automotive Search Marketing – Peak Performance Award
• Six Companies will receive the Automotive Search Marketing – Pinnacle Award
• Two Companies will receive awards for Mobile Website Platforms
• Three OEM’s will receive awards for Automotive Mobile Website Design
• Four Companies will receive Technology Innovation Awards
• Two Companies will receive Social Media Technology Awards
• Two Dealers will receive Social Media Engagement Awards
• One Individual will receive the Lighthouse Award.
• One Online Community will receive the Lighthouse Award.

2011 ASMA Awards

• One company will receive an ASMA Solutions Award
• Two dealers will receive an ASMA Best Practice Award
• One OEM will receive an ASMA Social Media Leadership Award.

Reserve Your AWA Ceremony Tickets

If you will be in Las Vegas in October, we encourage you to join fellow automotive professionals at the AWA awards ceremony.  Tickets can be reserved online by visiting this page:  AWA Ceremony Tickets.  The ceremony will include a cocktail reception and hors d’oeuvres so that everyone in attendance can congratulate the winners.

If you have any questions regarding the ceremony, please contact Carrie Hemphill at 732.450.8200 ext 2.

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

The automotive industry’s first ever Automotive Marketing Boot Camp will be held on February 12th; the day before the official start of NADA in Orlando. 

The Boot Camp will cover important elements of automotive digital marketing strategies: social media, blogging, video, microsites, link building, content creation, SEO and pay-per-click marketing.    

Brian Pasch is the CEO of PCG Digital Marketing, an industry leader in digital marketing and Search Engine Optimization for the automotive industry. 

Pasch will be among five keynote speakers at the Boot Camp and is also one of the instructors at the Automotive Marketing Boot Camp. 

The opening ceremonies for the Boot Camp are scheduled for Thursday evening February 11th with Keynote Speaker Jared Hamilton, founder of DrivingSales.com.

The first class instructed by Pasch “How To Create Content To Achieve Your Online Marketing Goals” will teach dealer professionals how to create content that the search engines will respect.  Pasch will demonstrate how to write search engine friendly content that attracts new traffic and meets car dealer’s keyword search goals.

Next, Pasch will deliver a seminar covering his top picks for the Best Digital Marketing Strategies of 2010.  There are hundreds of opportunities online for auto dealers looking to capture their fair share of the market, but only a select few will offer the best ROI. 

Pasch will show participants how to leverage these strategies to immediately increase the visibility of any car dealership.   He will also show the latest winning digital marketing strategies that have yet to be publically discussed on Brian’s blogs.

A complete description of these classes can be found online:  Boot Camp Classes

The full roster of speakers for the boot camp includes JD Rucker, a leading automotive social media expert and CMO of TK Carsites, Paul Rushing, respected leaders in Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization, Eric Mayhew, Manager of Advertising Products at Dealer.com, and Tim Jennings, an 18 year veteran in the automotive industry who will be leading classes on video optimization online for increased traffic and sales.

The full roster of speakers and class descriptions can be found online at http://www.automotivemarketingbootcamp.com/instructors/

The Automotive Marketing Boot Camp offers attendees hands-on classes which will deliver the abilities dealers need to understand, manage and catapult their online marketing strategy to the next level.  Every participant will be required to bring a laptop since the boot camp will feature hands on skills training.  This will enable participants to take back to their dealership and implement what they learned in class.

Registration is limited to 75 seats per class and is filling up quickly.  Automotive Principals, General Managers, General Sales Managers or Internet Sales Managers are encouraged to register online at http://www.automotivemarketingbootcamp.com/paypal

For more information on Brian Pasch and the PCG Digital Marketing, visit http://www.dealer-seo.com