Are you interested in keeping your current car-buying customers while still reaching out to potential new customers? Do you want to do this while keeping costs down? In today’s economy, cutting costs is the name of the game for any business owner, especially automotive dealers. Here is how you can use your advertising budget, your satisfied customers and the Internet to reach out to new customers.

Sponsor a Video Contest
Imagine the impact on your bottom line if dozens of your satisfied customers created a YouTube video based on their pleasant experiences at your dealership. As nearly everybody has a video camera and a computer nowadays, customers can easily create a video and post it to the site. And it’s free! Offer a gas card or some other incentive for the winner of the best video, and you’ll be surprised how much publicity your dealership receives from such a simple request.

Share Experiences on Your Site
You’d be surprised how many people will create a blog or a video with a promise that you’ll link to it from your dealership’s website. They’ll appreciate the traffic they receive and the publicity, too. Simply ask your satisfied customers to create something on their websites that discusses their experiences at your facility, and be sure to include a link on your website. It doesn’t get much more inexpensive than that!

Stir Up Their Creativity
Ask existing customers to create a short, 50-word description of the car they bought from your automotive dealership. Ask them to allow you to put it on the inventory section of your website. Many customers will just enjoy knowing that you used their descriptions, but you can offer a small prize for their efforts.

If you want to keep your customers engaged with your dealership so they’ll come back when it’s time for a purchase, use a variety of methods that appeal to them. These three ideas utilize social media and online automotive marketing, but using other ways is important, too.

Wanted to take advantage of message by Seth Godin in one of his recent blogs. The blog touches on the subject of how Search, or search engines, makes the infinite more finite. It’s a valid point. The masses have come to rely on search engines for helping to initiate or at least narrow down a person’s infinite number of choices. But what does this mean for businesses?

Businesses, Car Dealerships included, can not be everywhere in Search and so you must be selective about where you position your website. If you focus entirely on where your competition is then you are missing out on opportunities to reach market share where you competition is not. By the same token, if you focus solely on where your competition is not then you will miss out on a lot of your market share. Alas, you need a balanced strategy for both.

This is where data and research become important. There is data available and there are tools that are accessible for determining where and how to position your website. For instance, Axandra and Web CEO which are two of the more popular software programs for researching and managing SEO (and to some extent your PPC efforts). There are also good online tools such as Webmaster Toolkit which are good for researching Search Markets too.

Car Dealerships have two choices…they can invest time and training into utilizing these tools effectively, or else they can rely on trusting providers to assist with or even manage these things on their behalf. Regardless, someone needs to be on top of these things in order for dealerships to thrive in today’s online marketplaces. For Dealers that do rely on providers to do this, which is the majority, they still need to be responsible for where and how these providers do position their dealer customer websites.

It’s all about supply and demand and while you do want to position your site where there is an abundance of demand, you also want to position yourself where there is little supply. You can obtain a lot of market share by positioning your site in spaces that are frequented and not saturated with suppliers.

So when it comes to Search Engine Marketing for Car Dealers, remember that you do not need to be everywhere for everyone. You do need however, a well-balanced mixture of visibility within your competitor markets and the market spaces where you can be the bright and shiny star in a galaxy of infinite possibilities.

Shouts out to Andy at Vinart for forwarding the Godin article.

As an automotive dealer, you know it’s more difficult (and more costly) to find new customers than it is to keep existing ones. It’s simply not easy to bring new people to your dealership with so much competition in the automotive industry. That’s why it’s so important to keep your existing customers engaged with you and your facility as much as you can.

But how do you do that?

Many automotive dealers send out birthday cards and maintenance reminders to keep their names in their customers’ heads. But they are overlooking one major possibility: Internet marketing.

I’m not talking about using Internet marketing on your part to reach car-buying customers, though. I mean you can put a large amount of advertising for your business on your customers’ shoulders. With social media websites, YouTube and other popular online gathering places, your customers can spread the word about your dealership for you.

Think of it like this: The Internet is the new “word of mouth.” And any business owner knows that word of mouth is the best way to advertise. Unfortunately, unsatisfied customers are more likely to spread their dissatisfaction than satisfied customers are to spread their satisfaction with their experiences. Most satisfied customers won’t even take the time to post their pleasant experiences without any incentives.

If I’ve piqued your curiosity, come back on Wednesday to see how you can encourage and engage your existing customers to help promote your business by doing more than simply telling their friends.

If you’re an auto dealer, you simply can’t dispute the importance or effectiveness of online brand marketing. This type of marketing not only spreads your name to potential customers on the Internet but also gives you a distinct and unique reputation apart from your competitors. But if you’ve been noticing a lower level of effectiveness or fewer sales recently, your campaign may need a boost. Here are some ways to strengthen your online marketing quickly and easily.

• Reevaluate Your Brand Name
Successful car dealers thrive on short, catchy, easy-to-remember names for their businesses. The same is true in the online world. Make sure your brand name is easy to spell and simple to remember. If you can think of a cleverer name that will grab more attention, consider using it instead of your current one.

• Showcase the Importance of Your Brand’s Products
Why should customers care for your particular brand over another? Why do they need your products? Answer these questions on your website and you’ll undoubtedly notice a positive difference. Don’t be afraid to brag, either. It’s a great attention-getter.

• Focus on Your Brand’s Success and Purpose
People will remember more about your brand if it performs well in the marketplace. If people are talking about it and it’s creating a buzz, even a longer, more complicated name can’t hinder its success.

• Consider Revamping
Customers get excited when they log on to a website they’ve seen dozens of times before and it has a fresh, new look. Consider changing your logo, your storefront and the entire feel of your website to excite your customers once again.

You can’t turn on the evening news in the United States without hearing about the impending recession. Althoujgh some won’t yet commit to saying we’re in a recession, nobody can deny the troubles the economy is having. So how does an auto dealer stay afloat at a time when fewer and fewer people are investing in luxury items and more and more people are simply trying to put food on their tables?

Affiliate marketing.

While advertisers are tightening their budgets, companies are looking for more efficient and less expensive ways to reach customers. And because advertising on the Internet is cheaper than advertising on print mediums, they are turning to cyberspace to reach out.

If you haven’t tried affiliate marketing with your automotive dealer’s website, there’s no better time to start participating. But there is one way you can supplement your income through the Internet when car sales are slow.

By expanding your online horizons, you can increase your chances for reaping some income from affiliate marketing. The more websites and blogs you have, the more chances there are for a potential customer to see your name and learn about your automotive dealer facility. Think of it as being like real estate. In a bad economy, people with money buy property and “ride out” the recession. When the economy recovers, they sell the property for a profit.

It’s the same idea with the online world. Increase your online presence as much as you can when people aren’t spending their money. When they are confident and start buying again, you’re already in a position to provide them with a product.

If you ask customers what they want from the companies from whom they buy, you probably won’t be surprised by their responses. Studies show that Customers primarily want two things:

1. Competitive pricing, and
2. Auto Dealers to be transparent with information in a timely and professional manner

According to a recent study by Cobalt, Yahoo!, and Polk, the advent and advancement of the internet have made it possible for customers to demand this from all of the companies with whom they do business. No businesses are more affected by this than Car Dealerships. For most people, their vehicles are more expensive than anything they’ll ever buy but not live in, and saving money and hearing the truth are especially important in the car buying process.

The study reveals that the impact of a customer’s online brand marketing experience in the car buying process cannot be overstated. In every area of their lives, customers are going online to research, to learn, and even to shop, and the purchase of an automobile is no different.

The study found that one of the most crucial aspects of the online brand marketing process is responding to customer inquiries. People are spending an incredible sum of money on their car, and they’re bound to have questions. Customers are taking the dealer responses to their questions very seriously, and for good reason.

A recent article in Dealer magazine on the study says “simply initiating a response is not enough to build customer loyalty. Rather, dealers must respond as consumers request, factoring in content, speed and method of response, in order to increase the chance of selling a vehicle.” It should be obvious, but when a customer wants an email instead of a phone call, or they would prefer to be phoned before 5 o’clock, it makes sense to take heed and communicate with them in the manner they choose.

The concept of sharing experiences with personal networks is not a new one — we’re all familiar with one person telling two friends and those friends telling two more. Existing and potential customers now have access to methods of group communication previously inconceivable to marketing departments. With the rise of internet usage, those two friends are still being told, but they’re being told publicly and there are a whole lot more than two of them.

With forums, blogs, rating sites and social media becoming the fastest growing methods of information transfer, giving customers a professional and helpful experience is more vital than ever before. Automobile dealers have the opportunity to capitalize on good customer relationships and experience growth at exponential rates.

As a dealer with an automotive blog or website, you know the importance of online brand marketing. It’s what sets you apart from the myriad of other automotive dealers in the nation and even in your local area. That’s why you always want to ensure that you put the best information “out there” and have a reputable site.

But how do you protect your online reputation when people can post whatever they want on the Internet? One disgruntled customer could cost you sales. Here are a few tips to protect your brand and your marketing strategies so you can defend yourself and keep as many potential customers as possible.

• Google Yourself
This is the easiest way to see what’s in cyberspace about you or your business. Simply type your name into the Google search engine to find out what information already exists about you.

• Create an Alert with Your Name or Your Dealership’s Name
I’ve done this with my own name just so I can see if anybody is posting anything untrue about me online. You can easily create an alert through Yahoo or Google that will send you an e-mail whenever somebody posts your name online.

• Respond to Negative Comments
When customers are happy with their experience at an auto dealership, they typically don’t create a blog post or any other written statement expressing their satisfaction. But dissatisfied people will. And sometimes, they’ll even exaggerate the truth or just make completely false statements. If you see this, do your best to respond, whether by commenting or by contacting the person who posted the information. It might not be a big help, but at least you get your side of the story out there, too.

Do you know what an RSS feed is? If you’re like 90 percent of your fellow Internet users, you don’t. You’ve probably heard the term. And chances are you’ve seen the little orange square that symbolizes an RSS feed, too. But have you actually used one? Or have you even done research to learn what it is?

One blogger wants to make more people aware of this essential Internet Marketing tool. He proposes making May 1 RSS Awareness Day. Although RSS users are already aware of this feature, he believes creating a specific day for awareness will get more people talking about it and wondering what it does. Hopefully, he says, the mainstream media will even feel the buzz and put it in the public’s mind.

Here’s what you can do to help. If you have a blog, write about it. A couple of posts on the days before May 1 is great, but blogging about it on the actual day is great, too. Link back to RSSDay.org so readers can click for more information.

As a bonus, you can even win prizes if your blog is picked from a random drawing before May 1. Prizes range from $50 cash awards to credit vouchers and copies of resources for your website. You can find more details here if you’re interested.

At the very least, educate yourself on RSS feeds. You might just save a lot of time in your web surfing sessions. If you’re an auto dealer, it’s also a great way to stay updated on the latest news and information in the automotive industry and your competition, too.

The backbone of any business, especially a car dealership, is repeat business. If your customers aren’t coming back to you for their new car needs, your income potential decreases. But how do you keep in touch with your customers without seeming pushy or desperate?

AWeber has the ideal way to stay in contact with your customer base while making each client feel like more than “just a customer” at the same time. Have you ever thought about sending birthday e-mails? If so, that’s a great start. In fact, this is one of the “X factors” in the online brand marketing industry. And who doesn’t enjoy getting birthday greetings regardless of how old they are?

In addition to a birthday greeting, you can offer a discount on a preventative maintenance service or maybe even a free oil change. Who wouldn’t like that?

If you’re considering this as a way to keep current customers, be sure to gather the necessary information. AWeber will do all the rest. Here’s what they’ll need:

1. Customer’s e-mail
2. Customer’s birthday

That’s it! And the great part is that each sale typically includes this information. That means you really don’t need to do anything extra except supply this information to AWeber. Try it out today and see what kind of results you get. The potential to keep your current customers is priceless.

For decades, our car-buying decisions have been based primarily on what our friends tell us, what we read in consumer reports, and the advertising in radio and in television. But the buying world is changing across the board, virtualizing and socializing, and progressive dealerships are getting in to the action. A new survey by The Kelsey Group suggests a warm welcome by car dealers when it comes to today’s Web 2.0 marketing.

According to the survey, 62 percent of those dealers who responded planned to increase their online media spending this year, and 33 percent said they would be using social media, up from 15 percent. At the same time, only 8 percent of respondents said they would be cutting their online spending, as compared to 46 percent who will be cutting their spending in more traditional media outlets.

“These findings point to a significant disruption in the auto dealer advertising space,” says Neal Polachek, chief executive officer of The Kelsey Group. This isn’t your grandfather’s marketing campaign.

Whenever technology changes — whether it’s the newest gadget or the newest form of marketing –there is always a group of individuals and businesses who are quick to get involved. These early adopters who are more willing to try new things before the rest of the industry does have a chance at new and exciting success. The last few years have been groundbreaking in online technology and social media marketing, and other dealers are catching on after seeing the unprecedented success of their peers who have been quick to adopt the new technology.

There is a growing awareness among automobile dealers that online brand marketing is a vital piece of the marketing puzzle. This includes forms of Organic Search Marketing, Blog Marketing, and online Social Network Marketing. Buyers have not only turned to the Internet with shocking speed and in amazing numbers, but also they are demanding more from their suppliers, and automobile retailers are no exception. The smart dealers are getting on board, capitalizing on this new breed of web savvy customers.

There’s no doubt about it — the world has changed beyond recognition, and it continues to change every day. Dealers across the country and the globe have come to realize that online brand marketing and social media are powerful and cost-effective means for making customers more aware of what they have to offer. It’s an exciting time to be a car dealership, and the future is looking brighter and brighter every day.