What Makes Google Go

Let's face it, it's all downhill from here. The past two years have seen Newspapers down by 52%. And, as your marketing team has told you: "Cut the same old, same old TV and Radio because dude, the internet is the way to go." And they're right; the smart money has been going to the internet so much so that at last look it's up around 120% over the past couple of years.

That same marketing team will also tell you that if you want people to arrive at your dealership's web site you're going to have spend a large portion of your budget in something called search engine optimization. Of course they probably didn't use words that easy to understand. The thing is because over three quarters of all current car buyers use search engines, you've got to have a site that a search engine likes. So that when your potential customer types in a key word or two your site is closest to the top of the search. Which leads me to the point of this story. With all the search engines out there, people go Google more. About three times more than Yahoo.

That makes Google the Michael Phelps of the search engine world. But the technology had to walk before it could swim. The first search engine created was Archie, created in 1990 by Alan Emtage, a student at McGill University in Montreal. The original intent of the name was "archives," but it was shortened to Archie. You can see more about Archie, Veronica and even Jughead all search engines developed prior to 1991 and the introduction of the world wide web at http://www.searchenginehistory.com/. So, even though Google wasn't the first it has without a doubt the best in search.

So what's Google going for next?

Have you got a smart phone? If you do you know that your smart phone, no matter which brand you have, is like digital candy for almost every Internet Company with a sweet tooth. During the first three months of this year alone, two thirds of the people who search on their phones go with Google. So Google is not just ahead of their competition in this new segment, they simply have no competition.
So now you're asking yourself, "How did they do that?"

The answer's in the browser and just the way people think? You've heard the now well worn phrase: "Let me Google that." Or "Just Google it." It's the new go to verb. And with newer browsers that integrate Google as part of the toolbar people are just "Googling" away at work, at home and on their way to work on their iPhones, too.

So, Google is going like gangbusters. And the one thing you have to remember above all else is that if you want people to go to your dealership's web site you gotta go through Google or you probably won't be going much at all.

Local Car Dealer Out-Cashes Cash For Clunkers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HAMBURG, PA – (August 30, 2009)The Freedom Dealerships in Hamburg announced today to offer their “Cash for Clunkers” customers more money for their scrap vehicles. Eric Savage, President of the dealerships, said: “We’ve seen that most people who are happy to participate in the “Cash For Clunkers” program are quite disappointed to find that the vehicle they’re trading in is only worth $100 as scrap. So we’re making a $1,000 guarantee scrap value for every customer.”
With all the hoopla over the Federally funded “Clunkers” program, and the news that the funds are rapidly depleting, of the nuances like the fact that all the gas guzzling trade ins must be scrapped have been kept from the very people who would like to participate. “The dealers just aren’t saying it,” says Mr. Savage. “There’s no reason to keep it a secret, it’s part of the deal. At Freedom, we just upped the ante to a $1,000 in the customer’s favor.”
And he’s right. With the possibility of up to $4,500 from the government a new car customer at Freedom Toyota and Hyundai can also receive up to $3,000 in manufacturer’s rebates plus the $1,000 guaranteed scrap value which could equal a whopping $8,500 in immediate savings. That’s good news here but only for those who take advantage of these offers soon. The news outlets across the country agree that with as much business the Clunker Program has generated, the Federal funds could run out well before the projected November 1 expiration date with some analysts saying it could be all gone in just a few weeks.
More information about Freedom Toyota can be found on line at freedomtoyota.com.The dealership is located at 41 Industrial Drive in Hamburg, PA. For more information or directions please call 484.665.0130.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Potts Media Now Exclusive U.S. / Canada Distributor Of New e3 Fuel Saver.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL-- (car marketing beat - 08/04/09) - Alternative Energy Development Corporation announced today that Potts Media has been named to oversee North American distribution of the AEDC patented, e3 Fuel Saver. Expected to roll out to many independent auto dealerships as well as some major dealer groups, the e3 Fuel Saver is the first truly modern after-market, automotive fuel saving system. It’s patented design is uniquely qualified to save even those who already drive very fuel efficient vehicles even more money on gas.
The Potts Media team, who have formed deep relations with a large number of dealer groups throughout the U.S. and Canada through their advertising agency arm, have high expectations for the success of this product especially in light of the recent push to reduce gas usage and their emissions. “Now that people are thinking more about saving money on gas and running their vehicles cleaner,” said one excited staffer when the news was announced. “Introducing this product will make a big difference in the retail automotive world and we’re really proud to be a part of it.”
Alternative Energy Development Corporation is an Arizona-based company who promote the development of cost-effective, fuel saving automotive products. The e3 Fuel Saver is environmentally friendly and provides a practical, affordable solution for reducing dependence on foreign oil, curbing rising fuel costs while reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. For more information about AEDC and their products, visit www.aedccorp.com.
Based in Fort Lauderdale, Potts Advertising is a leading full service marketing agency with over five decades of retail advertising experience. For more information about their services please visit www.pottsadv.com.

For more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Sean Potts, please call him at 954.648.2702 or e-mail to sp@pottsadv.com.

Ad Agency New Business Development

A couple of weeks ago, my boss Sean asked me to look into how our competition was developing new business during these tenuous times. Here's my take and how I got there.
In a recent blog by Michael Gass titled: FUEL LINES: tips, tactics, trends, talent and tools for ad agency new business. He raises the question: Is Cold Calling an Effective Ad Agency New Business Tactic? The responses brought an overwhelming majority of respondents, 69%, provided a negative response when it came to cold calls. 29% said they were sometime receptive and only 3% said they were often receptive to a cold call. Tim Williams, founder of Ignition Consulting Group and author of the book, Take a Stand for Your Brand, states in a recent article, “Ask any agency principal what he or she dislikes and avoids the most and the answer will almost always be the same: cold calling new business prospects. Not only is this the most dreaded activity among C-level agency executives, it’s also among the least effective.” Today’s CMO lives in a world where traditional marketing practices are no longer acceptable. “80% of decision makers say they found the vendor, not the other way around.” Prospective clients Don’t want to be interrupted and have found ways to screen out, throw out and tune out unwanted marketing messages
They Use online tools and techniques to seize control of their buying and vendor selection process
They seek out the information they want how they want it and when they want it.
How does this impact ad agency new business?
The growth of Social Media will dramatically impact how agencies promote themselves in the future.
Agencies that must rely on cold calling as a new business tactic will find it even less effective in 2009.
Ad Agency Survey Finds Traditional New Business Methods Aren’t Working
For success in agency new business, you must lead. To get to and maintain a position of leadership within this industry you need a consistent and strategic program for professional enrichment. Keeping pace with the amount of new information, thinking, and rapidly changing communication technology is exhausting and time-consuming.

So you have rich content automatically sent rather than manually searching for it.

Use an RSS Reader. Or Google Reader.

Then store info in specific folders that can be like instant access:

Agency New Business Blogs

Social Media Blogs

Client Blogs

Competitor Blogs

News Feeds

Sports Feeds

Read the daily newsletters – there are a bunch of those here are the links:

· Management Tip of the Day: Harvard Publishing

• Smart Brief: Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA)
• Propulsion: Ignition Consulting Group
• Steal This Idea: Neutron
• The eMarketer Daily

There are many more but you get the picture.

As an overview of everything I’ve read over the past hour and a half it all points to Social Media as the next and tool. It’s a difficult challenge in our business of dealing with mostly luddites who haven’t got the smarts or the patience to respond to a Twitter or a Text message. Verizon says it best in their current advertising when they mention the teenagers are sending text messages at 70 wpm while their parents are sending at 8 wpm. Of course, the most stunning example of Social Media Networking was used quite successfully by President Obama’s team during the last election. It was actually a takeoff on the old word of mouth times ten thousand. You tell a friend and friend tells me I tell a friend and so on – except we were telling everybody in our address books in our emails and our ‘phones.Apparently there are companies already well versed in how this works and are taking advantage of all the tools they can. One other thing that seems very important in the blogs and all the email / emarketing sites is to know that this is not our Father’s way of Advertising. Emarketing, Twitter, eblast campaigns are not those which run for a couple of days or weeks and then suddenly create results. This seems to be especially true when chasing new business. The people who are aware of the technology already have a team around them who know what they’re doing.The people who aren’t aware will probably never see what you want them to see unless you promise them a penis enlargement with your service, if you know what I mean.

Conversion: The Holy Grail

So you’re looking for new web solution. And all you’re getting is reams of contradictory opinions, and literally hours of presentations by vendor after vendor. It’s kind of confusing, isn’t? Thrown in the fact that on the one hand some companies will build custom work to take your idea to the next level, and on the other hand have tried and true solution template designs they tell you have worked over time.

And you really don’t know which to choose.

If you’re going to choose a new web solution there are four things you must consider. The search engine marketing and optimization capabilities, design and of course customer service. These are all most important in your new relationship.

But the bottom line is what you want your web site to do. The Holy Grail is to convert visitors into leads.

When you’ve got a ton of people hitting your web site and only a small portion are entering their data allowing you to contact them, something is not working. Because, just like they used to say in they the old brick and mortar days when building a new store, these days it’s all about conversion, conversion, conversion.

You’ve just got to ask yourself and all the people trying to sell you their products: “How do you know?” Because if they’re laying it on thick with all kinds of pie in the sky numbers and talk about excessive performance, make them show you case histories and testimonials that back it up. If they can’t or won’t you’ll know right away what to do.

Here’s an idea for you. Don’t be afraid to look around the web at what you’re competition is doing. No matter what you may have in mind for your dealership, doing some browsing might spark you into a different direction. You may not have the same view as a potential customer but your insight will tell you what’s attractive and easy to navigate and what’s not. Put yourself into their mind set and see how you would react. Just remember there are providers out there who truly believe only custom intricate designs deliver the best rate of conversion and that just may not be the case.

Because you could have the flashiest, most interactive website on the planet, but if it doesn’t have that conversion factor built in and it’s not turning visitors into the leads you need, then you might as well throw your money off the back end of a train. Nobody. Not you or anyone one your team at the dealership should assume that just because the buttons sing or dance or the pop ups have great sound effects mean you’re buying a well thought out and effective design. Remember what I said about the Holy Grail.

And this might be the time to mention why I named this article “Conversion: the Holy Grail.” It came to me that the Catholic religion had until recently the largest following in the World. How? They sent out their missionaries modestly clad in exactly the same attire to all points on the globe. Their work? Conversion. What I’m saying is you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

The most successful retail Internet vendors like eBay have websites aren’t designed to “wow” you. These websites produce sales, and you could learn something from that.

And always remember the Holy Grail. Because the new location, location, location is conversion, conversion, conversion.