Improve the customer experience through more flexible technology. 

It sounds crazy to say, considering most of us can’t remember how we ever lived without it, but the Internet is just growing out of its infancy. And one of the downsides to still being a new technology is that there’s yet to be any standardization. Much like BetaMax and VHS, or the recent battle between Blu Ray and HD DVD, there are a number of competing technologies out there being used to build web sites and integrated web systems. 

JAVA, .net, ASP, PHP, HTML… the list of coding languages and formats goes on and on. They all work just fine and they all have their place. The problem is that they don’t all play nice together. And that limits your flexibility when it comes to adopting new technologies and using new web marketing tools.  

In short, these technological limitations can restrict your ability to sell cars and reach maximum profitability. That’s unacceptable, but what can you do about it? 

Well the first realization that you should arrive at is that there is absolutely no reason that all your web technology should come from one provider. Different providers bring different things to the table, and by combining their technologies, you can expand your capabilities and ensure that you have the best of everything.  

“Sounds great, but didn’t you just tell me that different technologies don’t mix?” 

Yes, but a few enterprising companies have set out to address that specific issue. These companies provide “plug and play” web tools that are specifically engineered to work with any system you might have. These tools allow you to add new functionality without upsetting your current system administrator.  

How might this work? Well perhaps your current web system doesn’t allow for streaming video. Or maybe your site doesn’t perform well on the major search engines like Google and Yahoo. Well, by employing a plug-and-play video technology or search engine optimizer, you can add this functionality to your site and provide a better experience for your customers.  

And after all, isn’t improving the customer experience what it’s all about?

Throughout recorded history, new technologies have been developed that eliminate the worries, hassles and time-consuming chores of daily life. Dishwashers, electric irons, lawnmowers… right on through to the microwave and the Roomba®.  Arguably the best and most life-altering of these technologies were the ones that automated daily chores, freeing us up to spend our time on activities that were more relaxing, enjoyable or – in the case of business technologies – profitable.

Ever since the inception of the automobile dealership, owners have sought to drive business through innovative marketing strategies and tactics. And as new technologies have developed, they’ve changed the way dealerships reach out to customers and prospects. First radio, then television, then the development of sophisticated database-driven direct marketing… all have changed the way you market. And then in the late 90s, the Internet began to show promise. Slowly it changed the way that dealerships conducted advertising and marketing, but for many dealerships, the internet remains more of a hassle than anything. It’s just one more thing you have to do. One more master you have to stop and serve every day, week and month.

But now those daily hassles and maintenance items can be eliminated through a variety of tools that automate much of your digital marketing – freeing you and your sales staff to concentrate on selling to qualified leads rather than chasing bad ones. These tools follow simple rules that you set up one time and once you flip the switch, you can forget about it. The system proactively markets to your customers when it’s most appropriate to do so. Customers are automatically reminded when it’s time to come in for service or when that new model they’ve been waiting for is in stock. These technologies drive the lead to you and your team… all you have to do is do what you do best – close them.

This trend follows that of most any other emerging technology as it matures. First it shows promise, but not much in the way of results. Then the results begin to come for those willing to deal with the short-comings and work-arounds inherent in dealing with new technology. Then, finally, it all comes together and the promise that was there in the beginning is realized en masse. That is the stage where it all comes together and things not only become possible but easy and even automatic… That’s where the internet is now for America’s dealerships.

Has your dealership arrived at the Promised Land? If not, ask yourself why.

D. Jones
Marketing Strategist/Creative Consultant
SmackDabble, LLC

“The Internet is a fad, it is going to be like CB radios.”
– Blake C., circa 1997

That was 10 years ago. And, I’m happy to say, it couldn’t be further from the truth. The internet has so integrated itself into the way we communicate and access information, that few among us could imagine a day (or even a few hours) without it.

But despite this reality — which any rational person will concede is true — there are still business people who behave as if Blake C.’s quote above is true. And few industries have been slower to adapt than the automotive retail business.

We see many dealerships in our day-to-day dealings that, although they’re dabbling in various internet tactics, don’t seem to be taking it seriously. We here at Dealer Impact believe that what we’re seeing now is only beginning of how these new technologies will change the way people buy (and sell) cars. And as with any business dealing, first mover advantage is key — so why dabble? Get organized, get aggressive and revel in the awesome car-selling power of this new technology that was once labeled a “fad.”

D. Jones
Marketing Strategist/Creative Consultant
SmackDabble, LLC

Ward’s Dealer Business, Sep 1, 2007 12:00 PM
The MySpace/iPod/Text/Blackberry/YouTube generation gets information from a myriad of sources, all originating from the Internet.

“And it’s all about what type of information they want, and when they want it,” says Brian Page, general manager of Dealer Data Services.

He recommends that dealers interested in selling to these young consumers maintain an Internet presence that draws their attention.

One way to do that is with rich content.

“The explosive growth of YouTube took even the most experienced of Internet pundits by surprise,” says Page. “The next generation now spends more time watching videos online than on TV.”

There is a name for this new phenomenon: The clip culture.

“In addition to vehicle specs and photos, vehicle videos are a great way to attract shoppers who would rather be engaged in the process and kick a virtual tire than a real one,” Page says.

It also helps if website content informs and provides a means for interactive communication. Page says it’s a question of “pulling in” the consumer as opposed to “pushing out” a marketing message, such as “Come down to Joe Brown’s Honda today!”

“Additionally, having actual photos of a vehicle, as opposed to stock photos, or at the very least, accurate colors on stock photos, increases the odds that a savvy consumer will click through to learn more about the vehicle,” he says.

To create a positive online experience for this new generation, dealers must realize what many young shoppers are like and how they gather car-shopping information.

“Impatience with outdated or inaccurate information; the ability to navigate the Internet swiftly and thoroughly to find exactly what they are seeking; and short attention spans are qualities of this growing user group,” Page says.

“To meet these shoppers’ needs, it becomes critical for dealers to keep inventory accurate and up-to-date, to have inventory listed on as many web sites as possible, and to provide rich, informative content that will attract and hold attention.”

http://wardsdealer.com/interneteletter/auto_meet_clip_culture/

Published: September 13, 2007

By Robert Rose

iMedia Connection

What matters most for marketers is not the totality of features offered on websites, but the frequency and quality of the conversation.
When I was a teenager, my grandfather, a Scottsman, would scoff at me as I walked by with my headphones on. He would literally yank them off my head and then regale me with stories about life during the ’20s and ’30s.

“You dinna hae’ any of these new fangled contraptions,” he would say in his thick brogue. “Nothing like yer fancy wee walkaboots.” (He meant my Sony Walkman.) “In our day, we hae’ a radio that filled the wall in the living room and tha’ was it.”

So, just a few days ago, as I was holding one of the new iPod Shuffles in my hand — amazed at its sheer lack of anything resembling size — I found myself saying to its owner, “You know, I remember when these things were the size of bricks.”

Thankfully, I caught myself before I actually became the embodiment of my grandfather, wistfully explaining the audio quality differences between a 60- and 90-minute audio cassette.

Since its launch in 2001, the iPod has taken a mere six years to completely transform the music business. Before the iPod existed there were scores of other MP3 players available on the market from myriad providers. Say what you will about Apple marketing — the strength of its user interface and everything else — at its absolute core, the iPod is just a portable harddrive that plays a variety of music, images and (now) video codecs. Yes, the true reason for Apple’s success is because it simply took the geek out of digital portable music.

Interestingly, Apple may have found itself at another tipping point with the iPhone. Combined with the explosion of social networking, this device, and others like it, may (and “may” is the operative word) have the ability to take the geek out of how we use mobile devices to access web content. The evolution of interfaces to web content has fundamentally changed the game for digital marketers who manage websites, but maybe not in a way that is immediately evident.
Arguably, managing websites and digital content has become much easier in the last two years. From web content management systems, integrated email campaign management tools, bid management tools, search systems and analytics that actually measure user interactions, the solutions to help us talk to customers through our websites are now plentiful and economical.

But, just when we thought we had a handle on what was going on, along comes this Web 2.0 and AJAX, XML, MOSOSO, RSS feeds and social networking stuff, and now we’re back to square one. We’re asking our geeks to explain what it all means before we sally forth with a web strategy that supports our business.

I’ve been recently exploring the depths of social networking solutions. I kid you not, I currently have a list of more than 50 companies who can “provide an AJAX-based, wicked cool solution for RSS, Forums and other 2.0 on-demand social networking tools.”

I remember back in the day when all this was simply called “community.”

Here’s the conclusion I’ve reached: the same technology evolution that has made it easier for us to manage our digital marketing activities has also made it easier for customers to decide how they want to be marketed to. For every ExactTarget, Salesforce.com and DoubleClick (now Google) out there, there are mashed-up Firefox extensions and Web 2.0 sites waiting to find a way around it.

But this explosion in social networking and web content tools for the user, ironically, is where the game is profoundly changing for us as digital marketers. We can no longer afford to simply talk to our customers — we must engage them. And, maybe more importantly, let them engage with each other.

The key here is that technology itself is quickly becoming (or should quickly become) a non-issue. What matters is not the totality of features we offer on our site, but the frequency and quality of the conversation. Who cares if we can offer personalized content for a user if the content itself is meaningless; they can’t access it using their chosen device, or worse, it’s not even in their native language.

As digital marketers, we need to completely change our paradigm and get out of the “we’re all publishers” mindset. Even if we are literally the publisher of an online magazine, we’re not publishers. Publishers talk and desperately hope that people like what they are saying. Today, we’re more accurately (and simply) stewards of information. The internet and our web strategy (not just our site) makes it easier for us to communicate more effectively and profitably with our customers. It should, more importantly, enable our customers to easily communicate with us either implicitly or explicitly. So, like any good friend, we should be good listeners as well as good talkers.

How does all this apply in the real world?

As we continue to formulate our digital marketing and website management strategy solutions, consider a few things:

Get out of the homepage, top-down, hierarchical site structure paradigm I’ve talked about this in previous articles, but start thinking about your “website” as a wellspring of content your customers will enter from many different sources. They may first comment on your blog, subscribe to an RSS feed or link from elsewhere on the web in order to satisfy a “need,” and then visit your site through a deep landing page to offer up their information to you as a way to continue the conversation.

Two things here are key: First, have a way for people to continue that conversation (e.g. a link for more info or to subscribe) and second, follow through with that request. It’s your job to continue to add value to the relationship throughout their lifecycle as a customer.

In 2007, it’s about understanding Unless your business model is in global page impressions, aggregate traffic is not nearly as important as understanding who is visiting your site. Consider solutions that allow you to track the relationship of your users to your content.

Effective web content management goes well beyond presentation Along with the decentralization of content on your website comes the addition of social networking and content that lives outside your site. This may come in the form of a MySpace or YouTube strategy – or simply developing relationships with external bloggers. Additionally, users may be contributing content, which you should be able to manage through your content management system and reuse. Also remember, whether it’s through blogs, publishing RSS, other syndicated feeds, wireless or other formats, making your content easy to consume by these other sites is important.

Managing your website is a process — not a product Your team is much more important than your tool. Look to add expertise to your team, not features to your software application. Best-of-breed and/or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions can play an important role here — not suites of products.

The web is quickly realizing its potential as a unified computing platform, and content and functional integration is becoming easier and easier. There’s little reason to not approach your solution using best-of-breed solutions and expertise for whatever you’re looking for. A specialized social networking tool vendor understands managing relationships with customers. An email campaign management vendor spends considerable resources to maintain ISP relationships to ensure mail deliverability. A strong web content management vendor has considerable expertise in terms of translation workflow, landing page management, SEO and information architecture expertise. No single company can be great at everything.

Like my comment about the iPod and my grandfather’s comments about the radio before it, within a few years, you might be reminiscing to someone about how you can remember when AJAX and social networking and RSS feeds were all the rage. Then, as you change your web strategy to fit the fact that more people access the web using their super newfangled HiDef-capable personal PDA connected to their flying car, you have the flexibility to do so.

Just remember to take the geek out of your web content strategy. Technology doesn’t communicate to your customers, you do.

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/16473.asp