Comment

Comment by A. J. Maida on October 18, 2010 at 3:26pm

Jerry,
I think a lot of dealers know that they need to participate in social media, at least I hope they do. My belief is that in 5 years we will have an OEM website, an online inventory listing and Social Media so I hope they are looking at it. 2 problems I see. One they are trying to figure out how to "sell" on social media in the traditional way. They miss the fact that it is just a big cocktail party. You know, "I know a guy who knows a guy". Two they are looking for the ROI and how they can't seem to mesure it. Ralph Paglia had a great line from Red McCombs who I think sold a couple of cars in his day; "Do not confuse the ability to track and measure results with wether or not it generates ROI. ROI is realized wether or not you have the ability to correctly measure results."

As for what I learned. I learned that I've been right for yelling about video and I better get more of it. I also learned, if I want my website to convert, I better simplyfy it. The consumer is there for only a few reasons. To buy a new or used car. To schedule service. To buy a part or to buy a service contract. If I want them to convert I better let them. I learned a lot more but thats all I have for now.

Comment by Jerry Evans on October 14, 2010 at 1:53pm

I was unable to attend #DD9 so I followed the Twitter hastag #DD9. While in 'observation mode' I found a lot of Automotive Dealers are still struggling to see the value in Social Media, or how to use it. There were definitely some sessions that were well received and informative, but there were others that either missed the mark or ended up being a blatant Sales pitch, which is a shame.
The Industry should be a leader in Social Media, selling cars is a social business, we all understand the importance of building relationships and trust in the real world, yet it seems the focus is on pushing out the company message rather than looking to create dialogue. Dealers need to understand Social Media more, as this will improve their ROI and customer retention.
I most certainly learned stuff, some interesting views on inventory management, SEO and staffing levels, and made some great new Automotive connections on Twitter. And I hope to attend DD10 if one is planned. Thank you and I hope attendees add their views in this forum. If you're interested, you can find me on Twitter. @inspiredtrain