JD Rucker's Blog (365)

The #AutoMarketing Hashtag is a Must-Follow for Car Dealers

People often ask me how I'm able to stay up on the millions of things that are happening in the world of automotive internet marketing on a daily basis. There are tons of blogs, social networks, and industry websites with enough posts to fill a full day if you plugged them all into an RSS reader. How does an…

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Added by JD Rucker on October 12, 2012 at 2:06pm — No Comments

Four Examples of Dealer Website Content that will Boost Your Social Signals

As the convergence of search and social continues to become a reality, it's important for dealers to understand that they need content on their websites that can be shared. People will not share inventory on Facebook. They won't tweet specials out to their followers. They won't click the Google +1 buttons on your…

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Added by JD Rucker on October 10, 2012 at 1:09pm — No Comments

Social Media Sites as Tools: How to Post Quickly for Max Exposure

There are plenty of tools out there that help people post the same piece of content across multiple networks. Sendible, Hootsuite, Buffer - all make posting easy and convenient. While they can be great time savers and allow heavy social media users the ability to scale properly and plan accordingly, they also create problems and do not always maximize exposure.

Facebook will "batch" images posted from the same tool when more than one is posted through it in a 24 hour period. This is a…

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Added by JD Rucker on October 9, 2012 at 10:01pm — No Comments

The Four Most Important Aspects of Dealership Mobile Websites

There has been a lot more talk over the last several months about mobile. It has transitioned from a "check box" item where dealers ask their vendors the simple yes or no question, "Do you have mobile sites in your package?" Today, the questions are more along the lines of, "What makes your mobile websites better than my…

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Added by JD Rucker on October 9, 2012 at 12:35am — 1 Comment

Demand GPS on Your Mobile Site and App Directions Feature

There's something missing on most automotive mobile websites and apps. Everyone has "Get Directions". Most attach to the device mapping app to allow for navigation, though some still rely on sending people directly to Google maps, not navigation. The portion that's missing from many mobile sites and apps is the…

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Added by JD Rucker on October 7, 2012 at 2:33pm — No Comments

Who Are the Top Dogs on Klout in the Automotive Industry?

Let's face it. Klout is, for all intents and purposes, just a way for people to bolster their confidence and flex their social media muscle. It's a game, really, but one that's fun and that can help like-minded professionals find each other and network more effectively.

We compiled a list of the highest Klout scores in the automotive industry. The list is incomplete; there's no…

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Added by JD Rucker on October 4, 2012 at 5:30am — 8 Comments

Regarding the Trend Towards "Super Vendors"

Heart Surgeon This is as much a question that I would love answered as it is a personal opinion that I'm posting on my own behalf. News of yesterday's big buyout of ClickMotive has many in the industry stirring up old (and new) feelings that the industry is heading towards one-stop-shops as a preferred choice.

Disclaimer: I work for KPA. With over 3,000…

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Added by JD Rucker on October 3, 2012 at 6:38pm — 1 Comment

How to Post an Amazing Piece of Content on Social Media Properly in 4 Minutes or Less

There are tools. Tools are great if used properly. The biggest challenge with tools is that they can be turned into a crutch that actually takes away from the exposure of the post. In other words, you can "tool yourself out of the message" by overusing them or by using them improperly.

Today's webinar was…

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Added by JD Rucker on October 3, 2012 at 6:00pm — No Comments

Don't Post the Exact Same Content at the Exact Same Time with Other Dealers

I was chatting with a social media marketing buddy of mine in Dallas earlier today when he told me a funny story. He knows that I'm in the automotive industry and he found it humorous that two dealers in his area shared the same image onto their Facebook pages at the exact same time. He followed both as he follows many local businesses and checked to see who posted it first and who reshared it.

To his surprise, it…

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Added by JD Rucker on September 29, 2012 at 4:32am — 3 Comments

Don't Forget to Change Your Twitter Header

Twitter has a new profile format. Unfortunately, most of the manufacturers haven't taken full advantage of it yet. Don't make their mistake.

Ford is one of the only ones that has already changed their's. It's not great - they picked an image that made reading the text a challenge - but at least they have something up. The same is not true for Toyota or many…

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Added by JD Rucker on September 20, 2012 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Important: Get on the Automotive Google+ List

We are compiling a list of Google+ accounts for anyone in the automotive industry. Testing shows that Google+ relies almost entirely on quality rather than quantity which makes it extremely important to network properly.

This is extremely important. Getting involved requires nothing, but the benefits (particularly by 1st quarter of 2013) can be dramatic.

It's not Facebook. Despite…

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Added by JD Rucker on September 9, 2012 at 10:53am — No Comments

Joe Webb: Four Key Ingredients to Healthy Online Advertising

There are only four essential items needed to exist as an online entity, similar to the four basic food groups. Have you learned how to operate with a lean budget or are you taking a bite out of everything?

Joe Webb of DealerKnows Consulting will tell you what must be on the plate of your advertising budget to keep mouths fed at your dealership, as well as what digital junk food offerings may have you clutching…

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Added by JD Rucker on September 2, 2012 at 12:17am — No Comments

Mix Up Your Facebook Posting Tools

All too often I see dealers (and just about everyone else) posting images multiple times in the same day using a single tool. It could be Instagram, Hootsuite, Buffer, KPA Local Engage, Path, or any of dozens of great…

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Added by JD Rucker on August 18, 2012 at 7:31am — 3 Comments

Any Customer Complaint Can Go Viral

We all know it's impossible to make every customer happy. There are often confusions in the automotive industry that consumers simply do not understand. They can do unreasonable things to try to get back at the dealership when they perceive that they were not treated properly.

This was a challenge a decade ago and before when word-of-mouth was arguably the most important factor in the success of a dealership.…

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Added by JD Rucker on August 6, 2012 at 4:00am — 2 Comments

Understanding how Men and Women use Social Media Differently

In this infographic we made for Digital Flash, we examined the many differences between the social networks and how men and women react to them. As most know, women are far-more active on most social media sites than their male counterparts. Take a look to see how each individual network stacked up in the "Battle of the Sexes".

Click to enlarge or see it on…

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Added by JD Rucker on July 5, 2012 at 10:41pm — No Comments

Don't Take Credit For Other's Efforts

This isn't going to be a long rant because I do most of my ranting in the video below, but it all definitely needs to be said. Taking an image that someone else took from one of the various picture-sharing sites on the internet and then slapping your watermark on it is a very poor practice. It's dishonest. It's a potential hit to your reputation. It's a little creepy.

One thing I do not mention in the video is that it reduces the chances that someone else will share the image from…

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Added by JD Rucker on June 27, 2012 at 3:06pm — No Comments

The Leaders in Social Media, 2012 Edition

For your weekend enjoyment, here's a KPA infographic about the social media companies that are leading their niche in 2012. Understanding the heart and soul of the companies can help us all make choices about where to put our efforts this year and in coming years.

Click to enlarge.…

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Added by JD Rucker on June 2, 2012 at 3:11am — No Comments

With Axis, Yahoo May Have Just Become Relevant Again

The buzz is very positive. The tech sites that have turned Yahoo into a red-headed punching bag for the last 3 years are nearly-universally saying this is a win for the beleagured tech giant. Despite fading from prominence, Yahoo has something sexy and modern that may bring them back to prominence.

This isn't a declaration that comes lightly. I've been…

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Added by JD Rucker on May 24, 2012 at 9:26am — No Comments

5 Keys to SEO Under Penguin

In April, 2012, Google began rolling out major changes to their search algorithm. The update, known as "Penguin", had dramatic effects on many of the searches that people do on a regular basis. In the automotive industry, the effects were felt by thousands of dealers. Some moved up if they had quality SEO practices being employed on their sites. As a result, others moved down.

This graphic goes into a little detail about the philosophies that dealers and their search partners should…

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Added by JD Rucker on May 19, 2012 at 9:25am — No Comments

Automotive Boot Camp: SEO Techniques that Leverage the Latest Changes in Google's Search Algorithm

In all of my years of doing presentations at conferences, I don't believe I've put one together that was as important as this one. Google's adjustments from just a few days ago are changing the game for many in the automotive industry. Sites are moving up. Sites are moving down. Being on the right side of the moves comes down to some simply yet important actions that dealers and their vendors need to make as soon as…

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Added by JD Rucker on April 30, 2012 at 9:00am — No Comments

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