We talk a lot about Social Media as a marketing platform.  One of the cheapest, most effective forms of marketing is called extraordinary customer service.  When you combine Social Media with customer service, you create an environment where customers want to share their story. Social Media done right is like a supportive cocoon enveloping your customer [...]

“Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant.” ~Mitch Kapor, Founder, Lotus Development Corp. I’ve spent the last few weeks training a dealer group and their employees on Social Media content strategy.  It’s quite a leap for most employees as their job has never required them to consider how [...]

Have you ever sat down and pondered why we resist mass marketing and embrace word-of-mouth?  What is it about these times where the old ways just don’t work anymore? Trustworthy information comes at a premium and the best way to acquire information is through relationships (word-of-mouth) online or off.  When we’re looking to purchase, we [...]

  Had I not experienced this first hand, I’m not sure I would’ve believed it. A car dealer said to me, “Social Media doesn’t make me any money”.  This was his objection to adding Social Media as part of the marketing plan for his dealership.  I remained calm and replied respectfully, “Just because you believe [...]

Have you recently come ’round to the idea that Social Media is an integral part of your overall marketing?  You’ve discovered how valuable it is at creating genuine interest in your store to generate leads?  Congratulations! Now let’s get to work. It takes a village to search, locate, curate and publish content on Social Media. In [...]

  I see a disturbing trend happening in dealership Facebook Pages and I’ve got to call it out.  I’m watching these pages acquire 100′s of Likes in a matter of a few days. In the name of all that is sacred, please stop buying likes!  I know the temptation is there and our culture supports [...]

  What would you do if the FTC came knocking on your door? How would you handle what started out as a simple oversight from one employee and turned into a Social Media firestorm?  This is the age of quick-trigger reactions from the buying public.  If you don’t have an already-established Social presence AND a crisis [...]

These days of blinding authenticity and transparency are causing everyone, brands and individuals, to sit up and take notice.  What you say today makes it to the Internet tomorrow. We all know that’s for keeps. Your store’s brand and your employee’s personal brand are on stage every minute. Reputations can be shot with one misplaced [...]

It was a faint sound.  You had to be listening closely to hear it.  Facebook held their first-ever Marketing Conference announcing massive changes to Business Pages recently.  These changes mean continued growth and potential for content strategists like me, however they mean the final death rattle of “free” Social Media.  That noise you heard was the death of [...]

We buy from brands when they align with our values and share our perspectives. We’re much more inclined to buy when we have a relationship with the seller, whether it’s the corner bike shop, local car dealer or an enterprise brand.  It’s simple: if we’ve had a good experience with them before or through their [...]

“Change before you have to.” ~Jack Welch What a day it was.  I was having a nice Wednesday morning: clearing email, writing my next blog post and getting ready for the Facebook Marketing Conference in NYC.  I set up Livestream and within moments I realized I was “not in Kansas anymore”. To say these changes [...]

How much do you actually know about marketing on Social Media? Sure, you probably agree it’s “where you have to be these days”.  You might’ve even already started taking advantage of the “free” platforms where you can build your presence.  But there’s a hurdle I see that’s not getting cleared with nearly every dealership’s page: the [...]