Archive for May, 2010

Reaching the YouTube Generation

Monday, May 24th, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments

YouTube turns five this month and to celebrate, Google (which owns the site) announced that the video-sharing site just exceeded 2 billion views a day for the first time. That’s nearly double the prime-time audience of the three major U.S. broadcast networks combined.

The YouTube player is embedded across tens of millions of websites (including ours and probably yours) and the average person spends 15 minutes a day on YouTube. Blue-chip companies understand the power of viral marketing (94 of Advertising Age’s 100 top advertisers run campaigns on YouTube) but even small auto dealerships can benefit.

Selling cars to younger buyers takes tech savvy (a basic web site and an ad in the phone book aren’t enough). To reach the new virtual tire kickers, dealers need to create inventory videos and distribute them on sites like YouTube.

In addition to engaging young buyers, utilizing social media sites is like making dozens of mini-websites that create a virtual trail of breadcrumbs that lead users to your dealership. YouTube has proven itself to be a low-cost, high-reward marketing tool (made even simpler with Dealer Impact’s social media network). Get started, or get left behind.

Are You on Foursquare?

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Users can "check-in" at local businesses on their smartphones

Foursquare users can quickly "check-in" at local businesses on their smartphones

With new social media sites popping up left and right, it’s easy to dismiss most of them as passing fads. One you may not want to ignore, however, is Foursquare. The year-old site already boasts 1 million users and plenty of buzz.

Foursquare is one of several new location-based networking sites that use GPS technology to allow smartphone users to “check in” at various locations. The idea is to encourage people to explore their cities, meet up with friends, and share tips and secrets about area businesses and attractions.

Businesses are quickly discovering the marketing benefits of geo-sites like Foursquare and its main competitor Gowalla. Auto-repair shops and coffeehouses offer specials or freebies to visitors who check-in first or most frequently. McDonalds will be the first to take advantage of Facebook’s new location-based status updates, which begin later this month.

Setting your dealership up as a Foursquare venue is simple (and is included in Dealer Impact’s social media network program) and the marketing possibilities are endless. Don’t miss the chance to engage your increasingly mobile customers using these increasingly popular technologies.

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