Up until the advent of the web, and specifically the advent of blogs and RSS, content was mostly produced in print for magazines and newspapers. It was also produced on the radio, television, and on the big screen (film), on vinyl, CD, etc. The best content was syndicated or distributed across the globe for others to consume. This of course necessitated a large audience, funding, and network and distribution channels.

Today is different. You can launch a blog in a matter of minutes, publish a post, and voila, your content can technically be viewed by just about anyone with access to the Web. Or you can record a video on your phone and upload it to YouTube, yada yada. However, because of this ease and access to publishing content, the stakes and the name of the game have changed. The world is now more full of more information which makes it that much harder to get your message across and appealing to others.

For decades, auto dealers did not have to think much about content because they could purchase advertising in any of the mediums they chose. Dealers were not expected to produce TV shows, radio shows, movies, or albums.

But today dealers are being pressured to produce quality original content. Why is this? Could it be that because when it comes to the Internet, display advertising has proven much less effective than content marketing? If so, could that be a sign that display advertising in traditional mass media has always been ineffective, or it could be a sign that the Internet user responds differently to advertising? I vote for the latter.

That said, what type of content should a dealership be producing today in lieu of or in addition to display advertising? Even more importantly, where should this content be published, and how often should you post to your blog?

In our White Paper Blogging 101 for Car Dealers, we introduce 5 different types of content that an auto dealership can be producing. They are spelled out below:

1. Product and Service Information
2. Employee information, e.g. bios, honors, awards, etc.
3. Customer Information, e.g. testimonials,
4. Dealership Events and Promotions
5. Community Events and Activities

These might seem obvious, but the challenge dealerships face today is how to form a process that produces all this type of information in a way that is profitable for the dealership by being efficient and effective at selling cars and driving new business from current and non-existent customers.

Download our free White Paper today for to learn why your dealership wants to be blogging and how you can create an effective content marketing strategy for your dealership. You will be introduced to some key concepts related to blogging, micro-blogging, and social media as it pertains to car dealers and you will also receive a free getting started guide to AutoConverse.com which is the automotive local marketing site we recently launched that offers dealers a free tool for syndicating content into the AC network in a way that promotes your dealership and your personal brand.

Blogging for car dealers is something I personally have been doing now for dealerships over the past four years. I have plenty to share on the subject and am happy to work with any dealer that has a genuine interest in utilizing our free tools to get a leg up on the competition. You can contact me directly via phone at 1-877-873-0583 or by contacting me through one of your preferred social media sites. I am Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and dealerElite. I look forward to hearing from you.

Photo courtesy of LayOutSparks.com

One question I hear more often than others is, “How often should I post to my blog?” But to answer this question there are so many other related factors to consider it will take you burrowing down a deep rabbit hole of other similar topics, such as:

1. Why would a car dealer want to blog?
2. What is blogging and how is it different from micro-blogging and social media?
3. What type of content should you have on your dealership blog?
4. And of course, how often should you be posting blogs?

To address these other important considerations, I started on an e-book white paper of sorts today. It introduces these as topics from a strategic marketing point of view and how each ties in with how often you want to be publishing content and information in general.

Chances are, your dealership is using at least one or more forms of blogging, micro-blogging, and/or social media tools. One can not answer the frequency question without first knowing which blogging platform is in question, and what the strategy is behind the content being put on it.

You can answer this qualitatively though…

As an example, you certainly do not want to put vehicle specials, or service specials, on your Facebook wall every day or multiple times a day. This is a sure way to make your Facebook marketing strategy ineffective. However, you do if possible want to be on Facebook every day, as often as possible that is good for your brand, keeping in mind your ROI.

For the sake of argument, let’s define things such as Facebook and Twitter as micro-blogging tools, otherwise known as Social Media. Also for the sake of argument, let’s define “blog” as the conventional dealership blog which runs on say WordPress or Blogger and is on its own sub domain or directory of the dealership website, e.g. blog.mydealershipsite.com or mydealershipsite.com/blog.

Strategically, the marketing objectives are similar. You want to increase exposure of your dealership and drive traffic to your dealership website. You also want to add value to the customer experience through time, and both blogs and social media are effective tools for doing so.

As for the actual frequency, that depends on the type of content being produced and to which platform. This is another important element to your  content marketing strategy. You MUST be producing quality original content that people will SHARE. If you are not doing this, then you can only really be micro-blogging. This is good for building credibility and managing your reputation, but without original content on your blog it will be difficult to drive consistent traffic to your blog and website, and it will be near impossible for people to share anything because you haven’t created anything.

Creating quality original content that people will share is a great and growing challenge today for auto dealers that want to be and compete in the game with auto shoppers. This is large in part why we created the site AutoConverse.com, to give auto shoppers a way to engage with their local dealers on equal playing turf, if you as a dealer chose to service customers this way. And I see no reason why you  should not want to. It will become more important as advertising and technology evolve. The information you want from them will become increasingly more valuable, because they will have ways to protecting it better.

I will do a series of posts that explores these topics in more depth and make it available as a free download. You can sign up now for your free copy by joining our mailing list to become a free member. We will be sending everyone a copy it that is already a free or premium member, and it will be included at the time of sign up for people moving forward.

Apparently, spammers have found a new way to get higher rankings on Google. The trick involves hacked websites and the canonical tag. Is your website at risk? What can you do to avoid this?

What exactly has happened?

In an online forum, webmasters reported a new spam method. Hackers inserted the canonical tag on websites of other people:

“I came across a website with canonical tags setup on all of their pages and they were pointing to a spam site. I suspect someone hacked in and changed the canonical tags to siphon link juice.

Now that cross cross-domain canonical tags are supported I would not be surprised if this becomes more common. The canonical tag is a small line of code that is easy to overlook despite its large implications.”

Google’s Matt Cutts confirmed this in a Twitter tweet: “A recent spam trend is hacking websites to insert rel=canonical pointing to hacker’s site. If U suspect hacking, check 4 it.”

Why is this a problem?

The original purpose of the rel=canonical tag is to help website owners eliminate self-created duplicate content. The canonical tag tells search engine spiders the original source of a file.

For example, a search engine robot might visit the web page “www.example.com/page4.htm”. If that page contains the tag
then search engines will show original page.com in the search results instead of example.com.

If hackers add the canonical tag to your web pages and point it to another website then your website content will help another website to get high rankings while your own website will lose all of its rankings.

How to check if your website is exploited

Open a page of your website in your browser and select “View HTML source” in your browser. If you can see a rel=canonical tag that points to an unknown domain in the head section of your page then your website has been hacked.

Unfortunately, hackers might have changed your web server so that it only shows the canonical tag to Google’s indexing robot. In that case, you have to check how Google sees your web pages:

1. Download and install iBusinessPromoter (IBP).
2. Select “Tools > Search engine spider simulator”
3. Select Google’s spider.
4. Check the HTML source in the spider simulator report for the canonical tag.

This works with the free demo version of iBusinessPromoter. You do not have to buy IBP to check your web pages with the spider simulator.

Google is aware of the problem. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find out if a webmaster intentionally inserted a canonical tag to a website or if the tag was inserted by a hacker. Further information about the canonical tag can be found in the news below.

Read original contents at Axandra.com.

We had experimented with this in the past but it took a back seat for a while because of low demand and technical challenges. Now with the demand for auto dealer blogs and microsites to be more transaction-minded, we will be working to incorporate this where it makes sense.

Here are links to some posts on dealer blogs where we are conducting the experiment:

Auto Review: Lexus Dealer
Auto Review: Nissan Dealer
Auto Review: Mercedes-Benz Dealer

While we do have some display challenges to work through, such as getting a thumbnail of the vehicles to appear, and possibly more vehicle information, you can see how 5 vehicles are appearing beneath the posts. Depending on how the data is structured, and what vehicles the dealer has in stock will have a lot to do with which vehicles can be displayed. To really make this powerful, information may have to be massaged in some circumstances.

Because we are using an RSS feed, the vehicles that appear are always in synch with what the dealer has in stock at all times. When you click a vehicle you will see that you are re-directed to the vehicle listing on ACAutoSearch.com, which is the inventory sister site for AutoConverse.com. You are re-directed to there because that is where the RSS feed originates.

If your website broadcasts an inventory RSS feed that then users would be re-directed to the vehicle on your website, but this is something few website and inventory providers offer which is large in part why we created AC Auto Search.

The RSS to Post plugin was created by PHP developer Gordon French. You can download this and install it on your own WP site to try it out, but if you have a blog with us here on BlogPro Automotive then know that this plugin is now active by default for all sites.

You will need a vehicle inventory RSS feed to do this. If your provider does not offer this then you get one by upgrading to our premium service which is only $95/mo. For this upgrade you will receive not only a WP blog or microsite here on BlogPro Automotive with unlimited use of our Promo Page technology, but also an inventory feed to ACAutoSearch.com, giving you vehicle listings on the site and an RSS feed that you can use on your blog posts.

We will be sure to update you on our progress using this and other plugins to attach vehicle listings to select blog posts. If you aren’t already signed up to receive email alerts from us, do so now by clicking here.

Google Caffeine is the name for the new method that Google uses to index web pages. In contrast to Google’s old method, Caffeine can index new web pages faster:

“Caffeine provides 50 percent fresher results for web searches than our last index, and it’s the largest collection of web content we’ve offered. Whether it’s a news story, a blog or a forum post, you can now find links to relevant content much sooner after it is published than was possible ever before.”

Google changed they way in which they index the web because they want to show new pages more quickly in the search results.

What is the difference between the old system and Google Caffeine?

Google’s previous system updated the search index in batches.

“Our old index had several layers, some of which were refreshed at a faster rate than others; the main layer would update every couple of weeks.

To refresh a layer of the old index, we would analyze the entire web, which meant there was a significant delay between when we found a page and made it available to you.”

With Google Caffeine, Google’s search index is updated continually:

“With Caffeine, we analyze the web in small portions and update our search index on a continuous basis, globally. As we find new pages, or new information on existing pages, we can add these straight to the index.”

That means that new pages will be displayed in Google’s search results sooner if they are relevant to the search query.

Caffeine is not a ranking algorithm update. It does not change the way Google ranks web pages so you don’t need to do anything different from the way you do things now. Caffeine just means that new pages will be shown much quicker on Google’s result pages.

To get your own website on Google’s first result page, analyze the web pages that currently have top 10 rankings on Google. The pages that now have a top 10 ranking on Google have done everything right to please Google’s latest ranking algorithm.

Analyze the top ranked pages and check how and where they use their keywords. Also check which web pages link to the top ranked pages and how they link to the top ranked pages.

Doing this is a lot of work if you do it manually. For that reason, we suggest the Top 10 Optimizer by Axandra. The Top 10 Optimizer automatically analyzes the web pages that currently have high rankings for your keywords and it compares them to your own website.

You will also get detailed instructions on how to change the content of your web pages and the links to your site so that your site will be listed in Google’s top 10 results.

For questions or assistance with Google page rankings or with Axandra’s Top 10 Optimizer call us at 877-873-0583.

a.) Twitter users are actively discussing products and services
b.) Twitter is growing rapidly and driving consumer awareness

Because of this, B2C and B2B marketers continue to incorporate Twitter into their digital marketing strategies and as a marketing tool you want to maximize its potential. But in its simplest form Twitter, which is a lot like SMS text-messaging from your mobile phone, can be limited and time-consuming.

So what are some ways to better leverage the power of Twitter?

One option is with the use of lists. Twitter lists are a feature that enables you to create lists under your account and add other Twitter users to them. By doing this, you essentially create filtered views of messages being published to Twitter which helps you keep a watchful eye on people important to you, be it personally or professionally.

In March we explored ways to utilize the software TweetDeck to manage multiple accounts on Twitter. Our guest presenter for this session was Ryan Taft of Catalyst Marketers who is back with us this week to show us how to create and manage lists on Twitter. In this live web cast, Taft will be covering:

• What is a twitter list?
• Examples of Twitter Lists
• How to create a Twitter List
• How to use a Twitter List

To attend this webinar you must be registered with the AC List Builder series which you can do by clicking button below. By registering you will receive an email notification from GoToWebinar reminding you of each webinar within that series. If you are not able to or are not interested in attending a specific webinar within that series then there is no obligation to attend. You can disregard the notification.

Likewise if you have an interest in attending webinars from another series we run then you can register with those from the training page too. By subscribing to our website then we can notify you of our upcoming events and webinars plus we can share information like this that you can utilize on your own time.

In this final demonstration in the series that began in January 2010, Guest Presenter Brian Collins will be showing us:

• Why mobile sites are important today
• How to create a mobile website within the CMP Mobile system
• How to generate a URL for your mobile site
• How to shorten the URL to insert into text message campaign
• How to insert URL in text message campaign

By the end we will have created a mobile website on the fly that you will be able to view on your mobile phone. Webinar attendees will have an opportunity to test the mobile system live by opting in to receive this link to the mobile web page from their phone so if you can not text while on a call with your mobile phone then you will want to call in using a different phone so you can participate in the live demo. For questions about this please contact us.

SPECIAL: Text AUTOBURST to 41513 from your mobile and show up for this web cast and receive a free mobile website for your business for 30 days.

To register for this free event use the button below. If you are already registered with the AC Mobile series then you would have already received an email notification from GoToWebinar about it and there is no need to re-register.

Likewise if you have an interest in subjects like this and can not make this particular webinar, you can view our schedule of events or sign up to receive email and text alerts for all upcoming web casts. We do record our web casts and make them available for viewing on our Viddler channel and on our new website www.AutoBurstWebTV.com.

For questions or assistance with AC Webinars contact Ryan Gerardi. Thank You.

Foursquare.com is a location-based social networking that requires the use of your mobile phone or device to check in to venues. To “check in” requires you load and log in to Foursquare from your mobile device, pull up a list of places or venues that have been added to foursquare.com by other users, and then use the Check In button. If the venue does not exist then you can add it by entering the name and address.

How does this benefit auto dealers?

Well, it may be too soon to tell however Eric Miltsch from AuctionDirect USA is doing it and he is going to share some of his experiences in this on our next AC Social webinar Thursday May 13 at 11:30am EST.

Sticking with our tradition of keeping AC Webinars simple and useful for applying at your dealership, Miltsch will be covering the following topics:

• New-school engagement using “location-based marketing” concepts
• Creating memorable, interactive experiences for guests
• Leveraging our networks w/regards to surrounding businesses for promotions & the breadth of our personal networks
• Improving brand recognition
• Driving traffic
• Creating sales opportunities

Join us on Thursday May 13 at 11:30am. We will begin with a brief orientation of the AC Webinar series and registration process before handing the controls over to Eric for his presentation which should last about 30-40 minutes.

To register for this event use the button below. If you are already registered with the AC Social webinar series then there is no need to re-register. Likewise if you have an interest in this topic but can not make this particular webinar, click here to view our schedule of events or sign up to receive email and text alerts for all upcoming webinars.

For questions or assistance with AC Webinars contact Ryan Gerardi.

To avoid this you want to grab people’s attention in a different manner. Your website is already effective at converting in-market buyers into leads so there is no point in attempting to replicate that on Facebook. You will only complicate your efforts. Instead, use Facebook as a means for something different that your website does not do.

Video can be an effective way to grab people’s attention on a site like Facebook whereas on your website it can be a distraction and so you may want to use Facebook as a means for sharing your videos. However, you may not want to share the videos you post with all of your friends. Only select ones that you believe is timely or appropriate. Just because you can share does not mean you should.

Fortunately, few sites today, if any, offer to the extensive sharing capabilities available in Facebook, including with your videos. Facebook permits you to choose individuals and groups of individuals with whom you share information with such as with Wall Posts, photos, and videos. You use friend lists to create groups of individuals.

Earlier this month we looked how to use friend lists in Facebook to share information with select friends and lists of friends. Back in March we looked at how to publish and optimize your videos for Viddler, which is rich in interactive features such as tagging clips and leaving video comments on a video, but not as extensive with sharing as is Facebook.

This month’s AC Video Webinar continues an ongoing exploration of various online video publishing possibilities and while Facebook is not out to be the premier publisher in online video, there certainly is a lot of potential in how you share your videos on Facebook.

AutoConversion would like to welcome back our friend and colleague Roger Stix from Atlanta Business Video as our guest presenter who will share with us some useful tips for getting your videos onto Facebook. Roger is the chief Producer at ABV and has extensive experience in video production, publishing, and syndication.

Stix will give us insight on formatting your videos properly for use on Facebook. He then will walk us through the process of….

• Publishing videos to your Facebook Profile
• Making your videos appear on a Page
• Making your videos appear in a Group
• Sharing your video with friends and lists

Please join us for this insightful look at the use of videos on Facebook this Thursday April 29 at 11:30am EST. We will begin with a brief orientation of the AC Webinar series and registration process before handing the controls over to Roger for his presentation which should last about 30-40 minutes.

To register for this event use the button below. If you are already registered with the AC Video Webinar series then there is no need to re-register. Likewise if you have an interest in video but can not make this particular webinar, click here to view our schedule of events or sign up to receive email and text alerts for all upcoming webinars.

For questions or assistance with AC Webinars contact Ryan Gerardi.

Some people struggle with the idea of a single system being utilized for both personal and professional use. Many people do not understand the intricate sharing capabilities of your information on Facebook, that you can post information to be shared with only the people you choose.

For instance, you may want to post commentary on an article that only your auto industry buddies might enjoy, but your prospective customer friends might not need to see that. Maybe you want to post pictures of your kid’s birthday party but you don’t want ALL of your Facebook friends seeing it. Only family members and people that were there.

These are common situations we all have and fortunately Facebook is designed for you to share only what you want and with whom.

One way to achieve this is by using the Lists feature in the Friends section. The List feature enables you to create a variety of lists for various purposes. For instance, you could create lists for people you went to school with, people you work with, people you meet online that are prospective customers, whatever you feel the need for you can create a list for that. You can associate the same person to more than one list and you can create as many layers and combinations you like.

For instance, I have a list called “Pic Friends” which I add friends to when I am comfortable that they would see photos I post, like of my kids especially. I also have a list called “Virtual Buddies” which are people I have never met and do not know much about, but somehow became connected. I don’t need pics of my kids in the browsers of people I do not know well, but I may still want to share harmless fun with them. Lists are perfect for this.

Later this week in our AC List Builder Webinar series we will be exploring the basic use of Lists in Facebook. In this free webinar we will cover…

• How to create a list
• How to add Friends to lists
• How to share Wall Posts with lists
• How to share Photos with lists
• How to send Messages to lists

These core functions in Facebook are highly useful and with a little bit of effort can prove extremely useful, especially when you want to send a message out to more than 20 Friends. By keeping your lists limited to 20 people you can more easily send messages to large groups of the right people.

Join us LIVE this Thursday April 15 at 11:30 am EST by registering for the AC List Builder Series. If you are already registered then you will receive an email reminder from GoToWebinar with your access to the training session. If you are not registered then click here or the button below to receive your private link. By registering you will receive an email for each webinar within the AC List Builder Series which is about every 6 weeks. There is no obligation to attend this or any webinar within the series and you may remove yourself from the series email at any time.