The topic for this private webinar is on the new mobile component we have been building in to the AC Insider program. Specifically we will be looking at:

• The new email auto response with mobile opt-in information and link to mobile site
• The new mobile site options
• Pricing for the new mobile component
• Upgrade options to full mobile version
• How we are incorporating the new mobile component into AC List Builder

You can see there is much to cover and will likely require more than an hour to run through, thus another reason it is not open to the public because it is too much information for one sessions.

Some of you may have received an email communication from GoToWebinar about the AC Spotlight Series going on tomorrow. That communication was a mistake and has been corrected. The next AC Spotlight session is set for May 6.

We have updated the training schedule on our website so please check there for the most accurate information.

To join the AC Mobile Webinar Series you may click here or the button below. By registering you will receive an email notification from GoToWebinar reminding you of each webinar within this 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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As an email marketing specialist I was able to detect that this may be due large in part to a misconfiguration in the CRM which is probably mostly the dealer’s responsibility but also a training issue with the CRM provider. I suspect this because of the variable at the very bottom %%ChannelUser%%.

But as a customer, this is confusing and unprofessional.

From a branding perspective, this is completely user unfriendly. As part of the set up process the vendor should make sure this unsubscribe page is properly branded. If the system does not support that then, well, that’s a different story. This page must be branded to represent the dealership.

From a functional perspective this is completely confusing. What do customers think when they see this? This certainly takes away any warm fuzzy I may possibly have with this dealer.

There isn’t much more to be said about this. The visual speaks for itself. It is an abomination that stands as one of the leading examples of how not to use a CRM and how not to do email marketing.

When I first got in to email marketing I spent much of my time setting up, configuring, and maintaining automated email campaigns but more and more I find that the best way to connect with people via email is to take the time to craft highly personal communications and avoid automation to some extent. One benefit for doing this is that you often are able to nip a misconfiguration like this in the bud because you do a walk-through of your opt-in and opt-out processes.

If you are going to pursue automation in your email marketing, definitely take the time to put control measures in place to help minimize or avoid scenarios like this by testing your process when you initially set up the campaign and anytime you make a change, even the tiniest change to any part of your process.

Setting up a double opt-in mailing list on your blog or website is not the most difficult thing to do, but there are some details to consider as well as some techniques that can be applied to enhance the customer experience. This includes things like having verification pages, auto responses, subject lines, etc.

Each of these elements plays an important role in initiating the customer experience so you want to be sure that the process and information you prepare is accurate, in tact, and effective. These are the technicalities behind permission-based email marketing that have a lasting effect for people, so it is worth learning this and putting in the time required.

In this week’s List Builder webinar we will be covering some of the basics for setting up a double opt-in sign up process as described. In this webinar we complete the following exercises:

• Create verification pages on your blog
• Configure your list in AWeber
• Apply form code using Hana Code Insert
• Testing the process

Clearly you can see the added training in here for use of AWeber and Hana Code Insert. AWeber is list-building software that we use; Hana Code Insert is a WordPress plug-in that we have standard on our WPMU systems.

Theoretically we could hold a webinar for each of these three processes because they can be so involved, but in this instance we will be glossing over all three to provide comprehensive coverage of the entire double opt-in process.

Join us Thursday December 17 at 11:30 am EST for this extensive and highly technical live GoToWebinar. If you can not make it but are interested in the material, then sign up anyhow and we will add you to the AC Webinars archives on Viddler.com where you can view this (when it becomes available) and past live webinars featured on our website.

Placing video on your sign up pages is a cinch. Using platforms such as YouTube and Viddler can be effective but you have limited control of branding, plus in most cases the user experience typically permits viewers to access other videos which can take away from or be a distraction to your objective of getting the visitor to sign up.

In this webinar you will get to see how using the video players that come with your AutoConversion account give you better control and flexibility with displaying videos on your sign up pages, plus we will take a look at the viewer analytics for the video appearing on the sign up page for one of our top customers.

This webinar begins at 11:30 am Thursday August 27th and is expected to last about 20-30 minutes so nice and short and sweet. To register click here or the button below.

Now join us for a free webinar that will introduce you to our List Builder program which explores the core online marketing techniques adhered to today by top marketing agencies.

Topic: Build a Lead-Generating Machine in Less than 30 days!

Date: Wednesday April 1, 2009

Time: 11:30 am – 12:30 am EST (Eastern Time)

Join Us: Register to Attend

If you aren’t using SEO, Social Media and Email Marketing in your dealership, you should know that doing so can add tremendous value to your business and help you obtain market share that you may not be getting now. Applying these useful techniques to set up and maintain an effective and efficient marketing strategy to reach potential buyers doesn’t have to be easier said than done.

The AC List Builder program is a unique blend of SEO, Email, Video, and Social Media that can be set up and put on auto pilot for your dealership or run full-service by our team of experts, creating the ultimate customer experience and producing the highest quality leads you can generate on the Web.

In this webinar you will see:

• Why and how a blog can work in conjunction with your website
• Why you want to be employing permission-based email marketing
• Examples of how to implement a good list-building strategy
• How offering coupon incentives can attract customers
• And more…

This webinar is no joke, despite being held on April Fool’s Day!

Spend an hour with us to take advantage of seeing how we do what we do and what you can expect from doing these things on your own or having us help.

The Webinar is free and open to all, but space is limited, so register now!

Implementing the necessary steps to true permission-based list building is becoming increasingly more important. Companies that do so establish a major competitive advantage over those that do not.To give you an idea how much a difference true permission-based email marketing can make, look at the 4 sets of reporting data on recent email campaigns.

The first 3 sets are from monthly newsletter campaigns by 3 different dealerships sent to their mass email list of recipients which was compiled using conventional industry practices. The 4th data set is the combined result of 3 different email campaigns with 3 different messages over the course of a 2-month period to the same list of double opt-in recipients built over the past 6 months.

Newsletter Campaign to Sample Conventional List A
12659 sends
2045 unique opens (16.2%)
716 unique clicks (5.6%)

Newsletter Campaign to Sample Conventional List B
4457 sends
447 unique opens (10%)
111 unique clicks (2.5%)

Newsletter Campaign to Sample Conventional List C
13387 sends
1326 unique opens (9.9%)
322 unique clicks (2.4%)

Combined Result of 3 Campaigns to Double Opt-in List
968 sends
607 opens (62.7%)
189 clicks (19.5%)

This double opt-in list of 350-plus recipients belongs to the dealership with Sample List A and effectively demonstrates QUALITY vs. QUANTITY. The messages sent in each of the 3 campaigns were completely different too. One was for a free haircut at a local salon; one was for a free battery check; and one was to solicit an actual car in stock.

The quality over quantity factor is a reality and particularly challenging for car dealers. Customer expectations of dealer intentions are low to begin with, and permission-based list building requires time, commitment, and a genuine understanding of your audience. But with the right tools and the right approach, incorporating this should return good dividends for car dealers realtively quickly.