News

On Google’s quarterly earning call this week, Larry Page mentioned something that reminded me to go back and read more on Google’s Authorship tags.

Larry posted the transcript of the call to Google+ and with all the things going on with Google these days, it was interesting that he mentioned authorship tags.  If it was mentioned in an earnings call, it is important.

Authorship markup uses the rel attribute (part of the open HTML5 standard) in links to indicate the relationship between a content page and an author page.

My HTML author tag is: <a rel=”author” href=”https://plus.google.com/105688670174869390692″>About Brian Pasch</a>

If you have not setup your Google Profile, do that today.  It’s free and part of your Google account.  Make sure you fill it out as completely as possible.  Add a great photo and include links back to your blogs, websites, and resource that you often post content to.

Authorship Tag Resources

I have provided the link to the page that outlines Google Authorship Tags syntax and recommendations.  With all the writing that I do and with recent moves to socialize the SERP with user thumbnails, this is a must for all bloggers and writers.

So, start making sure that all your content either adds the authorship tag automatically or save it somewhere where you can easily add it to the signature block of your post.  There are implications that these tags will impact SEO, more to come on this.

The tags will also allow Google to clarify original source content vs copied content.  The future impact is still unknown but I will be following it and sharing my findings with you.

Brian Pasch, CEO
PCG Digital Marketing
About Brian Pasch

In the past nine months, there has been more changes to search marketing and social media than any other period of time I can remember. It is truly a special time for online marketing professionals as we invest to stay ahead of the learning curve for our clients.

In many markets the competition for online car shoppers is so intense that business owners feel that they are in the Super Bowl of online marketing, where every play (strategy) could be the difference in their sales each month and winning the “prize”. The difference between being #1 in the market or the country is getting smaller and smaller.

Businesses who understand the competitive nature of online marketing will only be rewarded with the “winner’s trophy” if their play book is evolving. Resting on past laurels is a game of Russian Roulette.

So the question for you to answer is this: “Are you using outdated plays that the competition already knows or that fails to move the needle like it once did?”

Creating a New Playbook

Dealers wanting to be the next market leader and want to bring home the Super Bowl ring need to be testing “new” automotive advertising strategies. New is a relative word since I’m not suggesting ideas that some dealers have known about for years.

Dealers who are not testing 24×7 managed chat, mobile text marketing, retargeting banner advertising, mobile websites, and localized social media advertising are missing very important “plays” that will move the needle.

There are another handful of “new” ideas that are working at dealership we coach, Google is forever changing the rules. These changes give opportunities to those who are watching the ball.

Quick example: What process at your dealership is in place to identify customers with Google email accounts? What process has been setup to encourage them to “Google +1” your key website assets?  Have you updated your blogs to integrate the +1 button?

If you are saying that you already tested chat, text-marketing, banner retargeting, etc. and they didn’t work for you I would respond that you had the wrong players executing the strategy.

Thinking Like Greece

I’ve also noticed a growing trend that dealers are shunning investing in new areas of opportunity because of fear of a double dip recession. It’s like the Greece austerity measures have crept into the mind of dealer principals and the thought of increasing or changing their marketing budgets have strong resistance.

No dealership will get to be the dominant player in their market by cutting budgets and reducing marketing investments.

I understand that for some dealers the summer months may be filled with anxiety over supply shortages. It been public for some time that some imports will not see their pipeline levels back to normal until September. So if this shortage is not new news, what has your dealership done to compensate for this reality?

In theory, this would be the best time to test new strategies but in reality the resistance to change is seemingly stronger.

I love to work with dealers that challenge their “lizard brain” that Seth Godin speaks about in his best seller “Linchpin“. (We all have Lizard Brains by the way!) I love to work with dealers willing to embrace change and work to create a customized marketing strategy for their dealership.

So if you are doing the same old thing every month at your dealership, you are like a football superstar that is sitting on the bench during the Super Bowl. So much potential but no commitment to engage your opponents.

When you are ready to get off the bench, and want advice on how to revise your playbook, give me a call. 732.450.8200

Want To Learn About New Marketing Strategies

Members of the automotive community who want to move the needle NOW can send two of their staff members to an upcoming PCG Pit Stop event for a special price of $495.

That’s two people for the normal price of one. Details on upcoming dates and cities can be found at http://www.pcgpitstop.com.

Join Brian Pasch on Thursday June 30th at 4:00 pm EST (TODAY) for a powerful webinar to help your dealership INCREASE sales this summer.

That’s right, when other dealers are fretting over supply shortages, lower margins, and the frail economy you will be increasing your market share.

The webinar will discuss 4 strategies that will help you increase sales by increasing the conversion rate of your existing customer traffic. That’s traffic to your website and traffic in your showroom. If your automotive advertising strategy is losing steam, this will stoke up the engine.

This webinar is free to all members of the automotive community and we encourage you to Tweet out this page and email it to other members of your dealership.

This is an important opportunity to increase your competitive edge this summer and for the years ahead. See what you can do on your existing budget to move the needle!

Click To Register For Automotive Marketing Webinar

Title: Increasing Sales Using Chat, Text Campaigns, Re-Targeting, and Leveraging Google +1

Date: Thursday, June 30, 2011 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM EDT

You can register for the free webinar on this GoToMeeting link:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/984952177 .

Get the latest strategies that will help you to convert more of your existing customers; web and showroom. This will be a very helpful webinar for dealers on tight budgets that are being asked to do MORE with LESS budgetary funding.

Snooze you lose on this one! Get ready to exceed your July and August sales goals if you implement these recommendations.

Register For Brian’s Weekly PODCAST channels

Looking for weekly tips and insights to run your digital marketing strategy more efficiently? Join these two PODCAST channels to stay ahead of the curve:

• Automotive SEO Channel – http://automotiveseo.podomatic.com
• Automotive Advertising Channel – http://automotiveadvertising.podomatic.com

Click on the linked called “Subscribe to This Podcast” on the right column and you will receive a note when a new PODCAST is loaded. You can listen to them on your mobile device, iTune, or on your PC.