AdAgencyOnline.Net

Shrinking auto sales, profit margins and automotive advertising budgets have forced automotive advertising agencies to shift their investments from conventional radio, T.V. and print media to the internet and social media such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and too many more to list.  Unfortunately, conventional automotive advertising wisdoms don’t always apply on the Internet Super Highway.  As a result, automotive advertising agencies are struggling to find out not only what works, but how they can prove it to their auto dealer clients who are demanding a verifiable short term R.O.I. for every dollar in today’s struggling economy.  Philip Zelinger, the President of Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. and the host of the automotive advertising resource / networking portal AdAgencyOnline.Net, is directing automotive advertising agencies to promote people over product or price using social media to produce quantifiable and qualified results.

Relationship based selling systems and marketing messages have always been part of the plan for auto dealers in their brick and mortar facilities and it has been carried over to their new online virtual showrooms. However, the assumption that people and personality serve only to build brand awareness or to enhance the retail message vs. replacing it is a dated concept that must be adjusted to fit the demands of today’s empowered customers.  Auto dealer’s self serving retail messages delivered by their automotive advertising agencies — regardless of the media — is no longer perceived as relevant or transparent to online shoppers who prefer to ask their friends and/or trusted third party resources for information they need to make a buying decision.

Digital marketing techniques and priorities established by automotive advertising agencies — such as focusing on Search Engine Optimization, (S.E.O.), Search Engine Marketing, (S.E.M.) and various other manipulations of the algorithms that determine page positions for the online search engines — are no longer the best and/or the only way to deliver a call to action to potential customers.  The newest opportunity for automotive advertising agencies to deliver a message that will sell new and/or pre-owned vehicles as well as service and/or parts is to have their past, present and pending customers do it for them.

Initial attempts to transfer hard retail advertising using conventional media and even digital marketing on the WWW using auto dealer websites or dealer centric third party automotive advertising platforms were not received well by the typical online shopper who traveled onto the Internet Super Highway to avoid car dealers and fast talking car salespeople.  Today’s empowered customers prefer customer centric messages sourced from likeminded consumers sharing their shopping/buying experiences before, during and after their purchases. 

Auto dealers who marketed directly to these social networking communities were seen as wolves in sheep’s clothing as they attempted to sell their products and services from the outside in vs. from the inside out.  Automotive advertising agencies were also challenged by their inability to quantify the short term R.O.I. from their efforts to justify their fees. 

Philip Zelinger discussed some of the new technologies and applications being applied to social media that allow automotive advertising agencies to prove the R.O.I. for social media on his blog talk radio show Lunch With Phil Discussing Automotive Advertising.  The show is an open business meeting featured on the blog talk radio station WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The time that is hosted on AdAgencyOnline.net. 

Philip commented on the subject with some suggested resources that automotive advertising agencies can turn to for best practices in social media and accumulating R.O.I. analytics. “Automotive advertising agencies first and best resource is to listen, learn and apply the best practices associated with social media and social networking offered on automotive advertising resource portals including AutomotiveDigitalMarketing.Com, InternetSalesManager.Org, DrivingSales.Com, DealerElite.Net, Autr.Com, AskPatty.Com , ScottMonty.Com and networks of networkers such as Auto Industry Insiders featured on my own AdAgencyOnline,.net.   I also suggest that automotive advertising agencies continue their education in real world venues like The 9th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition scheduled Oct. 12-14th, 2010 at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Many of my affiliated automotive advertising agencies and auto dealer/vendor clients will be hosting sessions there on leveraging social media including mine: C2C + B2B – B2C SQUARED; Learn How This New Social Media Formula Provides New Revenues, New Efficiencies And Greater Profits.”

“As far as leveraging limited resources to promote people over product and price one solution that comes to mind is a vendor client of mine — DealerMouth.  They offer auto dealers a master website that allows them to manage and monitor individual sites for each of their sales people and service writers. The sales people can promote themselves to their own spheres of influence in both the virtual world of Facebook and Twitter and the real world at the dealership by directing them to their personal website as a form of online “Why Buy Here Book” or as a personal blog like forum to talk about life.  More uniquely, the dealer can make sure that their staff is using their online time in a productive manner vs. planning their vacations on company time by using the built in moderator functions to monitor content and online activities during business hours.  The individual sites hosted on DealerMouth are internally linked to the dealer’s online resources so it provides salespeople and service writers with a seamless transition to information they need during or after hours to sell a vehicle or service to a friend when the conversation warrants it.” Read the rest of this entry »

Philip Zelinger, the President of Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. and host of the automotive advertising resource / networking portal AdAgencyOnline.Net, will be sharing best practices in monetizing social media with automotive advertising agencies attending The 9th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition.  The respected auto industry focused conference is being held at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas October 12th – 14th, 2010. 

According to Mr. Zelinger, “Automotive advertising agencies don’t know what they don’t know. To survive in today’s consolidating auto industry they need to find out, and The 9th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition is the best place in the real world for them to do it!  I host AdAgencyOnline.Net to share best practices with automotive advertising agencies and automotive advertising decision makers on the internet because I believe in the concept that a rising tide floats all boats.  My participation and support of The 9th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition is my way to pay forward for all of the success that I have enjoyed in the retail auto industry built on some my best ideas borrowed from conferences like it over my 35 year career in the auto industry and the automotive advertising industry that serves it.”

Philip Zelinger will be hosting a session titled C2C + B2B = B2C SQUARED; A Social Media Formula That Provides New Revenues, New Efficiencies And Greater Profits.  The session is described on the site promoting the event — http://digitaldealerconference.com– on a section that features all of the speakers including a video of Philip Zelinger offering a personal invitation to automotive advertising agencies to attend his session and the conference.  

The session is described on the site as — The market is a conversation that auto dealers must be invited to join. Customer to customer, (C2C), comments combined with business to business, (B2B), cross promotions equals business to customer, (B2C), marketing messages distributed virally to sell more vehicles and service.  The applications introduced in this session integrate best practices powered by human nature to leverage relationships using social media in a cost effective manner with efficiencies in processes and the use of staff to maximize profits and sales. Monetizing social media at an auto dealership can be as simple or as complicated as you make it.  This session will provide a simple formula with proven success that blends old school best practices with new world technology.  After all, what are friends for!

About Philip Zelinger

Philip Zelinger is the president of Ad Agency Online and founder of a respected auto industry social networking portal – AdAgencyOnline.Net.  His 25-plus years of experience as a general manager and dealer principal are enhanced by his hosting a blog talk radio station – WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time – which provides him access to cutting edge advertising technologies before the competition. As the author of two books on the auto industry, including “How to Sell a Car,” he is a recognized authority on market trends with the responsibility of selecting key vendors for his dealer clients.

A complete list of the speakers hosting sessions at the conference, and the vendors representing various products and services to the auto industry exhibiting at the event, can be viewed at http://digitaldealerconference.com/speakers.shtml and at http://digitaldealerconference.com/exhibitors.shtml .

About the 9^th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition

The 9^th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition, October 12 – 14 at the Mirage in Las Vegas: New Ideas, New Revenues, New Efficiencies, Greater Profits. More than 600 dealership attendees are expected.  www.DigitalDealerConference.com 

• A full schedule of sessions:
  • Over 70 workshops in 7 concurrent sessions headed up by top practitioners, trainers, consultants and thought leaders in the industry delivering the newest and best ways to incorporate SEO & SEM, chat, mobile and dealership best practices into your Internet business strategy
    • More than 15 dealership practitioners will share their experiences and deliver hands-on advice and tips
  • Savvy dealerships bring as many as 7 people so they can cover ALL the sessions Read the rest of this entry »

AdAgencyOnline.Net is an automotive advertising resource/networking portal for automotive advertising agencies.  The site hosts a blog talk radio station — WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time.  Philip Zelinger, the President of Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. and host of WAAOL announced on today’s blog talk radio show — Lunch With Ralph Paglia Discussing Automotive Advertising –  that he will be hosting a slightly altered show in the same Thursday 12 Noon EST time slot to be titled “Auto Industry Insiders.”  Philip was quick to explain that Ralph Paglia is an established  member of the “Network Of Networkers” that comprise the group known as Auto Industry Insiders featured on AdAgencyOnline.Net.  According to Philip, the contributing members of Auto Industry Insiders have been invited to co-host the show on a rotating basis and Ralph Paglia will still be a regular host on the show.

Philip explained the change in the popular Thursday blog talk radio show.  “The Lunch With Ralph Show has relied on a number of encore presentations recently to accommodate Ralph Paglia’s  hectic schedule.  To keep the shows current and relevant I decided to invite some other professional automotive advertising insiders to fill in when Ralph isn’t available.   The resources linked by the members of Auto Industry Insiders provide a wealth of knowledge that will include the wisdoms of Ralph Paglia and his automotive advertising resource / networking portal http://automotivedigitalmarketing.com  The only change will be that Ralph’s contributions will be  complimented by the other members of the group.  After all, what are friends — and Auto Industry Insiders — for!

Philip recently added the Auto Industry Insiders section to AdAgencyOnline.Net with direct links to other automotive advertising resource / networking sites.  The group of automotive advertising experts share their best practices with automotive advertising agencies and automotive advertising vendors that support AdAgencyOnline.Net to leverage their individual resources and relationships.  Read the rest of this entry »

Philip Zelinger, the President of Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. and host of the blog talk radio station featured on the automotive advertising resource/networking portal AdAgencyOnline.Net — WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time, advised automotive advertising agencies to attend The 9th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition.  Philip announced his support of the conference during his blog talk radio show, Lunch With Phil Discussing Automotive Advertising, that aired on July, 05, 2010.

Philip commented on his participation in all eight of the previous Digital Dealer Conferences along with some details about the theme for the Fall 2010 conference to be held at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas October 12-14, 2010, “I have been invited to host sessions on automotive advertising for the past eight Digital Dealer Conferences and I am proud to accept their invitation to submit my proposal for the 9th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition.  Their theme is — New Ideas, New Revenues, New Efficiencies, Greater Profits — and it couldn’t be a better fit for today’s struggling auto industry.  I have submitted my proposed session for approval — C2C + B2B = B2C SQUARED; Learn How This New Social Media Formula Provides New Revenues, New Efficiencies and Greater Profits — and I have already started preparing the material to support my formula on monetizing social media for automotive advertising agencies.”

The Digital Dealer Conferences represent an opportunity for auto dealers to listen and learn from automotive advertising experts like Philip Zelinger and dozens more like him that share a philosophy that a rising tide floats all boats.  The sessions conducted by these auto industry professionals sharing best practices in online automotive advertising are complimented by the exhibits presented by various automotive advertising and auto industry vendors who support the conference.  In addition to the attending the sessions and visiting the exhibits most auto dealers and automotive advertising agencies take advantage of the social networking that takes place in this real world venue to build on the relationships that they have matured throughout the year in their online social networking communities.

Philip discussed his planned meetings at The 9th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition with the confidence that they represent a key reason for his participation in the conferences, “I have a personal branding line that represents my philosophy in both my personal and business life — What are friends for!  I have found that relationship based selling is the key to success in the retail auto industry.  My previous experience as an Auto Dealer and my present role as the President of a national network of independent affiliated automotive advertising agencies has taught me that people like to do business with people that they like.  My formula for monetizing social media for automotive advertising agencies relies on the fact the market is a conversation amongst friends.  I see the Digital Dealer Conference as a real world version of the virtual world network that I have formed for myself as well as my auto dealer and vendor clients to extend our spheres of influence and expand our top of the mind awareness to potential customers.” Read the rest of this entry »