AdAgencyOnline.Net

To train — or not to train — is not the question according to automotive advertising agencies who understand the importance of investing in the people part of the sales and service process by providing training before, during and after the sale.  Training has often been considered as an afterthought by auto dealers who have enjoyed the luxury of having more customers than cars with a never ending supply of salespeople and service writers who earned a higher than average income for their efforts.  Today’s consolidating auto industry has changed the math for auto dealers who now have to deal with shrinking sales volumes, reduced profit margins and the resulting loss of a ready willing and able sales and service staff whose incomes have been reduced along with dealer profits. 

Automotive advertising agencies have always been tied to their auto dealer clients bottom line — whether they knew it or not — and today’s automotive advertising agencies are realizing that their areas of responsibility do not stop at the front door of the auto dealership.  Automotive advertising plans geared for the Internet using digital marketing platforms coupled with internal sales and service processes powered by integrated technologies provide efficiencies that allow auto dealerships to operate with reduced budgets and support staff in sales and service. 

Unfortunately, many auto dealers and automotive advertising agencies have been operating with the false sense of security that the people aren’t as important as the technology and/or the processes that they have applied to replace them.   That is as untrue today as it was yesterday. People still like to do business with people that they like and human nature has survived on the world wide web.  The real solution for auto dealers forced to operate with fewer sales people and service writers is to train them in the use of the new technology, however, not at the expense of training them in understanding human nature and proven old school best practices to sell a car.

New technologies and automotive advertising applications include training solutions that offer efficiencies similar to other sales and service processes that have been applied to reduce expenses for auto dealers.   However, even the best training system can’t teach someone to be a nice person and/or to place their customer’s interests ahead of their own.  These applications must be coupled with people skills that are best hired vs. taught and they start before the sale or even the hiring of the sales person or service writer ever begins.  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 — http://AdAgencyOnline.net — reflected on the future of the retail auto industry and automotive advertising on his blog talk radio show Lunch With Phil Discussing Automotive Advertising.  Philip focused on market conditions beyond the control of auto dealers and the automotive advertising agencies that serve them. “The downsizing and consolidation of the retail auto industry in response to a shrinking economy was compounded by government intervention in the manufacturing and business sector in ways that could not have been imagined.  The changes in the market and the economy were beyond the control of independent auto dealers and the interventional role of government could not have been foreseen.  The impact on the retail auto industry has been profound with many auto dealers closing their doors; some voluntarily and others by government and/or factory dictate.  The ripple effect of these closings on automotive advertising agencies and the fear of even more government regulations that impose restrictions on lenders coupled with excessive taxes and fees on small business — such as those associated with the new health care system — have already contributed to the malaise in the retail auto and automotive advertising industry beyond what could have been anticipated by normal market corrections.  Further government intervention in the free marketplace with pending legislation like Card Check that threatens to unionize independent retail auto dealerships by eliminating the right of workers for a private vote on the decision to unionize a dealership, and artificial taxes on utilities and fuel costs imposed by legislation like Cap And Trade that creates a government controlled taxing authority on carbon emissions, threaten to decimate our economy with a direct impact on projected retail auto sales and the automotive advertising industry.” Read the rest of this entry »

AdAgencyOnline.Net is an automotive advertising resource / networking portal hosted by Ad Agency Online, L.L.C., (AAOL).  Philip Zelinger, the President of AAOL and host of the blog talk radio station featured on AdAgencyOnline.Net — WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time — shared a simple formula with automotive advertising agencies to help them monetize social media for their auto dealer clients; C2C + B2B = B2C SQUARED.  The formula suggests that Customer to Customer, (C2C), comments coupled with Business to Business, (B2B), cross promotions can virally amplify Business to Customer, (B2C), marketing messages through social networking channels without offending the community.

Philip introduced his solution to use social media to sell vehicles and service during his blog talk radio show — Lunch With Phil Discussing Automotive Advertising.  This open business meeting shares best practices with the affiliated automotive advertising agencies, production partners and select automotive advertising vendors of AAOL.  The agencies are linked by a proprietary online communication / distribution system that allows them to leverage their resources in conventional and digital online advertising; now to include social media.

Social media is a growing phenomenon that has automotive advertising agencies scrambling for a way to use it to sell vehicles and service for their auto dealer clients.  AAOL represents a number of automotive advertising vendors who have developed applications that integrate social media with conventional and digital media by applying proven old world wisdom to new world technology.    Automotive advertising agencies are anxious to use social media without offending the social networking communities who consider direct solicitations an intrusion into their ongoing conversations that power the marketplace. Read the rest of this entry »

Automotive advertising agencies don’t know what they don’t know and they are turning to social networking communities like http://AdAgencyOnline.Net to listen and learn about the increasing role of social media in automotive advertising.  Philip Zelinger, the President of Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. — a national network of independent automotive advertising agencies — hosts a blog talk radio station — WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time — where he shares best practices with his affiliated automotive advertising agencies and automotive advertising decision makers that regularly follow his shows and contribute to their shared portal.

Social media is a new phenomenon that allows auto dealers to broadcast their own marketing messages to a targeted audience using established automotive advertising wisdoms, but in a more consumer centric manner and for a fraction of the cost of conventional media.  Technology has always dictated the most efficient means to advertise a product or service and the Internet has opened a new channel with unlimited potential for reach and frequency of message.  Previously, conventional media — such as newspaper, radio and T.V. — was controlled by big business primarily because of the amount of capital that was required to distribute their content.  Philip Zelinger explained his support of social media in a comment on his recent blog talk radio show; “The Internet Super Highway has been built with no tolls — for now at least — and automotive advertising agencies only need to learn the rules of the road in order to travel on it.”

Some of the blog talk radio shows hosted by Philip on WAAOL include Lunch With Phil Discussing Automotive Advertising - an open business forum with live call in questions from listeners, Lunch With Ralph Paglia Discussing Automotive Advertising - a special platform for Ralph Paglia, the National Director Of Digital marketing for ADP and the host of his own auto industry social networking community http://AutomotiveDigitalMarketing.Com (ADM), and Automotive Advertising Experts where Philip invites automotive advertising insiders to discuss their products, services or unique insights into the future of the automotive advertising industry.  Most recently, the guest on the Automotive Advertising Experts show was L.J. Marhefka, the Program Coordinator for the TARP Lending Program, (Together Automotive Retailing Prospers).  Philip and L.J discussed TARP and their participation in the 2010 NIADA Convention scheduled at Caesar’s Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas June 14th., 2010 through June 17th., 2010. Philip will join the originator of the TARP program, Keith Whann, in a panel on social media to be held on Wednesday morning for the general session at the convention. 

In the week prior to his interview with L.J., Philip interviewed Brian Pasch, the President of PCG Digital Marketing and the host of http://InternetSalesManager.Org.  The pair of automotive advertising experts discussed a new automotive advertising platform introduced by Brian and Sean Wolfington — http://AutomotiveAdvertisingNetwork.Com ,(AAN), that provides leveraged online exposure and resources to develop leads for auto dealers that pay a flat monthly fee to list their inventory. The subjects discussed and the guests that appear on WAAOL are chosen from a diverse group of friends and professional associates of Philip Zelinger who share his philosophy that a rising tide floats all boats. Read the rest of this entry »

AdAgencyOnline.Net is one of many online automotive advertising resource / networking portals that have formed to share best practices for automotive advertising agencies using social media.  Philip Zelinger, the President of Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. and the host of the blog talk radio station — WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time – featured on AdAgencyOnline.Net, took his philosophy that a rising tide floats all boats to the next level when he invited a number of automotive advertising social networking communities to join him to leverage their members and their resources in a network of networkers appropriately named — Auto Industry Insiders.

Auto Industry Insiders is featured on a dedicated section of AdAgencyOnline.Net with RSS feeds from each of the contributing members that links their social networking sites and posts as well as a dedicated page for each Insider that includes their personal bio and company profile.  Philip explained that the first group of Insiders were selected based on his personal relationships with their hosts and the confidence that he has in their individual social networking communities.  “I have a personal slogan that says it all, “What are friends for!”  My philosophy in both my personal and my business life is to value people over product and price and social media relies on that same principal. I have found that each automotive advertising facing social networking community covers specific areas defined by the rules that govern each community and that reflect the personality and priorities of the host.  I started Auto Industry Insiders by selecting portals that provide relevant material that is not duplicated so that we could all extend our value to our individual members.  After all, what are friends — and Auto Industry Insiders — for.”

According to Philip, the  first Insider invitation was sent to Ralph Paglia, the National Director For Digital Marketing for ADP and host of The Automotive Digital Marketing Network, (ADM). This open form for the auto and automotive advertising industry shares best practices across multiple verticals and areas of expertise and interest.  Their members include key decision makers from O.E.M.s, auto dealership General Managers, Internet Sales Managers, automotive advertising vendors and automotive advertising experts surfing the web who contribute different perspectives on common problems with a variety of diverse solutions.  Philip confided that he often turns to ADM to research automotive advertising applications that have not yet been discovered by the mainstream media.  He then selects the best of the best to review on WAAOL for consideration by the affiliated automotive advertising agencies of AAOL.

The rest of the Insiders filled in quickly as Jared Hamilton joined the group with his social networking site focused on vendor evaluations for auto dealers and their automotive advertising agencies — DrivingSales.Com.  This resource/networking portal evaluates vendors in a unique forum limited to feedback from actual dealer clients.  Additional industry news is provided by posts that cover industry issues allowing auto dealerships to share best practices. 

Brian Pasch, the President of PCG Digital marketing and host of InternetSalesManager.Org, (ISM), is another respected Insider.  Brian is a recognized expert in search engine optimization, (S.E.O.), and search engine marketing, (S.E.M.).  ISM is known by automotive advertising agencies as the — Car Dealer Social Network.  More uniquely, ISM practices what Brian preaches in that they have extensive reciprocal links to other sites that leverage a variety of automotive advertising resources for their online community; much like Auto Industry Insiders!

Another valued contributor to Auto Industry Insiders is Chris Saraceno, V.P. and Partner in the Kelly Automotive Group, who hosts an auto dealer focused site —  DealerElite.Net.  This site describes themselves as a social networking community for automotive dealers, vendors, trainers, manufacturers, car enthusiasts and customers. It is a place to share ideas, discuss industry best practices, and connect with other automotive professionals. It is where the best and the brightest in the automotive industry collaborate.

Jody Devere and her AskPatty.Com was invited to be an Auto Industry Insider to share her unique perspective on marketing to women.  Jody is a nationally respected speaker on women’s issues and her site has attracted a number of professional women who contribute content to the AskPatty.Com as well as serving as panel members for forums hosted on the site.  Jody contributes her time and expertise to her online community as well as in real world venues in the auto industry.  Jody will be joining Philip Zelinger and Keith Whann on a panel discussing social media at the 2010 NIADA Convention being held at Caesar’s Hotel and Casino June 14th, 2010 through June 17th, 2010.

Scott Monty, the head of social media for Ford Motor Company, is another respected contributor to Auto Industry Insiders.  Scott hosts a personal blogging site — ScottMonty.Com — that provides insights into social media not only from his perspective as a representative of an O.E.M. in the auto industry but as a true believer in the value of social networking.  Articles posted by Scott address universal issues that deal in human nature as much as it does on the impact of social media on the auto industry.  

Perhaps the most noteworthy member of Auto Industry Insiders is a new forum hosted by Keith Whann — Auttr.Com. Keith Whann, is the founder of the law firm Whann & Associates LLC, located in Dublin, Ohio. Over a career that has spanned 25 years from a beginning as an Assistant Ohio            Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division thru today, as General Counsel of the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association, a co-owner, CEO and General Counsel of the Columbus Fair Auto Auction and The Car Counselor to the motor vehicle industry, Keith has become a leading national authority on motor vehicle and consumer protection issues.

Auttr.Com features video content provided by Keith Whann to share best practices on Auttr TV.  Site visitors can view auto industry related videos at the click of a mouse.  The Car Counselor answers questions for dealers and consumers from across the country on a wide variety of topics related to motor vehicle dealerships and the car buying process.   You can also watch live presentations on Auttr TV.

Philip Zelinger integrates a similar philosophy to Keith Whann through his use of blog talk radio shows on his automotive advertising resource/networking portal — AdAgencyOnline.Net — that is the host of Auto Industry Insiders.  In addition to sharing best practices, Philip reviews automotive advertising vendors and new technologies on several blog talk radio shows featured on the site’s blog talk radio station — WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time.  The shows include — Lunch With Phil Discussing Automotive Advertising,  Lunch With Ralph Paglia Discussing Automotive Advertising and Automotive Advertising Experts.  Site visitors include automotive advertising agencies, auto dealers, auto industry vendors and O.E.M. representatives who tune into WAAOL to find cutting edge vendors, comprehensive applications and technologies represented by AAOL or featured as preferred automotive advertising vendors on AdAgencyOnline.Net.

ronsmap is vendor client discovered by AAOL that offers a game changing marketing platform that provides consumers with a more efficient and comprehensive way to shop online for a new or pre-owned vehicle while providing auto dealers with consumer and market intelligence with their integrated application, SellersVantage. In addition to the proprietary inventory posting mechanism utilized by ronsmap, known as ontology semantic extraction, the site relies on direct data links from auto dealers and channel partners that have accounted for over two million six hundred thousand vehicles currently listed on their site.  When coupled with their social networking tool, vBack, and their unique Google Map like user interface, ronsmap allows consumers to find and compare all makes and models in their geo targeted market on one page and to solicit the opinions of online friends and family through linked social networks like Face Book.  Automotive advertising agencies have been searching for a cost effective, scalable method to monetize social networking and ronsmap promises to deliver it.

Another vendor client of AAOL reviewed in an interview on WAAOL is DealerMouth, a unique web site hosting service that allows auto dealers to manage and monitor the social networking activities of their staff.  According to Philip Zelinger, “Automotive advertising agencies have been challenged by their auto dealer clients to quantify the R.O.I. from social media.  The ability for auto dealers to offer their individual sales people and service writers their own websites to network with their spheres of influence in both the real and the virtual world allows auto dealers to leverage their  limited resources. Auto dealers have been forced to cut advertising budgets and staff to compensate for reduced sales volume and profit margins in a shrinking economy and DealerMouth could not have been developed at a better time.  Of course the challenge is to manage and monitor their staff’s online activities to prevent abuse of company time and/or to limit the contingent liabilities if an employee posts improper content or conducts illegal online activities from the auto dealer’s facilities.  DealerMouth allows the auto dealer and/or their automotive advertising agency to monitor online activities on their provided websites while offering the sales staff an online — why buy here book — to promote the salesperson or service writer to their friends, family and personal customer base.  This method of monetizing social networking fits perfectly into the new business model that Ad Agency Online recommends for our auto dealer clients.”

One of the first vendor clients of AAOL that has already matured as a major provider in the auto industry is SiSTeR Technologies .  SiSTeR Technologies offers an automated video production platform — Video CarLot — that converts pictures on an auto dealer’s website into an indexed interactive video with human voice.  In addition to posting the videos on the auto dealer’s website to enhance their conversion rates and S.E.O. they push the videos through their dedicated API with You Tube identified by their individual URLs linked back to the sourcing dealers site as well as posting them on all third party marketing platforms used by the auto dealer.  More uniquely, they leverage social media by applying their vShock platform — a micro-site that hosts and displays similar vehicles from the auto dealer’s inventory to the one selected by the consumer — on a tab posted on the auto dealer’s Face Book page.  This easily accessed link to the auto dealer’s inventory from within Face Book allows the dealer to introduce their vehicles to the online community without having to post them on the wall in an obtrusive manner that is often shunned by consumers in social media.

TeleTextSolutions is a recently discovered vendor client of AAOL that provides the automotive industries first full solutions Opt In Text messaging system. While this application was not initially designed as a social media tool, their unique mobile application allows automotive advertising agencies to embed their short codes into social media messages to track the R.O.I. for their auto dealer clients to easily source the results from their social networking efforts.  There are two main components of TeleTextSolutions.  The first encompasses using short codes and keywords in all forms of advertising — including social media.  This provides leads to the dealership and the ability to communicate via a web based text messaging system that can integrate with the dealer’s CRM.  The second is an Opt In Text communications for the Service Dept.  The main benefit revolves around dramatically reducing the time it takes to link up with a customer after they have dropped their vehicle off and then a new problem is found.  Phone tag is a major problem for Service departments that text helps to reduce thus increasing work throughput.

About Ad Agency Online, L.L.C.

Ad Agency Online, L.L.C., (AAOL),  is a national network of independent affiliated automotive advertising agencies linked by an online communication / distribution system developed by Philip Zelinger.  The proprietary operating system that powers AAOL was designed to reduce fixed and semi-variable expenses for full service automotive advertising agencies.  The developing technologies that enhanced the performance of the independent automotive advertising agencies linked by AAOL has served as the role model for the solutions suggested on AdAgencyOnline.Net and represented by AAOL to their affiliated automotive advertising agencies when serving their auto dealer clients.

Ad Agency Online L.L.C is focused on discovering and representing new automotive advertising vendors not yet recognized by the mainstream automotive advertising industry. Some of the automotive advertising vendors represented by AAOL include ronsmap, SiSTeR Technologies Video CarLot, TeleTextSolutions, DealerMouth, GetAutoAppraise.com, Argistics – AutoTransaXion, DealMaker.Com, CityTwist.Com, Bulldog Marketing Technologies, Kihon Media, CarFolks.Com, Ai Dealer and Laser Stream Video; with more being added weekly.

About Philip Zelinger

Philip Zelinger is the President of Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. and the founder of  AdAgencyOnline.Net.  He invested 25 years as a General Manager and Dealer Principal followed by his last ten years in the automotive advertising industry learning from the teams that he built so he can now presume to teach on forums like AdAgencyOnline.Net.  His role as a “Dealer Coach” is enhanced by his hosting a nationally recognized auto industry social networking portal and blog talk radio station – WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time.  As the author of two books on the auto industry, including “How To Sell A Car – a Career Guide to The Automobile Industry,” he is a recognized authority on market trends and developing technologies with the responsibility of selecting key vendors and applications for his dealer clients as well as forming strategic partnerships for his vendor clients to leverage their shared resources to help them bring their products and services to market.

Other social networking communities that provide resources for automotive advertising agencies willing to listen and learn include Dealer Advisor Nation — http://danation.ning.com/  – Auto Dealer People — http://www.autodealerpeople.com/ — and too many more to list.  Other portals offer information rich content such as Just Auto — http://just-auto.com/ — and the ever popular Automotive News with their new online publication — http://www.autonews.com/.A number of the vendors clients of AAOL provide automotive advertising agencies with ways to monetize social media for their auto dealer clients.  These solutions represent just a few of the many technologies and tools that can be discovered on the social networking communities recommended by AdAgencyOnline.Net that are supported by Philip Zelinger and AAOL.

For more information on Philip Zelinger, Ad Agency Online, L.L.C., Auto Industry Insiders, the vendors on AdAgencyOnline.Net or any of the automotive advertising social networking communities referenced in this article and supported by Philip Zelinger contact Philip directly at http://AdAgencyOnline.Net.  Automotive advertising vendors, automotive advertising agencies and auto dealers that would like to be considered as a “preferred automotive advertising vendor” on AdAgencyOnline.Net and/or to hire/join Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. to represent them can contact Philip Zelinger at pzads@bellsouth.net, or call him at 888-796-2228.  To quote Philip Zelinger, “Help is only a click away!  After all, what are friends for!”  ###