Following an online automotive influencer can give you all kinds of great ideas for your business.
Photo credit: daniel fardin / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Being successful as an auto dealer in the US is hard. Each year, there are a ton of companies in the US that default, because they fail to beat the competition, can’t craft and execute an effective market strategy, or simply neglect to keep up with industry innovations.
But we learn as we go along, and there are many organizations and people in the business from whom you can “steal” an idea or two.
Following Influencers: Learning Directly from the Experts
The organizations and people you should be learning (or “stealing”) from are called influencers. They are those who are not just successful at what they do, but are also considered to be the thought leaders and trendsetters of the automotive industry. They are the ones who have the most profound experience in the business and know its ins and outs, so much so, that they know which car features are going to be popular, which model is going to sell best and what BMW’s next move will be.
As an auto dealer, following an automotive online influencer can help you get an edge over the competition. Thousands of customers adopt whatever an influencer endorses, because of their stellar social authority. If you succeed in following the right trendsetters of your industry, you can help your dealership adopt innovations faster and thus gain a competitive advantage.
Here are some of the most renowned online influencers of the automotive industry, all of whom you should be following starting today:
#1 DEALER Magazine
Dealer Magazine is a long-standing online influencer in the automotive branch, with over 40 published volumes. The magazine is a product of Dealer Communications. It comes out every month and also sends out up to six weekly eNewsletters.
Dealer Magazine is the premier educational source for automotive dealers and managers. You can learn everything industry-related from their social media profile, from why gas prices behave the way the do, to “How to Build an Auto Dealership, Starting with Employee Recognition.”
Put simply, Dealer Magazine and Dealer Communications are true trendsetters in the US automotive industry, because of how comprehensive their published work is. By going on their website you can find webinars with tips on how to make your dealership better, a news section, profiles of successful businessmen, blogs and columns on various industry topics, etc.
#2 Sean V. Bradley
Sean V. Bradley is an online influencer who specializes in automotive internet sales and business development. Bradley may be a good online influencer for you to follow if you are looking to enhance your business’ exposure, as he is also an auto marketing expert.
Bradley’s expert knowledge and experience is accessible in his two websites, automotiveinternetsales.com (AIS) and internetsales20group.com. AIS is a great website to follow especially if you are a beginner auto dealer. It has an extensive list of free resources, such as how-to webinars, training videos, articles and expert interviews.
As a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), Bradley also created the Internet Sales 20 Group. This interactive automotive industry workshop is tailored to bring together the best speaking professionals, who will provide participants with three days of intense training and education. Follow the news on the website to get the dates of the next workshop, receive a customized action plan to help your dealership, or even win a cash prize.
#3 TxGarage
TxGarage is a magazine and website which is one of the most influential providers of news and reviews in the industry. The online publication has over 15,000 Twitter followers, and it specializes in news coverage about luxurious vehicles and their innovations. If you are an auto dealer who is considering offering more high-end cars, TxGarage may be a good online influencer for you to follow, especially if you are from Texas.
TxGarage is a publication which is comprehensive in its news coverage of automotive innovations, but it also adds information which is directly intended for the Texan consumer and dealer. It also issues a full print magazine every month with reviews and more behind-the-scenes info about TxGarage.
#4 Car Dealer Social
Car Dealer Social is one of the automotive online influencers that you might benefit from following because it serves as a social network for auto dealers and nothing else. The network only exists on Twitter and does not endorse any specific website or magazine.
The professionals behind Car Dealer Social are focused on finding the best industry news from credible online sources and bringing them to you in the form of Tweets. The news you will mostly find on the auto dealers’ social network are either connected to the newest car models and features or have to do with tips on how dealers should handle their social media marketing.
#5 Stan Sher
If you are a newbie auto dealer who is just entering the industry without having gained tons of experience on the job beforehand, then Stan Sher could be a great online influencer for you to follow. He is an automotive industry consultant and speaker. He has years of experience in the industry and is a renowned sales and digital marketing expert. Stan Sher is also the creator of Dealer eTraining.
The reason why following him could benefit you is because his account, as well as his firm, were created to help out inexperienced auto dealers. He posts a lot of webinars which train dealers how to properly read Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and vendor reports, how to execute a successful call monitoring, how to master internet sales, and much more.
If you are more of a visual learner, then even better. Stan Sher posts mainly “how-to“ videos and webinars on his Twitter account.
The Bottom Line
Once you’ve gotten licensed, acquired a dealer bond, and have gotten your new business to run smoothly, the best way to grow and improve is to follow important industry influencers. Putting energy into the strategy-and-trends end of your business is the best long-term investment you can possibly make.
Do you know of other interesting online influencers in the automotive industry? Let us know in the comment section below!
Boryana is a recent University of Westminster graduate with an MA in Broadcast Journalism. Her interest span across film, sports and Asian culture. She has vast experience in blogging on everything surety bond-related and is regular contributor on the JW Surety Bonds blog.
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