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Dealer Synergy Presents Lee Lee Williams, Internet Director of Grindstaff Automotive Group, giving advice on branding and networking on a personal level. You need to go out into your community and interact and network with the people of your community. You need to create a personal website branded for you even if you are part of a bigger automotive group.

For more information about Dealer Synergy, visit http://www.DealerSynergy.com/

If you are interested in working with Dealer Video Production, visit http://www.DealerVideoProduction.com/

Sign up now for the next Internet Sales 20 Group!
http://internetsales20group.com

To find out more about Grindstaff Automotive, visit
http://www.grindstafffordinc.com/

If you have any questions, call or text Sean on his cell 267-319-6776

A job search can be both extremely stressful and somewhat of an emotional roller coaster. With all the applications, resume building, and interviews, one day you could be flying high on cloud nine ready to conquer the world and the next you could find yourself in a slump. Present day job searches require more time and energy than ever before. Therefore, it is extremely important to stay motivated throughout the process. Here are a few simple ways to stay positive while searching for the job of your dreams. 

Prepare for the process - You have to face the reality that you will not find a new job overnight. There will be weeks where you will not have any contact from potential employers. In fact, research shows that your job search will take approximately one month for every $15,000 you plan to earn. The trick is to stay positive and not fall into a downward spiral because your job search is taking longer than expected. 

Don't give up on yourself - Every jobseeker has to keep the faith. Your job search is all about selling yourself to employers and hiring managers. It is very important to stay optimistic during this time, because if you don't believe in yourself who will. Your ultimate goal is to prove that you will be an asset to the company. 

Network - Never be embarrassed to search your job situation with others. Networking is a great way to find a new position. Over 40% of jobseekers said they used networking as a means to land a new job. Even if you don't find a new gig, networking is an excellent way to meet new people with similar interests. 

Set goals - Setting daily, weekly, and monthly goals will keep you on track during the hunt for new employment. Having targets to reach will help you stay focused and motivate you to send resumes and reach out to employers. Once you reach those goals you will feel good about yourself and your progress. 

Maintain a healthy work/life balance - Even though you are unemployed, you should think of your job search as a job. With that said, it is extremely important to keep a work/life balance. Step away from the computer and go out with friends, do something you enjoy, or find a new hobby.

Although your job search may be stressful and appear never-ending, it is imperative that you remain motivated. Never giving up, setting goals, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can aid in this process. Remember, it all the stress and frustration will be worth it when you land that dream job. 

If you are looking for a career in automotive sales, visit http://automotivesalescareers.com/.

The inaugural Women in Automotive Convention will hit Downtown Orlando this fall. August 18 - 20, female automotive professionals will come together to learn the latest industry trends and network with one another. Currently, women account for 17 percent of employees in auto dealerships. The creators of the Women in Automotive Convention hope the workshop will help women will see the career possibilities available to them and facilitate cultural changes inside dealerships. 

We’ve already covered that it’s important to publicize and promote your business via social media. To date we’ve covered some of the more obvious social media platforms, but today we’re going to cover LinkedIn. While Facebook and Twitter are the mullet of social media (business in the front, party in the back) LinkedIn is pure business.  At its core, LinkedIn is a website for professional networking, but it can also be used to promote your business and brand!

In 2002, LinkedIn was launched by Reid Hoffman in a living room and less than a year later, the site was ready for its official launch on May 5th, 2003. The CEO Jeff Weiner crafted his LinkedIn management team with people who work for important companies such as PayPal, Google, Microsoft and more, this was crucial to the sites success.  Without strong names on the helm, there was no doubt that the site was constructed properly. According to LinkediN’s about us section(http://www.linkedin.com/about-us) the site is the largest professional network in the world and currently has members in over 200 territories and countries in the world. The site has 300 million users (1.7 million of which log in daily) and allows people to network on a professional level. A main profile page is created, which at a base level, reads as your resume. This profile includes a professional summary about yourself, your job history, education and a spot for people to endorse you for the skills you have self-identified.

Another component to LinkedIn are the groups you can join.  Each group has a purpose, whether it be to connect to people in your industry, or share relevant content to a specific culture, the possibilities are endless! Yet another use for LinkedIn, job searching; Companies continuously post job opportunities for both internal and external candidates.  Finding a job posting on LinkedIn is beneficial because you are in a great spot to check out the company before you apply.

To wrap things up, keep in mind that whether you are posting on your main feed or within groups, keep it professional. You want to promote content that is relevant to your company and share other relevant content as well. As with anything, people like credibility and do not want to hear about your company only, BE ENGAGING. LinkedIn is not your typical social network; You have the option to connect with people and message people. However, you are advised not to connect with people you do not know. It’s free to start, so get networking! 

Written By: CB & BL

Internet Sales 20 Group VIP Networking Event At The Carnivale Chicago - Limos, Cash Give-A-Way & Fire Breathers from Dealer Synergy on Vimeo.

http://www.internetsales20group.com

Tired of watching your boss’s eyes glaze over every time you mention a “20% increase in likes?”

Depressed from hearing your colleagues report on revenue growth while you report on retweets?

Sick of people asking you what it’s like having “the fun job?”

This article is for you.

The truth is; most social media programs today are still lacking a true sales strategy at the core. We do have a social media strategy, you may say. On Mondays, we post a funny tweet, on Tuesday we post a car picture, and on Wednesday, we post statistics.

To this, I say, an editorial calendar is not a strategy. It’s a schedule. To take your social media to the next level, you need to start correlating it to true sales metrics. The good news? You totally can.

Here’s how to do it:

Example of a Social Lead Funnel

Step 1: Create a spring campaign for a free car wash for new Twitter followers (use a service like TwitHawk to geo-target.)

Step 2: When your followers come in for their free car wash, make sure they feel welcome. Have your staff go through shaking hands, handing out lemonade and cookies, and bringing around an iPad  asking people if they’d like to sign up for your social channels for more great offers and information.

Step 3: From there, nurture them with content marketing that balances car shopping best practices (How To Speed Through the Car-Buying Process) with marketing about your dealership (Why Lola’s Car Dealership is the Best).

Step 4: Once you’ve nurtured the relationship with about 3-5 pieces of strong content, it’s time to reel them in with some urgency. Send them a deal they can’t refuse: either a service coupon that’s only good for the next three days, or an LTO hefty discount on a car that only lasts for the next two hours. Take a cue from Groupon; the shorter the window, the more people are inclined to act, so don’t be afraid to add an element of adventure and excitement with a super-tight time frame.

This is just one example of a content marketing funnel, and there are many variations you could try.

My overall point is that it’s now fully possible to tie social media to the ROI metrics your Dealer Principal or COE actually cares about: leads and sales. You now have the means to up your game from marginalized maven to basking in the glow of revenue generation with all your digital marketing colleagues. Won’t that feel great?

What have you done at your dealership to help create a Social Funnel? Sound off in the comments!

http://www.dealersynergy.com 

Source - http://www.dealerrefresh.com/likes-to-leads-creating-a-social-sales-funnel/#more-7844

Great List from Tricycle on the absolute best ways to utilize social media. My favorite is #6: Be Active. Not Reactive

1. Know your intentions.
Doug Firebaugh of SocialMediaBlogster.com has identified seven psychological needs we may be looking to meet when we log on: acknowledgment, attention, approval, appreciation, acclaim, assurance, and inclusion. Before you post, ask yourself: Am I looking to be seen or validated? Is there something more constructive I could do to meet that need?

2. Be your authentic self.
In the age of personal branding, most of us have a persona we’d like to develop or maintain. Ego-driven tweets focus on an agenda; authenticity communicates from the heart. Talk about the things that really matter to you. If you need advice or support, ask for it. It’s easier to be present when you’re being true to yourself.

3. If you propose to tweet, always ask yourself: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?
Sometimes we post thoughts without considering how they might impact our entire audience. It’s easy to forget how many friends are reading. Two hundred people make a crowd in person, but online that number can seem insignificant. Before you share, ask yourself: is there anyone this might harm?

4. Offer random tweets of kindness.
Every now and then I ask on Twitter, “Is there anything I can do to help or support you today?” It’s a simple way to use social media to give without expectations of anything in return. By reaching out to help a stranger, you create the possibility of connecting personally with followers you may have otherwise known only peripherally.

5. Experience now, share later.
It’s common to snap a picture with your phone and upload it to Facebook or email it to a friend. This overlaps the experience of being in a moment and sharing it. It also minimizes intimacy, since your entire audience joins your date or gathering in real time. Just as we aim to reduce our internal monologues to be present, we can do the same with our digital narration.

6. Be active, not reactive.
You may receive email updates whenever there is activity on one of your social media accounts, or you might have your cell phone set to give you these types of alerts. This forces you to decide many times throughout the day whether you want or need to respond. Another approach is to choose when to join the conversation, and to use your offline time to decide what value you have to offer.

7. Respond with your full attention.
People often share links without actually reading them, or comment on posts after only scanning them. If the greatest gift we can give someone is our attention, then social media allows us to be endlessly generous. We may not be able to reply to everyone, but responding thoughtfully when we can makes a difference.

8. Use mobile social media sparingly.
In 2009, Pew Research found that 43 percent of cell phone users access the Web on their devices several times a day. It’s what former Microsoft employee Linda Stone refers to as continuous partial attention—when you frequently sign on to be sure you don’t miss out anything. If you choose to limit your cell phone access, you may miss out online, but you won’t miss what’s in front of you.

9. Practice letting go.
It may feel unkind to disregard certain updates or tweets, but we need downtime to be kind to ourselves. Give yourself permission to let yesterday’s stream go. This way you won’t need to “catch up” on updates that have passed but instead can be part of today’s conversation.

10. Enjoy social media!
These are merely suggestions to feel present and purposeful when utilizing social media, but they aren’t hard-and-fast rules. Follow your own instincts and have fun with it. If you’re mindful when you’re disconnected from technology, you have all the tools you need to be mindful when you go online.

http://www.dealersynergy.com

"Googolopoly" The BEST & Most Powerful Automotive Digital Marketing & Social Media Strategy for your Dealership

This Graphic sums it ALL up... This is Exactly what your dealership should be thinking with the Internet & with Digital Marketing / Social Media... The best analogy I can give you all is that I want you to think of Google as a Monopoly board or bettter yet a "Googolopoly" LOL! Google says that ONLY .5% (LESS than 1%) of people go past the First Page of Google. So, your strategy is SIMPLE... LIKE in Monopoly you try to get as many PROPERTIES as possible... That is what you want to do with the First Page of Google! you want to get as many positions as humanly possible. For example:

· You want to DOMINATE the First page EVERYWHERE... Starting with your MAIN www.abcmotors.com site.

· You want your Focus Sites / Micros Sites to show on the first page in the TOP 10.

· You want your Face Book...

· You want your Twitter...

· You want your NING...

· You want your Flicker...

· You want your You Tube...

· You want your Dealer Rater / Reputation Management etc...

· Videos, videos, Videos... AKA Video Search Engine Optimization!

· You want your Vertical Search... Google Business / google Maps...

· You want your REAL TIME Search (LIVE News Feeds on First Page Google)!

*** Why...? Simple... The MORE you are on the 1st PAGE the LESS EVERYONE else is... 3rd party providers, competition etc... And we all know that you have a FASTER gestation period generating your own leads, you have a higher gross and a higher closing ratio.

THE NEW Phrase to Remember is "Googolopoly"