It’s not the most popular Facebook page in the automotive industry. It’s definitely not the most active. It might, however, be the most interesting, particular to those who like the iconic American sports car. In essence, Ford gets social and they show it on their Mustang page. What makes the page better than similar automotive pages like the Chevrolet Camaro page is the interactions they have with their fans. They comb the web looking for the right content to post. They know that their fans aren’t just interested in the new Mustangs that you can find at dealerships today. They know that fans want…

There was a time when the search engines rewarded content of all types. If a website syndicated content from elsewhere on the web and exposed it to their audience, it wasn’t as good as unique content but at least it didn’t hurt. Some of the content would be de-indexed as duplicate but the overall health of the domain itself was not harmed. Today, it’s harmful. Websites that are taking a lot of content from others and posting it on their own websites, even if they link to the original source, are finding that their overall rankings are dropping as a result. It’s one of many changes in the string of content…

Next to computers, tablets, and smartphones, our cars are often the most technologically-challenging item that we deal with on a daily basis. Every model year brings out new gadgets and gizmos that are designed to enhance, adapt, and often-times engage with other technologies that we carry with us. Tablets are used as owners’ manuals. MP3 players have become our stereos. Speakers and mics interact with our phones for hands-free driving. These are the common examples. Today’s cars can do so much more. The advertising on the OEM level often focuses on technology. Why do so few dealers do the same?…

There is a shift happening in the automotive industry when it comes to marketing from the dealers up to the OEMs. New Media (which includes social media, mobile, local marketing, search, etc) has witnessed hesitant adoption over recent years in the industry, but the last 12 months has seen a tremendous spike. It’s almost a complete turnaround and in some cases, traditional marketing has been completely abandoned. “Over the last 3 years the Kelly Automotive Group (10 Franchises) has shifted our advertising budget from 95% traditional marketing and 5% online media marketing to a 55%/45% split,”…