This is a well produced video by the Toyota Knowledge Center that highlights how consumers use social media in their shopping and purchasing process. Doing social media right is a great way for dealerships to get an edge over their competition. It's also a great way to engage with your customers in real time. 

I hear dealers say, "We're doing fine without it".…

Chicago IL, July 31, 2012 – Automotive Internet Media, a leading provider of internet marketing services to the auto industry launches AIM’s CarClicks to drive more auto shoppers to dealership websites.

AIM’s CarClicks is the first program to offer dealerships the ability to drive auto consumers shopping on independent automotive sites directly to the dealership’s website. Dealership inventory is displayed with priority placement on a network of automotive shopping sites. When auto…

I just finished reading the Thank You Economy and now I see Gary Vaynerchuck everywhere. It's kind of like when you buy a new car you start seeing everyone on the road that's driving the same vehicle.

Vaynerchuck is one passionate dude about leveraging social media to grow your business - great for dealers and entrepreneurs. I like his passion and I like Gary. He's an entertaining speaker, has…

In February Google announced a new Panda update that gives more importance to freshness of data. Other than inventory, most dealership websites are static and don’t have fresh content being added to provide Google and the other search engines what they are looking for. The right blog set up, with fresh and unique content added daily can provide the search engines what they want to help your dealership get better rankings. Great content can generate links and likes, but bad content will draw…

Chicago IL, June 2, 2012 – Automotive Internet Media, a leading automotive online marketing company, announced they have enhanced their service offerings to provide all digital and interactive marketing for dealers in one complete package.

Automotive Internet Media offers services in over 10 marketing communication disciplines across numerous strategic platforms. The company continues to provide a la carte offerings…

Building relationships is important for any business interested in selling their products.  A social media campaign allows you do that.  However, it’s important to understand that success is based on execution – not just going through the motions.  When you engage in social media, you should create a series of contact points for prospects to share your content, like your Facebook page and…

April 28, 2012 - - If you haven’t heard by now, Google plans to produce self-driving car technology and hopes to partner with folks in Detroit. Google announced in October that its engineers are working on developing technology for cars that can drive themselves.

Anthony Levandowski, head of Google's self-driving car project, told an audience at the Society of Automotive Engineers conference this week that the company is looking for partners to help it get autonomous cars on the road…

NEW YORK, NY, Apr 25, 2012 - HookLogic, the leading provider of ecommerce media solutions and services, today announced its new partnership with PureCars(TM), an automotive research company dedicated to answering the top concerns of car shoppers. As a result of this new relationship, PureCars will now leverage HookLogic's popular Lead-to-Show incentive solution for the over 1,500 automotive dealerships they represent.

PureCars' mission is to answer the top concerns of a…

RoadLoans.com® Named Preferred Auto Lender for Cars.com™ Customers

Consumers can shop for and finance vehicles from the leading automotive Web site

DALLAS, April 9, 2012 — Online automotive research site Cars.com has selected RoadLoans.com as its exclusive lender for its online customers. Visitors to Cars.com, newcars.com and pickuptrucks.com can get pre-approved for auto financing as part of their automotive shopping experience.

RoadLoans.com is a leading online auto…

Chicago IL, April 10, 2012 – Automotive Internet Media, a leading automotive online marketing company, announced today they are hosting Chicago DigitalCON on May 9-10^th at the Chicago Automobile Trade Association.  The inaugural Chicago DigitalCON will bring the industry’s best digital subject matter experts from around the country to share the latest online strategies to help dealerships learn ways to enhance their online marketing.  …

One effective way of driving traffic to your website and increasing your search engine rank is to send out online press releases. Online press releases captures the attention of search engines and becomes a part of an online marketing campaign. A press release is a way to deliver news or new events taking place within your dealership and help your SEO strategy.

Publishing newsworthy press releases that are tactically optimized with keyword-rich content can be a powerful…

Google algorithm changes that greatly refine search

Each year, Google changes its search algorithm up to 500-600 times. While most of these changes are minor, every few months Google rolls out a “major” algorithmic update that affects search in significant ways. In February Google made 40 changes. It would be all but impossible to fully sum up the full slate of the changes. Each individual change is subtle and important but over time they add up to produce radically changed…

Dealers now have an inventory management system built around how they work

CHICAGO – March 30, 2012 –FirstLook Systems unveiled its much anticipated FirstLook 3.0 at NADA in Las Vegas back in February. This latest version empowers users with cutting edge capabilities based on market research of best-in-class dealership practices.

Among the most notable aspects of FirstLook 3.0 is the PING III pricing…

The Internet has been the biggest change to the auto industry in our lifetime. The Internet has changed how consumers think, how they act and how they shop. Your customers are using search engines, social media and mobile devices to find your inventory and your services. To maximize your dealership, you must have an innovative online marketing strategy. You must create a dynamic online presence so you can drive targeted traffic to your website and convert those visitors into…

The way consumers shop for cars, trucks and SUVs is changing and marketing strategies are simply not keeping pace. Whether we're shopping for new or used cars or parts and service, the Internet has changed how we decide what to buy and where to buy it. Today we're all digital explorers, seeking out online ratings, social media-based peer reviews, videos, and in-depth product details as we move down the path to purchase.…