New Study Shows Car Buyers use Social Media and Online Reviews More than Ever Before in Determining Where to Buy

May.17

By Remy Tennant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A study of more than 2,000 car buyers and 650 automotive dealerships finds consumers are increasingly using online review sites, Facebook and mobile devices in the car buying process

Sunnyvale, CA (May 17, 2013) – Online dealership reviews on social media networks are now playing the most important role in the dealership selection process, according to the Spring 2013 Automotive Social Media and Reputation Trend Study released by Digital Air Strike™, the nation’s leading automotive social media, online reputation and digital response company. The bi-annual study included an in-depth analysis of how 650 U.S. dealers use social media and an online survey of 2,000 consumers who purchased a vehicle in the last 6 months.

FordDirect Frees Store’s Internet Sales Whiz to Sell

Jan.2

By Remy Tennant

Congratulations to our social media parters over at FordDirect for their coverage in Automotive News! We’ve copied the article below and you can see the original on the Automotive News website here.

Michael Rodriguez can spend more time selling cars via the Internet now that he no longer has to handle social media chores for the dealership.

Terry Massey, general manager of Ken Stoepel Ford-Lincoln in Kerrville, Texas, can remember the incident like it was yesterday.

Digital Air Strike Exhibits at the First Virtual Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition – Happening Now!

Dec.6

By Remy Tennant

If you haven’t heard the Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition is going virtual December 5-11 – and we are delighted to be a Virtual Vendor!

Registration is complimentary – visit www.DDVirtualExpo.com to learn more!

For a full week you can check out the most innovative new products and services as seen in the 13th Digital Dealer Exhibit Hall, and experience the top ten educational sessions on demand 24/7 anywhere with Internet access. Plus chat directly with exhibitors, other attendees and industry experts.

To see our virtual exhibit, just click our name on the Exhibitors list and you can check our product information, videos and more.

Every day of the seven day event a dealership attendee will win a free registration to the 14th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition May 7-9, 2013 in Orlando, FL. Don’t miss this opportunity!

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GM supports importance of dealership reputation with new SFE Program; adds Digital Air Strike as certified partner

Nov.14

By Gabe Foo

We are thrilled to announce that Digital Air Strike has been approved by General Motors (GM) as a certified Reputation Management partner! Digital Air Strike is offering GM SFE dealers a new reputation management packages exclusively designed for GM SFE dealers. The GM SFE Reputation Management Program includes everything dealers need to monitor consumer reviews and leverage customer feedback, plus these enhanced features:

Monitoring all online review sites including top sites such as Yelp, Cars.com, Edmunds, Google+ Local, Yahoo! Local, Cars.com, and many more
Testimonial feed widget to showcase positive reviews and positive survey comments on dealership websites, Facebook pages, blogs and social media toolbars
Enhanced Yelp Page – blocks competitor ads, exclusive ability to add offers, dynamic photo reel, “About Us” page and more
Enhanced Yelp Mobile Site with check-in offer feature
The first and only real-time automotive social media mobile dashboard app – get alerts, reviews, survey stats and more
Fully managed social media sites to increase engagement, build increase likers/followers, and drive more traffic to the dealership’s website
A dedicated social media/reputation management specialist to help dealers follow up with more customers and increase overall satisfaction

Our baseline GM Package is loaded with extra features including the monitoring of Cars.com and Edmunds. In our recent Fall 2012 Automotive Social Media and Reputation Trend Study, the top five review sites used in dealership selection, as named by car buyers, are: Cars.com (55%), Edmunds (50%), Google+ Local (40%), Yelp (14%), and Yahoo! Local (11%).

Another exciting industry first is the development of the first iPad/iPhone mobile app which keeps GM dealers updated with review alerts.

More information can be found at the dedicated GM SFE Site located at http://gmrm.digitalairstrike.com/.

Posted in Company Blog | Tagged digital air strike, GM SFE Reputation Management | Leave a comment

Getting Ready to Rock at the Last GM eSummit – We Can't Wait for Vegas, Baby!

Nov.1

By Remy Tennant

The very last eSummit is coming up and we are starting to get sad, but know the last one is always the best one! If you haven’t attended one of the 2012 GM eSummits and you have a GM dealership, don’t wait and REGISTER NOW to get the discounted rate of $249 for the 2012 Las Vegas GM eSummit at www.GMeSummit.com. PLUS, the GM eSummit 2012 expenses are now eligible for reimbursement under the Sales iMR program with GM Match! The conference registration fee and travel expenses (hotel, flight, food & beverage—excluding alcohol) are all eligible reimbursement items. Claims should be submitted on GMLAM.com for reimbursement. Additionally, if someone from a dealership enrolls for an eSummit event, the dealership’s Dealer Principal or Executive Manager is able to attend an event for FREE!

Make sure to catch the Digital Success Expert Panel moderated by David Kain and featuring our co-founder Alexi Venneri. Then don’t miss Alexi’s afternoon session “Social Media Moving Target,” during which she’ll teach your dealership top tips for managing the latest changes from top companies like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ Local, Pinterest and more!

Posted in Company Blog, Events | Tagged Alexi Venneri, GM eSummit, Las Vegas | Leave a comment

Get Social or Go Home! Learn new insights from our 2012 Fall Automotive Social Media Trends Study

Oct.25

By Gabe Foo

Get the latest social media research insights from our October 2012 Fall Automotive Social Media Trends Study conducted with 500 Automobile Dealerships and 1,500 Car Buyers. Find-out how Facebook is emerging into a viable marketing tool for dealers in attracting new car buyers, and discover what car shoppers “Like” and want to see and interact with on dealer Facebook pages. Get answers to your questions about Facebook advertising, then dive into new research results that show the continued importance of dealership reviews. Which auto dealer review sites fall in the car shoppers’ Top-5 Review Site list? Is there any value to the frequency or recency of dealer reviews?

Join Gabe Foo – Director of Marketing and Remy Tennant – Product Marketing Manager from Digital Air Strike as they share social media trends and practical tips how to optimize your social media and reputation management efforts.

Tuesday, November 6th, 3pm (EST) / 12pm (PST) – Register Now

Thursday, November 8th, 3pm (EST) / 12pm (PST) – Register Now

Tuesday, November 13th, 3pm (EST) / 12pm (PST) – Register Now

Posted in Company Blog, Facebook, Google Plus, Review Sites, Social Media Best Practices, Social Media Marketing | Tagged Automotive Social Media Trend Study, digital air strike, Facebook, Gabe Foo, Google, Remy Tennant, Reputation Managament | Leave a comment

Our Own Erica Sietsma Discusses Parts & Accessory Sales Growth in the E-Commerce World

Oct.19

By Jeremy Lipps

In this session you will learn how mobile technology is driving more and more internet traffic and why Growing your Parts and Accessories Business in a Consumer-led, Technology-enabled Shopping Environment is more important than ever. Seventy-nine percent of consumers are using mobile phones for shopping and one third are using mobile phones to do shop for auto-related items. Almost 270,000 vehicle parts and accessories are sold every week on eBay alone through mobile apps. It’s time to pay attention to mobile marketing. In this panel discussion led by eBay Motor’s Clayton Stanfield, Sr. Manager of Dealer Training, Justin Copple of Copple Chevrolet GMC and our own Director of Strategic Relationships, Erica Sietsma, you will learn how to claim your share of the smartphone and tablet boom that is driving mobile commerce.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012 – 1:30-2:20 – Session 108, Grand Ballroom E

Digital Dealer Conference & Expo. The Mirage Las Vegas

Posted in Company Blog | Tagged "Digital Dealer", ecommerce, erica sietsma, parts and accessories | Leave a comment