Between partying on the skydeck of the 55^th floor of the Palms Casino, being blown-away by The Beatles LOVE Cirque Du Soleil show and checking out the seemingly endless number of vendor products and services available in the exhibit hall, I managed to squeeze in six very engaging University Workshops while attending this year’s NADA Convention Study Tour in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Topics included online marketing, social media, mobile marketing and new technologies.

Connecting with more internet shoppers in 2012 by Todd Smith from ActiveEngage suggested that 97% per cent of shoppers leave a website without taking any further action.

To convert more visitors into active buyers, Smith said a marketer must apply key engagement tools such as ‘live chat’ (which can increase leads by up the 35 per cent), install a pop-up exit page on their website, have live links to social media sites and the company blog, as well as utilising a tool like ClickTale which lets you see exactly what visitors are doing on your website.

Jack Simmons’ Winning with Mobile: Selling Generation Smartphone revealed that today’s mobile shopper is a younger, more affluent decision maker who wants the works – photos, inventory, pricing, reviews and contact information all delivered to their smartphone in a simple and streamlined experience.

Marketers can also reach this demographic via mobile web pages, apps, text, chat and QR codes.

The Five Most Important Digital Reports for Dealers by Jared Hamilton   covered how to use the metrics that generate online success – which reports to monitor, which metrics to track and why you should empower a dedicated person or team in your organisation to review and execute the lead-handling process.

Brian Pasch presented 10 Digtal Marketing Strategies That Work Now.

Pasch claimed some dealers are still relying solely on traditional media to generate interest in a vehicle or service without realising the consumer has already visited over 18 online sources before contacting or walking into a dealership.

He said dealers could greatly improve their online marketing by using strategies that include reputation marketing, video publishing, social media, blogging, SEO, third party lead providers, chat, text marketing, email newsletters and customer testimonials.

Shaun Raines grabbed our attention by giving away five Hot Wheels model cars at the start of his presentation Proven Social Media Strategies of Top Dealers.

It was, he said, a great opening to the sales process.

And it works like this. When a family comes in to the dealership you give each child a Hot Wheels car and say to them: “Your folks mightn’t buy a new car today but that doesn’t mean you can’t have one.”

Raine’s Social Media Investment Grid comprises branding, loyalty, SEO, traffic and collaboration, and which social media platform a dealership needs to best achieve these goals.

Raines also recommended that if a dealership doesn’t have the resources to produce material for their articles, posts, pictures etc in-house, they should hire a writer or communications company with the skills to create fresh and innovative content using an editorial calendar worksheet to stay on track and accountable.

Top Strategies for the New Paid-Search Arena was the title of Paul Potratz’s workshop which concentrated on mobile marketing, content engagement and social media marketing.

He advised dealers to use his 4 Es Principal (Entertain, Educate, Engage and Entice) and place ads on their competitor’s YouTube videos to reach specific demographics and viewers in geographical locations.

Re-targeting or Behavioural Marketing is a strategy that combines graphic ads, pre-roll video and audio ads with matching conversion pages on the web and mobiles sites.

App marketing is also a very effective online marketing strategy that is ideal for reaching masses – you can target via geographic locations and specific demographic audiences.

So what else did I learn in the ultimate Wild West town?

The world’s most powerful light beam, at the top of the Luxor hotel-casino can be seen 402 kilometres or 250 miles away in Los Angeles.

*The number of rooms in the Bellagio – 3,933 – exceeds the number of citizens in Bellagio, Italy.

*The world famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign was created in 1959.

*The town’s first hotel-casino – the Golden Gate – opened in 1906.

*Vegas’ first racially integrated hotel, the Moulin Rouge, opened in 1955.  It was co-owned by former heavy-weight boxing champ Joe Lewis.

In the unpredictability of automotive business, who can you turn to in uncertain times? Who can you count on to steer you clear from danger, harness your success and fend off your villainous competitors?

Before you reach for your Batman-style spotlight into the sky… call Louisa Hayton- Salefest’s superstar Account Manager!

The lady with a lion’s heart, our clients love Louisa’s dedication, hard-work and wicked sense of humour.

There are plenty of account mangers around who can walk the walk, but I bet they couldn’t do it in six-inch heels. Louisa’s eclectic range of shoes has become that of legend around the Salefest office, which simply wouldn’t be the same without her…

Last week, we asked Louisa some profiling questions – and just wait till you see some of her answers! If any of Louisa’s lucky clients are reading this, be sure to give her a bit of grief the next time you see her!

What is your official role/title at Salefest?
Account Manager

How long have you worked for Salefest?
Four years in total (first between 2003/2004) and then beginning again in 2010.

Previous experience and qualifications?
I’ve worked for a couple of other agencies over the past 8 years, always in the automotive market – go figure!

What are your proudest achievements at work?
Positive feedback from my clients is always a great moment. Late last year one of my clients praised my work managing his network of dealerships, calling it ‘extraordinary.’  It meant the world to me and was definitely a proud moment.

What’s your funniest (or one of your funniest) moments at work?
Too many to mention – I work with a bunch of very entertaining people!

What motivates you at work?
My job is very results driven, so anytime we’ve put a winning campaign together –  which delivers great outcomes for our clients, it’s extremely rewarding. Their success is ours.

What do you get up to outside of work?
I try to squeeze in one overseas trip every year. Next month I’m off to KL, Phuket and Langkawi! Gus, my big hairy dog, needs a lot of exercise so I walk him about 5-6 days a week in an attempt to keep us fit. I’ve also renovated 2 houses with my husband over the last few years, so that’s left me without much of a social life – thankfully we’ve finished now and we won’t be going back for round three.

If you were stranded on an island what three things would you want to be stuck with?
My dog Gus, my husband Nick (he would be extremely cranky if I didn’t include him here!) and Vodka.

If you could be famous for something what would it be?
Hmm, a fabulous shoe collection springs to mind – move over Carey and Emelda.

What is your guilty pleasure?
Shoes! Three pairs in two days this week….opps!

If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?
Gallivanting around the South of France.

What saying or philosophy do you live your life to?
Health and happiness – it’s the root of all things good.

Describe what you think a good advertising agency is?
There are so many layers to an agency – design and copywriting, production and account management.  All areas need to be strong to create something great.  Industry knowledge and a genuine desire to build relationships with our clients and to understand their specific businesses is essential.

… It happens at least ten times a day, and it fills me with such elation, that I sometimes struggle to stifle my excitement. Much of it is a visual sensation, but the satisfaction runs much deeper than pure aesthetics. In the intimate interactions that occur, I’m made promises, exposed to new ideas and information and sometimes, yes, I’m even serenaded. All this occurs with minimal input from my end, I literally sit back and enjoy. The mostly hidden truth is that there’s a fountain of untapped pleasure to be gained from subscribing, and frankly, I’m surprised more aren’t taking part.

I am talking of course, about e-Zines.

As you may have already deciphered, I eagerly receive at least ten e-Zines a day, because in most cases, they are just so damn great. Of course not all e-Zines have been created equally, and while some only linger for seconds before ‘execution by delete button’, others are cherished and archived for continued reading enjoyment.

For those of you playing at home, an e-Zine (or electronic magazine) is a newsletter-style publication sent by email to a database on a regular basis. This bland definition provides little indication about the potential of e-Zines and how, with a bit of elbow grease, they can generate a great deal of success for the company they represent.

The best e-Zines are the ones that offer the reader something. Leave the ‘hard-sell’ for your press advertisements, the role of the e-Zine is to appeal to your database’s interests and offer them something special, telling the reader who you are not just what you do.

The best e-Zines I’ve seen (and the ones which have produced the greatest results at Salefest) are those which are interactive (a la video links), stimulating (people love a good competition and trivia), informative (new releases, tips, ideas) and attractively laid out  – including legible font and uncomplicated layout (with pictures!).

Apart from being comparatively inexpensive to produce, your e-Zine gives you the opportunity to spruik the community activities your company is involved with and when integrated with other forms of marketing, becomes a force to be reckoned with.

Imagine an e-Zine filled with pictures from your Facebook page, videos from your YouTube channel, engaging articles, offers and a competition to boot. That’s an e-Zine I’d sign up for, and one that will no doubt generate leads.

I could go on about the merits of a great e-Zine, but the only way you’ll find out for yourself is to call up Salefest and ask us to create a specially-tailored one for your company. Call us today for an obligation-free consultation and let us create an e-Zine mock-up for your business that you can get excited about.

In a move that will affect dealers that sell used cars across the nation, a new Personal Property Security Register (PPSR) will soon come into play and change the way consumers buy cars.

Replacing the state-operated Register of Encumbered Vehicles (REVS) and Vehicle Securities Register (VSR), the new system will begin on January 31.

Private buyers will now be able to check whether a prospective vehicle has been written-off in a crash or if money is still owed on it. What’s more, consumers no longer have to search the specific state registry for cars that have crossed the state-line. Instead, all Australian cars will be registered in the one spot, making information far more accessible.

Vehicle checks can be performed via SMS or online through the Department of Insolvency and Trustee Service inside the Attorney General’s department.

So is this good news for the automotive dealer?

On the one hand yes, absolutely.

For years dealers have rightly complained about the sometimes hundreds of dollars required to search all the state-based vehicle-check registries. A national, one-stop register will make checking a vehicle’s history far less complicated.

There is some concern among dealers however, that incorrectly input information will lead to an unreliable record. Vehicle records can be tracked using its VIN or chassis number and any discrepancies will use these special codes during investigation.

The obvious winner with the introduction of the PPSR is the consumer.

If used properly, shoppers will no longer be at risk of purchasing vehicles that have been in major accidents, have been stolen, or at risk of being repossessed due to outstanding debt.

What are your thoughts on the PPSR? Share them with us on our blog or Facebook page.

Don’t you just hate New Year resolutions?

Regardless of how determined you are to stick to them, very few of us do. I’m told however, that if you write them down you have a better chance of making them happen…

Now if I was an automotive dealer looking for dynamic new ways to brand my dealership and market my offers, these would be my New Year resolutions.

In 2012, I will support every event with an eCatalogue:

Ideal for retail campaigns, eCatalogues energise your brand and promote special offers to your database. They are also trackable, allowing you to see how many have been opened and how many email addresses are no longer active. Best off all, they are amazingly cost effective.

I will send an eMagazine every quarter in 2012:

A professionally written eMagazine will keep customers fully informed about what’s happening in your dealership. The six pages plus format means that you can include special offers from every department, including service and parts. The page turning software is especially clever and enhances interactivity. The best part is that you can embed the latest radio and YouTube commercials into the design.

I will eBlast my subscribers more often in 2012:

eBlasts are e-ffective! They’re mega cheap to produce and send, can be created in flash, are totally trackable and are a great support for any call-to-action retail campaign.

I will post even more YouTube videos in 2012:

Posting a professionally produced video on YouTube is a great way to connect with customers and dominate Google video search results. Enjoy positive feedback from viewers and competitors. What’s more your YouTube video is not just bound to the YouTube site. Your video can follow your campaign through all its eMarketing material and be placed on your website as well.

I will respond to comments on our Facebook fan page even quicker in 2012:

Some dealers and advertisers still think Facebook is not for them. What they don’t realise is that Facebook reaches nearly 90% of the Aussie internet population and the 35+ age group is the fastest growing segment. It also provides valuable information on your PMA’s demographics, reinforces your brand and lets you post giveaways.

I will increase our mobi marketing in 2012:

Smartphone ownership is growing faster than ever. Sending retail offers via your website to a customer’s smartphone gets your business into the hands of your database. All they have to do is ‘touch’ their phones to contact you.

I will stay in touch with my customers using SMS in 2012:

It’s so easy and cost effective to text a message with a number and a link such as, a service reminder, special offer, or competition prize details to a customer using SMS.

I will include QR Codes in all our marketing materials in 2012:

QR codes take your advertising to a whole new level by providing an immediate link between press and digital. Placing QR Codes on all cars, flyers, business cards, invitations and linking to customers’ apps allows them to effortlessly schedule a test drive, buy online or take-up a exclusive trial offers.

I will give customers a free mobi app in 2012:

This will allow your service guys to post calendar-generated maintenance, motoring advice alerts, service reminders and specials via a calendar-based program. The system is great because log book readings can be tracked and emailed to the customer and it can even have a ‘carfind’ function.

I will track all the data that our system reveals in 2012:

The eBusiness software registers who clicked through to your website and social media sites. It also tells you how many eZines, eCatalogues and eBlasts were forwarded and which ones bounced, enabling the agency to keep your database clean and current.

Yes, it’s quite a list – but this is going to be a brilliant year!

Set deep in the arteries of the Salefest headquarters is the design studio, the hub that’s responsible for most of the company’s creative content and innovation.

Contrary to the old advertising stereotypes, our creative suite isn’t garnished with psychedelic wallpaper, circus performers and a bar fridge with unlimited supplies.

Instead, our design room is decorated with a dedicated team of hard-working professionals, all with a specific set of skills and talents… oh, and there’s a basketball ring in there too.

To keep the guys at their best, up for grabs each month is the chance to be crowned ‘Designer of the Month.’ This month we’re proud to announce the first recipient of this prestigious award…

Congratulations Richard Jardine!

Still relatively new to the office, we thought we’d ask Richard some questions to get to know him better. We were definitely surprised by some of his answers!

What is your official role/title at Salefest?

Graphic Designer

How long have you worked for Salefest?

6 Months

Where were you before Salefest?

After graduating from university I started my career as a Junior Graphic Designer in a small design studio in Malvern. Gaining valuable experience, I took a sideways step into the publishing industry and worked myself up to the role of Art Director for a number of national and Victoria-based magazines and directories.  After 5 years I was ready for a change, so I foolishly accepted a job as the Corporate Graphic Designer. I quickly realised that the corporate world is not for me! Shortly after, I was offered a job at a friendly automotive advertising agency in McKinnon – needless to say accepting my role at Salefest was a no-brainer! 

What are your proudest achievements at work?

Obviously being named ‘Designer of the Month…’

What motivates you at work?

High-quality creative work that challenges me.

What are your interests outside of work?

Golf, fishing, photography, travel… all of which have taken a back seat as now I predominantly spend my free time playing with my 18 month old daughter.

If you were stranded on an island what 3 things would you want to be stuck with?

1. Fishing gear
2. A good hammock
3. An infinite amount of icy cold beer

If you could be famous for something what would it be?

Inventing something, I don’t know what though!

What is your guilty pleasure?

Spam… so fatty and good fried up for breakfast.

If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?

Somewhere tropical – maybe a remote island in the Caribbean.

What saying or philosophy do you live your life to?

Take it easy

Describe what you think a good advertising agency is?

Good people, good work ethic and a good culture (casual uniform, Friday pizza, and a monthly spit-roast also help).

]]> http://salefest.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/remarkable-richard/feed/ 0 salefest Luke_headers Richard http://salefest.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/the-magic-million/ http://salefest.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/the-magic-million/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:21:39 +0000 Salefest E-talk http://salefest.wordpress.com/?p=665 ]]>

It seems the automotive industry is awash with grim news, poor figures and a perpetually bleak outlook for the future. One simple fact however, stands out among the tirade of sour news that seems to circle the industry, and that’s the official sales figure for 2011 – 1,008,437.

Last year was the fourth time in the past five years where over one million cars found their way into Aussie homes, a terrific achievement considering the challenges that last year presented manufacturers and dealers.

Aside from the most obvious natural disaster – the destructive and overwhelmingly tragic Japanese earthquake and tsunami – the Australian automotive industry has also struggled with floods in Thailand as well as with flash flooding in our own backyards. The results have been quite damaging for many Australian dealers – particularly Japanese manufactures, some of which will continue to suffer well into 2012. Coupled with an uncertain economic climate, 2011 could have been a disaster.

But it wasn’t, and in many cases it’s a testament to the hard work and bravery of those involved with the importing, distributing, selling and advertising of Australia’s cars.

If only the public were privy to optimistic stories surrounding these people, with less of a focus (and often, dramatisation) on bad news.

In the spirit of good news there was plenty of good news for more than a handful of manufacturers in Australia who experienced an increase in growth last year.

Some of the country’s most popular brands experienced an increase in sales including Hyundai, Kia, Audi and Mazda, while other brands not traditionally recognised as high-volume movers, also surprised – most notably, Jeep.

Considering the challenges faced in 2011, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries said this year’s result was a good one and is predicting another million-plus result for 2012.

FCAI chief executive Ian Chalmers said “This achievement highlights the determination of the Australian automotive industry to be successful within one of the most open and competitive markets in the world.”

Couldn’t have put it better myself.

As the internet continues to pave the way for the future of just about everything, least of all advertising, the importance of not just keeping up but catching the lead is greater than ever.

Traditionally press advertising led directly to phone calls to the dealer; now the internet acts as a middle man, allowing prospective buyers to research and have no need for immediate dealer contact to snap up the deal.

The person who opened the paper and found your ad can now use a simple Google search to find out all they need to know about the vehicle you are advertising – including prices from other dealerships. Chances are the search will be on the car’s make and model and the general vicinity of the buyer. Now think about this: is your online presence up to scratch?

If it’s not, then the potential customer could be conducting a Google search prompted by your ad and end up with online results from a different dealership in their local area. They might then check out the website of that dealership, find a deal that is just as tempting for them and submit a query via that dealership’s online form. Before you know it, this could be a sale!

So while traditional media still stimulates enquiry, it is easy to see that the notion of enquiry itself has changed and your business’s DNA thread needs to be all-encompassing to catch the lead and stay ahead.

The key here is SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and if you haven’t heard of these terms, never fear as there is still time and we can shed some light. The whole idea of SEO is increasing and improving the visibility of your website in search and this is achieved using a variety of tactics such as inclusion of keywords in your website that you know people are likely to enter when seeking your services or products. On the other hand, SEM essentially works towards improving SEO by seeking traffic through paid ads online.

We employ a variety of strategies to work on SEO and therefore work on your online presence. YouTube videos based on your current press ad are a cheap and effective method, while minisites are fantastic for capturing the attention of your potential customer online during the research process.

It comes down to you calling the shots on the call to action, catching the lead through covering your bases and ensuring your press ads are backed up by an invaluable online approach. Harness your enquiries with a creative online strategy that works alongside your traditional media – you will see results.

December means a lot of things to the Salefest headquarters.

Unlike other offices where the festive season brings with it a decreased work load, extended boozy lunches and a universal ‘switch off’ of employee work ethic – we roll up our sleeves and sweat it out like next year is the end of the world, (which apparently it is).

The very aptly named ‘silly season’ presents the perfect chance for our clients to increase their sales, so we fire up our production team and pump out the festive cheer.

Working so hard at this time of the year has its benefits. For example, most of us weasel our way out of Christmas hosting duties, claiming harmlessly ‘Sorry I’m in advertising” as a means of avoiding the inevitable clean-up on December 26.

Don’t get us wrong though we love to go to parties – and the annual Salefest Christmas party was no exception.

This year’s event was held on Saturday December 10. Why a Saturday? Well, there are just not enough hours on Friday night and Salefestians are renowned for partying as hard as they work.

Strictly invite only, the hard working team enjoyed a range of exquisite hors d’oeuvres, followed by a sumptuous selection of fine meats served with hand-picked produce and fresh breads. Of course, many remained blissfully unaware of the delicious food on account of our boss’s generous tab on the bar… Cheers Patrick!

Come mid-afternoon it was time to announce the Salefest employee of the year – a highly prestigious and sought after award. This year’s honours went to Senior Graphic Designer Jeremy Manuel for his excellence in design and dedication to the job.

After the formalities, an appearance by Santa, some timely cowboy shots and the exchange of office KK presents it was on to the nearest pub.

Some patrons danced the night away (yes, our lunchtime Xmas party went well into the night) while others just marveled at Aussie music heart-throb Axel Whitehead, who we arranged to visit the venue especially for us! (ok, ok that was a lie – but he was there, we have photos!).

The rest of the night (and the resulting footage) stays locked in the Salefest vaults only to be revealed on employee birthdays, long-service milestones and farewell parties.

One thing is for sure though, the staff who survived this year’s Christmas party will be battle-ready for another year of success come 2012!

I was browsing through a local catalogue of business ads the other day and stumbled upon this beauty.

Looking at it briefly, it seems like a fairly standard ad, and quite typical of the publication in which it appears. It’s informative and ultimately underwhelming.

What you may not know though is that this real ad, which went to print just the other week, is riddled with problems and potentially damaging mistakes.

From precarious claims like ‘Cheapest RWC cars in town’ to offers and services missing disclaimers, such as ‘Finance Available’ which appears several times – running ads that don’t comply with legal regulations puts your business at risk of copping hefty fines, or worse, removal of license.

Then there are the grammatical and typesetting errors.

In this particular ad, words such as leather are capitalised at random, ‘Rego’ – short for registration, is in one case spelled ‘Ergo’ and in several instances there are errors with spacing, commas and full stops.

How will dealerships, or any business for that matter, appear reputable if their ads don’t adhere to the basic rules of the English language?

The simple fact is that they won’t, and in many cases your business will provide nothing more than a bit of humour for prospective buyers flicking through their paper with a hot cuppa in hand.

Every time I see these types of ads, I am astonished that more businesses don’t seek the assistance of dedicated ad agencies. Ad agencies care about the legalities associated with advertising and hire people with specialised knowledge to make sure that your ad is correct.

In most cases, the publications that print your ads don’t care about your content or whether you comply with legal code. Unless you’re perpetually up-to-date with the ever-changing legal code that affects your industry and have a trained eye for proofing copy – you’re at risk every time you submit an ad without the help of an agency.

This new year make a promise to safe-guard your business, improve your sales and produce something that will reflect brilliantly on your organisation.

Talk to Salefest and let us help you create your advertising material.