Automotive Marketing Professional Community Blogs

• Swapalease.com Unveils Quarterly Auto Lease Trends Report for Q1 2018
  SWAPALEASE.COM UNVEILS QUARTERLY AUTO LEASE TRENDS REPORT FOR Q1 2018 Report Shows Fewer Dealer Incentives on New Leases Driving More Shoppers to Secondary Market Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest online car lease marketplace, today released its quarterly lease trends report for the first quarter, 2018. The report shows an increase in search activity acro […]
  John Sternal
• Roadside Assistance: 5 Steps to Take in an Auto Breakdown
  Over 30 million people have their cars break down while driving them in the United States annually. While it can be very frustrating, it can also be extremely dangerous if you do not take the right steps after your car breaks down. Here are five steps that you will want to take if your car breaks down while you are driving it.   Warn Other Motorists The firs […]
  Lizzie Weakley
• Historical Impact of 2018 Spring on Car Values
  Spring is typically viewed as a strong season for dealers, since many people receive their tax rebate checks and immediately use them to purchase a used car or truck. This past spring season, which takes place between February 1 - May 1, four mainstream car segments increased on average by 3.0%:   Sub-Compact Car +2.6% Compact Car +5.3% Mid-Size Car +3.1% Fu […]
  Black Book
• What Can We Learn From A $1000 Toilet Seat?
  In my recent travels I went to Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan. A few things struck me: just how space efficient and clean everything was.   I visited the famous Tsukuji wholesale fish market. To my surprise, there was no smell of fish. The local sushi restaurant (where I lined up at 4 am for the 1st seating at 5 am) served their sushi on the countertop.  Yes, the […]
  Ujj Nath
• Facebook Journeys: What Makes Customer Journey Data Valuable?
  At the recent 2018 F8 Developers Conference, Facebook introduced Facebook Journeys, a new enhancement to their Analytics, which will reportedly give businesses an omni-channel view of the customer journey from introduction to purchase… but does it? In their session, Facebook gave an example of a consumer (one of the speakers) who shared her journey towards b […]
  Steve White
• The VARK Questionnaire
  How Do I Learn Best? VARK Questionnaire version 7.1 Choose the answer which best explains your preference and click the box next to it. Please click more than one if a single answer does not match your perception. Leave blank any question that does not apply. Testimonials Our focused time with you did a fine job of heightening awareness and helped our leader […]
  Ralph Paglia
• How To Ensure Your Email Marketing Gets Through
  As you know, email is a vital part of your marketing. But if your specially-crafted email campaigns don’t make it to your customers’ inboxes, your ROI will fall short. Following email deliver-ability best practices is more than making sure your customers receive your emails—it’s making sure that your emails aren’t marked as spam.   To keep your domain or IP […]
  Graham Annett
• Outsourcing Customer Communications - Should the Service Department Worry?
  There are few things sales managers find more painful than looking into their CRM and finding unanswered sales leads -- whether those leads sat for hours or sometimes, days, each is a missed opportunity. That’s why there are so many outsourced BDC services that provide lead follow-up for dealers, ensuring customers receive a speedy, accurate response. And no […]
  Chris Miller
• How to Maintain the Gearbox and Driveline in Your Family Car
  You may not give much thought to your car until it starts to have problems. Repairs can be costly and troublesome. Here are some of the ways that you can maintain the gearbox and driveline in your car. Practice Safe Driving Depending on the type of vehicle that you have, rapidly shifting between gears and erratic driving can be shortening its life expectancy […]
  Rachelle Wilber
• Are there too Many Chefs in Your Content Kitchen?
  One of the best ways to get your name out to your audience is through a consistent regimen of relevant educational content of interest to your audience. This helps position key people in your dealership or organization as industry thought leaders and gains indirect brand exposure.   Doing this consistently can lead to news stories, conference speaking spots […]
  sara callahan
• To Text or Not to Text?
  Texting Strategy for Women Buyers Is texting part of your dealership’s communication strategy with women customers? Used properly, texting as a business practice is a direct and efficient way to communicate. Used improperly, it can cause annoyance and frustration. Read on to review the rules of proper texting etiquette, especially with your largest audience: […]
  Anne Fleming
• EdbMails EDB to PST Converter
  EdbMails EDB to PST recovery tool - EDB Recovery provides a complete solution to recover Exchange Database (EDB) files. It supports public and private folder recovery. Now a day’s Microsoft Exchange Server is a popular Email Exchange Server because It stores all organization email in a different database or a single database. Features of EDB to PST Converter […]
  Steve Albert
• The Old Bucket of Bolts: How You Can Earn Some Extra Money From Your Old Car
  Your old car may seem like nothing but an eyesore or a pain to drive. However, there are many different ways in which you can make money from it as opposed to selling or trading it in its current condition. Using these strategies could turn a piece of junk into some spending money or a down payment on your next vehicle.   Sell Parts from the Car Individually […]
  Lizzie Weakley
• Sporty Cars & Compact Vans Up
  Welcome to this week's edition of Black Book Market Insights, with in-depth analysis of used car and truck valuation trends and insights straight from the auction lanes. Click here to download the full report. This week’s Black Book Market Insights report offers the latest evidence that the spring season has come to an end, with cars and trucks seeing s […]
  Black Book
• Classic Restorations: Top Considerations When Restoring Your First Hot Rod
  Restoring a hot rod can be a fun and rewarding project. To do it right, though, there are several things you’ll need to keep in mind. Here are four of the top things you should be considering when you set about your first hot rod restoration project. Finding a Source for Parts Depending on how old the car you’re restoring is, you may have a hard time finding […]
  Hannah Whittenly
• Military Lending Act: What Dealers & Lenders Must Know During Memorial Day
  With the Memorial Day weekend coming up, I wanted to make you aware of some information and insight from Equifax regarding the Military Lending Act (MLA), and a few key things auto lenders and dealers should know when working with service members.   According to Equifax:   Dealers and lenders are still trying to better understand what they need to know about […]
  John Sternal
• The 5 Absolute Best Ways to Avoid Car Accidents
  The thought of being involved in a collision is enough to make many drivers think twice about getting behind the wheel of a car. And some drivers are so scared about car crashes that they refuse to drive farther than a mile from their home. This is no good. Obviously, you need to know exactly what to do if you are in an accident, such as taking photos of dam […]
  Dixie Somers
• Auto/Mate Announces Dates for its National Customer User Summit in San Antonio, TX; Issues Call for Sponsorships
  ALBANY, N.Y. – May 14, 2018 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) today announced dates for its national Customer User Summit, scheduled for Nov. 7-9, 2018 in San Antonio, TX. The User Summit spans three days and features breakout sessions offering in-depth training on how to get the most out of Auto/Mate's dealership management syste […]
  Mike Esposito
• BLACK BOOK APRIL DEPRECIATION REPORT SHOWS NINE TOTAL VEHICLE SEGMENTS WITH AN INCREASE IN VALUE; FIVE OF WHICH WERE CARS
  According to Black Book® data, the average price of a used vehicle for model years 2012-2016 increased in value by +0.3% during April, fueled by a strong spring selling season for cars, also up +1.3%; trucks saw a decrease of -0.4% on the month. All vehicles are averaging a 12-month change of -15.1%. A total of nine vehicle segments increased in overall valu […]
  Black Book
• When It Comes to Service the Sky Should NOT be the Limit
  For today’s consumers, time is the ultimate commodity.  No matter how much money they have, consumers are always on the go with their busy lives. Whether that means shuttling the kids to soccer practice, or running a bunch of errands, when it comes to fitting vehicle service into their busy schedule it is often viewed as a large and inconvenient time sink.   […]
  Ujj Nath