MTS - Industry Insight

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2010-04-20T19:06:00.001+01:00

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Nissan Renault Daimler tie-up

2010-04-06T08:21:00.007+01:00

Nissan Renault Daimler to announce tie-up
AFP 06.04.2010

Japan's Nissan, its French parent Renault and Germany's Daimler are set to announce a capital and business tie-up Wednesday, planning to acquire about three-percent stakes in each other, reports said....
For the complete article and more on this story please follow this link>>>

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To keep in touch with new industry developments or new products at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

Motor Trade Solutions can provide a full outsourced marketing solution for your motor vehicle business. We offer a suite of services from motor dealer websites and email marketing campaigns through to advanced (Google Indexed) Stock List Database Systems and Social Media Management.

motortradesolutions.net is a part of Studio808

Volvo Revolution

2010-03-30T06:51:00.007+01:00

The Volvo Revolution
The Independent, Tuesday 30th September 2010

Geely's $1.8bn (£1.2bn) acquisition of Volvo at the weekend is not only the culmination of nearly a year of negotiations between the Chinese car maker and Ford, Volvo's parent company. Nor is it only the final piece in Ford's plan to sell off its luxury European brands. The takeover is also a sign of the coming of age of the Chinese motor industry.

For more on this article please follow this link>>>

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Looking for a new motor dealer or dealer group website? Check out our portfolio of beautifully designed and highly search engine optimised motor trade websites here>>>

To keep in touch with new products or developments at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

motortradesolutions.net is a part of Studio808

Budget 2010: Motor Industry

2010-03-24T17:43:00.010Z

Views from industry experts including BVRLA, the AA, Independent Petrol Retailers' Association and the Retail Motor Industry Federation on the Budget 2010.
Business Car 24.03.2010

To see the full article please follow this link>>>

Learn more about motor trader website design and motor dealer websites from Motor Trade Solutions on our dedicated page>>>

To keep in touch with new products or developments at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

motortradesolutions.net is a part of Studio808

Top Gear Blamed Again

2010-03-22T09:22:00.006Z

'Top Gear effect' blamed for environmentally unfriendly image of motorsports

Telegraph Motoring News 22.03.2010

The Telegraph reported today that the Government Business, Innovation and Skills Committee is blaming the TV Show "Top Gear" for giving the Motorsport and Aerospace Industries an environmentally unfriendly image?!

The link to the article is here. Clearly this show is highly influential in the minds of the British Public?

Thank you to Telegraph.co.uk

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Social Media is becoming an ever increasing source of enquiry and customer retention for the UK Motor Industry. Motor Trade Solutions can help you develop your social media presence and marketing opportunities. Interested? Read more here>>>

You can contact Motor Trade Solutions for an initial chat on 0845 658 6880 or email us here>>>

To keep in touch with new products or developments at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

motortradesolutions.net is a part of Studio808.

View the MTS Website Portfolio here>>>

UK Car Industry News

2010-03-19T09:01:00.008Z

UK Car Industry News
British Motor Industry
Social Media
Motor Trade Solutions
Social Media Management

Today the TimesOnline website reported today on the £2.6Billion of investment that is coming to the UK car industry.

"The re-emergence of the British motor industry is shifting up a gear, with £2.6 billion worth of investment flowing into the UK, safeguarding or creating thousands of jobs.

Nissan is to start mass-production of electric vehicles in Sunderland; Ford plants in Dagenham, Southampton and Bridgend will build the next generation of cleaner diesel and petrol engines for its cars around the world; and the Formula One team McLaren is to build supercars in Woking to rival Ferrari and Lamborghini in the retail market..."

To read more of this great news please follow this link to the article>>>>

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Ford green engine plan

2010-03-18T15:55:00.008Z

Government backs Ford green engine plan
Eco Friendly cars
Eco Cars
Motor Trader Website
Eco Friendly Ford
Low co2 cars
Ford ECOnetic
Motor Dealer Website

The re-emergence of the British motor industry shifted up a gear today after the Government said that it would financially back a £1.5 billion investment by Ford in producing cleaner engines in the UK.
The American motor company said that it was injecting the money into four sites in the UK to develop low-carbon vehicles.
The Government, which wants the UK to be a global hub of green motoring development, said that it would back the programme with £360 million of loan guarantees.
The news follows government grants to Nissan to build electric cars in the UK and a £270 million loan guarantee for Vauxhall to invest in greener cars at its Ellesmere Port factory.
To read the rest of this article by Robert Lea, Industrial Editor from Times Online please follow this link>>>

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Learn more about motor trader website design and motor dealer websites from Motor Trade Solutions on our dedicated page>>>

To keep in touch with new products or developments at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

motortradesolutions.net is a part of Studio808

Facebook and Twitter Marketing

2010-03-11T15:07:00.005Z

Facebook and Twitter Management
Facebook and Twitter Marketing
Social Networking Service
Automotive Social Networking
Social Media Virtual Assistant
Motor Trade Social Media

motortradesolutions.net specialises in social advertising, social marketing and social website management for UK Motor Industry. Social advertising and networking is growing fast and is a very cost effective marketing strategy. Creating a Facebook page or Twitter account is the first step to starting a social network that can benefit your business needs.

A Facebook page is a great way of getting a product or entity published to thousands of potential clients and is a great way to gain conquest business. This gives you the opportunity of reaching hundreds if not thousands of new clientele which will increase with proper management.

Let motortradesolutions.net do the job for you while you reap the benefits and focus on running your business. We have various packages and forms of car dealer marketing that can provide powerful social networking support that will benefit your business. motortradesolutions.net specialises in auto dealer social media and we are able to accommodate and provide marketing for any motor trader website.

Interested? For more details of what we provide please visit the Motor Trade Solutions dedicated Car Dealer Social Media page featuring Blogger, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter here>>> Or call us on 0845 658 6880

You can view our Twitter backgrounds by following this link>>>

To keep in touch with new products or developments at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

motortradesolutions.net is a part of Studio808

Do you Profit from Parts?

2010-03-09T13:24:00.008Z

Do you Profit from Parts Sales
Online Parts and Accessories Shop
Obsolete Parts Stock
Parts Turnover Bonus
Car Parts and Accessories Market
eCommerce Online Parts Shop

Today MotorTrader.com reported on the announcement from the Lookers Group that its "Parts Arm helps Lookers double profits in 2009".

The article reports that the Independent Parts Division saw a 34% increase in pre-tax profit to £11.2m. Whilst this is a fantastic result it highlights again that whilst there is a lot of focus on vehicle sales, the entrepreneurial motor dealer owner or dealership manager can still realise strong profits by looking at all aspects of their business.

At a dealership level there is still massive opportunity to be exploited in the sale of parts and genuine accessories, but even in today's purpose built showcase dealerships the parts department is often hidden away out the back or display space is very limited. It is even difficult to get the vehicle sales teams enthused about selling accessories.

The shame of it is that the Car Parts and Accessories Market is huge and the main dealers are (for the most part) missing out. Particularly when it comes to achieving parts volume bonuses and targets.

Which is why at motortradesolutions.net we have developed the Online Dealer Parts and Accessories shop.

The online Parts and Accessories shop is set up by motortradesolutions.net to meet with manufacturer corporate identity standards and completely web based allowing you to market your stock. You can also highlight special offers and push obsolete parts stock.

The package includes:

Full e-Commerce automation and we even help you set up your merchant account.
motortradesolutions.net provide full training on how to content manage (CMS) your website.
Individual products are Google indexed and so are searchable on the search engines.

All you have to do is post the items (or arrange collection) as they get sold and paid for. View more details about the Motor Trade Solutions Online Parts and Accessory Shop here>>>

To keep in touch with new products or developments at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

If you would like to read the full article from MotorTrader.com please click here>>>

World Car of the Year Awards

2010-03-08T21:22:00.003Z

World Car of the Year Awards Announcement
Mercedes Benz E Class
Volkswagen Polo
Toyota Prius
New York Auto Show 2010

More important than the Oscars, the 3 finalists for World Car of the Year Award has been announced. From a list of 30 cars around the world, the WCOTY committee has created a shortlist of three vehicles – the Mercedes Benz E Class, Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Polo.

The awards ceremony will take place on the 1st April in time for the opening of the 2010 New York Auto Show.

In addition to the announcement of the last three cars vying for the World Car of the Year Award, the other finalists from different categories, including one for performance vehicle and another for design, were also announced.

The Green finalists include the aforementioned Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight and the Volkswagen`s BlueMotion diesel range.

The Audi R8 V10, the Porsche 911 GT3 and the Ferrari California will compete for the performance vehicle category while the Citroen C3 Picasso, the Kia Soul and the Chevrolet Camaro are finalists for the design category.

View the Motor Trade Solutions dealer website portfolio here>>>

To keep in touch with new products or developments at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

motortradesolutions.net is a part of Studio808

Salesforce Lead Management

2010-03-08T13:47:00.008Z

Salesforce Lead Management
Internet Enquiry Management
Customer Relationship Management
Enquiry Management
Lead Management
Dealer Sales Development
Test Drive Request
Internet Sales Training
Email Marketing
Social Media Networking
Sales Training
Performance Coaching

The article today in AMOnline by Daniel Attwood further reinforces the evidence that we are find in the franchised dealer network today.

If you have not read the article yet it summarises a Europe wide survey of enquirers to motor dealerships for test drives via the manufacturer website. The article reports on the startling results where even the best brand could only produce a 57% response rate to a test drive request.

Normally we would greet this news with shock or surprise, but not anymore. The nature of our business means that team here at motortradesolutions.net are regularly in car, van and motorcycle dealerships across the UK for meetings, training, presentations etc. When we get together we all remark on how hard it is to get a member of staff to make eye contact, let alone say hello and attempt to give us any sort of greeting.

We also see the enquiries that our marketing produces and see the opportunities missed by poor sales process or even just the way that enquiry is handled.

Our business is all about generating enquiries for our clients whether this be through a website we have built and designed for them or to compliment their existing activity through email marketing or social media networking. The job of 'selling' the car is the responsibility of the dealership and we cannot influence that. Until now...

Having recognised that there is a need to see this process all the way through, motortradesolutions.net now have developed a suite of innovative packages that can help dealers ensure that they are maximising every enquiry that they get. This can be in the form of on site sales training and performance coaching right through to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) electronic back-up systems and industry leading mystery shopping (video, telephone and email).

One-on-one performance coaching for both sales people and management is very powerful and because it is tailored to the needs of the individual it has brought rapid results without the need for off-site training facilities or hotel expenses.

Motor Trade Solutions have a range of options that can be tailored to your needs and budget, meaning that we can provide expertise in marketing to provide enquiries right through to managing those leads and making the sale. For an initial discussion to find out more and see if we can help please call us on 0845 658 6880 or email us here>>>

To keep in touch with new products or developments at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

motortradesolutions.net is a part of Studio808

The article in AM Online can be be seen here>>>

Geneva Motor Show Top 10

2010-03-06T08:18:00.003Z

Geneva Motor Show Top 10
Porsche 918 Spyder
Sbarro Autobau Concept

The Geneva Motor Show appears to showcase a more confident motor industry this year with a massive amount of new models and innovations. All the manufacturers seem to be showcasing their eco cars, electric cars and low emission vehicles.

There was still time for the weird and wonderful and we think that the Sbarro Autobau Concept wins that prize.

Jerry Garrett in the New York Times has created his own Top 10, does it match yours?
Follow this link to read his article>>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Or become a fan on our Facebook page: motortradesolutions.net

Motor Trade Solutions is a part of Studio808.co.uk

People Carriers Ford and Mazda

2010-03-05T12:12:00.005Z

Geneva Motor Show: Volkswagen and Mazda People Carriers (MPV)
Telegraph Motoring 5th March 2010
New Volkswagen Sharan
New Mazda 5

Amongst all the glitz and glamour that was afforded to electric cars, eco cars etc that were being showcased the 80th Geneva Motor Show there was also new entrants from that seemingly forgotten niche the people carrier.

New entrants from Volkswagen and Mazda were showing off their credentials. For more on this read Andrew English's article here>>>

Geneva Motor Show BMW

2010-03-04T17:39:00.004Z

BMW at the 80th International Geneva Motor Show

A thoroughly updated and upgraded range of models combining unique driving pleasure with outstanding efficiency – this is what premium car maker BMW is proudly presenting at the 80th Geneva Motor Show 2010. New models in numerous segments, an even wider range of power units combining outstanding performance with enhanced efficiency, plus fascinating concepts for the powertrain of the future clearly prove the unique innovative power of the brand....

For more on this and a great video of the BMW stand follow this link>>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Or become a fan on our Facebook page: motortradesolutions.net

Motor Trade Solutions is a part of Studio808.co.uk

The BMW Italian Job

2010-03-04T14:17:00.006Z

Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

BMW’s Italian Job
Jaguar XKC 120, 1952
Talbot-Lago, T150 C SS Goutte d’Eau, 1938
BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster Series 1, 1937
Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Sport Pininfarina, 1965

Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2010: the place to be for perfection and elegance

For anyone with a fondness for spring and an appreciation of the Italian way of life, Lake Como in April has always been hard to beat. And the world-famous Grand Hotel Villa d’Este is the perfect base for those looking to revel in the lakeside ambience rather than merely bed down for the night. Should the same people also share a love of fine cars, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este will deliver the perfect weekend. All of which means that the dates 23 – 25 April are likely to have been among the first in any auto enthusiast’s diary.

The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2010
The weekend of 23 – 25 April 2010 will see the fabulous grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este and Villa Erba in Cernobbio once again offering an exquisite stage for the most alluring classics of the past and the boldest concept cars of the present. The first Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este was held here on the banks of Lake Como in 1929, and today no other event of its kind can match its heritage and tradition.

For more on this story please follow this link>>>

Learn more about MotorTradeSolutions.net automotive e-Commerce Parts and Accessories Website Package here>>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Or become a fan on our Facebook page: motortradesolutions.net

Motor Trade Solutions is a part of Studio808.co.uk

Good news for Toyota in UK

2010-03-04T12:56:00.013Z

Good news for Toyota in UK

New car sales accelerated ahead again last month, rising 26.4% on the February 2009 total, it was announced today. But the February 2010 total of new registrations was 1.3% below 2008's figure and 12.2% below the 10-year average for February.

Sales of new Toyota cars in the UK last month held up reasonably well despite the fact that the Japanese motor giant has had to recall around 8m vehicles worldwide due to a number of problems.

Read more>>>

To find out more about motortradesolutions.net please give us a call on 0845 658 6880 or email us here>>>

View examples and learn more about MotorTradeSolutions.net Social Media Services for the Motor Industry here>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Or become a fan on our Facebook page: motortradesolutions.net

Motor Trade Solutions is a part of Studio808.co.uk

Article from Guardian.co.uk

Honda announce CRZ Prices

2010-03-03T19:45:00.004Z

Honda CR-Z Prices

Barretts Honda announce CR-Z prices

Honda CR-Z Hybrid Coupe prices released

Barretts Honda are delighted to announce the impressive specification and highly competitive pricing for the all new CR-Z hybrid coupe.

The CR-Z is the world’s first sporty hybrid coupe; a great looking car that’s exciting to drive and has all the benefits of advanced, low emission hybrid technology. As well as our petrol-electric IMA system, the car features three driving modes, which allows the driver to adapt the settings of the car to suit their needs –to maximise economy or to dash in and out of traffic, for example.

For more on this story and full pricing details follow this link>>>

To find out more about motortradesolutions.net please give us a call on 0845 658 6880 or send us a message to receive more information here>>>

View examples and learn more about MotorTradeSolutions.net Email Marketing Services for the Motor Industry here>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Guerilla Marketing in Geneva

2010-03-03T17:39:00.005Z

MINI brings Hollywood to Geneva

MINI brings Hollywood to Geneva for the world premiere of the new MINI Countryman.

MINI brings Hollywood to Geneva. The launch of the new star of the MINI family – the MINI Countryman – at the 80th Salon International de l’Auto provides reason enough for an unconventional marketing campaign: The city built on Lake Geneva is being renamed “MINIWOOD” by way of a huge projected image, creating a rival to the Hollywood dream factory in Los Angeles. The gigantic projection of the “MINIWOOD” sign onto Mont Salève on French soil is one of the largest projections of its kind.

Read more and see the video here>>>

To find out more about motortradesolutions.net please give us a call on 0845 658 6880 or send us a message to receive more information here>>>

Learn more about MotorTradeSolutions.net Marketing Services for the Motor Industry here>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Geneva Motor Show MINI

2010-03-03T07:31:00.000Z

MINI Geneva Motor Show
MINI at the 80th Geneva Motor Show 2010

At a glance:

World debut: MINI Countryman.
The MINI model family is growing once again, with the MINI Countryman making its first appearance at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Read more here>>>

World debut: MINI One Convertible.Open-air driving pleasure in that unique MINI style is now becoming even more economical, with the new MINI One Convertible entering the market powered by the latest generation of MINI’s four-cylinder petrol engine. Read more here>>>

World debut: MINI One MINIMALIST.New petrol engines for the MINI, the MINI Clubman and the MINI Convertible ensure even greater agility – and, thanks to MINIMALISM – even lower CO2 ratings. A further important point is that the MINI Cooper S, the MINI Cooper, the MINI One, and the MINI John Cooper Works all fulfil the EU5 emission standard. The MINI One MINIMALIST, in turn, offers maximum all-round economy... Read more here>>>

For the rest of this entire article follow this link>>>

To find out more about motortradesolutions.net please give us a call on 0845 658 6880 or send us a message to receive more information here>>>

The MotorTradeSolutions.net stock listing database with Google indexing can be seen here>>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Volkswagen Geneva Motor Show

2010-03-02T20:22:00.002Z

Volkswagen Displays Confidence at Geneva Motor Show
Volkswagen parties while Toyota grovels
BBC News Tuesday 2nd March 2010

Europe's largest carmaker went to town on Tuesday night with a multi-model extravaganza that put rival carmakers to shame.

In a vast hall along lake Geneva's shores Volkswagen Group wheeled out model after model from its subsidiary companies, including an all-electric Seat concept car to, Volkswagens first pickup truck, a Lamborghini that it said could do 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds and a petrol-electric Porsche sportscar concept that group executive Martin Winterkorn, insisted "points the way forward for super-sportscars".

With more than half a dozen new models on display, it was a clear sign that the German carmaker accounts for more than its fair share of the more than 30 global premieres the world's carmakers are unveiling at this year's motor show in Geneva.

For the rest of this article follow this link>>>

To find out more about motortradesolutions.net please give us a call on 0845 658 6880 or send us a message to receive more information here>>>

The MotorTradeSolutions.net motor dealer social media services can be seen here>>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Opel Vauxhall Funding Package

2010-03-02T19:00:00.005Z

Opel Vauxhall Funding Package
General Motors to increase its commitment to Opel Vauxhall
Motor Trader 2nd March 2010

General Motors will contribute a €1.9bn funding package to its Opel/Vauxhall operations as part of its commitment to the European viability plan, more than tripling its previous investment pledge of €600m.

Unveiling the increased funding package, Nick Reilly, CEO of Opel/Vauxhall, said the GM contribution would be made in the form of both equity and loans.

For more on this story go to MotorTrader.com 2nd March 2010 link>>>

To find out more about motortradesolutions.net please give us a call on 0845 658 6880 or send us a message to receive more information here>>>

The MotorTradeSolutions.net motor dealer website design portfolio can be seen here>>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Motor Trade FSA Compliance by motortradesolutions.net

2010-02-03T08:58:00.007Z

Are you confident about your FSA processes, documentation and systems?

motortradesolutions.net can assist your automotive business with many levels of assistance when it comes to FSA Compliance in the motor industry.

Our approach is not one-size-fits-all, we fit around your business and the needs of your team. This can range from:

An FSA Healthcheck - to see where your business is today and provide peace of mind.
FSA Consultancy - where we help you to operate by implementing systems and processes.
Finance and Insurance Training - once again this is tailored to the needs of your business. We can train your Business Managers, Sales Managers or Car Sales Executives through classroom training or one-to-one coaching which leads to increased performance and revenue.

Our training is held on-site to minimise the impact on your motor business in terms of staff coverage, travel expenses etc.

Working closely with our clients we have seen their businesses run leaner and leaner in the past 12-18 months. This has lead to some primary functions not getting the attention they need, so this has lead to the creation of our outsourced 'pay as you go' services to help you and reduce the need for increasing headcount or overheads.

Our team of professionals all come from a motor trade background and have a proven track record. Their motor industry background also means that they take a pragmatic approach to FSA Compliance and avoid wherever possible in bogging you down in unnecessary processes.

If you are interested in knowing more then please call us for an preliminary chat to see if we can help you on 0845 658 6880 or use our contact us page to request further information.

To learn more about outsourced services from motortradesolutions.net please follow this link>>>

For interesting news, stories and events please follow us on Twitter:

motortradesolutions.net = MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808
Studio808 = studio808ltd http://twitter.com/studio808ltd

Don’t bury your head in the sand - marketing via social media is here.

2009-12-07T10:44:00.005Z

Like it or not, marketing via social media is here. Whilst you might not engage in it yourself, your customers are.

Social media is not just about posting adverts or stock inventory. A growing number of consumers want to engage with the people they do business with. This is leading forward thinking dealerships and motor dealer groups to rethink their website design and strategy, as it is not just an interactive brochure anymore.

Automotive dealer websites up until now have been about catching the consumer who is about to change their car. So previously the most important involvement by the management was to ensure the continuous update of new/used stock inventory, photographs and refreshing the quarterly new car campaigns.

Unfortunately this means that your customer has no need to return to your website for 2/3 years because it serves no other purpose to them.

This is where the biggest shift in thinking needs to happen. You need to make your customers “fans” of your business and give them the opportunity to comment and suggest improvements. They also need to hear other news than offers, sales, finance deals etc

Running your web presence in a way that has your customers (and potential customers) returning time and again requires a lot of effort and social media marketing requires time. If you think posting short messages on Twitter and sharing daily photographs are easy to do, think again. If you have a specific goal and you implement a social media plan, using social media could be easier but it would still require a lot of time.

You could choose not to focus on social media marketing, but that means you also will not get the maximum impact from using the free social networks. You need to make a decision about how you want to take advantage of this shift in internet marketing and decide how you are going to implement it in your business. For many companies, it is not always possible to spend time on creating content and building strong networks in social media. As I have said before motor dealerships run leaner than ever and more often or not the responsibility for online communication to customers is handed to the wrong people.

I cannot stress this point enough – and if you relate it to your own buying experiences you’ll know this to be true – so here goes:

Would you agree that today your website is the main way that you are communicating to your potential customers?

Would you also agree that the decision whether to make first contact often rides on your communication through this channel?

Of course we all know the answers to the above, but our research has shown that although business owners and senior dealer management know how important their communication is with customers, they often give the job to the wrong people – and worst of all it is not vetted before being published. We know this because when they are made to look at it for themselves, they are shocked and embarrassed at what they see.

Now that social media has come into the equation, the possibilities for devaluing your business or brand become even more prevalent if not handled properly. It is often given to the lowest paid staff member. We have seen dealerships using the sales trainee and even students on work experience placements to updating motor dealer websites.

Motor dealers call in experts for many things to help with their business, but are reluctant to make a relatively small investment in using experts for communication for their online presence. Get this right and customer retention levels grow, which as we know is cheaper than chasing conquest business.

For companies that do not have the time to make social marketing work, there are other options.

Motor dealers can really gain full advantage of using social media by outsourcing the tasks to specialists like motortradesolutions.net (MTS.net). Outsourced Marketing is actually very effective and affordable for companies. When motor dealers outsource, they are getting the expertise on a pay-as-you-go basis without spending money beyond the contract price for the project. With MTS.net you can set a budget or use our menu pricing system for your social media marketing.

Outsourcing your marketing means there is no need to invest in salary packages, bonuses, pensions, national insurance or company cars. Equally you do not have to provide valuable office space, computers or equipment. Outsourcing can work for all types of motor dealers - big or small.

The MTS.net team can work on creating contents for your website and your other social media accounts. Our experts are from the motor trade and can also work on getting your account more followers by following the right people and connect with them for your business.

If you would like to know more please call us on 0845 658 6880 for an initial discussion to see how we can best help you.

You can follow our news and articles on Twitter: MTS808

Don't let your poorly managed database stop you email marketing.

2009-10-19T07:43:00.011+01:00

Don't let your database get you down, help is at hand and it costs a lot less than you think...

We take several enquiries here at motortradesolutions.net from businesses that want to embark on email marketing or some other form of targeted prospecting activity.

They've heard about the succes it can bring if done properly and they like the fact that it is less expensive than direct mail campaigns.

Though the problem they face after they make the enquiry is usually one of these two scenarios:

They don’t have email addresses for their existing client base (or enough to make it worthwhile).
They do not have confidence in the accuracy of information in their database – and unfortunately they are usually right.

The good news is that at motortradesolutions.net we have been able to help our clients to not only to cleanse their database, but also introduce systems that collect relevant email data for future marketing activities too.

So this is a message to all those out there who feel that they have a hopeless cause because they have one or both of the problems we have listed above. And so never enquire or enjoy the benefits that using something like email marketing can bring.

And lastly let me dispel another myth for you. We are often told (with great confidence) that email is only used by young people, because they are the only ones who use computers on a regular basis. Interestingly we are usually told this by the ones with the poorest database management, and suddenly they are experts on their customer profile?

53% of iphone users are over 35
The fastest growth of Facebook users are 45 and over
20% of Twitter users are 55+

Pre-judge your client base at your peril. The internet is not the domain of geeky kids. You’ll be amazed at how many people of all ages judge your business by your online activity. Your potential dream client may be passing you by because your website gives the wrong impression of your business. And because web traffic is anonymous you’ll never know.

Don’t let your shabby database stop you. Help is at hand. Give us a call; we have cost-effective methods that can quickly and inexpensively straighten your database out and gain those all important email addresses. Best of all it usually generates some sales leads in the process so any investment you do make is often covered by the sales you gain.

We all know that it’s cheaper to keep the customers we’ve got than go out and win new business. No matter how messy your database is there’s business to be done in there with people who have dealt with you before so let motortradesolutions.net hep you uncover it.

You can use this form or call us on 0845 658 6880 to find out more and let motortradesolutions.net take the problem away.

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Worried about Hand Arm Vibration or Whole Body Vibration?

2009-08-30T15:05:00.008+01:00

Are you worried about Hand Arm Vibration or Whole Body Vibration??

If so the HSE have recently updated there website with some great advice and tips on managing the risk to your employees who use hand powered tools or drive vehicles for long durations. The advice giving is straight forward and practical and further advice can be obtained from motortradesolutions.net on systems to ensure you manage the risks to staff if vibration is a key hazard you need to manage in your workshop.

motortradesolutions.net can provide help and advice on health and safety issues that are related to the motor trade. Our team of specialists are there to help you, not to be obstructive to your business. If you are unsure or would like to discuss a healthcheck the please call 0845 658 6880 or email us.