One of the things I love to do is find the newest ways for people to connect with Auction Direct online. Here’s two ways that will become increasingly popular.

Everyone on the Internet is looking for Information. What’s the best information we can find? Information from trusted sources such as [...]]]>

One of the things I love to do is find the newest ways for people to connect with Auction Direct online. Here’s two ways that will become increasingly popular.

Everyone on the Internet is looking for Information. What’s the best information we can find? Information from trusted sources such as our family, friends and co-workers. When our friends tell us about a restaurant, a clothing store or even an accountant, we listen to those recommendations because we trust the review. Word of mouth marketing is one of the most effective methods for any business to increase sales; Facebook and Google have introduced two of the most revolutionary online word of mouth marketing tools. Combine these organic tools with new Facebook marketing optimization tools such as KeyBrokerSocial and you’ll start reaching more people at various stages of the buying cycle – for any product and service.

Facebook understands one simple fact: People love to share the stuff happening in their life. Now, they’re making it even easier to for people to share life events – social consciousness. Items such as getting engaged, getting a new pet or even a new home will be shared even easier within Facebook’s new profile features. The ability for customers to update their status with “Bought a Car” can help us tremendously. Knowing the average Facebook user has 125 friends, having our customers share their new car purchases online will help increase exposure – and build trust. Click image to enlarge

Google also understands the principle behind the value of a trusted connection’s recommendation. Their new social search feature, called “Google Plus”, lets you show a form of visual word of mouth by clicking on the +1 buttons next to the search results. (You need to be logged into Google to use this feature) Click image to enlarge


When the people within your Gmail address book search for things online, they’ll see the items you have +’d and vice-versa. Notice the thumbnail images below the listings when I search for Auction Direct in Google; I can see who else +’d the result. Social validation, trust and influence will become more important to online shoppers as your connections begin to visually endorse their Facebook activities and the content they find within Google’s search results.

Are you using either of these yet?

Facebook Places, their answer to the check-in game, is shutting down. Not a major shocker. Sure, there was activity, relegated mostly to larger metropolitan areas. I used it two times – once at a restaurant to show my friends how it worked and once [...]]]>

The location based marketing services landscape just shifted. Heavily.

Facebook Places, their answer to the check-in game, is shutting down. Not a major shocker. Sure, there was activity, relegated mostly to larger metropolitan areas. I used it two times – once at a restaurant to show my friends how it worked and once at a concert with my wife. No rewards, no tips, no to-do’s. Not even a goofy badge to show off.

Businesses failed to promote the check-in activity, presumably from a lack of support or a defined benefit. I tried to find the opportunity to leverage Facebook Places for Auction Direct, but it didn’t make sense. A lack of purpose, rewards and trust made it difficult for anyone to make checking-in within Facebook a consistent activity. Most users probably won’t even notice the service isn’t even available once shut down.

Killing off Facebook’s Places leaves me thinking about three items:

• Great opportunity for Foursquare to pick up additional activity from Places users
• New opportunities for niche check-in platforms such as GetGlue
• Niche location and photo-sharing applications will have had a longer life than Places, such a CarZar. And possibly even more users, such as Foodspotting.

Will you miss Facebook Places?

Update: Ok, so location as a feature hasn’t been shut off 100%. It just won’t function as it did before – completely pointless. The mobile app hasn’t been updated yet, but the web version has. Still pointless to me, yet shows Facebook is looking to change how location based services fit into their platform. Not quite sure what that change will look like seeing that Facebook Deals has been axed as well. Stay tuned.

Their research shows that consumers are still slow to respond to Location Based Marketing efforts. I agree with this statement – but it [...]]]>

Keep in mind, the effect only works [...]]]>

Wild new experimental ad from BMW motorcycles using the after-image effect to eliminate a directly visible logo. Very clever. All geared towards making a more unique brand experience without having to rely on simply stamping a brand in front of the viewer.HT to @Motormouths

Keep in mind, the effect only works when viewed live. The video isn’t using a projection reflector:)

Location-based service strategies include any application which have the ability to share an individual’s physical location, in real-time, with their online social networks. Users are rewarded [...]]]> [/caption] Welcome to the world of Location Based Services. These applications are changing the way people experience everyday activities like shopping, eating, traveling, watching a movie or taking a picture. Location-based service strategies include any application which have the ability to share an individual’s physical location, in real-time, with their online social networks. Users are rewarded with badges, stick" data-image="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Yes_check.svg/300px-Yes_check.svg.png" data-site="Location Based Marketing">

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Welcome to the world of Location Based Services. These applications are changing the way people experience everyday activities like shopping, eating, traveling, watching a movie or taking a picture.

Location-based service strategies include any application which have the ability to share an individual’s physical location, in real-time, with their online social networks. Users are rewarded with badges, stickers or points – satisfying the need for self-accomplishment. Users can also be rewarded for their activity by companies and brands leveraging these services as another element of their marketing strategy. Among the most popular location-based services are Foursquare, Gowalla and Yelp. Add Facebook Places to the location buffet as well.

What if you want to create a hyper-local, targeted campaign? One with the ability to draw attention to your current promotions and target qualified prospects within a specific location? Historically, a traditional ad agency or a direct mail campaign may be able to help. For a hefty fee.

Location-based marketing strategies already provide these features, for free. I’ll repeat that so it sinks in: the services are free. Now is the time to use it. Didn’t you learn your lesson when you waited to launch your blog and optimize your website?

Is Location Right For My Business?

As usual, most companies will wait before they participate. Forrester Research bluntly stated: “Unless you’re targeting affluent men between 19 & 35, you don’t belong on Foursquare.” Seems like a prime demographic group for both automotive manufacturers and retailers to target.

Even if you don’t recognize it, your customer base already participates in some form of location-based marketing activity. This segment is positioned nicely for explosive growth. 42% of in-store retail sales were influenced by mobile and Internet research in 2009. This number is expected to grow to 53% by 2014.

Consumers enjoy being able to locate points of interest, shops and services via their mobile phones. Also helping drive consumer acceptance: increased willingness to share their location in exchange for perks and rewards. And the awareness factor is going to explode with Facebook’s presence. They have the potential to make location-based status updates a mainstream concept by presenting it to 500 million users.

And yet, companies are reluctant to play within the location segment because of the lack of understanding. The biggest problems are not with the location based services themselves. (Other than maybe their ability to market their own services) Initial perceptions of platforms such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook may lead decision makers to believe these are simply game platforms for geeks.

Few people actually understand the full scope of these applications; they’re missing the opportunity to create a profitable element within their marketing strategy. The platforms themselves have already proven to be a success among the early adopter crowd. The next level of success now falls on the creative marketing types to develop winning strategies. Wait until the real benefits and value of checking in are realized by the brands and the individuals – consumer experiences will really change then.

Within the past few months, the location-based services segment has experienced another significant shift. Specific activity updates combined with location-based check-ins now pack a punch even more valuable to marketers and more engaging for users.

New applications targeting food fans (Foodies) such as FoodSpotting and FiddMe let users share images of their meals while including location specific check-ins. TV and movie fans have embraced Miso and Philo to share their guilty pleasures. Want to share more of your activities? What about what you’re listening to, reading, thinking about or even attending? GetGlue helps you share those activities with your friends while rewarding your participation. I wouldn’t be shocked if Amazon swallowed GetGlue – seems like a perfect match. I’ll be watching that closely.

I know what you’re thinking. Where’s the automotive location app? Keep your eye on CarZar - the first social automotive app. with location-based functionality. This application was created to change the way people share pictures of cars with their friends and networks. Instead of posting a picture of a cool car on Flickr, Twitpic or Facebook and sharing the link via email or twitter – pictures are shared with your networks to create instant interaction. Images can be commented on, liked and tagged. Location-based check-ins are an option as well. Sharing images unlocks badges and creates the potential for consumer rewards while creating several new marketing solutions for car enthusiasts, private sellers, car dealerships and manufacturers.

What To Expect Next?

Location-based services will improve how users share their personalized activities, increase business intelligence and provide companies an easier method of rewarding consumer loyalty. Participation will be controlled by automatic GPS triggers, linked to pre-selected social networks, eliminating the need for manual check-ins.  Privacy and spam will be key topics, however improved disclosure and education will lessen the confusion. Greater usability and control with regards to silencing entire networks or single users will help participants control noise levels.

Facebook will raise the mass acceptance and create a general brand awareness within the location segment. The Foursquares and Gowallas of the world have the ability to become the boutique solutions – each creating something with their various depths of status updates and rewards.

Search-style location services and augmented reality browsers will create greater breadth of user experiences. Search application solutions catching the earliest adopters eyes are Goby and Center’d while Layar and AcrossAir are among the augmented reality standouts. Current location apps let users interact once the activity has already been chosen; the next generation of apps may help users choose their activity based on their specific interests. Who knows, besides longitude and latitude, altitude may become an option as well.

Eric Miltsch is the IT/Internet Director for Auction Direct USA Used Vehicle Superstores; recently awarded as the 2010 #1 Independent Retailer of the Year. Disclosure: Eric advises DrivingSales.com on various online strategies and is also a co-creator of CarZar, along with Jared Hamilton.

Originally posted on DrivingSales.com – The largest online automotive marketing community

The sooner retailers can grasp the concept of providing coupons via mobile channels – especially within location based services – the faster consumers will realize that checking-in is not simply a narcissistic activity.

The word of mouth value can be enormous as well. People love to brag about their [...]]]>

1st item – Location Based Tweets. (The meh choice)

This is probably the only location based marketing feature I don’t even notice. Why? Users can put their location in their bio. Sure – it may not represent their current location, but of all things location, this [...]]]>

So what’s twitter been working on recently?

1st item – Location Based Tweets. (The meh choice)

This is probably the only location based marketing feature I don’t even notice. Why? Users can put their location in their bio. Sure – it may not represent their current location, but of all things location, this is not a concern. And, I’m fairly confident nobody else cares where my message originates…

I’m sure this is simply the raw form of something bigger to come – say, integration into a specific service like Google maps; real-time tweets within a check-in based platform a’la Foursquare or Gowalla may be more interesting & relevant. Knowing where someone is when they shriek about Justin Bieber in a tweet is not important to me. Or the rest of the country over 17.

2nd item –  Recommended People to Follow. (The excellent choice)

A sharp conversation with my friend Mike Johansson got me thinking about this deeper. Twitter now provides suggestions as to who you may want to follow. Why show recommended choices? And why does it work? Mike & were in agreement that it played more on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This level of the Needs Pyramid would be Esteem; the need to respect others or be respected by others.

Yes – the whole debate over Maslow and twitter’s success has been played out over the years. But – this finally provides a new visual motivation for users. It could be the face of someone they are intrigued by, someone they have heard of or better yet – a brand they may not have thought about seeking out via twitter – but are now aware.

Either way – I find this element fascinating. Yet, their location…not so much. Hopefully the brands will embrace it though. Location based marketing strategies will continue to drive new life into otherwise lame consumer experiences.

What do you think of these new features?

Want to unlock more Foursquare badges? Here’s the most detailed list of badges, including active & inactive badges and how to get them. Hat Tip to Chaunce Dolan [...]]]>

At first, everyone says Foursquare badges are stupid. Next thing you know, those same people are flashing their badges in your face.

Want to unlock more Foursquare badges? Here’s the most detailed list of badges, including active & inactive badges and how to get them. Hat Tip to Chaunce Dolan – nice work!

How To Unlock Every Foursquare Badge

Now go be nerdy. The brands behind the badges love it when you play in their location based marketing games…

Why do you play?

ExactTarget recently released the results of a study measuring what motivates a customer to give their email address.

67% gave out email to receive discounts and promotions
55% gave out email in return for a freebie
50% gave out email to be informed of upcoming sales
[...]]]>

ExactTarget recently released the results of a study measuring what motivates a customer to give their email address.

67% gave out email to receive discounts and promotions
55% gave out email in return for a freebie
50% gave out email to be informed of upcoming sales
45% gave out email to be updated on upcoming products
33% gave out email to gain access to exclusive content
29% were motivated by the promise of fun and entertainment
28% wanted to receive more information on products and services
28% said “to keep informed”
22% wanted to stay abreast of topics the business specialized in
17% gave out their email on a recommendation
14% want to interact with the sender
11% subscribe to show their support

Are you motivating your customers the right way?