Here are just a few of the things you can do on Auttr:
• Search hundreds of thousands of cars in dealer inventories
• Become a smarter car buyer with educational articles and tips
• Find best practices and regulatory information for dealerships
• Read posts and check out videos from auto industry experts
• Create and share professional profiles
• Catch up on national and international auto news

In other words, Auttr is a place for car buyers, dealers, and industry experts to come together. Whether you are looking to buy a car or sell one, get the best deal for your money, or learn to operate your dealership more efficiently, you are sure to find just what you’re looking for on Auttr. And Auttr has a new website design to make navigation easier.

Still, we can point you at the best and worst ways to use social networking sites right now.

Let’s start with the worst way, which also happens to be the approach lots of business owners and marketers seem to be taking: halfheartedly setting up a bunch of profiles and then waiting for customers to show up.

While this is a terrible approach to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites, it’s also understandable. Companies know that hundreds of millions of people are logging on to these sites, and so they want to take advantage. But, since they aren’t sure what to actually do with any of these opportunities, they take a “wait-and-see” attitude towards the whole thing. Eventually, they are forced (but not surprised) to admit that it hasn’t worked for them.

So what’s a better way to try social networking? To become a resource for information, advice, and connections. Social networking sites work a lot like real-life networking events used to. To sit around and wait for your biggest potential customers to walk up to you, introduce themselves, and end up buying isn’t realistic. But, if you can show off what you know and become a focal point of activity, then new accounts are practically going to fall into your lap.

If you want to dominate the social networking scene, then learn to become indispensable to prospective clients. Show them that you have expertise in the form of articles, videos, and ongoing comments and discussions. Once you do, it will only be a matter of time before they’re interested in buying from you.

If you’re ready to get the best from your social media marketing, contact Marcy Design today to find out how we can help.

In growing numbers, small-business owners are adopting social-networking services, location-based services, Twitter and online video to promote products and services, according to a new study by MerchantCircle, a social network for small businesses. It polled a fraction of its more than 1.3 million members.

The survey results are the strongest evidence yet that small businesses — which account for more than 90% of all U.S. companies and fuel the economy — are accelerating their use of social media at the expense of traditional media such as newspapers, the Yellow Pages and radio. Even e-mail messages have taken a beating.

Businesses with fewer than five employees “see Facebook and others as a way to reach targeted consumers” while saving marketing expenditures during a rough economy, says Darren Waddell, vice president of marketing at MerchantCircle.

For the first time, social media has become the most visible way for small businesses to promote their products and services. More than half of nearly 10,000 respondents nationwide say they plan to create or maintain a social-networking presence in the next three months, compared with 41% in the first three months of this year. That is the highest figure since the survey started a year ago.

At the same time, adoption of location-based services has grown rapidly — 32% of merchants familiar with Foursquare use it, compared with 25% in March. Twitter is gaining favor, too: 8% more merchants intend to use it now than in the first three months of the year. The University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business says social technology adoption rates in the U.S. doubled in the past year, to 24% from 12%.

Still, business’ embrace of social media does not necessarily translate into profits, says HipChat, a group chat and messaging service for companies. More than 90% of the 2,000 small businesses it works with use social media, but few have seen a business benefit. A Compete Online Shopper Intelligence study suggests some consumers are slow to accept social media as a shopping resource.

Yet tens of thousands of small businesses advertise on Facebook, up three times from a year ago. More than 1 million small businesses have Facebook profiles reaching hundreds of millions of customers. Many small-business owners used Facebook for personal use before they started their companies, according to Facebook.

“People are familiar and comfortable with Facebook,” says Tim Kendall, director of monetization at Facebook. “Regardless of your business, many of your customers probably are already on Facebook.” “We’re seeing a (recent surge) in the use of Facebook by local businesses,” Kendall says.

Social media’s allure

Small-business owners are gravitating to social networks in large part because technology has evolved to the point where anyone — no matter what age or tech background — can turn their personal passion into a thriving online business.

Alice and Donald Murray acquired Over the Moon Ribbons, a maker of discount ribbons, in 2004 after Alice retired. The tech newbies, who have been married for 49 years, initially sold ribbons at flea markets before their daughter Sharyn persuaded them to sell online.

They began using Facebook, Twitter and software from e-commerce company BigCommerce this year. In six months, they’ve grown the business to more than $1,000 a month. The software they use makes it easy to design and run an e-commerce site, with built-in search engine optimization and marketing functionality. The program will soon let small merchants integrate Facebook “Like” buttons and other functions. “The online stuff has a far reach without losing the personal touch,” Alice Murray says. “We do a lot of communication, still, on regular e-mail.”

Online sales at Southern Jewlz have doubled in six months since recent college grad Randa Yezak, 23, started using Twitter and e-commerce software. Her 2-year-old business also has 8,000 fans on Facebook.

“The value of Facebook is that it gives you efficient ways to retain current customers and reach out to and find new customers,” Kendall says. “It is happening on a scalable, digital way among you and your friends.”

By Jon Swartz, USA TODAY

When the plane landed, Mr. Jarvis recalled, the conversation resumed. “It was as if someone had recognized you and come up to say, ‘hello,’ on the flight.” He said it reminded him of the days when passengers could socialize in airborne lounges, “except now it’s happening digitally.”

The mobile phone and laptop are not just tools to stay in touch with the office or home anymore. As Mr. Jarvis can attest, a growing number of frequent fliers are using their mobile devices to create an informal travelers’ community in airports and aloft.

Airlines and social media providers are scrambling to catch up. Airlines are beefing up their presence on networking channels, and travelers’ groups like FlyerTalk.com have created new applications that allow members to find one another while on the road. Business travelers can use these services to share cabs to the airport, swap advice or locate colleagues in the same city. As Mr. Jarvis puts it, “finding a like-minded person to travel with lessens the chance of getting stuck next to some talkative bozo” on a long flight.

Increasing availability of Wi-Fi at airports and on planes has made the travel networking possible. A survey of 84 of the world’s largest airports by the Airports Council International earlier this year found that 96 percent offered Wi-Fi connections, and 73 percent had connections throughout their terminals. About 45 percent offer the service free; the rest charge an average of about $8 an hour.

More than 10 airlines in North America, including American, Delta and Southwest, are wiring their planes for Internet access, and major foreign airlines like Lufthansa are introducing new technology that will let customers connect on transoceanic flights. In-flight calls are still forbidden on most flights, although several airlines, including Emirates, have been testing calling on shorter trips.

As many as 1,200 commercial airliners in the United States will have Wi-Fi capability by the end of the year, according to Chris Babb, senior product manager of in-flight entertainment for Delta Air Lines. “It’s a much different world than it was a year ago,” he said, noting that on a recent flight he exchanged e-mail messages with several colleagues who were in the air at the same time.

And Virgin America, which has wired its entire 28-plane fleet for the Internet, said about half of its passengers brought their laptops with them and 17 to 20 percent were online at any given time. On longer flights, about a third of passengers go online. Like airports, most airlines charge a fee for the service, usually ranging from $5 to $13.

Some airline passengers may mourn the loss of their last remaining refuge from e-mail intrusions. But the benefits of staying connected became clear several months ago during the eruption of the Icelandic volcano that grounded thousands of European flights. Facebook and Twitter set up sites for stranded travelers, who swapped ideas and offered rides to ferry terminals, and Twitter had its own thread. Based on anecdotal reports, the sites helped in getting information out quickly.

For those with time at an airport, FlyerTalk.com has an “itineraries” feature that allows travelers to post their coming flights in the hope that other “flier talkers,” as they call themselves, may be heading the same way.

Lufthansa said it consulted with FlyerTalk members in developing its own product to help customers tap into social networking from any location. The application works on iPhones and this fall will be available on BlackBerrys. A built-in GPS allows users to find fellow fliers who might be nearby. It also has a taxi-sharing feature that travelers can activate upon landing.

Users must already be members of the airlines’ loyalty program, and Lufthansa said it had added privacy controls for those who preferred to travel incognito. FlyerTalk’s president, Gary Leff, said that while some members had welcomed the service, others were skeptical. “Some of us just like to keep to ourselves” on the road, he said.

For those who want to connect, few airlines can match Virgin America for mingling opportunities. In addition to its Internet service, it offers seat-to-seat messaging via its seatback video screens. It has also teamed up with match.com to create a party atmosphere on specific flights (reportedly at least one couple who met this way became engaged). But there is also the potential for spurned advances and hurt feelings.

“Seat-to-seat chatting could lead to a negative form of social networking,” said Jeanne Martinet, a social commentator who writes the missmingle.com blog. “What if someone spots another passenger doing something annoying?” she asked. In the past, that person might have simply suffered in silence. Now, Ms. Martinet said, “It would be tempting to message them, ‘Can’t you get your big feet out of the aisle?’ ”

Porter Gale, Virgin’s vice president of marketing, said there were safeguards against abuse and that a passenger could simply turn off the messaging function. And she said that offering Wi-Fi access had benefits for the airline, like the ability to resolve a customer’s problem before a flight lands.

A passenger once sent an e-mail message to the airline from his seat, saying that he was not pleased with the sandwich he had just eaten, she said. A customer service representative on the ground sent a message back to the plane, and shortly thereafter, she said, the passenger was served an acceptable substitute.

This can work against the airline, too, as Virgin discovered when a New York-bound flight was diverted and some passengers sent out messages venting their annoyance with the delay.

BARBARA S. PETERSON

AdAgencyOnline.Net is an automotive advertising resource / networking portal hosted by Ad Agency Online, L.L.C., (AAOL). Philip Zelinger, the President of AAOL and host of the blog talk radio station featured on AdAgencyOnline.Net — WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time — shared a simple formula with automotive advertising agencies to help them monetize social media for their auto dealer clients; C2C + B2B = B2C SQUARED. The formula suggests that Customer to Customer, (C2C), comments coupled with Business to Business, (B2B), cross promotions can virally amplify Business to Customer, (B2C), marketing messages through social networking channels without offending the community.

Philip introduced his solution to use social media to sell vehicles and service during his blog talk radio show — Lunch With Phil Discussing Automotive Advertising. This open business meeting shares best practices with the affiliated automotive advertising agencies, production partners and select automotive advertising vendors of AAOL. The agencies are linked by a proprietary online communication / distribution system that allows them to leverage their resources in conventional and digital online advertising; now to include social media.

Social media is a growing phenomenon that has automotive advertising agencies scrambling for a way to use it to sell vehicles and service for their auto dealer clients. AAOL represents a number of automotive advertising vendors who have developed applications that integrate social media with conventional and digital media by applying proven old world wisdom to new world technology. Automotive advertising agencies are anxious to use social media without offending the social networking communities who consider direct solicitations an intrusion into their ongoing conversations that power the marketplace.

The social media marketing formula promoted by Philip builds on the elements of human nature that remain constant even in the face of the new technology that appears to have changed the landscape of automotive advertising. Word of mouth advertising, reputation management, repeat and referral business are all recognized terms and priorities for automotive advertising agencies. Agencies have always reserved a portion of their retail automotive advertising campaigns and budgets for branding and long term messaging to increase dealer recognition through repetition of messages to develop retention and top of the mind awareness across multiple media channels.

Conversations about shopping for a vehicle and/or service begin before, during and after the customer’s buying cycle. Automotive advertising agencies recognize that they can’t time the market or their messages. Unfortunately, limited budgets make it impossible to achieve sufficient reach and frequency using conventional media like radio, TV and print. That is the problem that social media and the formula C2C + B2B = C2C SQUARED is designed to solve.

The Internet and the technologies that have helped it to mature have expanded the spheres of influence that carry the automotive advertising messages distributed through it. Search Engine Optimization, (S.E.O.), has been supplemented with Word Of Mouth Optimization, (W.O.M.O.), as the conversation between customers about their vehicle shopping and service experiences, (C2C), are extended virally through social networking communities like Face Book, My Space, Twitter, Four Square and too many others to list. Each networking community has its own personality and community rules — some written and some implied. Their common benefit to automotive advertising agencies is that they can exponentially increase top of the mind awareness for their auto dealer client. Unfortunately, the messages that are passed on can be positive and/or negative.

The need to properly craft and position marketing messages within the community is more exacting than with conventional media and the results can be productive and/or destructive. The copy and the message is still critical as they must be relevant and properly targeted to a qualified audience, however, the social aspect of the media must also be considered when selecting the channel and the method of starting the conversation on behalf of the auto dealer. Most social networking communities perceive themselves as a place to converse with friends. Commercial messages promoted on the sites are often seen as an intrusion on the conversation. The C2C component of the automotive advertising social media marketing formula promoted by AAOL relies on new technologies that directly solicit customer comments that are then automatically posted onto Face Book, Twitter, etc. sourced from the customer, not the advertiser.

ronsmap is a new automotive advertising marketing platform and search engine portal that leverages the inventory of thousands of auto dealers enhanced by their use of social media in a game changing manner that relies on C2C marketing. Their direct inventory feeds from auto dealers and various channel partners coupled with their ontology semantic extraction method of accessing information on new and pre-owned vehicles posted on auto dealer’s websites has developed the largest online inventory on the Internet Super Highway; currently in excess of three million four hundred thousand vehicles.

The leverage of ronsmap’s communal inventory attracts consumers to their site. Customers are then invited to share their online shopping experience with their online friends using a unique Ask A Friend feature function that is integrated into the shopping process. Customers select a conveniently positioned Face Book friendly button on the site and a description of the vehicle and the auto dealer is automatically posted onto the customer’s Face Book wall with a request for the opinion of their online friends. More uniquely, the ongoing social networking activities of the request are monitored by the auto dealer who can then qualify and quantify the R.O.I. from his marketing efforts on ronsmap.

ronsmap’s allows automotive advertising agencies to promote and monitor a customer to customer dialogue within a social networking community specific to their auto dealer client’s inventory in a geo targeted manner without sourcing it back to the dealer. This customer initiated activity allows automotive advertising agencies to promote their auto dealer clients using social media without offending the community. The conversational leverage developed by these consumer centric messages differs from typical auto dealer marketing messages in that they are more relevant to the consumer. They reflect the customer’s perspective of their shopping experience vs. simply passing along a dealer’s product, price and self serving sales pitch.

The value of these online conversations for the consumer as well as the auto dealer is obvious and it has not gone unnoticed by the search engines. Google, for example, has adjusted their search algorithms to provide weighted value to social media. As a result, when an auto dealer and/or his inventory is referenced in Face Book it earns them a more prominent position in search results and it enhances the automotive advertising agency’s S.E.O. for their client.

The business to business component of Philip’s formula, B2B, is an extension of the same networking philosophy that powers all social media. Auto dealers have begun to host their own Face Book, My Space and Twitter pages, however, they are still learning how to grow their communities. The need to invite past, present and pending customers to become online friends is obvious. The opportunity to expand the auto dealer’s spheres of influence to include invitations to local businesses that have their own networking sites to establish cross promotions and to post comments on each other’s Face Book walls is less obvious but equally valuable. Shared friends and networking sites provide conversations that are not limited to purchasing or servicing a vehicle. The ability to maintain top of the mind awareness for the auto dealer before and after the shopping cycle of their potential customers reflects the true nature of social networking.

Auto dealers are also advised to participate on industry forums where auto dealers and automotive advertising vendors with similar agendas are likely to share their desire for additional online exposure. Of course dealerships that are direct competitors would not likely become friends, however, non competing products and/or services within the auto industry that populate these networking portals will certainly appreciate the company. Similarly leveraged exposure can be achieved by joining community sponsored social networking sites such as the local Chamber Of Commerce, area Churches and other sites that have shared interests and potential friends to expand the influence of the auto dealer within these online communities.

Obviously, auto dealers want to make as many friends as possible with the expectation that they will sell them a vehicle or service their present one. After all, what are friends for! Unfortunately, many automotive advertising agencies revert to old school practices by attempting to inject business to customer, B2C, messages into their online conversations. The formula proposed by AAOL suggests that a direct solicitation on a social networking site, even amongst friends, will have the opposite effect. C2C and B2B conversations can and will carry the same message but it will be better received and promoted within the community; hence the wisdom of the formula — C2C + B2B = B2C SQUARED.

The website currently has 500 million users, but Zuckerberg is confident Facebook can reach 1 billion once it conquers the relatively small number of countries that are yet to fully embrace the site, the New York Post reported.

Zuckerberg told the audience at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in France that China, Japan, Russia and South Korea were the only countries where Facebook wasn’t the social networking site leader.

“While Facebook has fewer than 1 million users in Russia, the growth rate is doubling every six months,” he said.

Facebook opened an office in Moscow in April and opened discussions with local mobile phone operators as part of a project to expand in Russia.

Zuckerberg said Facebook wouldn’t reach the 1 billion mark this year but it “has a decent shot” down the line, the New York Post reported.

But he said reports the company would hit US$1 billion ($1.14 billion) in revenue this year were possible.

“Now what I would say is that the estimates are not so far off in either direction that it’s causing us any pain, so we feel no need to correct it,” Zuckerberg told Inside Facebook, a blog dedicated to the site.

Inside Facebook estimated the site’s revenue in 2010 will be between US$1 billion and US$1.1 billion ($1.32 billion).

Facebook passed Yahoo! in May to become the top US publisher of display ads on the Web. Online tracking firm ComScore said the social networking site delivered 176.3 billion display ads to US users in the first three months of the year, a 16.2 percent market share, more than double its 7.5 percent share of a year ago, AFP reported.

Long-time display ad leader Yahoo! was next, delivering 131.5 billion display ads in the quarter, a 12.1 percent market share, followed by Microsoft sites with 60.2 billion ad impressions, or 5.5 percent, ComScore said.

But while Facebook may be running more display ads than anyone else, Yahoo! is estimated to be making significantly more money because ad rates on social media sites tend to be lower.

By ninemsn staff, ninemsn Money

Right now online, your customers, clients, members and prospects are chatting up a storm. Whether they’re tweeting on Twitter, posting on Facebook, forwarding YouTube videos or commenting on blogs, they’re out there engaging in conversations and sharing information that’s relevant to your business or cause.

Are you a part of that conversation?

If you’re not, you may be missing out on opportunities to extend your marketing reach. Social media sites offer new ways to share your content, grow your audience and build customer relationships. In tandem with e-mail, they create a powerful marketing mix.

Social media and e-mail marketing work differently.
Social media gives public conversations a forum. Anyone with an opinion, content or a link to share can join the conversation. It’s fast, fluid, timely and interactive. It’s also fleeting. That’s where social media and e-mail communications differ. Your posts on social media websites flow downstream with all the other messages. If you tweet in the morning and your customer logs on in the afternoon, that follower may miss out on what you had to say.

On the other hand, e-mail offers a more intimate level of contact with your customers. When someone opens your e-mail newsletter, you have a quiet moment of her time. You have her undivided attention. And your newsletter content has permanence, as readers can go back to it in their inboxes. And when you archive your e-mail campaigns in web page form, that content can live on forever. That adds to your business credibility and heft.

In short, social media is about sharing content and engaging in conversations. E-mail marketing takes those conversations–and the relationships you’re building–to the next level of engagement.

Make the most of the social media and e-mail marketing mix.
E-mail and social media marketing can work together to build on what each does best. Here are five things you need to know so you can make the most of the social media and e-mail marketing mix:

1. Be where your customers are. You won’t know whether your customers are on social media sites, and which ones in particular, unless you test the waters and look for them. Different people prefer different means of getting their daily info and opinion fix. Millions like the streaming feed of Twitter. Others prefer the posts on Facebook. More professionally oriented people may use LinkedIn. You want to swim in the channels that are frequented by your customers and prospects.

2. Use your e-mail list to build a social media presence. The big question we get from e-mail marketers is how to get that snowball rolling down the social media mountain. Here’s the good news: The secret is your e-mail list. Use it to jump-start your social media presence by inviting your subscribers to follow you on Twitter and become your fan on Facebook. They will get the ball rolling for you. How do you engage prospects on social media websites? The same way as with e-mail marketing: valuable, relevant, interesting content.

3. Repurpose content from your newsletter. Content is still king. That applies to social media, too. You don’t need to create brand-new content to engage people on social networking sites. Instead, repurpose snippets of articles you’ve already created (or aggregated) for your e-mail newsletter. Think of these as “microcontent”–one tip, one idea, one article you found interesting. A teaser and a link back to your archived newsletter or blog is all the content you need to get started posting on social media sites.
Invite people back to your website or blog. If your website is your online hub or headquarters, then think of social media sites as your satellites. They allow you to extend your business presence. When you post on social media, be sure to include frequent links back to your website, newsletter archive or blog, where interested people can learn more about your business. Then you can engage potential customers on a deeper level, away from the distractions of the social media world. Just be sure you’re not always selling; social media is better-suited for sharing information and expertise.

4. Ask for mailing list sign-ups on multiple channels. Use your e-mail list to build a presence on social media sites, then use your presence on the sites to invite even more people to sign up for your mailing list. Put a link to your sign-up form on multiple channels, including your website and Facebook fan page. Tweet about your newsletter articles on Twitter, linking readers back to your newsletter archive, where they can sign up for your mailing list.

5. E-mail marketing vs. social media marketing is not an either/or question. It’s about doing everything possible to expand your audience and customer base. Tap into social media to engage customers in lively conversation. Then invite them back to your website, where they can learn more about your business and sign up for your newsletter. Your valuable content–and the knowledge you have about what engages your audience–is the glue that holds it all together.

Gail F. Goodman is the CEO of Constant Contact, a web-based e-mail marketing service for small businesses. She’s also the e-mail marketing coach at Entrepreneur.com and a recognized small-business expert and speaker.

By Courtney Rubin | May 17, 2010

Video-sharing website YouTube celebrates its fifth birthday today with the news that it receives more than two billion hits daily.

That’s almost double the number of people who tune into ABC, NBC, and CBS combined, says YouTube’s owner Google. It’s also a huge leap from the 1 billion-plus daily views the site said it was getting in October.

The average YouTube viewer stays on the site for about 15 minutes a day, compared to TV’s five hours. YouTube is hoping to narrow the gap – and cash in on the trend toward Internet television – by adding full-length movies, concerts and live sporting events. That’s a far cry from the 19-second “Me at the Zoo” video, the site’s first offering, which was posted by co-founder Jawed Karim.(It’s also a far cry from guys dancing on treadmills and babies doing cute things, the sort of content for which the site is infamous.)

“The day is coming when people won’t think of online video as being separate from TV,” Shishir Mehrotra, who runs YouTube’s advertising programs as director of product management, told the Los Angeles Times. “The lines are blurring in both directions. From the viewer’s perspective, there are many ways to watch content on their TV, and TV content on the Internet.”

Catharine P. Taylor, a media blogger at news website BNET.com, told BBC News: “YouTube really is a phenomenon and is very much part of popular culture. It really is a game changer because it gives everybody a platform to broadcast from. There are many examples where an average citizen has become a big hit on YouTube and that is something that would have been impossible to contemplate five, six years ago.”

The site – a perennial money-pit – has increased its revenue, the New York Times said. The ad space on YouTube’s home pages was sold out every day in 20 countries in the end of 2009, and the number of advertisers using display ads has increased tenfold, according to Bloomberg News. Analysts say the site could start contributing to Google’s bottom line this year.

YouTube is also going to change a lot, experts say.

“I think we will see it on more devices and see it used more for live streaming,” Ryan Lawler of video site NewTeeVee.com told BBC News. “There are real opportunities for it to become a traditional content distributor like the cable channels. YouTube streams make up around 40 percent of all online video watched in the U.S., so there is massive scale there and lot of opportunity.”

Still, the site faces big hurdles with advertisers, many of whom are leery of putting their ads next to content viewers could find offensive. “For the sort of brand advertiser that’s willing to spend a lot of money, it needs to be trusted content,” eMarketer analyst David Hallerman told Bloomberg. “It’s not even the first inning yet.” (Of course, YouTube’s user uploaded content means you can still advertise your business for free on YouTube; here’s how.)