Car Dealer Reputations: Social Media has Made the Phrase "Time is Money" More True Than Ever Before; How Do You Spend Yours?

In a World of Social Media and Easy Access to Mass Communication on Demand... Time is Money!

Time Is Money - How do You "Spend" Yours?

There have been monumental waves of technologies and techniques in the automotive digital marketing space particularly over the last 24 months. These waves have been as quick as they are unpredictable in direction. Most come across as dazzling ideas necessary for a successful Internet department. However, we should always try to gauge value in terms of cost. In today's market, efficiencies are key to your Return on Investment.

The easiest and most common old-school way of determining the ROI of an "Ad Tool" is to do your Bronx "Guzintas" (basic division), so to speak.

"Sold 10 cars and that guzinta $2,000 spent. $200 per car sold. Great!"

It's what we know and how we've measured these things for years. Folks selling programs tend to suggest this crude matrix to justify an incremental increase in budget for the perceived or real incremental increase in sales. It's just not that simple.

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The Hyundai Equus Story

by John Krafcik
Article by Edmunds AutoObserver

Hyundai America President and CEO John Krafcik recently dropped by Edmunds.com's Santa Monica, Calif., offices where Senior Analyst and Editor at Large Karl Brauer interviewed him on video. They discussed the classic book, The Machine that Changed the World that Krafcik worked on as a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They discussed the growing midsize car segment and the Hyundai Sonata's contribution to the category's boom. They pondered young people and their apparent lack of desire to drive or own cars. And then there's the lightening round of questions and answers.

On June 1, 2009, General Motors, once the largest and among the mightiest corporations on the planet, filed for bankruptcy. It emerged on July 10, 2009 as a smaller and less debt burdened company but with majority U.S. taxpayer ownership. Edmunds'AutoObserver.com presents a special series that examines the first year of GM's second life post bankruptcy and looks at the road ahead.

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