Beyond The First Pencil

Those of us in the car biz, who’ve worked ding to dong, helping the public buy the vehicle of their dreams, can be a tad cynical. Retail can do that to you, but it’s not something we try to be, and it happens over time through experiences.

What is “Modern Retail?” This is a term we’ve heard lately that defies logic. It’s a great word - Modern - but it seems more like a marketing term. We’re really interested in what it truly means for the customer. 

In our music segment:

Everything But the Girl Instagram Post: HERE
Everything But the Girl: Take Me video HERE 

Beastie Boys Story (documentary): HERE

Are you in the car business? Do you work at a dealership? We'd love to have you on the show! 
Get in touch with us!

Kathi: [email protected]

Mike: [email protected]

Want to learn more about automotive social selling? Download Kathi’s FREE Guide to Social Media for Car Salespeople here 👉 https://bit.ly/socialsellingvip

The topsy-turvy world that is social media right now is causing a lot of people to review each platform’s privacy and data collection policies. TikTok has been singled out as a unique concern so we decided to look at some of the reasons to pause before you jump.

Kathi and Mike also talk about the precarious position some vehicle customers will be in during the coming months/years and how close attention to inventory levels is key.

Kathi’s blog post on 3 Questions to Answer Before Using TikTok for Car Sales HERE 

In our music segment:

Joy Division “Shadowplay” HERE

Remastered “Love Will Tear Us Apart” HERE

Adam and the Ants "Kings of the Wild Frontier" HERE

Get in touch with us!

Kathi: [email protected]

Mike: [email protected]

Want to learn more about automotive social selling? Download Kathi’s FREE Guide to Social Media for Car Salespeople here 👉 https://bit.ly/socialsellingvip

Our guest today is Mike Fitzpatrick, Founder of SmartTarget. Kathi and Mike have known Mike F. for over a decade. We all came from the car biz and found ourselves in the scary vendor world all at the same time. 

And speaking of scary (it was Halloween just a few days ago), Google Analytics 4 has launched and we’d like to calm your fears. Mike F. is our Google Yoda and he explains what GA4 is all about and how you can create reporting in Google Data Studio that will completely transform your digital marketing ROI (Return on Investment).

BTW, we highly recommend Mike’s SmartTarget solution. He’ll build a Google Data Studio report for you and, with his proprietary inventory ad targeting, fine tune your marketing spend to save money. Find Mike HERE.

In our music segment:
It’s the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction this weekend in Los Angeles. 

Kathi shares two hot documentary tips:
1. Fugitive: The Curious case of Carlos Ghosn HERE on Netflix
2. God Forbid HERE on Hulu

Get in touch with us!

Kathi: [email protected]

Mike: [email protected]

Want to learn more about automotive social selling? Download Kathi’s FREE Guide to Social Media for Car Salespeople here 👉 https://bit.ly/socialsellingvip

This week, Mike shares the very disturbing update to Google Business Profile management that makes it even harder to manage multiple accounts. Oh, and where did the uber-important Photos metric go?

Kathi gives a short synopsis of Facebook’s Q3 earnings and the resulting 25% one-day drop in their stock price (which is a good indicator of how the world views Facebook’s future). 

Kathi also shares the pitfalls of posting short-form video (a continuing story on her testing and results). Hint: you don’t want to miss this if you care about your content and where it’s ending up.

In our music segment:
Great documentary series: Wahl Street (HBO series) HERE

Get in touch with us!

Kathi: [email protected]

Mike: [email protected]

Want to learn more about automotive social selling? Download Kathi’s FREE Guide to Social Media for Car Salespeople here 👉 https://bit.ly/socialsellingvip

Social media is not a broadcast channel. It’s a two-way communication tool, which means you should be listening as much as you’re talking. Kathi and Mike discuss strategies for social listening and why it should be part of your overall marketing process.

But first, Kathi shares another update on her Facebook short-form video testing. She also provides some up-to-the-minute insights on the state of Facebook ads. Hint: it’s not pretty.

In our music segment: Oct 19th is International Ska Day!

The Specials: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Specials_(album)
Videos of great Specials songs: HERE 

Madness: One Step Beyond https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Step_Beyond…
Videos of Madness songs: HERE 

Get in touch with us!

Kathi: [email protected]

Mike: [email protected]

Want to learn more about automotive social selling? Download Kathi’s FREE Guide to Social Media for Car Salespeople here 👉 https://bit.ly/socialsellingvip

Mike has been at a few conferences this week, spending time with car peeps and soaking up the latest trends…or maybe wanna be trends?

YouTube announced Handles a few weeks ago and they’re rolling them out now.

Kathi provides another update on the Facebook short-form video testing she’s been doing with the Hanaeleh Facebook and Instagram profiles. (click links to check out the profiles)

Music segment:

Debbie Harry and the Muppets video HERE
Jane Wiedlin's Instagram post HERE 

Get in touch with us!

Kathi: [email protected]
Mike: [email protected]

Want to learn more about automotive social selling? Download Kathi’s FREE Guide to Social Media for Car Salespeople here 👉 https://bit.ly/socialsellingvip

Those of us that have been in social media for awhile remember when Facebook Ads were introduced. We didn’t like it as users, but wow, it was pretty awesome for marketing. Coupled with how the algorithms were back then, and how your followers could regularly see your content, it was a combo that couldn’t be beat.

Fast forward to today and while Facebook still rocks for building an army of fans for your business, Facebook ads are often not as effective as they once were…and there are several reasons this is happening. We think it’s temporary.

Kathi and Mike discuss where we are with running Facebook/Meta Ads today. Meta is trying to combat the damage done by iOS14 (users opting out of ad tracking) and in this transition, we’ve lost a lot of control as experienced advertisers/media buyers. Automation is important but there’s a huge disconnect between the metrics Facebook provides compared to what advertisers need. 

And Facebook/Meta certainly (famously) doesn’t provide any transparency at all. How are we to believe that Facebook knows best?

Next up, Kathi gives us another update on her Facebook “short-form” video testing on the Hanaeleh horse rescue page. She also found a solution for combatting the unwanted comments that come with “viral” videos. Check out the page HERE. 

Check out Jon Loomer (Facebook Ads mastermind) HERE
Join Jon's Power Hitter Club HERE

Link to podcast we mentioned with guest Jon Loomer HERE

In our music segment: we love us some documentaries

Three words: Ronny James Dio
Dio: Dreamers Never Die HERE

Tears for Fears: Scenes From The Big Chair HERE

Get in touch with us!

Kathi: [email protected]

Mike: [email protected]

Want to learn more about automotive social selling? Download Kathi’s FREE Guide to Social Media for Car Salespeople here 👉 HERE

This week, Kathi and Mike discuss what automotive social selling really is (hint: it’s not what some “auto influencers” are claiming). Using social media to establish yourself as an expert is key and you do this by building rapport with your followers. We’ll share some tactics we use to help you carve out your own network and sell more cars.

Kathi provides another update on the short-form video content she’s been testing on the Hanaeleh horse rescue page. It’s still getting massive reach but do you actually want that?

In the music segment:

Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3j2NYZ8FKs

The Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in LA. We’re still going through it but this is a stand out:

Foo Fighters, Joan Jett and Travis Barker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsXdcJd9-Z0

Get in touch with us!

Kathi: [email protected]

Mike: [email protected]

Want to learn more about automotive social selling? Download Kathi’s FREE Guide to Social Media for Car Salespeople here 👉 https://bit.ly/socialsellingvip

Are you outsourcing your social media? You’ll want to listen to Kathi and Mike spell out the pitfalls (yikes!) when you don’t pay close attention to what’s being posted in your name. We’ll also share some best practices so you don’t find yourself in the middle of a social media crisis.

Kathi provides another data/insights update on her Facebook page video content test. If you’re a creator or a business that’s been on Facebook for a while, short form video may be a good addition to your content strategy.

Link to the Twitter conversation we mention that started our rant on social media providers: HERE

Link to the social media managers category on Kathi’s blog: HERE

In our music segment:

White Stripes from the Basement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5wkTdVjE1s

Seven Nation Army in Glastonbury https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ehxW9MKRH0

Heaven 17 tour dates: https://www.ticketmaster.com/heaven-17-tickets/artist/735261

Get in touch with us!

Kathi: [email protected]

Mike: [email protected]

Download Kathi’s FREE Guide to Social Media for Car Salespeople here 👉 https://bit.ly/socialsellingvip

We’ve seen a disturbing trend happening and as car people, we feel we must try to stop the insanity. Remember: just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.

Think before you TikTok. It’s not just because your audience isn’t likely there but also because there are disturbing facts about how they capture your data. Click HERE to read Casey Newton’s reporting that we discuss.

Kathi shares another update on her ongoing Facebook/Meta video content test on the Hanaeleh page. It’s crazy and you’ll want to know more.

In our music segment:

INXS on SNL 1991: 

Suicide Blonde (with harmonica!)

Bitter Tears 

Click HERE for the Mystify Michael Hutchence documentary: 

Click HERE for The Terry Kath Experience documentary: 

Follow Eric Alper on Twitter HERE 

Get in touch with us!

Kathi: [email protected]

Mike: [email protected]

Download Kathi’s FREE Guide to Social Media for Car Salespeople here 👉 https://bit.ly/socialsellingvip