The email screenshot below isn’t about RVing but it has all the right elements of a great email.  Have look at it and see if you can see the key parts…

• Personal – uses first name in salutation.
• Short paragraphs for easy reading with relevant text links.
• HUGE call to action (it’s obviously what they want you to do)
• Appropriate bullet list of benefits (WIIFM – what’s in it for me)
• Appropriate graphic which makes the product/service tangible (feeling of something they can hold physically)
• Personal – uses photo of person sending the email.
• Secondary call to action – FREE website assessment.
• BEST OF ALL – all around focused email on one primary and one secondary thing.

How might this apply to RV emails?  My thoughts…

• Instead of broad e-newsletter type each month focus on something more specific once per month and rotate the same schedule for a quarter (every 3 months). Maybe focus on service one month, then a new product line you are carrying the next month, then the 3rd month maybe a neat place to go on a weekend camping trip.  Those would be the primary thing about the email but also include a secondary thing in an appropriate fashion.
• Don’t just provide info, give a clear and strong WIIFM call to action.  What is our goal of the email?  What chain of events have to happen to reach that goal?
• Keep the content of the email clean/simple with a CLEAR call to action.
• Make the email come from someone respected and pleasant at your RV dealership, someone who is passionate about helping people.

There is lots more I could ramble on about but you get the idea and if you need assistance your team captain can help you out.

Until next time…

The time has finally come!  Google now allows you through the Google Webmaster Tools to submit URLs directly to them for indexing.

 This is great for...

• New pages
• Updated content on pages
• Updated links on pages

Simply submit it and the Googlebot will crawl it!

You can read their announcement and more details here.

With the latest update to Google.com's ranking algorithyms it seems that video continues to take a seat at the front of the class as something to do for better overall website rankings.  Why?  Well, here are a few reasons..

1. Video is sticky, people stay on your site longer (google likes that).
2. People like videos which means they are more likely to link from blogs, emails, facebook to your video (google REALLY likes links and uses it to determine ranking priority)
3. 80% of video results in the google.com keyword rankings come from YouTube.com ... get your videos on YouTube now for maximum exposure!

Have a question or need assistance figuring out video for your website?  Give your team captain a call and they'll help you out.

Here is a fantastic article posted on WordTracker with much more nitty gritty detail on the benefits that RV video can bring to your business.

Did you know ... your YouTube videos hook right into your website pages?  It's simple and free to do.  Go to the media center and choose videos.  Should be pretty intuitive, but if you need help contact your team captain at 800-515-9672 ext. 4.

Back in Feb/Mar Google made a rather major change to the way they rank websites in their search engine results. Our dealer client sites were not really affected by the change, but the factors that Google looks at to see if a site passes muster give some indication of overall what Google feels is important when ranking websites and pages.

Below are the primary factors and what I find interesting is it comes down to fresh and relevant content.  If we can continue to find ways to get new content and keep dealer sites ‘fresh’ then we’ll be in great shape.

Here is the list taken from a blog post on WordTracker.com.

Google likes to keep these things secret but the two engineers at the heart of Panda, Matt Cutts and Amit Singhal, gave us some strong clues in an interview with Wired.
Cutts and Singhal revealed their process which I’ll summarize as:

Conduct qualitative research (that’s speaking with individuals and not a big questionnaire) to find out which of a sample of sites they considered to be low quality and why.

Use the results to define low quality sites with the factors that Google can measure. This gives Google a mathematical definition of low quality.

If we start here, we can think of a number of factors that Google might be able to measure to define low quality, including:

• A high % of duplicate content. This might apply to a page, a site or both. If it’s a site measure then that might contribute to each page’s evaluation.
• A low amount of original content on a page or site.
• A high % (or number) of pages with a low amount of original content.
• A high amount of inappropriate (they don’t match the search queries a page does well for) adverts, especially high on the page.
• Page content (and page title tag) not matching the search queries a page does well for.
• Unnatural language on a page including heavy-handed on-page SEO (‘over-optimization’ to use a common oxymoron). Eg unnatural overuse of a word on a page.
• High bounce rate on page or site.
• Low visit times on page or site.
• Low % of users returning to a site.
• Low clickthrough % from Google’s results pages (for page or site).
• High % of boilerplate content (the same on every page).
• Low or no quality inbound links to a page or site (by count or %).
• Low or no mentions or links to a page or site in social media and from other sites.

Real estate is important
With all the great info we want on our pages real estate itself becomes quite valuable.  Be sure to consider the space you are using for social buttons.  Is there something more important that needs to go there?

The most valuable buttons
In our experience the most popular social sites are the most valuable.  Sites like Facebook and Twitter. At least start with these and then maybe add more as they become popular.  It's pretty simple to try out some different sites to determine which ones get you the best results over time.

Facebook Like vs Share
The share button was the first button that Facebook came out with just a couple years ago.  Last year they introduced the Like and/or Recommend button.  So which one is better?  When the Like button came out you couldn't add your own comments, but that has sinced changed and really there isn't much of a difference.  The Like button is easier to understand and use than the share button and based on the recent improvements with the Like button I'd stick with that one.

The goal
So, what are you trying to accomplish anyway?  Are you just following the buzz words?  Are you thinking there are tons of people using these social sites and how can you be a part of it?  Whatever your reason and goal just be honest with yourself and make sure it fits with what is sensible.

Did You Know: Your dealer site inventory and library pages have the Facebook Like and Twitter Tweet buttons on them for your visitors to share with their friends!

Big list of social websites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites

As the momentum of blogging and facebook continues we've been getting some questions regarding the content of each one.  Questions like what content do I put onto my blog vs what I put onto Facebook?  Take a look below to get some asnwers...

This should help you get started understanding the basic differences of each.  Keep in mind that there is no magic/silver bullet and that a good blog and a productive Facebook page requires consistent effort.

The most important thing is to get started.  At first it may feel like wasted effort, but all good things take time and consistency.  I guarantee you if you blog for 3 months and stop it won't work.

Ok, so your new website (or existing website) has been running for some time.  You've started to see improved traffic and more qualified leads coming through to your sales staff.

The basic optimization work is doing its job but you are wanting more and you ask yourself ... What more can be done to increase traffic to my dealership site?  Or how do we keep improving on our SEO?

WARNING! Stop reading now if you are afraid of doing hard work in exchange for great results!

To get more good traffic to your website you can..

Make sure that each and every page on your website is optimized correctly.  The right title, meta info, keywords, and copy/links on the page.

Define and implement your outbound and inbound linking strategy throughout your website.

Decide what new and fresh content will be added to your website, how often it will be added, where it will be added, and who will add it.

Actually do it and write the new/fresh content and add it to your site taking into consideration your outbound/inbound linking strategy mentioned above.

Find all the local business sites that matter like Google Maps, Yahoo Local, Insider Pages, etc.. (almost 10 in all) and make sure your business is listed correctly with up to date information.

On each of the business sites mentioned above ensure your process for handling negative feedback and how you will continue to get positive feedback over time.

Take advantage of social sites like Facebook and Twitter where it makes sense. You can waste alot of time with little results on these sites.  Or you can be efficient by knowing their place in your overall strategy and executing your plans wisely.

Don't overlook social bookmarking sites like Delicious.  If used correctly it's one more good stick in the fire.

Participate in classified site advertising, google base, oodle, and other inventory listing sites that may make sense for your product lines and market area.

Take the time to join in on RVing related forum and blog conversations, especially those on subjects pertaining to your market area or product lines you sell.

Join forces with your local campgrounds, RVing vacation destinations, and tourist attractions to provide something special for your potential joint customers.  The SEO 'link juice' you get from this can be worth every bit of effort.

Take advantage of micro or mini websites, but plan them out well with a pre-determined purpose in mind.

Use sites like Squidoo.com to create lenses about areas of RVing interests.  This serves both for SEO purposes and also new/fresh content.

In all seriousness there are at least 5 more things I could add to the list without even having to think about it, but I think you get the point ... there is alot of things that can be done to drive more folks to your dealership.

The botom line is that it takes work.  Whether you do it yourself or you hire someone like us to coach you along or do much of the work for you.  We are here to help if needed so let us know.

No matter what you do ... do something.  Get started right now!

Looking to hire an Internet marketing in-house?  Follow these simple suggestions to help make the process more efficient and get the best results.

Email Marketing – This is really huge.  You have a tremendous captive audience from previous customers and all your web leads. You have advantages over your competitors.  Get these in advantages in front of customers and prospects.  It will produce results.

Social Media Marketing – This takes time to do it right, but because of your market reach there is a large upside potential.  This includes blogging, content building, Facebook, social bookmarking, etc.

Optimization – We know that our websites have s a good SEO foundation as well as some advanced strategies already in place.  Things should always be progressing and having someone to build links both internally and externally would produce results over time.

Analysis – Having close eyes on your results and spending (ROI)  You’ll want to identify specifically what is to be tracked and also require actionable analysis.

The first three things I mention have elements that cross over to one another so it does make things easier and a blended strategy.

Finding the right person will be key.  If you are hiring someone with experience then you’ll want to get detailed explanation of what they been successful at AND have failed at.  Any good online marketer has failed and more than once.  They’ve tried things have haven’t worked which helps them find what doesn’t.  I’ve interviewed enough folks in this industry to know that knowing the buzz words and actually knowing how to accomplish something are two very different things. If you'd like help during the interviewing process let me know.

If you hire someone green you’ll spend less, but their ability to be productive will take some time.  We’ve found that you need to have a pretty aggressive pay scale over a two year period so that as they learn and apply you keep in sync with their marketability.  If you don’t you risk having to start over.  Like any hiring decision it’s the balance.

Don't be afraid, but don't do it blindly either.  It's about preparing for the results you want to achieve and then find the right person who can help you get there.