I'm Back to Blogging

If you were reading this blog in '09, you may have wondered why my posts stopped in late November.

I started a full time job shortly after that with a 1 hour and 35 minute one-way commute. I'm still at this job, but my commute has now been minimized (it's actually less than two minutes now).

So, I'm back to my weekly blog posts here. I didn't give up blogging this last year, as I have been the author of the blog for my company. There, I post about four times/week. Those posts, however, are all auto and Gary Lang Auto Group related.

This blog is about advertising.

This year has seen a lot of change in the advertising world:

• Facebook surpassed Google for time spent online.
• Web TV trends growing and cable subscriptions declining.
• Time spent watching TV growing, with cable programming growing (contradicting the statement above).
• Internet usage matching TV viewership time.
• iPad launch and growth of tablet computers.
• Groupon's growth.
  
• And more.

I have much to blog about and am looking forward to posting weekly. I hope you are, too.

What Do You Need From A Car Dealer?

My entire career has been in advertising, specifically automotive advertising. The landscape has changed dramatically in this time period. TV and newspaper were the dominant media and that has certainly changed.

I'm presenting a workshop next week on Social Media for the local Milwaukee area dealers through their association (ADAMM - Automobile Dealer Association of Mega Milwaukee).

Obviously, Social Media is about listening and engaging before you transact. Yet, Razorfish's latest research shows customers sign up for brands to get a special offer. On Twitter, 44% follow for specials and it's 37% on Facebook/MySpace. What they fail to mention is about 60% don't sign up for that reason. It's still important to build a relationship before you ask for something in return. It's not an "all or nothing" situation.

What I'd like to know is what you'd like to see on a car dealer's social media sites? I have plenty of ideas (outtakes from TV ads, info about the product, "how to" videos, etc.), but would like your input.

Please e-mail me (mallemon@me.com) me or send me a message (@mallemon) on Twitter.