{"id":14797,"date":"2015-10-30T08:56:40","date_gmt":"2015-10-30T12:56:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=14797"},"modified":"2015-10-30T08:56:40","modified_gmt":"2015-10-30T12:56:40","slug":"mastering-new-marketing-methods-the-dealer-channel-gets-social","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/feature-articles\/2015\/10\/mastering-new-marketing-methods-the-dealer-channel-gets-social\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastering New Marketing Methods: The Dealer Channel Gets Social"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_14799\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14799\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14799\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Casey-Stewart-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Casey Stewart, Offix\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-14799\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Casey Stewart, Offix<\/p><\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s a new world and the old rules don\u2019t always apply anymore when it comes to reaching new customers and retaining old ones. Social media is complementing and in some instances replacing traditional marketing for reaching out to customers and prospects. For some dealerships these new marketing methods have proven effective. For others, it\u2019s a waiting game with no quick and obvious payoffs, at least not yet.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at how a few dealerships are mastering, or attempting to master, these new marketing strategies.<\/p>\n<p>Casey Stewart, business development and marketing manager for Offix with offices in Gainesville, Norfolk and Richmond, VA, represents the young generation of marketing professionals working in dealerships across the country. She\u2019s hip, she\u2019s happening, and has been directing Offix\u2019s entry into social media, including working closely with a Web designer to bring the dealership\u2019s Website up to date.<\/p>\n<p>She emphasizes that Offix\u2019s use of social media is aimed primarily at boosting the dealership\u2019s search engine rankings versus pumping up sales.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do at least three posts a week on each of the different social media platforms\u2014Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+,\u201d reports Stewart.<\/p>\n<p>Asked if she thinks social media is overrated, she responds, \u201cI do for our industry. I draw the line at Twitter and won\u2019t go there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Why not?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel the decision makers aren\u2019t looking at Twitter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s not alone in viewing social media as overrated, but overrated or not, she\u2019s still using it along with traditional marketing methods.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTraditional marketing is still the most effective,\u201d opines Stewart. \u201cOur sales reps still like to have physical marketing materials to review with customers. We\u2019ve tried iPads, but they prefer printed material. We\u2019re trying to sell printing to the end user so it kind of makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The new and improved Offix Website brings traditional marketing and new marketing together in one location with links to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. It\u2019s a big improvement over the previous website.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was out of date and there was an overwhelming amount of text; now it\u2019s more interactive and easy to use,\u201d states Stewart.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_14801\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14801\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14801\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hunter-McCartey-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Hunter McCartey, RJ Young\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hunter-McCartey-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hunter-McCartey-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Hunter-McCartey.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-14801\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hunter McCartey, RJ Young<\/p><\/div>\n<p>RJ Young, a Nashville, TN-based office technology dealership is doing its part to stay ahead of the marketing curve and has been experimenting with all forms of social media in addition to its traditional marketing efforts\u2014efforts that remain essential. Driving some of these changes are more educated customers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey do a lot of research on the Internet and many times you\u2019ll go into a situation and they\u2019ll know more than you do, which is not good for some of our reps,\u201d acknowledges Hunter McCartey, COO.<\/p>\n<p>For RJ Young, social media is essential for reaching out and engaging current customers and new prospects. The dealership also follows the metrics, monitoring hits on the Website and how long visitors stay on it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can look at all the metrics, where years ago you never had those metrics,\u201d states McCartey. \u201cIf you were doing TV or radio advertising, it was ratings. Now it\u2019s more Internet based because that\u2019s where everyone is getting their information. They\u2019re not getting it off of television or radio broadcast unless it\u2019s talk radio. We\u2019re starting to move away from traditional methods of advertising because it\u2019s not where the viewership or the listeners are anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He adds that if you\u2019re trying to reach an IT person who\u2019s responsible for making a decision on your products or services, traditional methods typically aren\u2019t the way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re not watching the sports shows or golf tournaments, they\u2019re doing something else. They might not even be watching television at all,\u201d emphasizes McCartey.<\/p>\n<p>RJ Young has updated its Website to reflect the changes of how people get information. The dealership also has an e-newsletter and encourages employees to contribute to it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying to build up the software\/solutions side of our business and we\u2019re getting more contributions from employees who sell those products and engaging them more in blogs,\u201d says McCartey.<\/p>\n<p>Recent newsletter content has focused on the dangers and risks of cyber crime and how to protect one\u2019s information even when stored in the cloud.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s much more traditional in terms of information transfer and knowledge, instead of trying to sell a product or a service,\u201d adds McCartey. \u201cIt\u2019s more of a White Paper or back door approach, \u2018and by the way we provide the services or products that you need to solve an issue.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_14802\" style=\"width: 255px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14802\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14802\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Julie-Italiano-Marketing-e1445604341462-245x300.jpg\" alt=\"Julie Italiano\" width=\"245\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Julie-Italiano-Marketing-e1445604341462-245x300.jpg 245w, https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Julie-Italiano-Marketing-e1445604341462.jpg 364w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 245px) 100vw, 245px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-14802\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Julie Italiano, Modern Office Methods<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Modern Office Methods (MOM) in Cincinnati, OH uses just about every social media outlet available\u2014Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and Pinterest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything is used for different purposes,\u201d explains Julie Italiano, marketing director. \u201cWe use Facebook for promoting our non-profit contests and for posting feel-good content.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Focusing on non-profit partners and encouraging them to \u201cLike\u201d MOM and share these posts and contests with other non-profits has been beneficial, with more non-profits \u201cLiking\u201d MOM.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter has been more effective for re-Tweeting Tweets from the vendors that MOM represents while LinkedIn\u2019s emphasis is more business oriented; it\u2019s also the social media platform where MOM has the most followers.<\/p>\n<p>MOM\u2019s social media marketing is more about branding than anything else.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf people see our logo, our pictures, our employees, our communities, they get the feeling that MOM is a great company that I\u2019d want to do business with,\u201d explains Italiano. \u201c[Maybe] they\u2019ll think of MOM when their lease is up or if they\u2019re not getting great service, or need new equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since placing greater emphasis on social media and MOM\u2019s Website for marketing, Italiano has learned to be cautious about posting too much information about clients.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe used to profile clients on our Website and the first thing [competitors] did was try to purge our clients. You can\u2019t trust anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Coordinated Business Systems in Burnsville, MN is all over social media. Its initial foray into the social media world was guided by a social media marketing firm; now Coordinated is doing it all themselves.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_14803\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14803\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14803\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Kristie-Kripotos-e1445604409692-300x249.jpg\" alt=\"Kristie Kripotos, Coordinated Business Systems\" width=\"300\" height=\"249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Kristie-Kripotos-e1445604409692-300x249.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Kristie-Kripotos-e1445604409692.jpg 403w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-14803\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kristie Kripotos, Coordinated Business Systems<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Blogs represent a key element of Coordinated\u2019s marketing efforts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe encourage all of our employees to blog,\u201d says Kristie Kripotos, marketing strategist. \u201cAnd they\u2019re embracing it. They\u2019re the best people to blog because they know their areas of expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Coordinated even offers Blogging 101 classes to teach employees how to blog more effectively. Blogs are often posted on the employee\u2019s LinkedIn pages as well as the Coordinated Website. Recent topics include a simple explanation of three-tier color and toner pirates. IT-targeted blogs are also popular.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe understand the importance of updating our Website and blogging is a good way to do that,\u201d emphasizes Kripotos. \u201cMarketing these days, it\u2019s not one or two people, it\u2019s the whole company that needs to be involved in it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She contends that social media represents an important prospecting tool and a tool that\u2019s been embraced by millennials. \u201cThey don\u2019t like to talk on the phone,\u201d says Kripotos.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s also a huge fan of LinkedIn.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can get a lot of information from LinkedIn. You can learn all about the person you\u2019re going to meet because everyone has a digital trail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marketing in this day and age isn\u2019t limited to promoting speeds and feeds or the latest and greatest from Coordinated\u2019s manufacturers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe talk a lot about storytelling, not only having the Coordinated story down pat, but tying our employee\u2019s story into the Coordinated story and bringing our customers into that story too,\u201d says Kripotos. \u201cEveryone loves a good story and everyone likes the story behind the story. Coordinated has a great story\u2014we started in a garage and we didn\u2019t get bought out by IKON because Jim (Owner Jim Oricchio) believed in his employees and his business so he bought his partners out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Coordinated initially enlisted the services of an outside social media firm because the dealership didn\u2019t have the knowledge on staff to get its social media marketing efforts off the ground. Since then Kripotos has gone back to school to learn more about social media. While the social media firm was helpful in the beginning it eventually became clear that it didn\u2019t understand Coordinated\u2019s business or the industry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPosts would come out and I\u2019d cringe,\u201d recalls Kripotos. \u201cNow that we\u2019ve taken it over, we better understand our customers and we\u2019re getting better engagement with them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another benefit she\u2019s found of using various social media tools is the analytics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore than ever we have a better understanding of who our customers are,\u201d says Kripotos. \u201cWho\u2019s going to our Website, their age group, and who\u2019s coming in on a digital device or desktop. You can get such great analytics and that helps us market better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As far as Twitter, she says that\u2019s the hardest social media to learn, mostly because it\u2019s all about finding the right balance and identifying the best times to Tweet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been playing with different times to see where we get more engagement,\u201d states Kripotos. \u201cLunchtime seems to be good because people are often on their phone at lunch. Then the afternoon slump when people start getting fidgety at their desks and are on their phones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She does find compulsive Tweeters or those who over-post on sites like LinkedIn and Facebook annoying. \u201cThey\u2019re posting like 10 times a day,\u201d laments Kripotos.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless, she\u2019s been pleasantly surprised at the reaction she\u2019s received to Coordinated\u2019s Tweets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwitter has been a surprise. I\u2019m amazed at the amount of engagement we get.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course social media isn\u2019t the be all end all and Coordinated still uses traditional marketing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re still doing our technology events and advertising on two radio stations (a morning show and a program for an IT audience), and we\u2019ve had great engagement with that,\u201d says Kripotos.<\/p>\n<p>Kripotos has one final marketing recommendation for dealers. \u201cDealers need to pay attention to all the review sites,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople like going to the Internet for information. We\u2019ve implemented an app for our service techs so as soon as they\u2019re done with a service call they can hand their phone over and get customer feedback right away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition Coordinated\u2019s sales department now has an app on their iPads which is more or less like an online catalog with all of the dealership\u2019s brochures and information about imaging, document management, IT services, and business communications.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReps can do a proposal right from there and we can get analytics right back,\u201d states Kripotos. \u201cThey don\u2019t carry a bunch of papers anymore. We sell technology, we need to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_14804\" style=\"width: 292px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14804\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14804\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Adrienne-Bastinelli.jpg\" alt=\"Adrienne Bastinelli, Centrix\" width=\"282\" height=\"281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Adrienne-Bastinelli.jpg 282w, https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Adrienne-Bastinelli-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 282px) 100vw, 282px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-14804\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adrienne Bastinelli, Centrix<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Centric Business Systems in Owing Mills, MD is in the process of a complete rebranding project, including improving its collateral materials, updating its Website, and refreshing its logo so that it\u2019s more technology oriented. The new Website has clean lines, simple, concise text, and projects the image of a technology company.<\/p>\n<p>Marketing Manager Adrienne Bastinelli acknowledges that business marketing isn\u2019t as easy as it used to be back in the days when radio and print were the prime marketing methods. As the dealership re-evaluates how it markets itself, Centric is expanding its presence on social media.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople want to see through channels like Facebook and LinkedIn that you\u2019re engaged in philanthropic efforts in the community and what kinds of events and activities are taking place in your organization,\u201d says Bastinelli. \u201cThe most effective way to communicate those things is not with a flyer or mailer, it\u2019s via the Web.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>All these new methods for marketing Centric has made Bastinelli\u2019s job more difficult, and she acknowledges that bringing the Internet into the picture has made things more challenging because the Internet is always evolving.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhether it\u2019s a rebranding or retargeting, clicks or an SEO campaign, what Google is looking for and what advertisers are selling is evolving constantly,\u201d she says. \u201cThe biggest challenge is staying on top of what\u2019s the most effective way to send a message. It\u2019s unbelievable what the Internet can do to keep you in top-of-mind awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Centric has enlisted a full service ad agency and social media firm for assistance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve found their knowledge and experience provided us with a value add,\u201d reports Bastinelli. \u201cI can go onto Facebook and post something every day, but if it\u2019s not being aggregated it doesn\u2019t become searchable, people don\u2019t see it, and Google doesn\u2019t rate it. I had no idea there was so much involved with effectively using social media for business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The posts from the social media firm are a combination of sourced relevant content and Centric-specific content. \u201cIt\u2019s a team effort,\u201d states Bastinelli. \u201cOne of the challenges is getting short and concise messages across that explain who we are and what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even as it branches out into the social media universe, Centric still sees tremendous benefit from traditional radio and print. \u201cThat\u2019s important whether you\u2019re in an established market or a new market,\u201d opines Bastinelli. \u201cYou want brand awareness and top-of-mind awareness. We can\u2019t reach the person we want at the right time if they don\u2019t constantly see and hear about us. That\u2019s where billboards, print, and radio have an advantage over digital because with digital you have to make an effort. The others you do naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sports marketing, i.e., stadium signage, remains highly effective for Centric within the Baltimore marketplace. \u201cPeople are paying attention to the club level sign in the stadium because they\u2019re sitting there for three or four hours and have to look around at some point,\u201d says Bastinelli.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward 12 months from now, how might things look at Centric if all these pieces fit together and are working like Bastinelli hopes they will?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI see us using a fairly even combination of traditional marketing and digital, including retargeting, remarketing, SEO and social media. My hope would be that through rebranding and ramping up the digital side over the course of the next 12 months, we\u2019ll have a stronger presence in all of our marketplaces and top-of-mind awareness so that when it comes time to make a decision, the key players in an organization will know who we are and what we do. Instead of trying to find a copier company or software solutions company, they\u2019ll be searching for our phone number.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_14805\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14805\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14805\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Deb-Dellaposta-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Deb Dellaposta, WPS\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-14805\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Deb Dellaposta, WPS<\/p><\/div>\n<p>WPS in Hagerstown, MD is fully immersed in social media, less so in traditional marketing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not actively doing the kind of marketing that you have to pay for,\u201d says Debra Dellaposta, president &amp; CEO, even though WPS does the occasional media trade with radio stations.<\/p>\n<p>WPS supports many non-profits when they have events and fundraisers, and during the past few years have ramped that up a lot more.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying to get involved with every one of our customers,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>That said, WPS still has to draw the line somewhere, and that\u2019s why with golf outings and other events, they\u2019re limiting their involvement to business partners. If it\u2019s not a business partner, WPS has to use its discretion.<\/p>\n<p>Lately there\u2019s been a big push at WPS to get everyone in the company active on LinkedIn. The dealership also uses Facebook, primarily for posts about community service activities, while LinkedIn is focused on professional and business-oriented posts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur people are publishing posts and blogs that establish them as experts in the field,\u201d explains Dellaposta.<\/p>\n<p>With everyone in the company encouraged to participate in its social media efforts, WPS has had to ensure that its brand is protected. Dellaposta created a video that explains the company position along with e-mails that explain why it\u2019s important for WPS to protect its brand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything needs to be approved, and we\u2019ve created a shared file folder for everybody in the company with approved documentation and approved images,\u201d says Dellaposta. \u201cIf they\u2019re going to publish anything on LinkedIn they must run it through my marketing director or me first. We try to control the message a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Most posts are designed to provide people with useful information and aren\u2019t designed to sell something, although that message is subliminal. While WPS is getting a lot of traction from LinkedIn and Facebook, Twitter is still somewhat of a wild card. Most Tweets are reposts of WPS\u2019s LinkedIn and Facebook posts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe try to tie in with what our customers are doing, and want to show we live in the community, and that we care about the community and their health and well being,\u201d says Dellaposta. \u201cI want people to know that we\u2019re about more than just trying to sell products.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dellaposta is still trying to wrap her arms around Twitter and agrees that some people Tweet way too much.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure what the right amount is just yet, but there has to be a balance,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>The other thing she\u2019s trying learn about social media is the timing, i.e., the best time to post so the most people see it and react to it.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the training continues at WPS, including two classes focused on LinkedIn.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re doing constant reinforcement about the things they should be doing and how to do it,\u201d reports Dellaposta, who feels WPS\u2019s marketing efforts are on the verge of becoming more social than ever. \u201cThis year I expect it to take off; last year we were slowly starting to introduce it to them, and this year I\u2019m starting to see some traction. There\u2019s a lot more of our customers better connected to us on LinkedIn.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s a new world and the old rules don\u2019t always apply anymore when it comes to reaching new customers and retaining old ones. Social media is complementing and in some instances replacing traditional marketing for reaching out to customers and prospects. For some dealerships these new marketing methods have proven effective. For others, it\u2019s a waiting game with no quick and obvious payoffs, at least not yet. Let\u2019s look at how a few dealerships are mastering, or attempting to master, these new marketing strategies. Casey Stewart, business development and marketing manager for Offix with offices in Gainesville, Norfolk and Richmond, VA, represents the young generation of marketing professionals working in dealerships across the country. She\u2019s hip, she\u2019s happening, and has been directing Offix\u2019s entry into social media, including working closely with a Web designer to bring the dealership\u2019s Website up to date. She emphasizes that Offix\u2019s use of social media is aimed primarily at boosting the dealership\u2019s search engine rankings versus pumping up sales. \u201cI do at least three posts a week on each of the different social media platforms\u2014Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+,\u201d reports Stewart. Asked if she thinks social media is overrated, she responds, \u201cI do for our industry. I draw the line at Twitter and won\u2019t go there.\u201d Why not? \u201cI feel the decision makers aren\u2019t looking at Twitter.\u201d She\u2019s not alone in viewing social media as overrated, but overrated or not, she\u2019s still using it along with traditional marketing methods. \u201cTraditional marketing is still the most effective,\u201d opines Stewart. \u201cOur sales reps still like to have physical marketing materials to review with customers. We\u2019ve tried iPads, but they prefer printed material. We\u2019re trying to sell printing to the end user so it kind of makes sense.\u201d The new and improved Offix Website brings traditional marketing and new marketing together in one location with links to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. It\u2019s a big improvement over the previous website. \u201cIt was out of date and there was an overwhelming amount of text; now it\u2019s more interactive and easy to use,\u201d states Stewart. RJ Young, a Nashville, TN-based office technology dealership is doing its part to stay ahead of the marketing curve and has been experimenting with all forms of social media in addition to its traditional marketing efforts\u2014efforts that remain essential. Driving some of these changes are more educated customers. \u201cThey do a lot of research on the Internet and many times you\u2019ll go into a situation and they\u2019ll know more than you do, which is not good for some of our reps,\u201d acknowledges Hunter McCartey, COO. For RJ Young, social media is essential for reaching out and engaging current customers and new prospects. The dealership also follows the metrics, monitoring hits on the Website and how long visitors stay on it. \u201cWe can look at all the metrics, where years ago you never had those metrics,\u201d states McCartey. \u201cIf you were doing TV or radio advertising, it was ratings. Now it\u2019s more Internet based because that\u2019s where everyone is getting their information. They\u2019re not getting it off of television or radio broadcast unless it\u2019s talk radio. We\u2019re starting to move away from traditional methods of advertising because it\u2019s not where the viewership or the listeners are anymore.\u201d He adds that if you\u2019re trying to reach an IT person who\u2019s responsible for making a decision on your products or services, traditional methods typically aren\u2019t the way. \u201cThey\u2019re not watching the sports shows or golf tournaments, they\u2019re doing something else. They might not even be watching television at all,\u201d emphasizes McCartey. RJ Young has updated its Website to reflect the changes of how people get information. The dealership also has an e-newsletter and encourages employees to contribute to it. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to build up the software\/solutions side of our business and we\u2019re getting more contributions from employees who sell those products and engaging them more in blogs,\u201d says McCartey. Recent newsletter content has focused on the dangers and risks of cyber crime and how to protect one\u2019s information even when stored in the cloud. \u201cIt\u2019s much more traditional in terms of information transfer and knowledge, instead of trying to sell a product or a service,\u201d adds McCartey. \u201cIt\u2019s more of a White Paper or back door approach, \u2018and by the way we provide the services or products that you need to solve an issue.\u2019\u201d Modern Office Methods (MOM) in Cincinnati, OH uses just about every social media outlet available\u2014Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and Pinterest. \u201cEverything is used for different purposes,\u201d explains Julie Italiano, marketing director. \u201cWe use Facebook for promoting our non-profit contests and for posting feel-good content.\u201d Focusing on non-profit partners and encouraging them to \u201cLike\u201d MOM and share these posts and contests with other non-profits has been beneficial, with more non-profits \u201cLiking\u201d MOM. Twitter has been more effective for re-Tweeting Tweets from the vendors that MOM represents while LinkedIn\u2019s emphasis is more business oriented; it\u2019s also the social media platform where MOM has the most followers. MOM\u2019s social media marketing is more about branding than anything else. \u201cIf people see our logo, our pictures, our employees, our communities, they get the feeling that MOM is a great company that I\u2019d want to do business with,\u201d explains Italiano. \u201c[Maybe] they\u2019ll think of MOM when their lease is up or if they\u2019re not getting great service, or need new equipment.\u201d Since placing greater emphasis on social media and MOM\u2019s Website for marketing, Italiano has learned to be cautious about posting too much information about clients. \u201cWe used to profile clients on our Website and the first thing [competitors] did was try to purge our clients. You can\u2019t trust anybody.\u201d Coordinated Business Systems in Burnsville, MN is all over social media. Its initial foray into the social media world was guided by a social media marketing firm; now Coordinated is doing it all themselves. Blogs represent a key element of Coordinated\u2019s marketing efforts. \u201cWe encourage all of our employees to blog,\u201d says Kristie Kripotos, marketing strategist. \u201cAnd they\u2019re embracing it. 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