The 2011 NADA Convention is over, and now our industry should set its sites on upcoming educational opportunities. I would like to remind members of Dealer Elite of two special opportunities that need your attention to lock in savings on registration fees.

2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp

The much-anticipated 2011 Automotive Marketing Boot Camp is scheduled just prior to the 10th Digital Dealer Conference, which will be held in Orlando Florida. The Boot Camp is scheduled April 16th-18th.

The 2011 Boot Camp classes provide hands on tactical training for Internet marketing, social media, lead management, CRM systems, phone handling, video SEO, reputation management, Google Places optimization, blogging content creation, as well as Automotive SEO.

This year’s workshop leaders also include dealer principals and dealership employees that have stood above their peers in achieving excellence in their dealership’s digital marketing and sales strategies.

Workshop leaders working at dealerships  include Scott Falcone, Jeffrey Kershner, Andrew DiFeo, Hagen Durant, Scott Falcone, Eric Miltsch, and Timothy Martell.

The 2011 Orlando Boot Camp is also attracting popular speakers with specialized skills including Jerry Thibeau, Brian Pasch, Christine Rochelle, Christy Roman, JD Rucker, Matt Murray, and Alex Snyder.

The Automotive Marketing Boot Camp delivers the knowledge and skills dealers need to create, execute and manage effective dealership processes. New to this year’s program will be added seminars on back-end marketing; how to better handle phone calls and leads to maximize lead conversion.

The boot camp is perfect for General Managers, eCommerce Directors, and Internet Sales Managers. Last year, Boot Camp attendees posted rave reviews of their investment of time for this event.

The Automotive Marketing Boot Camp is very unique and effective because participants receive preparation materials in advance of the class and participants use their own accounts during the classes so that they can then continue to work with them on their own long after the boot camp.

Save $100 This Week Only

Learn more about the Boot Camp and register online at http://www.automotivemarketingbootcamp.com .

Dealer Elite Members can save $100 on Boot Camp registration fees by registering by February 11, 2011.

Automotive Internship Program

PCG announced at the 2011 NADA Convention a new turnkey package for car dealers to attract talented college interns to assist with their digital marketing and social media strategies.

The Automotive Internship Program (AIP) is also an idea program to train existing employees or new hires to bring the needed skills into the dealership to supplement an effective digital marketing strategy.

The Automotive Internship Program (AIP):

• Is the first of its kind intern training program for car dealers
• Programs include printed curriculum guides, marketing materials, and live instruction
• Online materials and community forums aid the learning process
• Attracts and prepares the next generation of automotive marketing professionals
• Dealers receive customized marketing materials to send to local schools
• Each AIP is a complete 12-week course with a final test.
• Programs offered or beginner and advanced skill levels
• AIP classes cycles three times a year: January, May, September
• First AIP classes start in May 2011
• AIP is affordable and provides tremendous value to students and the dealership

Visit the AIP Registration Page for the 2011 Summer Semester starting in May. Certificate Programs Scheduled For May Include:

• Digital Marketing & Social Media Associate
• Automotive SEO Associate
• Automotive SEM Associate

Members of the Dealer Elite Community can save $200 if they register for the program by February 11, 2011.

Register now to allow PCG time to create the customized marketing materials for participating dealers for the May semester. The sooner dealers advertise the AIP to local colleges and universities, the more candidates will be able to participate.

You can click on any of the links to read more details about each certificate program. If you would like to read testimonials from car dealers who have participated in PCG Digital Marketing training programs, I have provided a number of student testimonials.

Any dealership who is looking to attract new employees into a career in automotive retail sales and marketing should sign-up for the AIP.