The most trusted name in live chat brings the best blog posts and auto news stories right to you! We monitor industry trends, current events  and the auto dealer community every week to bring you the top blogs and automotive stories from around the globe. On this week’s edition – become a LinkedIn pro, headlights have rights, and GM pulls its Facebook Ad campaign:

10. Do You English Speak?

Most of us have tried to talk our way out of a ticket before – but never like this. When two Russian men were caught speeding, they pretended to speak only English. Watch their faces drop when they learn that the officer is fluent!

9. Being A Customer Is Tough

It’s easy to forget how hard it is to shop for cars if we’re only focused on selling them. Alex Snyder gets all of us to walk a mile in a customer’s shoes by writing about his purchase experiences with a physical storefront, Internet Sales, and Autotrader.com. Does your dealership sound like the one Alex describes? Make sure to ALWAYS keep your consumer in mind.

8. Bill Protecting Social Media Passwords Advances

Employers may not have the right to monitor an employee’s password-protected content for much longer. Illinois may soon join Maryland as one of the first states to restrict the access of current and prospective employers to their subordinates’ social media profiles. Is this a case of Big Brother watching, or do employers have a legitimate reason to look at social content?

7. Season, Set, Sear, Serve, Sold!

I always like Marsh Buice’s DealerElite posts. Whether it’s the quirky analogies comparing sales to food or minerals or the raw enthusiasm that coats Marsh’s nuggets of wisdom, his top blogs are informative and enjoyable. In this blog, Marsh teaches how to close the deal like a chef.

6. Simple Step-by-Step Instructions for Setting Up a Facebook Ad Campaign

By now we all probably have heard of GM’s decision to pull the plug on its Facebook Ad campaign. This controversial move has many people wondering if GM’s disappointing ad ROI is due to poor Facebook practices. In response, Hubspot laid out an easy, informative guide to setting up your own Facebook Ads.

5. Flashing Lights For Speed Trap Warning Is Covered Under Free Speech

In ActivEngage’s hometown of Orlando, a man was stopped and ticketed for flashing his brights at other motorists to warn them of a speed trap. However, a Florida judge recently ruled that this form of communication is protected under First Amendment rights. Our headlamps are now considered constitutionally-protected speech!

4. Powerful Tips For Your B2B LinkedIn Profile

ActivEngage’s own Ketty Colom dove headfirst into LinkedIn recently, and she had some great tips to share once she came up for air. The LinkedIn social network has a MUCH higher lead-to-conversion ratio than other networks like Facebook or Twitter – so if you’ve neglected your LinkedIn profile (like some of us), now is the perfect time to renovate it!

3. Are Your Advertising Dollars Well Spent?

Advertising – and any marketing effort in general – can only provide opportunities by drawing potential customers into your storefront. This excellent post by Leonard Buchholz proves that if you get ‘em in the door but underwhelm with your customer service, all those advertising dollars you spent will have been for nothing.

2. How Employee Content Drove 200 Leads Per Day at Guitar Center

A recent case study authored by our friends at MarketingSherpa catalogues what happens when Guitar Center took its employee expertise viral. By creating profiles for each staff member and emphasizing the depth of their knowledge about music, the instrument shop was able to generate 200 leads a day. Find out how they did it!

1. GM: Super Bowl Spots Not Worth The Cost

Facebook Ads isn’t the only advertising that GM is dissatisfied with; earlier this week, GM’s marketing chief Joel Ewanick reported that the OEM could not justify spending millions upon millions of dollars for a 30-second TV spot during Super Bowl Sunday. Time will tell if this maneuver will help or hinder a company historically known for heavy advertising budgets.
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