SEMA News - June 2010

Benefits of Being Auto Trim of Denver Backed by ProPledge

In the April issue, we ran an extended look at what the ProPledge warranty assurance program is and how it can benefit member companies. Part of the ongoing development of the program is to profile its existing members as well as those that see the value and benefits of what ProPledge can offer. The goals set forth with a program such as ProPledge are to grow and learn from its current membership roster so that it may be of benefit to future ProPledge partners. For a detailed analysis of ProPledge and its benefits to nearly every SEMA-member company, visit the ProPledge website, or call 818/248-4449 for more information.  SEMA News recently had the opportunity to discuss ProPledge with one of its current restylers, Josh Elliott of Auto Trim of
Denver (ATD).

SEMA News: What has the ProPledge warranty assurance program meant to your business?

Josh Elliott: The ProPledge warranty assurance program has been fantastic for us. It has made all the difference in the world in us getting additional dealership work because so many dealers are now requiring additional forms of insurance to protect themselves against inferior aftermarket products.

SN: Why can’t your competitors just purchase additional insurance to satisfy the dealers’ requirements?

JE: In theory, our competitors could, but we feel that the ProPledge program shows good faith to the dealers and that we want to participate at the highest level possible. There is an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) requirement in the ProPledge contract that provides another way for us to separate ourselves from our competitors. It gives us more credibility and levels the playing field with our mechanics, who are also ASE certified.

SN: So the ProPledge program requires an ASE-certified technician?

JE: Yes, it does, and it is just one more component in a very good program that makes it more difficult for our competitors to compete with us at the highest level.

SN: Is it true that the $5 million general liability insurance policy has been difficult to meet for many restylers or installers?

JE: It might be for some, but I point out that it makes all the difference in the world between a truly reputable and professional restyler and those merely going through the motions of getting the job. Personally, we welcome the additional insurance requirements.

SN: What success stories can you and ATD tell us regarding ProPledge?

JE: With the three-year/36,000-mile warranty, we have been able to effectively show new-car dealers how to maximize their profits from lease turn-in vehicles. When those vehicles come back into the dealership, a dealer will typically wholesale the vehicle to get it out of its inventory. The dealer might make a profit or might break even. With the added protection of the three-year/36,000-mile warranty, and the fact ProPledge covers up to three model years and older vehicles, the dealer can effectively install some aftermarket products, refresh the vehicle and turn a far greater profit than it could before.

	ATD professionally restyles more than 6,000 vehicles annually. Popular products installed include sunroofs, leather/seat heaters, 12-volt accessories, window tint and clear vinyl masks.

SN: What trends do you see on the horizon?

JE: We have definitely picked up a lot of business in the used-car market. With new-vehicle sales way down from years past, that three-year/36,000-mile warranty has made a great difference to us in the used-car market. Three years ago, we used to do approximately 90% new-car installations and 10% used. Now we do about 70% new-car work and 30% used, and I expect that used number to grow an additional 10%–15% this year alone.

SN: Besides the used-car market, what other areas have increased?

JE: The 12-volt business is definitely growing every year. We do a lot of head-unit replacements and a ton of navigation installations, primarily with Rosen and Audiovox.

SN: What has been ATD’s greatest success story in its current business model?

JE: It has been the employees of ATD. These people make all the difference between a great job and a mediocre job. These individuals have a true passion for the industry and are always willing to go above and beyond what it takes to have a professional job accomplished in a timely fashion to satisfy our customers’ needs.

SN: What do you like to do outside of this industry, Josh?

JE: My wife of 17 years and I love to ride motocross and play golf when we have the time.  

For more information regarding Auto Trim of Denver, call 303/451-8311 or visit www.autotrimofdenver.com.  

SEMA News - June 2010

Benefits of Being Auto Trim of Denver Backed by ProPledge

In the April issue, we ran an extended look at what the ProPledge warranty assurance program is and how it can benefit member companies. Part of the ongoing development of the program is to profile its existing members as well as those that see the value and benefits of what ProPledge can offer. The goals set forth with a program such as ProPledge are to grow and learn from its current membership roster so that it may be of benefit to future ProPledge partners. For a detailed analysis of ProPledge and its benefits to nearly every SEMA-member company, visit the ProPledge website, or call 818/248-4449 for more information.  SEMA News recently had the opportunity to discuss ProPledge with one of its current restylers, Josh Elliott of Auto Trim of
Denver (ATD).

SEMA News: What has the ProPledge warranty assurance program meant to your business?

Josh Elliott: The ProPledge warranty assurance program has been fantastic for us. It has made all the difference in the world in us getting additional dealership work because so many dealers are now requiring additional forms of insurance to protect themselves against inferior aftermarket products.

SN: Why can’t your competitors just purchase additional insurance to satisfy the dealers’ requirements?

JE: In theory, our competitors could, but we feel that the ProPledge program shows good faith to the dealers and that we want to participate at the highest level possible. There is an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) requirement in the ProPledge contract that provides another way for us to separate ourselves from our competitors. It gives us more credibility and levels the playing field with our mechanics, who are also ASE certified.

SN: So the ProPledge program requires an ASE-certified technician?

JE: Yes, it does, and it is just one more component in a very good program that makes it more difficult for our competitors to compete with us at the highest level.

SN: Is it true that the $5 million general liability insurance policy has been difficult to meet for many restylers or installers?

JE: It might be for some, but I point out that it makes all the difference in the world between a truly reputable and professional restyler and those merely going through the motions of getting the job. Personally, we welcome the additional insurance requirements.

SN: What success stories can you and ATD tell us regarding ProPledge?

JE: With the three-year/36,000-mile warranty, we have been able to effectively show new-car dealers how to maximize their profits from lease turn-in vehicles. When those vehicles come back into the dealership, a dealer will typically wholesale the vehicle to get it out of its inventory. The dealer might make a profit or might break even. With the added protection of the three-year/36,000-mile warranty, and the fact ProPledge covers up to three model years and older vehicles, the dealer can effectively install some aftermarket products, refresh the vehicle and turn a far greater profit than it could before.

	ATD professionally restyles more than 6,000 vehicles annually. Popular products installed include sunroofs, leather/seat heaters, 12-volt accessories, window tint and clear vinyl masks.

SN: What trends do you see on the horizon?

JE: We have definitely picked up a lot of business in the used-car market. With new-vehicle sales way down from years past, that three-year/36,000-mile warranty has made a great difference to us in the used-car market. Three years ago, we used to do approximately 90% new-car installations and 10% used. Now we do about 70% new-car work and 30% used, and I expect that used number to grow an additional 10%–15% this year alone.

SN: Besides the used-car market, what other areas have increased?

JE: The 12-volt business is definitely growing every year. We do a lot of head-unit replacements and a ton of navigation installations, primarily with Rosen and Audiovox.

SN: What has been ATD’s greatest success story in its current business model?

JE: It has been the employees of ATD. These people make all the difference between a great job and a mediocre job. These individuals have a true passion for the industry and are always willing to go above and beyond what it takes to have a professional job accomplished in a timely fashion to satisfy our customers’ needs.

SN: What do you like to do outside of this industry, Josh?

JE: My wife of 17 years and I love to ride motocross and play golf when we have the time.  

For more information regarding Auto Trim of Denver, call 303/451-8311 or visit www.autotrimofdenver.com.  

SEMA News - June 2010

Benefits of Being Auto Trim of Denver Backed by ProPledge

In the April issue, we ran an extended look at what the ProPledge warranty assurance program is and how it can benefit member companies. Part of the ongoing development of the program is to profile its existing members as well as those that see the value and benefits of what ProPledge can offer. The goals set forth with a program such as ProPledge are to grow and learn from its current membership roster so that it may be of benefit to future ProPledge partners. For a detailed analysis of ProPledge and its benefits to nearly every SEMA-member company, visit the ProPledge website, or call 818/248-4449 for more information.  SEMA News recently had the opportunity to discuss ProPledge with one of its current restylers, Josh Elliott of Auto Trim of
Denver (ATD).

SEMA News: What has the ProPledge warranty assurance program meant to your business?

Josh Elliott: The ProPledge warranty assurance program has been fantastic for us. It has made all the difference in the world in us getting additional dealership work because so many dealers are now requiring additional forms of insurance to protect themselves against inferior aftermarket products.

SN: Why can’t your competitors just purchase additional insurance to satisfy the dealers’ requirements?

JE: In theory, our competitors could, but we feel that the ProPledge program shows good faith to the dealers and that we want to participate at the highest level possible. There is an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) requirement in the ProPledge contract that provides another way for us to separate ourselves from our competitors. It gives us more credibility and levels the playing field with our mechanics, who are also ASE certified.

SN: So the ProPledge program requires an ASE-certified technician?

JE: Yes, it does, and it is just one more component in a very good program that makes it more difficult for our competitors to compete with us at the highest level.

SN: Is it true that the $5 million general liability insurance policy has been difficult to meet for many restylers or installers?

JE: It might be for some, but I point out that it makes all the difference in the world between a truly reputable and professional restyler and those merely going through the motions of getting the job. Personally, we welcome the additional insurance requirements.

SN: What success stories can you and ATD tell us regarding ProPledge?

JE: With the three-year/36,000-mile warranty, we have been able to effectively show new-car dealers how to maximize their profits from lease turn-in vehicles. When those vehicles come back into the dealership, a dealer will typically wholesale the vehicle to get it out of its inventory. The dealer might make a profit or might break even. With the added protection of the three-year/36,000-mile warranty, and the fact ProPledge covers up to three model years and older vehicles, the dealer can effectively install some aftermarket products, refresh the vehicle and turn a far greater profit than it could before.

	ATD professionally restyles more than 6,000 vehicles annually. Popular products installed include sunroofs, leather/seat heaters, 12-volt accessories, window tint and clear vinyl masks.

SN: What trends do you see on the horizon?

JE: We have definitely picked up a lot of business in the used-car market. With new-vehicle sales way down from years past, that three-year/36,000-mile warranty has made a great difference to us in the used-car market. Three years ago, we used to do approximately 90% new-car installations and 10% used. Now we do about 70% new-car work and 30% used, and I expect that used number to grow an additional 10%–15% this year alone.

SN: Besides the used-car market, what other areas have increased?

JE: The 12-volt business is definitely growing every year. We do a lot of head-unit replacements and a ton of navigation installations, primarily with Rosen and Audiovox.

SN: What has been ATD’s greatest success story in its current business model?

JE: It has been the employees of ATD. These people make all the difference between a great job and a mediocre job. These individuals have a true passion for the industry and are always willing to go above and beyond what it takes to have a professional job accomplished in a timely fashion to satisfy our customers’ needs.

SN: What do you like to do outside of this industry, Josh?

JE: My wife of 17 years and I love to ride motocross and play golf when we have the time.  

For more information regarding Auto Trim of Denver, call 303/451-8311 or visit www.autotrimofdenver.com.  

SEMA News - June 2010

Staying up-to-date on legislation related to the automotive hobby and to small businesses is essential to the success of the industry. However, it’s also a challenge—particularly given the vast number of issues that exist on the federal, state and local levels. Knowing what source to turn to makes it easier. Thanks to several active publications, industry professionals and enthusiasts are kept well-informed about key issues.

To ensure that you don’t miss out on the news you need to know, be sure to add the following publications to your “must-read” list.

Driving Force, May 2010 Produced by the SEMA Action Network (SAN), this monthly newsletter covers hot federal and state issues that affect the automotive hobby. Each month, the newsletter is e-mailed to members of the SAN. To join SAN, visit www.semasan.com. There is no cost to join.
National Dragster, March 2010 Each month, National Dragster includes a “SEMA Update” column, where the publication often features relevant legislative issues. Read by hot-rod enthusiasts nationwide, the column provides the publication’s audience with a convenient way to stay abreast of important legislative news.
Four Wheeler, May 2010 Four Wheeler includes a regular “Land Use Notes” column, where readers are able to get information on legislative issues relevant to the off-road community. The column makes it easy for off-road enthusiasts to stay up-to-date on legislative issues while enjoying one of their favorite magazines.
Parts & People, December 2009 This trade publication recognizes the impact that legislation can have on the industry. In addition to product, show and training news, Parts & People often features stories dealing with legislation. Its December issue reported at length about California’s titling dilemma.

 

 

 

SEMA News - June 2010 

A New Emphasis on Facebook

By Joe Dysart

	Before investing in any web analytics solution, you’ll probably want to give Google Analytics a try, since the online service is free.

With Facebook often besting Google these days as the most visited site on the web, it’s no surprise that makers of web analytics software are scrambling to develop new apps aimed at scrutinizing visitor activity there. Specifically, three of the top web analytics software makers are already rolling out modules that companies can use to better discern how visitors are interacting on their Facebook pages. And more software makers are expected to follow suit in the months to come. 

Like traditional web analytics software, the add-ons enable firms to determine which of their Facebook pages are most popular, which content and media on their Facebook pages are most popular, which search engines are sending the most visitors to their Facebook pages—as well as digging into a full spectrum of other activities that, taken together, reveal the overall efficacy of a company’s Facebook presence. Coremetrics, for example, has created a special Facebook app that measures sales, orders and other conversion events on a company’s Facebook page.

“Given consumers’ extensive adoption and deep engagement with Facebook, it is critical for marketers to have a clearly measurable understanding of how their customers are engaging on Facebook in the context of their total online presence,” said John Squire, Coremetrics’ chief strategy officer.

Omniture has a similar Facebook app in development. It will help companies automate the process of media buying as well as provide analytics on visitor/customer interaction with a company’s Facebook presence.

“Working with us, Omniture has been able to develop a rich and immersive set of tools that will help our clients better understand the value of their Facebook advertising campaigns,” said Dan Rose, Facebook’s vice president of business development and monetization. “By creating a single dashboard to plan, deliver and measure campaigns, Omniture can make advertising on Facebook easier and ultimately increase return on investment for clients.”

And Webtrends has a new Facebook module that can determine, among other things, whether visitor interactions on Twitter are ultimately driving those visitors to the company’s Facebook page. The app also verifies whether any sales or other interactions unfold once Twitter visitors get to Facebook.

“We are so proactive in talking about Facebook measurement because it’s a critical area of growth for our customers,” said Jascha Kaykas-Wolff, Webtrends’ vice president of marketing. “The new capabilities we have developed were shown at our recent user conference, Engage 2010, earlier this month, and we have several implementations underway. To meet our users needs and keep up with the rate of change in this space, we have a series of capabilities we’re adding to Webtrends Analytics that will be released in the near term and on an ongoing basis.”

Meanwhile, in another sign of the continuing metamorphosis of online marketing, web analytics makers are also striving to come up with new modules designed to track visitor use of web video—no matter where that video is viewed. For example, Omniture has expanded its video analytics module to include analysis of web video offered on websites that are optimized for smart phones and other web devices—including video that is embedded in mobile iPhone applications.

“As consumers continue to respond well to online video, more and more companies want to understand how best to leverage video to create a more engaging mobile application or mobile website,” said Matt Langie, director of product marketing for the Omniture business unit. “This new mobile video measurement capability within SiteCatalyst gives marketers the insight they need in order to know which mobile video strategies are working and which need to be optimized to create better experiences for their consumers and to increase their appeal to advertisers with a measurable, optimized mobile video channel.”

Also focusing on added video capabilities is web analytics maker Nedstadt. It’s latest video module enables firms to measure the impact of Internet video that is viewed on Internet-ready televisions—a relatively new consumer electronics product. “Internet video on television is a new way of consuming content,” said Thomas Pottjegort, a senior technical architect at Nedstat. “It is important for our customers to have insight into usage of this new and upcoming platform.”

While there are dozens of web analytics packages on the market, only five are considered leaders in their field, according to Forrester, a market research firm that has been assessing web analytics software for years now. Those market leaders are Coremetrics Analytics by Coremetrics; Sitestat by Nedstat; Omniture SiteCatalyst by Omniture; Unica Affinium NetInsight by Unica; and Webtrends by Webtrends.

“These leading vendors offer the flexibility of near-limitless customization and the ability to meet client needs on many levels,” said Carlton A. Doty, a co-author of The Forrester Wave: Web Analytics Q3 2009, which was released last September.

Specifically, here’s why Forrester liked the top five vendors:

Omniture: “Omniture leads the web analytics industry in its core data handling, reporting and analysis capabilities as well as through its ever-growing set of ancillary marketing applications,”
Doty said.

Coremetrics: “While Coremetrics is relatively small in total client count, it offers oversized capabilities that include its ability to handle data efficiently, customize reporting and analysis and integrate with multiple marketing functions,” Doty said. Coremetrics clients also expressed satisfaction levels higher than those for any other company evaluated.

Unica: “The Unica Affinium NetInsight offering is one of the most flexible and customizable offerings we evaluated,” Doty said. “The company is well-positioned to infuse traditional campaign management with web data, thereby elevating enterprise marketing capabilities through holistic customer intelligence.”

Webtrends: “The company scored high marks because of its ability to create unlimited customer and calculated metrics,” Doty said. Customers also expressed extreme satisfaction overall with the company’s service.

Nedstat: With a stronghold in the European market, Nedstat has earned a reputation for its ability to offer extremely customized versions of its software packages. During coming months, Nedstat’s goal is to incorporate analysis of e-mail marketing and search marketing into its core product, Doty said.

Besides identifying the top five vendors in its report, Forrester also singled out Google’s Google Analytics as a strong, second-tier product that is nearly as good as any in the top five. The reason for the recognition is a stellar advantage Google has over all others: Google gives away its analytics program absolutely free in an effort to encourage use of other Google fee-based web marketing products such as Google Adwords.

“Google Analytics debuted in our 2007 web analytics evaluation as a contender among a pack of strong performers,” Doty said. “Since then, it has significantly enhanced its enterprise capabilities with numerous product roll-outs, such as the ability to create custom reports, perform advanced segmentation and visualize data using an interface tool.”

Google Analytics’ most recent revamp also coincided with the release of an excellent guidebook to getting the most from the online service, Brian Clifton’s Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics, Second Edition.

“Web analytics is a thermometer for your website—constantly checking and monitoring your online health,” Clifton said. “As a methodology, it is the study of online experience in order to improve it. Without it, you are flying blind. How else would you determine whether your search-engine marketing is effective or whether negative blog comments are hindering conversions?”

Bottom line: Before investing in any web analytics solution, you’ll probably want to give Google Analytics a try since the online service is free and, for the price, fairly sophisticated.

Besides Clifton’s book, you can get help on using Google Analytics with a number of informative videos that the company offers online. They illustrate how various features of its solution work and provide a decent introduction to how web analytics works in general.

For a bead on the overall web analytics market, there are also a number of market research firms you can check with, including Forrester, IDC and Gartner. All regularly issue in-depth reports on the state of the web analytics market.

For one of the most comprehensive looks at web analytics, definitely check out CMS Watch (www.cmswatch.com/research/channel/analytics). The company is known for its intense, ongoing scrutiny of the web analytics market and offers continually updated reports on virtually all changes in the market.  

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan, New York.
Voice: 646/233-4089
E-mail: joe@joedysart.com
Website: www.joedysart.com  

 

SEMA News - June 2010 

A New Emphasis on Facebook

By Joe Dysart

	Before investing in any web analytics solution, you’ll probably want to give Google Analytics a try, since the online service is free.

With Facebook often besting Google these days as the most visited site on the web, it’s no surprise that makers of web analytics software are scrambling to develop new apps aimed at scrutinizing visitor activity there. Specifically, three of the top web analytics software makers are already rolling out modules that companies can use to better discern how visitors are interacting on their Facebook pages. And more software makers are expected to follow suit in the months to come. 

Like traditional web analytics software, the add-ons enable firms to determine which of their Facebook pages are most popular, which content and media on their Facebook pages are most popular, which search engines are sending the most visitors to their Facebook pages—as well as digging into a full spectrum of other activities that, taken together, reveal the overall efficacy of a company’s Facebook presence. Coremetrics, for example, has created a special Facebook app that measures sales, orders and other conversion events on a company’s Facebook page.

“Given consumers’ extensive adoption and deep engagement with Facebook, it is critical for marketers to have a clearly measurable understanding of how their customers are engaging on Facebook in the context of their total online presence,” said John Squire, Coremetrics’ chief strategy officer.

Omniture has a similar Facebook app in development. It will help companies automate the process of media buying as well as provide analytics on visitor/customer interaction with a company’s Facebook presence.

“Working with us, Omniture has been able to develop a rich and immersive set of tools that will help our clients better understand the value of their Facebook advertising campaigns,” said Dan Rose, Facebook’s vice president of business development and monetization. “By creating a single dashboard to plan, deliver and measure campaigns, Omniture can make advertising on Facebook easier and ultimately increase return on investment for clients.”

And Webtrends has a new Facebook module that can determine, among other things, whether visitor interactions on Twitter are ultimately driving those visitors to the company’s Facebook page. The app also verifies whether any sales or other interactions unfold once Twitter visitors get to Facebook.

“We are so proactive in talking about Facebook measurement because it’s a critical area of growth for our customers,” said Jascha Kaykas-Wolff, Webtrends’ vice president of marketing. “The new capabilities we have developed were shown at our recent user conference, Engage 2010, earlier this month, and we have several implementations underway. To meet our users needs and keep up with the rate of change in this space, we have a series of capabilities we’re adding to Webtrends Analytics that will be released in the near term and on an ongoing basis.”

Meanwhile, in another sign of the continuing metamorphosis of online marketing, web analytics makers are also striving to come up with new modules designed to track visitor use of web video—no matter where that video is viewed. For example, Omniture has expanded its video analytics module to include analysis of web video offered on websites that are optimized for smart phones and other web devices—including video that is embedded in mobile iPhone applications.

“As consumers continue to respond well to online video, more and more companies want to understand how best to leverage video to create a more engaging mobile application or mobile website,” said Matt Langie, director of product marketing for the Omniture business unit. “This new mobile video measurement capability within SiteCatalyst gives marketers the insight they need in order to know which mobile video strategies are working and which need to be optimized to create better experiences for their consumers and to increase their appeal to advertisers with a measurable, optimized mobile video channel.”

Also focusing on added video capabilities is web analytics maker Nedstadt. It’s latest video module enables firms to measure the impact of Internet video that is viewed on Internet-ready televisions—a relatively new consumer electronics product. “Internet video on television is a new way of consuming content,” said Thomas Pottjegort, a senior technical architect at Nedstat. “It is important for our customers to have insight into usage of this new and upcoming platform.”

While there are dozens of web analytics packages on the market, only five are considered leaders in their field, according to Forrester, a market research firm that has been assessing web analytics software for years now. Those market leaders are Coremetrics Analytics by Coremetrics; Sitestat by Nedstat; Omniture SiteCatalyst by Omniture; Unica Affinium NetInsight by Unica; and Webtrends by Webtrends.

“These leading vendors offer the flexibility of near-limitless customization and the ability to meet client needs on many levels,” said Carlton A. Doty, a co-author of The Forrester Wave: Web Analytics Q3 2009, which was released last September.

Specifically, here’s why Forrester liked the top five vendors:

Omniture: “Omniture leads the web analytics industry in its core data handling, reporting and analysis capabilities as well as through its ever-growing set of ancillary marketing applications,”
Doty said.

Coremetrics: “While Coremetrics is relatively small in total client count, it offers oversized capabilities that include its ability to handle data efficiently, customize reporting and analysis and integrate with multiple marketing functions,” Doty said. Coremetrics clients also expressed satisfaction levels higher than those for any other company evaluated.

Unica: “The Unica Affinium NetInsight offering is one of the most flexible and customizable offerings we evaluated,” Doty said. “The company is well-positioned to infuse traditional campaign management with web data, thereby elevating enterprise marketing capabilities through holistic customer intelligence.”

Webtrends: “The company scored high marks because of its ability to create unlimited customer and calculated metrics,” Doty said. Customers also expressed extreme satisfaction overall with the company’s service.

Nedstat: With a stronghold in the European market, Nedstat has earned a reputation for its ability to offer extremely customized versions of its software packages. During coming months, Nedstat’s goal is to incorporate analysis of e-mail marketing and search marketing into its core product, Doty said.

Besides identifying the top five vendors in its report, Forrester also singled out Google’s Google Analytics as a strong, second-tier product that is nearly as good as any in the top five. The reason for the recognition is a stellar advantage Google has over all others: Google gives away its analytics program absolutely free in an effort to encourage use of other Google fee-based web marketing products such as Google Adwords.

“Google Analytics debuted in our 2007 web analytics evaluation as a contender among a pack of strong performers,” Doty said. “Since then, it has significantly enhanced its enterprise capabilities with numerous product roll-outs, such as the ability to create custom reports, perform advanced segmentation and visualize data using an interface tool.”

Google Analytics’ most recent revamp also coincided with the release of an excellent guidebook to getting the most from the online service, Brian Clifton’s Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics, Second Edition.

“Web analytics is a thermometer for your website—constantly checking and monitoring your online health,” Clifton said. “As a methodology, it is the study of online experience in order to improve it. Without it, you are flying blind. How else would you determine whether your search-engine marketing is effective or whether negative blog comments are hindering conversions?”

Bottom line: Before investing in any web analytics solution, you’ll probably want to give Google Analytics a try since the online service is free and, for the price, fairly sophisticated.

Besides Clifton’s book, you can get help on using Google Analytics with a number of informative videos that the company offers online. They illustrate how various features of its solution work and provide a decent introduction to how web analytics works in general.

For a bead on the overall web analytics market, there are also a number of market research firms you can check with, including Forrester, IDC and Gartner. All regularly issue in-depth reports on the state of the web analytics market.

For one of the most comprehensive looks at web analytics, definitely check out CMS Watch (www.cmswatch.com/research/channel/analytics). The company is known for its intense, ongoing scrutiny of the web analytics market and offers continually updated reports on virtually all changes in the market.  

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan, New York.
Voice: 646/233-4089
E-mail: joe@joedysart.com
Website: www.joedysart.com  

 

SEMA News - June 2010 

A New Emphasis on Facebook

By Joe Dysart

	Before investing in any web analytics solution, you’ll probably want to give Google Analytics a try, since the online service is free.

With Facebook often besting Google these days as the most visited site on the web, it’s no surprise that makers of web analytics software are scrambling to develop new apps aimed at scrutinizing visitor activity there. Specifically, three of the top web analytics software makers are already rolling out modules that companies can use to better discern how visitors are interacting on their Facebook pages. And more software makers are expected to follow suit in the months to come. 

Like traditional web analytics software, the add-ons enable firms to determine which of their Facebook pages are most popular, which content and media on their Facebook pages are most popular, which search engines are sending the most visitors to their Facebook pages—as well as digging into a full spectrum of other activities that, taken together, reveal the overall efficacy of a company’s Facebook presence. Coremetrics, for example, has created a special Facebook app that measures sales, orders and other conversion events on a company’s Facebook page.

“Given consumers’ extensive adoption and deep engagement with Facebook, it is critical for marketers to have a clearly measurable understanding of how their customers are engaging on Facebook in the context of their total online presence,” said John Squire, Coremetrics’ chief strategy officer.

Omniture has a similar Facebook app in development. It will help companies automate the process of media buying as well as provide analytics on visitor/customer interaction with a company’s Facebook presence.

“Working with us, Omniture has been able to develop a rich and immersive set of tools that will help our clients better understand the value of their Facebook advertising campaigns,” said Dan Rose, Facebook’s vice president of business development and monetization. “By creating a single dashboard to plan, deliver and measure campaigns, Omniture can make advertising on Facebook easier and ultimately increase return on investment for clients.”

And Webtrends has a new Facebook module that can determine, among other things, whether visitor interactions on Twitter are ultimately driving those visitors to the company’s Facebook page. The app also verifies whether any sales or other interactions unfold once Twitter visitors get to Facebook.

“We are so proactive in talking about Facebook measurement because it’s a critical area of growth for our customers,” said Jascha Kaykas-Wolff, Webtrends’ vice president of marketing. “The new capabilities we have developed were shown at our recent user conference, Engage 2010, earlier this month, and we have several implementations underway. To meet our users needs and keep up with the rate of change in this space, we have a series of capabilities we’re adding to Webtrends Analytics that will be released in the near term and on an ongoing basis.”

Meanwhile, in another sign of the continuing metamorphosis of online marketing, web analytics makers are also striving to come up with new modules designed to track visitor use of web video—no matter where that video is viewed. For example, Omniture has expanded its video analytics module to include analysis of web video offered on websites that are optimized for smart phones and other web devices—including video that is embedded in mobile iPhone applications.

“As consumers continue to respond well to online video, more and more companies want to understand how best to leverage video to create a more engaging mobile application or mobile website,” said Matt Langie, director of product marketing for the Omniture business unit. “This new mobile video measurement capability within SiteCatalyst gives marketers the insight they need in order to know which mobile video strategies are working and which need to be optimized to create better experiences for their consumers and to increase their appeal to advertisers with a measurable, optimized mobile video channel.”

Also focusing on added video capabilities is web analytics maker Nedstadt. It’s latest video module enables firms to measure the impact of Internet video that is viewed on Internet-ready televisions—a relatively new consumer electronics product. “Internet video on television is a new way of consuming content,” said Thomas Pottjegort, a senior technical architect at Nedstat. “It is important for our customers to have insight into usage of this new and upcoming platform.”

While there are dozens of web analytics packages on the market, only five are considered leaders in their field, according to Forrester, a market research firm that has been assessing web analytics software for years now. Those market leaders are Coremetrics Analytics by Coremetrics; Sitestat by Nedstat; Omniture SiteCatalyst by Omniture; Unica Affinium NetInsight by Unica; and Webtrends by Webtrends.

“These leading vendors offer the flexibility of near-limitless customization and the ability to meet client needs on many levels,” said Carlton A. Doty, a co-author of The Forrester Wave: Web Analytics Q3 2009, which was released last September.

Specifically, here’s why Forrester liked the top five vendors:

Omniture: “Omniture leads the web analytics industry in its core data handling, reporting and analysis capabilities as well as through its ever-growing set of ancillary marketing applications,”
Doty said.

Coremetrics: “While Coremetrics is relatively small in total client count, it offers oversized capabilities that include its ability to handle data efficiently, customize reporting and analysis and integrate with multiple marketing functions,” Doty said. Coremetrics clients also expressed satisfaction levels higher than those for any other company evaluated.

Unica: “The Unica Affinium NetInsight offering is one of the most flexible and customizable offerings we evaluated,” Doty said. “The company is well-positioned to infuse traditional campaign management with web data, thereby elevating enterprise marketing capabilities through holistic customer intelligence.”

Webtrends: “The company scored high marks because of its ability to create unlimited customer and calculated metrics,” Doty said. Customers also expressed extreme satisfaction overall with the company’s service.

Nedstat: With a stronghold in the European market, Nedstat has earned a reputation for its ability to offer extremely customized versions of its software packages. During coming months, Nedstat’s goal is to incorporate analysis of e-mail marketing and search marketing into its core product, Doty said.

Besides identifying the top five vendors in its report, Forrester also singled out Google’s Google Analytics as a strong, second-tier product that is nearly as good as any in the top five. The reason for the recognition is a stellar advantage Google has over all others: Google gives away its analytics program absolutely free in an effort to encourage use of other Google fee-based web marketing products such as Google Adwords.

“Google Analytics debuted in our 2007 web analytics evaluation as a contender among a pack of strong performers,” Doty said. “Since then, it has significantly enhanced its enterprise capabilities with numerous product roll-outs, such as the ability to create custom reports, perform advanced segmentation and visualize data using an interface tool.”

Google Analytics’ most recent revamp also coincided with the release of an excellent guidebook to getting the most from the online service, Brian Clifton’s Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics, Second Edition.

“Web analytics is a thermometer for your website—constantly checking and monitoring your online health,” Clifton said. “As a methodology, it is the study of online experience in order to improve it. Without it, you are flying blind. How else would you determine whether your search-engine marketing is effective or whether negative blog comments are hindering conversions?”

Bottom line: Before investing in any web analytics solution, you’ll probably want to give Google Analytics a try since the online service is free and, for the price, fairly sophisticated.

Besides Clifton’s book, you can get help on using Google Analytics with a number of informative videos that the company offers online. They illustrate how various features of its solution work and provide a decent introduction to how web analytics works in general.

For a bead on the overall web analytics market, there are also a number of market research firms you can check with, including Forrester, IDC and Gartner. All regularly issue in-depth reports on the state of the web analytics market.

For one of the most comprehensive looks at web analytics, definitely check out CMS Watch (www.cmswatch.com/research/channel/analytics). The company is known for its intense, ongoing scrutiny of the web analytics market and offers continually updated reports on virtually all changes in the market.  

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan, New York.
Voice: 646/233-4089
E-mail: joe@joedysart.com
Website: www.joedysart.com  

 

	The 2010 Dealer Day Conference will feature an operations panel to provide insight into the challenges confronting dealers.

Vehicle dealers attending the 2010 Dealer Day Conference, Wednesday, November 3, 2010 from 8:30 a.m.–1:45 p.m., at the Las Vegas Convention Center, will learn what others in the industry are doing and what works best given their business model.

This year’s Dealer Day will focus on accessory integration, sales and profit and will also provide participants with a “how-to” manual that outlines best practices and guidelines for dealer accessory programs.

A key component to this year’s Dealer Day will be an operations panel consisting of a dealer principal or general manager, a service manager, a parts manager, a new- and used-car sales manager, an office manager and a finance manager.

Questions will be asked from the perspective of an experienced accessory manager. This diverse panel will provide insight into the inner workings and challenges confronting every dealer.

There are generally four basic approaches to operating an accessory program within a dealer:

• Third Party: An outside company facilitates the entire operation and is responsible for inventory, installation, spiffs and management. The dealer benefits from this method through a rebate program and has minimum risk.

• Dedicated In-House: The dealer assumes all responsibility and controls the entire scope of operations. There is a dedicated accessory manager who facilitates all sales and service. All expenses (installations, inventory, labor, pay-roll, insurance) are born by the dealer. Also, the tire department usually falls under the umbrella of the accessory department. These programs generally offer a higher return on investment but also carry increased liability and the potential for obsolete and bloated inventory levels.

• Parts: The parts department acts a liaison between the front and back end and is responsible for ordering accessories. Installation methods vary.

• Get-Ready Manager: The get-ready manager coordinates accessory sales between sales, service and parts. He or she basically schedules installations. The scope of responsibility may vary, but this person is generally controlled through the sales department and ensures that any “we-owe/due-bill” work owed to the new- or used-car customer is completed.

The dealer approach is often determined by the following factors:

• Size and volume of dealer
• Car lines offered
• Shop capacity

Regardless of the chosen approach, success dictates that the dealer have a clear vision of the products and services they want to offer, create functional policies around that vision and then firmly commit to said approach.

Advanced registration**: $99 by October 17, 2010
Onsite registration**: $149 after October 17, 2010

** Includes lunch. Does NOT include required SEMA Show registration of $25 by October 17, 2010, or $75 after October 17, 2010.

Click here to register for the 2010 SEMA Show.