From the Dealer Communications family to yours, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

As the final days of 2012 pass, we look forward to providing franchised dealerships with the tools, resources, strategies and ideas to sell and service more vehicles more profitably in 2013.

This holiday season you don’t even need to leave your dealership to learn the industry’s best practices and proven digital marketing strategies to increase your revenue and profits next year. Right from your desk, get inspired for the year to come. Learn how to win more customers online with the latest Google and Facebook strategies. Review SEO and SEM techniques to maximize conversions and discover what still works with Google’s new search parameters. Explore the dynamics of customer behavior and developments in search and Social Media marketing. Consider the future of your dealership, parts e-Commerce and maximize used vehicle ROI. Or review Internet marketing fundamentals to attract more customers to your lot. Through January 11, 2013 log on to the Digital Dealer Virtual Exposition at www.DDVirtualExpo.com for free 24/7 access to the top eleven sessions from the 13^th Digital Dealer on demand and peruse virtual exhibits from over 75 technology-focused exhibitors. There is great material for every department in your dealership to customize the ideal digital marketing strategy for 2013.

In addition to the Digital Dealer Virtual Exposition, plans for industry’s premier digital strategy conference, the 14^th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition, are well underway. The speaker process has begun and applications will be due by January 18^th. The educational curriculum has been further segmented into a series of nine tracks, offering attending dealers and managers the opportunity to customize a learning experience based on their own improvement needs.

Here is a glimpse of what each track will offer:

• Data & Analytics – discussing concepts from the big data movement, showing dealerships what to measure, when to measure it, and what to do with the data to gain an advantage. Big data is one of today’s hottest topics.  Our speakers will explore how it affects dealers and how data is changing the competitive landscape across many industries.
• Management –focusing on the needs of owners, dealer principals and general managers. Big picture items will be explored that drive the future direction of the dealership, such as how to hire, train, grow leadership and market to a new wave of customers in Gen Y.
• Social Media – covering the latest techniques on how to utilize social media to engage, attract and retain more customers.
• Digital Marketing – exploring best practices in SEO, SEM, website development and conversions, CRM and more.
• New Sales – sharing ideas for attracting more customers to the dealership lot and proven techniques to sell more units.  Leading trainers in the industry will be sharing their secrets.
• Pre-owned Sales – focusing on maximizing ROI, best practices for auctions and how to sell more pre-owned vehicles.
• Reputation & Loyalty – dedicated to strategies for reputation management and customer loyalty programs that build active customers.
• CRM & Telephony – covering development of dealership programs to generate new business.
• Fixed Operations – specific to the needs of the parts and service department and many ways to increase revenue and boost the bottom line in this critical dealership profit center, including how to bring more of the fixed operations process online.

Each of the sessions within these tracks will be designated as Fundamental, Intermediate or Advanced.

“The goal of our educational program is to provide high-quality and forward-thinking content to our dealership attendees” states James Apistolas, Director of Conference & Education programs. “Our highest-rated speakers understand dealers and managers are looking for unique and relevant information that they can’t find anywhere else. At the 14^th Digital Dealer we will showcase a selection of industry thought leaders who are truly experts in their fields and that deliver actionable strategies for franchised dealerships. The best speakers demonstrate their concepts by example. At the Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition we don’t just tell dealerships what they need to do to sell and service more vehicles more profitably, we show them HOW to do it.”

For questions and more detail on the 14^th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition speaker application process visit:

http://www.digitaldealerconference.com/speak/

Or contact James Apistolas, Director of Conference and Education programs at

[email protected] or 703-297-7831.

Click on a title below to be directed directly to the Digital Dealer Virtual Exposition where you can view the following sessions and more:

• Fine-tuning your Online Marketing
• Dealership Facebook Marketing 2013
• Advanced SEO for Dealers
• Mastering the Art and Science of Website Conversion
• SEM: $300,000 Difference Per Year to the Bottom Line
• New Trends in Search and Social Marketing
• How to Hook Shoppers Online, and Buyers on the Lot
• The Digital Crisis that is Slowly Killing your Dealership
• The Fundamentals of Online Automotive Marketing
• Blending Science and Strategy to Maximize Used Vehicle ROI
• Parts e-Commerce – A Dealer Guide

Or check out leading solutions providers in the Virtual Exhibit Hall (you will need to log in to view):

• Auction Tools
• BDC Tools & Training
• CRM & DMS
• Classifieds & Marketing Agency
• Chat Tools
• E-mail Newsletters and Marketing
• F&I Tools & Training
• Fixed Ops Marketing
• HR Management & Training
• Inventory Management
• Lead Generation & Sales Tools
• Mobile Marketing & Mobile Apps
• Optimization (PPC, SEM, SEO)/Search Marketing
• Reputation Management
• Social Media
• Telephone Training & Tracking
• Valuation & Re-marketing
• Video Tools an Marketing
• Website Development