Bloghttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41.aspxAutomotive Advertising Blog - Herman Advertising is a Full Service Automotive Advertising Agency. Specialists with Digital, Social, and Traditional Automotive Advertising and Automotive Marketing.support@vestadigital.com (Automotive Advertising - Herman Advertising)support@viestly.com (Vesta Digital)Mon, 20 May 2013 02:11:03 GMTMon, 20 May 2013 02:11:03 GMTViestly60The Top Car Technologies Voted By Car Buyershttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/299-the-top-car-technologies-voted-by-car-buyers.aspx
A J.D. Power Report discussed car buyers’ favorite technological advances when it comes to their vehicles. We all play victim to the vast power and influence of electronics. From the DVR recorder in our homes we use to record shows like Desperate Housewives and Top Gear, to the iPad that sits on our lap at the dinner table, we’re all connected in one way or the other. At the dealership, we love new technology. So, according to J.D. Power and Associates, these are the top 10 technologies car buyers’ need:
  • Run-flat tires – these tires protect you from a flat by providing an additional 50 miles at 50 mph to get to a gas station after your tire pops.
  • Navigation Systems – an in-dash navigation system is a great tool for finding your away around. Use this to find local restaurants, navigate a new city, and in some cases, avoid traffic.
  • Premium Surround Sound System – everyone can appreciate a great sound system. How else can you listen to Michael Jackson’s Thriller at full blast?
  • Back-up Assist – SUVs are especially avid at including these. Back-up assist acts as a rear-view camera that boosts your visibility when backing up. Great for avoiding objects like bicycles and other vehicles.
  • Heated/Cooled Seats – These seats have small “pinholes” that emit cool (or hot) air to flow from a fan or air condition unit embedded in the seats. 
  • Keyless Entry System – Keyless entry is easy because the small keyless sensor stays in your pocket or purse, allowing you to start your car remotely. By being in close proximity you can unlock dorrs and push a button on the dash to start your engine. 
    These are just a few of the tech that people need to have, for the full list visit http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-tech.pg,0,5168532.photogallery

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersWed, 01 May 2013 21:57:32 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/299-the-top-car-technologies-voted-by-car-buyers.aspxHow to Buy a New Car in 24 Hourshttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/291-how-to-buy-a-new-car-in-24-hours.aspx

Contrary to popular belief, many potential buyers dread the car buying experience (cue sarcasm). They feel it’s too long, redundant, and that sales people are trying to take advantage of their good nature. Our dealership is different. We make your car buying experience fun and enlightening. So, in today’s blog, we’re providing a way to purchase your dream car in one day. 

1. Find Your Dream Ride

Check out our inventory online to find your perfect fit. Narrow your search down to color, trim level and the options you desire in an easy quick to use inventory system.

2. Make a Deal

Call us up and speak to our Internet Manager. During your chat, ask for our pricing and double-check with us for any incentives or rebates for the vehicle you’ve fallen in love with.

3. Arrange Delivery

So, you’ve found the perfect car, the price is within your means you’re good to ride off into the sunset. Don’t cue those closing credits just yet. Now, you can setup an appointment to close the deal in our dealership. To speed up the paperwork, just ask us what documentation you’ll need, as well as completing a credit app on our website. When you come in, just ask us to give you the demonstration of your vehicle. We’ll show you all of the cool new technology your car offers, how to use certain settings, and answer any questions that you might have about your vehicle. If you’re pressed for time, just bring your new car in a week later for a detailed briefing. By then, you’ll probably have a few questions to ask our car gurus. 

We understand that a car purchase is a big decision, but it CAN be done quickly with little to no stress. Follow the above tasks and you’ll be driving off in your new vehicle in a jiffy! 

Tell us about your best car buying experience below: 

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersWed, 17 Apr 2013 20:31:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/291-how-to-buy-a-new-car-in-24-hours.aspxSprout Social Review – Social Media Management in 2013http://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/290-sprout-social-review-social-media-management-in-2013.aspxDigital marketers harness the power of brands and local businesses by giving a “voice” to their online presence through the avenue of social media. By doing so, they provide insight into the company philosophy, deliver direct feedback to consumers and create an online conversation that can result in direct engagement and ROI.

However, questions still remain. With the emergence of social media…

HOW are Marketers Measuring influence?
HOW are Marketers Managing YOUR Social Media Presence?

There are countless tools available for those looking to dive into marketing their business, but how can YOU decipher which ones are truly worth the time invested. As a marketer who’s delved head first into dozens of management systems, this Sprout Social review should be a pivotal weapon in your marketing arsenal.

Sprout Social Wings and Fly

Sprout Social is an integral social media management tool that combines the power of:

Analytics – reports combine engagement, impressions, shares and the demographics of your fans, followers and influencers. Now, you can gauge which posts are the most influential, tailor your message to your most prominent demographic and know where to pick up ad spend on social media platforms that aren’t warranting the engagement you’re looking to achieve.
Social Feed Aggregation – the ability to see your Facebook newsfeed, Twitter feed and RSS feed reader integration on one scrolling screen. This simplifies your efforts by having all of your social media updates fed into one location. Say goodbye to switching tabs in your browser.
Social Media Publishing – post directly on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles from the Sprout Social dashboard.
Team Management – manage team members and review posts before they’re pushed to sites.

Using Sprout Social – “Intuitive” is My Middle Name
Sprout Social offers a FREE 30-day trial for skeptics, which I used to my full advantage to immerse myself into the system. A link to sign up is right HERE. When you sign in for the first time, Sprout Social will walk you through a series of steps to add in your social media accounts. Once that is completed, Sprout Social takes some time to analyze your online situation and populate your Dashboard accordingly.

After a few minutes, you’ll be able to see, in real-time, the influence of your social media properties. The dashboard main page pulls up a summary of your presence at the top left, providing a screenshot of what you’ve been up to online. It’s a great way to see the landscape before you decide to make any posts. From this location, you can visit your available tabs (located at the top navigation) or, scroll down to see quick snapshots of your connected accounts. Sprout Social provides a quick score (for Twitter and Facebook) that indicates how well you’re communicating with your audience. The higher your score number, the more valuable your audience to your business.

Know Your Surroundings

The Messages tab does a great job of aggregating recent messages you’ve posted, comments by others and interactions from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn on one feed. Here, you can assign tasks to other interaction members, see your sent messages from today, yesterday, or by week and month in one easy tab. The Messages tab does a superb job of making recent post interactions visible on multiple platforms.

Like other social media management tools like Hootsuite and Wildfire, Sprout Social allows its users to publish their posts via the social media dashboard. This eliminates visiting individual social media platforms and posting directly.

Now, you can:

  • Schedule posts for the future
  • Send a quick post to Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn platforms
  • Quickly add content while browsing the web by installing the Google Chrome Extension
  • Utilize a built in RSS Reader to make finding content to share easy!
  • However, be forewarned, using a third party application to update your Facebook Page may be convenient, but Facebook is minimizing its impact in your fans’ news feed. Your messaging isn’t factored into Facebook’s Edgerank. ALWAYS post directly to Facebook, you can learn how to schedule Facebook messages on Facebook’s HELP pages.
Discover Who Your Influencers Are

The Discovery tab on the Dashboard provides an overview of individual Twitter accounts. Visit your recent suggestions of who to follow, cleanup Twitter spammers who have little to no activity online or perform a smart search based on keyword terms around your business to find advocates of your brand. The Discovery tab makes it easy to increase your Twitter presence with just a few tabs.

Report Your Social Media & Prove ROI

For online marketers looking to justify their social media marketing efforts, the Reports tab is an important tool in your arsenal. This is where Sprout Social outshines the competition. As a user who has generated reports from other competitors, Sprout has the most in-depth comparisons.

You can combine accounts to see group stats of clients you’re managing in an easy printable PDF/CSV format that reveals:

  • Group Stats – includes incoming message stats and more…
  • Engagement Report – provides metrics based on replies sent from profiles within the group you specify.
  • Twitter Stats – demographics of your followers, new followers in a time period, and your daily engagement.
  • Facebook Stats – see your new fans, page impressions and the demographics of your current followers.
  • This report is customizable by specific date ranges and can be saved in a PDF and .CSV format for clients.
For more in-depth reports, Sprout Social provides:

Facebook Pages Reports

The Facebook Pages Report has all of the pivotal information marketers need to prove ROI. Stats include: impressions, check-ins, demographics, fan locations, shared messages, popular post days, and a content breakdown of the most popular posts. This report is a thorough culmination of your Facebook marketing message and should provide an integral view into what’s working on your page.

Are you not receiving enough engagement on your posts? Look at the content breakdown for messages that ARE working and emulate the formula in future posts.

Is a day of the week getting little to no engagement? Increase your messaging and target your users with more content during a popular time on that day.

With the Facebook Reports as a guide, Sprout Social helps users create marketing efforts around their findings.
Twitter Reports (w/comparison to ANY Twitter account)

With Twitter reporting, measure your key indicators of engagement and influence with your audience, create your marketing and messaging around the demographics of your followers and see what messages you’re sending are receiving the most mentions and retweets. Also, compare your Twitter profiles to competitors. See what they’re doing better and what’s NOT working to better conducting your marketing efforts.

The intuitive use of Sprout Social sets it apart from the competition. It’s a simple, effective way to manage your social media efforts. However, every product is never without its short-comings. Google integration and publishing is NOT available on Sprout Social. So, posting to Google+ takes additional effort on the marketer’s part to increase their social media gamut. Sprout Social is not meant to be and end all be all social media management system, but it is mant to conduct a good percentage of your efforts. With the reporting, messages, and publishing efforts of the platform, it’s a great tool for social media ROI and engagement.

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersMon, 18 Mar 2013 22:38:04 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/290-sprout-social-review-social-media-management-in-2013.aspxSprout Social Review – Social Media Management in 2013http://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/289-sprout-social-review-social-media-management-in-2013.aspxDigital marketers harness the power of brands and local businesses by giving a “voice” to their online presence through the avenue of social media. By doing so, they provide insight into the company philosophy, deliver direct feedback to consumers and create an online conversation that can result in direct engagement and ROI.

However, questions still remain. With the emergence of social media…

HOW are Marketers Measuring influence?
HOW are Marketers Managing YOUR Social Media Presence?

There are countless tools available for those looking to dive into marketing their business, but how can YOU decipher which ones are truly worth the time invested. As a marketer who’s delved head first into dozens of management systems, this Sprout Social review should be a pivotal weapon in your marketing arsenal.

Sprout Social Wings and Fly

Sprout Social is an integral social media management tool that combines the power of:

Analytics – reports combine engagement, impressions, shares and the demographics of your fans, followers and influencers. Now, you can gauge which posts are the most influential, tailor your message to your most prominent demographic and know where to pick up ad spend on social media platforms that aren’t warranting the engagement you’re looking to achieve.
Social Feed Aggregation – the ability to see your Facebook newsfeed, Twitter feed and RSS feed reader integration on one scrolling screen. This simplifies your efforts by having all of your social media updates fed into one location. Say goodbye to switching tabs in your browser.
Social Media Publishing – post directly on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles from the Sprout Social dashboard.
Team Management – manage team members and review posts before they’re pushed to sites.

Using Sprout Social – “Intuitive” is My Middle Name
Sprout Social offers a FREE 30-day trial for skeptics, which I used to my full advantage to immerse myself into the system. A link to sign up is right HERE. When you sign in for the first time, Sprout Social will walk you through a series of steps to add in your social media accounts. Once that is completed, Sprout Social takes some time to analyze your online situation and populate your Dashboard accordingly.

After a few minutes, you’ll be able to see, in real-time, the influence of your social media properties. The dashboard main page pulls up a summary of your presence at the top left, providing a screenshot of what you’ve been up to online. It’s a great way to see the landscape before you decide to make any posts. From this location, you can visit your available tabs (located at the top navigation) or, scroll down to see quick snapshots of your connected accounts. Sprout Social provides a quick score (for Twitter and Facebook) that indicates how well you’re communicating with your audience. The higher your score number, the more valuable your audience to your business.

Know Your Surroundings

The Messages tab does a great job of aggregating recent messages you’ve posted, comments by others and interactions from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn on one feed. Here, you can assign tasks to other interaction members, see your sent messages from today, yesterday, or by week and month in one easy tab. The Messages tab does a superb job of making recent post interactions visible on multiple platforms.

Like other social media management tools like Hootsuite and Wildfire, Sprout Social allows its users to publish their posts via the social media dashboard. This eliminates visiting individual social media platforms and posting directly.

Now, you can:

  • Schedule posts for the future
  • Send a quick post to Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn platforms
  • Quickly add content while browsing the web by installing the Google Chrome Extension
  • Utilize a built in RSS Reader to make finding content to share easy!
  • However, be forewarned, using a third party application to update your Facebook Page may be convenient, but Facebook is minimizing its impact in your fans’ news feed. Your messaging isn’t factored into Facebook’s Edgerank. ALWAYS post directly to Facebook, you can learn how to schedule Facebook messages on Facebook’s HELP pages.
Discover Who Your Influencers Are

The Discovery tab on the Dashboard provides an overview of individual Twitter accounts. Visit your recent suggestions of who to follow, cleanup Twitter spammers who have little to no activity online or perform a smart search based on keyword terms around your business to find advocates of your brand. The Discovery tab makes it easy to increase your Twitter presence with just a few tabs.

Report Your Social Media & Prove ROI

For online marketers looking to justify their social media marketing efforts, the Reports tab is an important tool in your arsenal. This is where Sprout Social outshines the competition. As a user who has generated reports from other competitors, Sprout has the most in-depth comparisons.

You can combine accounts to see group stats of clients you’re managing in an easy printable PDF/CSV format that reveals:

  • Group Stats – includes incoming message stats and more…
  • Engagement Report – provides metrics based on replies sent from profiles within the group you specify.
  • Twitter Stats – demographics of your followers, new followers in a time period, and your daily engagement.
  • Facebook Stats – see your new fans, page impressions and the demographics of your current followers.
  • This report is customizable by specific date ranges and can be saved in a PDF and .CSV format for clients.
For more in-depth reports, Sprout Social provides:

Facebook Pages Reports

The Facebook Pages Report has all of the pivotal information marketers need to prove ROI. Stats include: impressions, check-ins, demographics, fan locations, shared messages, popular post days, and a content breakdown of the most popular posts. This report is a thorough culmination of your Facebook marketing message and should provide an integral view into what’s working on your page.

Are you not receiving enough engagement on your posts? Look at the content breakdown for messages that ARE working and emulate the formula in future posts.

Is a day of the week getting little to no engagement? Increase your messaging and target your users with more content during a popular time on that day.

With the Facebook Reports as a guide, Sprout Social helps users create marketing efforts around their findings.
Twitter Reports (w/comparison to ANY Twitter account)

With Twitter reporting, measure your key indicators of engagement and influence with your audience, create your marketing and messaging around the demographics of your followers and see what messages you’re sending are receiving the most mentions and retweets. Also, compare your Twitter profiles to competitors. See what they’re doing better and what’s NOT working to better conducting your marketing efforts.

The intuitive use of Sprout Social sets it apart from the competition. It’s a simple, effective way to manage your social media efforts. However, every product is never without its short-comings. Google integration and publishing is NOT available on Sprout Social. So, posting to Google+ takes additional effort on the marketer’s part to increase their social media gamut. Sprout Social is not meant to be and end all be all social media management system, but it is mant to conduct a good percentage of your efforts. With the reporting, messages, and publishing efforts of the platform, it’s a great tool for social media ROI and engagement.

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersMon, 18 Mar 2013 22:37:16 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/289-sprout-social-review-social-media-management-in-2013.aspxSprout Social Review – Social Media Management in 2013http://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/288-sprout-social-review-social-media-management-in-2013.aspxDigital marketers harness the power of brands and local businesses by giving a “voice” to their online presence through the avenue of social media. By doing so, they provide insight into the company philosophy, deliver direct feedback to consumers and create an online conversation that can result in direct engagement and ROI.

However, questions still remain. With the emergence of social media…

HOW are Marketers Measuring influence?
HOW are Marketers Managing YOUR Social Media Presence?

There are countless tools available for those looking to dive into marketing their business, but how can YOU decipher which ones are truly worth the time invested. As a marketer who’s delved head first into dozens of management systems, this Sprout Social review should be a pivotal weapon in your marketing arsenal.

Sprout Social Wings and Fly

Sprout Social is an integral social media management tool that combines the power of:

Analytics – reports combine engagement, impressions, shares and the demographics of your fans, followers and influencers. Now, you can gauge which posts are the most influential, tailor your message to your most prominent demographic and know where to pick up ad spend on social media platforms that aren’t warranting the engagement you’re looking to achieve.
Social Feed Aggregation – the ability to see your Facebook newsfeed, Twitter feed and RSS feed reader integration on one scrolling screen. This simplifies your efforts by having all of your social media updates fed into one location. Say goodbye to switching tabs in your browser.
Social Media Publishing – post directly on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles from the Sprout Social dashboard.
Team Management – manage team members and review posts before they’re pushed to sites.

Using Sprout Social – “Intuitive” is My Middle Name
Sprout Social offers a FREE 30-day trial for skeptics, which I used to my full advantage to immerse myself into the system. A link to sign up is right HERE. When you sign in for the first time, Sprout Social will walk you through a series of steps to add in your social media accounts. Once that is completed, Sprout Social takes some time to analyze your online situation and populate your Dashboard accordingly.

After a few minutes, you’ll be able to see, in real-time, the influence of your social media properties. The dashboard main page pulls up a summary of your presence at the top left, providing a screenshot of what you’ve been up to online. It’s a great way to see the landscape before you decide to make any posts. From this location, you can visit your available tabs (located at the top navigation) or, scroll down to see quick snapshots of your connected accounts. Sprout Social provides a quick score (for Twitter and Facebook) that indicates how well you’re communicating with your audience. The higher your score number, the more valuable your audience to your business.

Know Your Surroundings

The Messages tab does a great job of aggregating recent messages you’ve posted, comments by others and interactions from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn on one feed. Here, you can assign tasks to other interaction members, see your sent messages from today, yesterday, or by week and month in one easy tab. The Messages tab does a superb job of making recent post interactions visible on multiple platforms.

Like other social media management tools like Hootsuite and Wildfire, Sprout Social allows its users to publish their posts via the social media dashboard. This eliminates visiting individual social media platforms and posting directly.

Now, you can:

  • Schedule posts for the future
  • Send a quick post to Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn platforms
  • Quickly add content while browsing the web by installing the Google Chrome Extension
  • Utilize a built in RSS Reader to make finding content to share easy!
  • However, be forewarned, using a third party application to update your Facebook Page may be convenient, but Facebook is minimizing its impact in your fans’ news feed. Your messaging isn’t factored into Facebook’s Edgerank. ALWAYS post directly to Facebook, you can learn how to schedule Facebook messages on Facebook’s HELP pages.
Discover Who Your Influencers Are

The Discovery tab on the Dashboard provides an overview of individual Twitter accounts. Visit your recent suggestions of who to follow, cleanup Twitter spammers who have little to no activity online or perform a smart search based on keyword terms around your business to find advocates of your brand. The Discovery tab makes it easy to increase your Twitter presence with just a few tabs.

Report Your Social Media & Prove ROI

For online marketers looking to justify their social media marketing efforts, the Reports tab is an important tool in your arsenal. This is where Sprout Social outshines the competition. As a user who has generated reports from other competitors, Sprout has the most in-depth comparisons.

You can combine accounts to see group stats of clients you’re managing in an easy printable PDF/CSV format that reveals:

  • Group Stats – includes incoming message stats and more…
  • Engagement Report – provides metrics based on replies sent from profiles within the group you specify.
  • Twitter Stats – demographics of your followers, new followers in a time period, and your daily engagement.
  • Facebook Stats – see your new fans, page impressions and the demographics of your current followers.
  • This report is customizable by specific date ranges and can be saved in a PDF and .CSV format for clients.
For more in-depth reports, Sprout Social provides:

Facebook Pages Reports

The Facebook Pages Report has all of the pivotal information marketers need to prove ROI. Stats include: impressions, check-ins, demographics, fan locations, shared messages, popular post days, and a content breakdown of the most popular posts. This report is a thorough culmination of your Facebook marketing message and should provide an integral view into what’s working on your page.

Are you not receiving enough engagement on your posts? Look at the content breakdown for messages that ARE working and emulate the formula in future posts.

Is a day of the week getting little to no engagement? Increase your messaging and target your users with more content during a popular time on that day.

With the Facebook Reports as a guide, Sprout Social helps users create marketing efforts around their findings.
Twitter Reports (w/comparison to ANY Twitter account)

With Twitter reporting, measure your key indicators of engagement and influence with your audience, create your marketing and messaging around the demographics of your followers and see what messages you’re sending are receiving the most mentions and retweets. Also, compare your Twitter profiles to competitors. See what they’re doing better and what’s NOT working to better conducting your marketing efforts.

The intuitive use of Sprout Social sets it apart from the competition. It’s a simple, effective way to manage your social media efforts. However, every product is never without its short-comings. Google integration and publishing is NOT available on Sprout Social. So, posting to Google+ takes additional effort on the marketer’s part to increase their social media gamut. Sprout Social is not meant to be and end all be all social media management system, but it is mant to conduct a good percentage of your efforts. With the reporting, messages, and publishing efforts of the platform, it’s a great tool for social media ROI and engagement.

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersMon, 18 Mar 2013 22:36:51 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/288-sprout-social-review-social-media-management-in-2013.aspxSprout Social Review – Social Media Management in 2013http://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/286-sprout-social-review-social-media-management-in-2013.aspxDigital marketers harness the power of brands and local businesses by giving a “voice” to their online presence through the avenue of social media. By doing so, they provide insight into the company philosophy, deliver direct feedback to consumers and create an online conversation that can result in direct engagement and ROI.

However, questions still remain. With the emergence of social media…

HOW are Marketers Measuring influence?
HOW are Marketers Managing YOUR Social Media Presence?

There are countless tools available for those looking to dive into marketing their business, but how can YOU decipher which ones are truly worth the time invested. As a marketer who’s delved head first into dozens of management systems, this Sprout Social review should be a pivotal weapon in your marketing arsenal.

Sprout Social Wings and Fly

Sprout Social is an integral social media management tool that combines the power of:

Analytics – reports combine engagement, impressions, shares and the demographics of your fans, followers and influencers. Now, you can gauge which posts are the most influential, tailor your message to your most prominent demographic and know where to pick up ad spend on social media platforms that aren’t warranting the engagement you’re looking to achieve.
Social Feed Aggregation – the ability to see your Facebook newsfeed, Twitter feed and RSS feed reader integration on one scrolling screen. This simplifies your efforts by having all of your social media updates fed into one location. Say goodbye to switching tabs in your browser.
Social Media Publishing – post directly on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles from the Sprout Social dashboard.
Team Management – manage team members and review posts before they’re pushed to sites.

Using Sprout Social – “Intuitive” is My Middle Name
Sprout Social offers a FREE 30-day trial for skeptics, which I used to my full advantage to immerse myself into the system. A link to sign up is right HERE. When you sign in for the first time, Sprout Social will walk you through a series of steps to add in your social media accounts. Once that is completed, Sprout Social takes some time to analyze your online situation and populate your Dashboard accordingly.

After a few minutes, you’ll be able to see, in real-time, the influence of your social media properties. The dashboard main page pulls up a summary of your presence at the top left, providing a screenshot of what you’ve been up to online. It’s a great way to see the landscape before you decide to make any posts. From this location, you can visit your available tabs (located at the top navigation) or, scroll down to see quick snapshots of your connected accounts. Sprout Social provides a quick score (for Twitter and Facebook) that indicates how well you’re communicating with your audience. The higher your score number, the more valuable your audience to your business.

Know Your Surroundings

The Messages tab does a great job of aggregating recent messages you’ve posted, comments by others and interactions from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn on one feed. Here, you can assign tasks to other interaction members, see your sent messages from today, yesterday, or by week and month in one easy tab. The Messages tab does a superb job of making recent post interactions visible on multiple platforms.

Like other social media management tools like Hootsuite and Wildfire, Sprout Social allows its users to publish their posts via the social media dashboard. This eliminates visiting individual social media platforms and posting directly.

Now, you can:

  • Schedule posts for the future
  • Send a quick post to Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn platforms
  • Quickly add content while browsing the web by installing the Google Chrome Extension
  • Utilize a built in RSS Reader to make finding content to share easy!
  • However, be forewarned, using a third party application to update your Facebook Page may be convenient, but Facebook is minimizing its impact in your fans’ news feed. Your messaging isn’t factored into Facebook’s Edgerank. ALWAYS post directly to Facebook, you can learn how to schedule Facebook messages on Facebook’s HELP pages.
Discover Who Your Influencers Are

The Discovery tab on the Dashboard provides an overview of individual Twitter accounts. Visit your recent suggestions of who to follow, cleanup Twitter spammers who have little to no activity online or perform a smart search based on keyword terms around your business to find advocates of your brand. The Discovery tab makes it easy to increase your Twitter presence with just a few tabs.

Report Your Social Media & Prove ROI

For online marketers looking to justify their social media marketing efforts, the Reports tab is an important tool in your arsenal. This is where Sprout Social outshines the competition. As a user who has generated reports from other competitors, Sprout has the most in-depth comparisons.

You can combine accounts to see group stats of clients you’re managing in an easy printable PDF/CSV format that reveals:

  • Group Stats – includes incoming message stats and more…
  • Engagement Report – provides metrics based on replies sent from profiles within the group you specify.
  • Twitter Stats – demographics of your followers, new followers in a time period, and your daily engagement.
  • Facebook Stats – see your new fans, page impressions and the demographics of your current followers.
  • This report is customizable by specific date ranges and can be saved in a PDF and .CSV format for clients.
For more in-depth reports, Sprout Social provides:

Facebook Pages Reports

The Facebook Pages Report has all of the pivotal information marketers need to prove ROI. Stats include: impressions, check-ins, demographics, fan locations, shared messages, popular post days, and a content breakdown of the most popular posts. This report is a thorough culmination of your Facebook marketing message and should provide an integral view into what’s working on your page.

Are you not receiving enough engagement on your posts? Look at the content breakdown for messages that ARE working and emulate the formula in future posts.

Is a day of the week getting little to no engagement? Increase your messaging and target your users with more content during a popular time on that day.

With the Facebook Reports as a guide, Sprout Social helps users create marketing efforts around their findings.
Twitter Reports (w/comparison to ANY Twitter account)

With Twitter reporting, measure your key indicators of engagement and influence with your audience, create your marketing and messaging around the demographics of your followers and see what messages you’re sending are receiving the most mentions and retweets. Also, compare your Twitter profiles to competitors. See what they’re doing better and what’s NOT working to better conducting your marketing efforts.

The intuitive use of Sprout Social sets it apart from the competition. It’s a simple, effective way to manage your social media efforts. However, every product is never without its short-comings. Google integration and publishing is NOT available on Sprout Social. So, posting to Google+ takes additional effort on the marketer’s part to increase their social media gamut. Sprout Social is not meant to be and end all be all social media management system, but it is mant to conduct a good percentage of your efforts. With the reporting, messages, and publishing efforts of the platform, it’s a great tool for social media ROI and engagement.

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersMon, 18 Mar 2013 22:36:21 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/286-sprout-social-review-social-media-management-in-2013.aspxSprout Social Review – Social Media Management in 2013http://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/285-sprout-social-review-social-media-management-in-2013.aspxDigital marketers harness the power of brands and local businesses by giving a “voice” to their online presence through the avenue of social media. By doing so, they provide insight into the company philosophy, deliver direct feedback to consumers and create an online conversation that can result in direct engagement and ROI.

However, questions still remain. With the emergence of social media…

HOW are Marketers Measuring influence?
HOW are Marketers Managing YOUR Social Media Presence?

There are countless tools available for those looking to dive into marketing their business, but how can YOU decipher which ones are truly worth the time invested. As a marketer who’s delved head first into dozens of management systems, this Sprout Social review should be a pivotal weapon in your marketing arsenal.

Sprout Social Wings and Fly

Sprout Social is an integral social media management tool that combines the power of:

Analytics – reports combine engagement, impressions, shares and the demographics of your fans, followers and influencers. Now, you can gauge which posts are the most influential, tailor your message to your most prominent demographic and know where to pick up ad spend on social media platforms that aren’t warranting the engagement you’re looking to achieve.
Social Feed Aggregation – the ability to see your Facebook newsfeed, Twitter feed and RSS feed reader integration on one scrolling screen. This simplifies your efforts by having all of your social media updates fed into one location. Say goodbye to switching tabs in your browser.
Social Media Publishing – post directly on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles from the Sprout Social dashboard.
Team Management – manage team members and review posts before they’re pushed to sites.

Using Sprout Social – “Intuitive” is My Middle Name
Sprout Social offers a FREE 30-day trial for skeptics, which I used to my full advantage to immerse myself into the system. A link to sign up is right HERE. When you sign in for the first time, Sprout Social will walk you through a series of steps to add in your social media accounts. Once that is completed, Sprout Social takes some time to analyze your online situation and populate your Dashboard accordingly.

After a few minutes, you’ll be able to see, in real-time, the influence of your social media properties. The dashboard main page pulls up a summary of your presence at the top left, providing a screenshot of what you’ve been up to online. It’s a great way to see the landscape before you decide to make any posts. From this location, you can visit your available tabs (located at the top navigation) or, scroll down to see quick snapshots of your connected accounts. Sprout Social provides a quick score (for Twitter and Facebook) that indicates how well you’re communicating with your audience. The higher your score number, the more valuable your audience to your business.

Know Your Surroundings

The Messages tab does a great job of aggregating recent messages you’ve posted, comments by others and interactions from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn on one feed. Here, you can assign tasks to other interaction members, see your sent messages from today, yesterday, or by week and month in one easy tab. The Messages tab does a superb job of making recent post interactions visible on multiple platforms.

Like other social media management tools like Hootsuite and Wildfire, Sprout Social allows its users to publish their posts via the social media dashboard. This eliminates visiting individual social media platforms and posting directly.

Now, you can:

  • Schedule posts for the future
  • Send a quick post to Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn platforms
  • Quickly add content while browsing the web by installing the Google Chrome Extension
  • Utilize a built in RSS Reader to make finding content to share easy!
  • However, be forewarned, using a third party application to update your Facebook Page may be convenient, but Facebook is minimizing its impact in your fans’ news feed. Your messaging isn’t factored into Facebook’s Edgerank. ALWAYS post directly to Facebook, you can learn how to schedule Facebook messages on Facebook’s HELP pages.
Discover Who Your Influencers Are

The Discovery tab on the Dashboard provides an overview of individual Twitter accounts. Visit your recent suggestions of who to follow, cleanup Twitter spammers who have little to no activity online or perform a smart search based on keyword terms around your business to find advocates of your brand. The Discovery tab makes it easy to increase your Twitter presence with just a few tabs.

Report Your Social Media & Prove ROI

For online marketers looking to justify their social media marketing efforts, the Reports tab is an important tool in your arsenal. This is where Sprout Social outshines the competition. As a user who has generated reports from other competitors, Sprout has the most in-depth comparisons.

You can combine accounts to see group stats of clients you’re managing in an easy printable PDF/CSV format that reveals:

  • Group Stats – includes incoming message stats and more…
  • Engagement Report – provides metrics based on replies sent from profiles within the group you specify.
  • Twitter Stats – demographics of your followers, new followers in a time period, and your daily engagement.
  • Facebook Stats – see your new fans, page impressions and the demographics of your current followers.
  • This report is customizable by specific date ranges and can be saved in a PDF and .CSV format for clients.
For more in-depth reports, Sprout Social provides:

Facebook Pages Reports

The Facebook Pages Report has all of the pivotal information marketers need to prove ROI. Stats include: impressions, check-ins, demographics, fan locations, shared messages, popular post days, and a content breakdown of the most popular posts. This report is a thorough culmination of your Facebook marketing message and should provide an integral view into what’s working on your page.

Are you not receiving enough engagement on your posts? Look at the content breakdown for messages that ARE working and emulate the formula in future posts.

Is a day of the week getting little to no engagement? Increase your messaging and target your users with more content during a popular time on that day.

With the Facebook Reports as a guide, Sprout Social helps users create marketing efforts around their findings.
Twitter Reports (w/comparison to ANY Twitter account)

With Twitter reporting, measure your key indicators of engagement and influence with your audience, create your marketing and messaging around the demographics of your followers and see what messages you’re sending are receiving the most mentions and retweets. Also, compare your Twitter profiles to competitors. See what they’re doing better and what’s NOT working to better conducting your marketing efforts.

The intuitive use of Sprout Social sets it apart from the competition. It’s a simple, effective way to manage your social media efforts. However, every product is never without its short-comings. Google integration and publishing is NOT available on Sprout Social. So, posting to Google+ takes additional effort on the marketer’s part to increase their social media gamut. Sprout Social is not meant to be and end all be all social media management system, but it is mant to conduct a good percentage of your efforts. With the reporting, messages, and publishing efforts of the platform, it’s a great tool for social media ROI and engagement.

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersMon, 18 Mar 2013 22:35:42 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/285-sprout-social-review-social-media-management-in-2013.aspxSprout Social Review – Social Media Management in 2013http://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/284-sprout-social-review-social-media-management-in-2013.aspxDigital marketers harness the power of brands and local businesses by giving a “voice” to their online presence through the avenue of social media. By doing so, they provide insight into the company philosophy, deliver direct feedback to consumers and create an online conversation that can result in direct engagement and ROI.

However, questions still remain. With the emergence of social media…

HOW are Marketers Measuring influence?
HOW are Marketers Managing YOUR Social Media Presence?

There are countless tools available for those looking to dive into marketing their business, but how can YOU decipher which ones are truly worth the time invested. As a marketer who’s delved head first into dozens of management systems, this Sprout Social review should be a pivotal weapon in your marketing arsenal.

Sprout Social Wings and Fly

Sprout Social is an integral social media management tool that combines the power of:

Analytics – reports combine engagement, impressions, shares and the demographics of your fans, followers and influencers. Now, you can gauge which posts are the most influential, tailor your message to your most prominent demographic and know where to pick up ad spend on social media platforms that aren’t warranting the engagement you’re looking to achieve.
Social Feed Aggregation – the ability to see your Facebook newsfeed, Twitter feed and RSS feed reader integration on one scrolling screen. This simplifies your efforts by having all of your social media updates fed into one location. Say goodbye to switching tabs in your browser.
Social Media Publishing – post directly on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles from the Sprout Social dashboard.
Team Management – manage team members and review posts before they’re pushed to sites.

Using Sprout Social – “Intuitive” is My Middle Name
Sprout Social offers a FREE 30-day trial for skeptics, which I used to my full advantage to immerse myself into the system. A link to sign up is right HERE. When you sign in for the first time, Sprout Social will walk you through a series of steps to add in your social media accounts. Once that is completed, Sprout Social takes some time to analyze your online situation and populate your Dashboard accordingly.

After a few minutes, you’ll be able to see, in real-time, the influence of your social media properties. The dashboard main page pulls up a summary of your presence at the top left, providing a screenshot of what you’ve been up to online. It’s a great way to see the landscape before you decide to make any posts. From this location, you can visit your available tabs (located at the top navigation) or, scroll down to see quick snapshots of your connected accounts. Sprout Social provides a quick score (for Twitter and Facebook) that indicates how well you’re communicating with your audience. The higher your score number, the more valuable your audience to your business.

Know Your Surroundings

The Messages tab does a great job of aggregating recent messages you’ve posted, comments by others and interactions from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn on one feed. Here, you can assign tasks to other interaction members, see your sent messages from today, yesterday, or by week and month in one easy tab. The Messages tab does a superb job of making recent post interactions visible on multiple platforms.

Like other social media management tools like Hootsuite and Wildfire, Sprout Social allows its users to publish their posts via the social media dashboard. This eliminates visiting individual social media platforms and posting directly.

Now, you can:

  • Schedule posts for the future
  • Send a quick post to Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn platforms
  • Quickly add content while browsing the web by installing the Google Chrome Extension
  • Utilize a built in RSS Reader to make finding content to share easy!
  • However, be forewarned, using a third party application to update your Facebook Page may be convenient, but Facebook is minimizing its impact in your fans’ news feed. Your messaging isn’t factored into Facebook’s Edgerank. ALWAYS post directly to Facebook, you can learn how to schedule Facebook messages on Facebook’s HELP pages.
Discover Who Your Influencers Are

The Discovery tab on the Dashboard provides an overview of individual Twitter accounts. Visit your recent suggestions of who to follow, cleanup Twitter spammers who have little to no activity online or perform a smart search based on keyword terms around your business to find advocates of your brand. The Discovery tab makes it easy to increase your Twitter presence with just a few tabs.

Report Your Social Media & Prove ROI

For online marketers looking to justify their social media marketing efforts, the Reports tab is an important tool in your arsenal. This is where Sprout Social outshines the competition. As a user who has generated reports from other competitors, Sprout has the most in-depth comparisons.

You can combine accounts to see group stats of clients you’re managing in an easy printable PDF/CSV format that reveals:

  • Group Stats – includes incoming message stats and more…
  • Engagement Report – provides metrics based on replies sent from profiles within the group you specify.
  • Twitter Stats – demographics of your followers, new followers in a time period, and your daily engagement.
  • Facebook Stats – see your new fans, page impressions and the demographics of your current followers.
  • This report is customizable by specific date ranges and can be saved in a PDF and .CSV format for clients.
For more in-depth reports, Sprout Social provides:

Facebook Pages Reports

The Facebook Pages Report has all of the pivotal information marketers need to prove ROI. Stats include: impressions, check-ins, demographics, fan locations, shared messages, popular post days, and a content breakdown of the most popular posts. This report is a thorough culmination of your Facebook marketing message and should provide an integral view into what’s working on your page.

Are you not receiving enough engagement on your posts? Look at the content breakdown for messages that ARE working and emulate the formula in future posts.

Is a day of the week getting little to no engagement? Increase your messaging and target your users with more content during a popular time on that day.

With the Facebook Reports as a guide, Sprout Social helps users create marketing efforts around their findings.
Twitter Reports (w/comparison to ANY Twitter account)

With Twitter reporting, measure your key indicators of engagement and influence with your audience, create your marketing and messaging around the demographics of your followers and see what messages you’re sending are receiving the most mentions and retweets. Also, compare your Twitter profiles to competitors. See what they’re doing better and what’s NOT working to better conducting your marketing efforts.

The intuitive use of Sprout Social sets it apart from the competition. It’s a simple, effective way to manage your social media efforts. However, every product is never without its short-comings. Google integration and publishing is NOT available on Sprout Social. So, posting to Google+ takes additional effort on the marketer’s part to increase their social media gamut. Sprout Social is not meant to be and end all be all social media management system, but it is mant to conduct a good percentage of your efforts. With the reporting, messages, and publishing efforts of the platform, it’s a great tool for social media ROI and engagement.

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersMon, 18 Mar 2013 22:28:16 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/284-sprout-social-review-social-media-management-in-2013.aspxQuotes From Sales Greats - Herman Advertisinghttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/283-quotes-from-sales-greats-herman-advertising.aspx

The greatest sales people of the world have been an incredible inspiration both B2B as well as B2C for millions of years.   As a tribute to some of them we decided to do a write this blog to inspire you. We’d also like to give you a snapshot of what these innovative executives did to mold how we sell and think today. 


Sales is not a four letter word and never was to any of these outstanding individuals here, they all seemed to shared some similarities in the way they thought. It appears that they chose to live with their perspectives of power and more importantly of. They used a rather rhetorical way of thinking as well as a positive outlook. 


We researched a few of our favorites to see if there were any similarities in their quotes. Nonetheless there is a pattern of dauntless and brave thinking, as well as persisting for victory. 


Here is a list of words shared by some of the Famous Salespeople of the world and how they provoked an audacious and demonstrative drive in those they touched. 


David Ogilvy - “The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.”


Og Mandino - “Always seek out the seed of triumph in every adversity.”


Zig Ziglar - “Your attitude,not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”


Mary Kay Ash - “For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock take a detour.”


John H. Patterson - “Before you try to convince anyone else be sure you are convinced . And if you cannot convince yourself, drop the subject.”


David Carnegie - “Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions,it is governed by our mental attitude.”


Joe Girard - "The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs... one step at a time."


Steve Jobs - “Quality is more important than Quantity, One home run is better than two doubles.”



In order to be the greatest at what you do, you need to think like these people.   Good salespeople not only have great attitudes they understand what ingredients they need to live productive lives. They know it takes persistence, passion, great conversation skills, competitiveness, and a solid plan of staying in touch with their clients. 


They also share the following philosophies:
  • See FROM the customers perspective, not your own
  • Ask the BEST questions
  • Listen with BOTH ears and concentrate
  • Be OBSESSED with time management
  • ALWAYS focus on doing bigger deals

Keeping this mind set is more important than anything else in the world. There’s no doubt that our forefathers and mothers made it in their field with moxie as well as ambition but they never stopped thinking that the customer always comes first! 

Distributed by Viestly

]]>Eve GreyFri, 08 Mar 2013 22:45:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/283-quotes-from-sales-greats-herman-advertising.aspxA List of Favorite Automotive Blogshttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/282-a-list-of-favorite-automotive-blogs.aspx“We read to know that we are not alone.”
― William Nicholson



True. We read to share experiences, to tell others how we feel about a certain subject and to find meaning in our lives in comparison to those around us. Car enthusiasts, like you and I, love to read about the new advancements in vehicle tech, the coolest new supercar to hit the market and to understand and develop a sense of where we fit in the world. When you love cars, it becomes second nature to learn more about them and how they aid us in traveling around the nation. In today’s blog, we’re providing a list, created by our own dealership, of our favorite automotive blogs. Enjoy!


Jalopnik – http://www.jalopnik.com - is a cool, fun sister site of Gizmodo. The auto blog provides breaking news and insight into the automotive industry in a creative and fun way. 


Autoblog – http://www.autoblog.com - The autoblog site is INTENSIVE. There’s tons of information on specific vehicles and types as well as a handy search menu that allows users to pull up a review by the manufacturer and model. There’s also a lot of written content and commentary from active users


Consumer Reports – http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/ - Consumer Reports does a great job of providing detailed insight on car ratings, top picks, 


The Car Connection – http://www.thecarconnection.com/ - Looking to do some really detailed car research? The Car Connection provides thorough reviews of your favorite vehicles via a Meta rationg each car the best out of 10. They also provide their LIKES and DISLIKES with each vehicle in their detailed explanation.


Carscoop – http://www.carscoops.com/ - Think you know the automotive industry? Carscoop is a great site for emerging content. They’re usually at the head of the pack when it comes to new content, auto shows and over-the-top vehicles. 


Kicking Tires – This blog is FOR CAR BUYERS. Nuff said. Check it out for the latest and greatest!

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersWed, 06 Mar 2013 17:23:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/282-a-list-of-favorite-automotive-blogs.aspxLast Minute Valentine’s Day Gifts For an Automotive Enthusiasthttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/281-last-minute-valentines-day-gifts-for-an-automotive-enthusiast.aspx
V-Day. A day of crimson rose pedals, swooning friends and a bitter existence for the broken hearted. It’s also a great day to share with loved ones, head to dinner with a significant other and show how much you care about the ones around you with the help of flowers, teddy bears and the occasional hard candy. For the automotive lover, it’s also a day that can be attributed to cool FREE stuff for someone who knows you well enough to reciprocate. In today’s blog, we provide some cool ideas for the automotive enthusiast in your life. 

Shine Em Up! 
Car lovers are obsessed with the look of their vehicle, Hook them up with a Gift Certificate for their favorite auto detailer an watch their face light up like fresh wax on a sports car. 
Music is GOOD
Most car lovers are also radio aficionados; why not hook them up with a few CD’s, a SIRIUS Radio subscription or a new iPod for their AUX? This gift is not only thoughtful, it’s also a practical gift for those long Monday morning traffic congested commutes. 

Gas Card
Have a relative or significant other who always complains about gas prices? Why not deliver a fresh bouquet of flowers with a gas card for their troubles. The roses accentuate the holiday; while the gas card is practical enough to be used…it’s a WIN WIN!

Sunglasses
Sunglasses are just cool. From the Ray Ban Wayfarer’s that Tom Cruise wore in the infamous, Risky Business to the Aviator shades Johnny Depp styled in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, nothing says I “heart” you like a pair of shades. Plus, auto lovers HAVE to look cool during their commute.

So, do you have any gift ideas to add?

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersWed, 13 Feb 2013 20:56:04 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/281-last-minute-valentines-day-gifts-for-an-automotive-enthusiast.aspxMy Experience with Vine, Twitter’s New Micro Video Sharing Apphttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/280-my-experience-with-vine-twitters-new-micro-video-sharing-app.aspx
If fun could be crammed into 6 seconds of video, they would call it Vine. 

Vine is to Video what Instagram is to Photos. No, seriously. Vine is an easy to use video-sharing app that’s intuitive as much as it is fun. My first experience with the nimble app was a positive one. In a few seconds and a brief tutorial, I was creating 6 second videos, equipped with Guy Richie style jump cuts and HD camera focus. 

Scorsese, take heed.

Vine is a smartphone app (only available on the Apple Store for now) that allows the user to share six-second looping videos with their friends on the same available social media networks. Vine was recently acquired by Twitter, thus the big media push online. Recording videos with Vine is as simple as holding down your finger on the screen. Once you lift your finger, the recording is paused. This makes it an effective tool for creating a “storybook” experience, allowing users to edit together a six second narrative with several jump cuts. 

For example, a chef might show a small clip of his ingredients. Then, he lifts his finger to pause the video. Next, he’s stirring the batter, then lifts his finger again to pause it. For the final couple of seconds, he captures the final product. It’s genius!
Vine separates itself from other apps like Viddy and Socialcam with it’s jump cut style recording and ease of use, not to mention the support of the 300 pound gorilla in the room, (or should I say whale) Twitter. The experience is strictly mobile right now, but users don’t need a Twitter account to participate. 

When you download Vine, the main feed populates on your screen equipped with editor’s pics of the top videos. You can also add your friends from Facebook and Twitter who have Vine accounts, as well as post your Vine updates to those platforms. However, it seems Vine is still working out some kinks because it crashed a few times when I tried to do so. 


Videos automatically begin to play and loop as you see them, and navigating is as easy as scrolling through Instagram. Overall, Vine is a fun way to capture quick videos and with the support of Twitter, we could finally see a micro-video sharing app with some real earning potential.

Download the Vine app on the Apple app store!

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersFri, 25 Jan 2013 16:23:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/280-my-experience-with-vine-twitters-new-micro-video-sharing-app.aspxAutomotive Apps Time, Money, and Possibly Your Life!http://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/279-automotive-apps-time-money-and-possibly-your-life.aspx
Ok, let’s say you want to trade in your car, and you aren’t sure what you want or where to go. Both Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds offer free Apps for your smart phone that allows you to see specs on the cars as well as price ranges. Next you need to insure your vehicle. Insurance companies like USAA, for example, offer a free App that will help you with financing questions and will also allow you to do a quick insurance application, right from the palm of your hand. Pretty easy huh? Then you can use your state App for your local DMV to register your new set of wheels. Most states have these Apps and they are free to download. The DMV App will also allow you make appointments and offer YouTube videos that teach you the rules of the road. This App also has features which not only read the incoming text out loud (like Siri) but it also tells the sender via text that you are driving and can’t respond. This alone can save a life! 


VoiceAction or Siri can also be set up with similar way. There is a feature that allows you to easily send and read emails and texts without ever looking at you phone allowing you to keep your eyes on the road creating a safer driving environment.





Now that we covered buying, insuring and registering your car let’s talk about gassing your car. Gasbuddy and iGasup are connected to approximately 110,000 filling stations around the country and they will help you find the lowest gas prices nearest your location. I bet you’re interested now! Depending on whether you are taking a trip or just tooling around in an area, you should become familiar with Apps like Tripalyzer, which not only assists with Global Positioning System (GPS)tracking it can also direct you to the nearest, most cost efficient place to fill your tank up. 




Speaking of traveling, parking isn’t always the easiest thing to find, especially in the big city. Parker for Iphone can help you locate parking spaces effortlessly with a sensor and GPS system that is connected to senosors in parking spaces and structures around most major cities. 


Now that you have figured out where to buy gas and find parking lets talk about the pings, dings and re-er-re-er noises you might hear in your car. GoPoint for Iphone and Knock Detector for the Android uses the On Board Diagnostic system (ODS) to detect what could be potentially wrong with your car. This works the same way as the mechanics diagnostic system. Every car that was made after 1997 has a built in ODS. This new App can help prevent giving your mechanic the wrong information or perhaps being taken on a bad ride. We’ve all been there right... Remember, this doesn’t necessarily replace your mechanic but it will help to know if it’s serious or not. This could possibly give your mechanic a head start on what you’re hearing. These Apps can cost money and/or sometimes in need of proper cables to work correctly. Be sure to do your homework on this App before buying. 


If you have a bit of a lead foot, I have the App for you! Trapster can alert you in areas where there are traffic cameras and check points. So by the press of a button and modern technology you can be aware of every location and take extra precaution. 


Another safety practice is to add Parkdroid or Cobra’s Joyride. Both of these Apps work with your smartphone’s GPS and can help you locate your vehicle. This can be very helpful and life saving when wondering around a full parking lot late at night. 


So now you are smarter and so is your smart phone. At least you can have some convenient ways to shop for a car, insure your car, register your car, and maintain your car. Hopefully I gave you some insight on how to keep from getting in trouble with the law and finding cheap gas prices. So don’t forget to like us on FB. We’re watching out for you so be watching out for our next blog!

Distributed by Viestly

]]>Eve GreyMon, 21 Jan 2013 21:24:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/279-automotive-apps-time-money-and-possibly-your-life.aspxTwitter Advertising – The Quick Guide – Herman Advertisinghttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/277-twitter-advertising-the-quick-guide-herman-advertising.aspx
Twitter is the micro-blogging Godzilla.  It’s a social media behemoth capable of housing over 460 million accounts and managing 175 million outgoing Tweets daily.
 
Tokyo doesn’t stand a chance.
 
What began in 2006 as a “daylong brainstorming session” has blossomed into a highly successful social media medium second only to Facebook.  Millions of individuals utilize their Twitter handles (usernames) to voice their opinions amongst their peers in brief bursts of information, limited by 140 characters, about their lives, recent news or just random thoughts.  These “Tweets” can be amplified by adding “hashtags (#)”, making specific terms searchable in Twitter’s search bar for more avid users looking for targeted content.  Here’s an example:

  
Since it’s inception, Twitter has done a good job at monetizing its efforts.  A few services provide a continuous revenue stream, especially Promoted Trends.  When a hashtag is used often by thousands of active Twitter users in a short period of time, it’s considered a “Trending” topic.  In other words, that hashtag will show up on the Twitter homepage on the left-hand side of the page for ALL users to see. Big businesses can purchase a top spot on that list for a day for the low cost of $120,000.  Yup, just 120,000 clams. 


The pricing can fluctuate based on availability and timing.  However, there is one focus Twitter falls a tad short on, and that’s Twitter Advertising. 
 
Twitter users can advertise their personal/business profiles in two ways:
 
1.) Promoted Tweets –allows users to promote specific tweets that are prominently displayed to current followers and those with similar interests.  Basically, users choose how much they want to spend daily and Twitter allocates those funds toward individual clicks. 

 
For example, Bill wants to spend $10 dollars a day.  He will be charged between $0.01 and $1.50 (you specify max bid) for each click. Twitter then provides a rough estimate of how many followers he will receive based on a historical analysis of how followers have engaged with his Tweets in the past.  In this case, it’s 41-62 new followers per day.

 
Promoted Account – Twitter will display your account prominently in the “Who to Follow” section to users that are most likely to be interested in your account. You only pay for new followers that you gain. So, if you wanted to spend $5 a day, you would be charged $0.01 to $1.50 (you specify max bid) ONLY if Twitter users click the “Follow” button, becoming one of your Followers and counting as a conversion.  It’s very easy to receive impressions, but you only pay for NEW followers.

 
Advertising with Twitter is simple and very easy to manage.  However, it lacks the detailed categories and Interest Targeting that Facebook provides.  The only way to target individuals is by general location, while Facebook allows users to target users by age, interests, marital status, etc.  This could be in part to the fact that Twitter requires A LOT less information than Facebook does.  Most users have a Twitter handle, a brief description and a website URL.  That’s pretty much it.  Hopefully, in the near future, we’ll see more ways to target users on Twitter.  Only the future will tell.  For more information on Twitter advertising, visit: http://advertising.twitter.com/ for details.

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersMon, 31 Dec 2012 14:33:15 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/277-twitter-advertising-the-quick-guide-herman-advertising.aspxWhat Exactly is the Autobahn?http://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/276-what-exactly-is-the-autobahn.aspx
When Autobahn comes to mind, I can’t help but reference Michael Jackson’s hit “Speed Demon, “ a fast-paced song about the repercussions of speeding down an infinite highway. THAT is how I picture the Autobahn. Millions of people have heard references to the famed speedway, but what exactly is it? Is it a motorway system that lasts an eternity without a speed limit or a racetrack for the fastest cars in the world? In today’s blog, we break down WHAT the Autobahn is and how you can see it for yourself. 

The Autobahn, by definition, is a superhighway or expressway in Germany that stands as one of the last places on earth where you can drive as fast as you want. The highway is in no means a free-for-all, with some sections of the autobahn having speed limits, though great stretches still remain unrestricted. 

The Autobahn national highway system stretches over 6,800 miles and is designed to connect all of Germany’s major metropolitan areas. The presumption is that there are unlimited speeds on the entire Autobahn, but many heavily trafficked sections of the freeway have speed limits in the 50 to 75 mph range. The suggested speed for the unlimited sections is 81 mph, though various speedsters and adrenaline seekers routinely break the fold. 
So, you must be wondering HOW fast someone has ventured into the record books. Well, in 1938, driver Rudolf Caracciola set an autobahn speed record of 268.8 mph. WOW. 

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersWed, 19 Dec 2012 21:24:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/276-what-exactly-is-the-autobahn.aspxHow to Read a New Car Window Stickerhttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/275-how-to-read-a-new-car-window-sticker.aspx
It’s happened to everyone. Yes, even you. You’re perusing the inside of our dealership, checking out the coolest new vehicles and you’re bogged down by the infamous New Car Window Sticker that has TONS of new information on it. In today’s blog, we’ll provide some details courtesy of Edmunds.com. Check it out below: 
1. Model Information
This is where you will find the basic model information for the vehicle. The section is usually located in the top left or right corner. It tells you the engine and transmission combination, exterior and interior color, the year and trim level of the vehicle. Checking this part of the sticker is the best way to quickly ensure that the car in front of you has the engine and color configuration you're looking for.
2. Standard Equipment
This section of the window sticker lists all items and features that are included in the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP). Items listed here should be consistent with any other vehicle in this trim level. These items are grouped into such categories as: Exterior, Interior, Safety/Security, Comfort/Convenience and Mechanical/Performance.
3. Warranty Information
This section lists the length of the new car's bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranties and notes any roadside assistance package that the manufacturer offers. Some new cars also come with free maintenance programs, and that coverage is also listed here. If you want to compare coverage among automakers, Edmunds keeps a comprehensive list on the warranty and roadside assistance page.
4. Optional Equipment
In this section, you'll find information on the car's factory-installed options. Some carmakers bundle them into packages. Others offer them à la carte. Knowing a vehicle's options can help you price it correctly and make apples-to-apples comparisons with other cars on the lot.
5. Pricing Information
This is where you'll find the base price of the vehicle and a breakdown of options and fees. Other items that would appear here are the destination charge (cost of transporting the vehicle to dealer) and any gas-guzzler tax (levied on cars with a combined MPG of 22.5 or less). The total price of the vehicle is sometimes located here, but it often occupies its own space.

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersWed, 05 Dec 2012 19:19:51 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/275-how-to-read-a-new-car-window-sticker.aspxPre-Roll: Your Guide to YouTube Dominancehttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/273-pre-roll-your-guide-to-youtube-dominance.aspx
YouTube. The number one video sharing website in the world is an online beast, smacking all of its competition into oblivion…Gangnam Style. The video sharing behemoth collects more than 4 billion hours of video a month, with 72 hours of video being uploaded per minute. Now is a good time, no SCRATCH that, a great time, to jump on the bandwagon by utilizing advertising tools on YouTube to increase brand awareness, increase your online market share, and boost profits and ROI that benefit your business.

Herman Advertising would like to present Pre-Roll Ads. What Pre-Roll Ads do is simple: they display your video (produced by us or otherwise) as an ad break before or during YouTube partner videos. So, users can click your video ad to learn more and we can track their engagement when the do. 



               

For example, lets say you’re catching the new “Gangnam Style” video from singing sensation Psy. Before the actual video plays, you’ll be served up an ad from Visa prior to the music video. If you watch the entire :30 second ad all the way through, a click-thru is charged (usually less than 0.45$ in our network). If the user does not watch all the way through, then a charge is NOT collected. Pre-Roll is a superb way to increase your online dominance through carefully articulated ads that focus on your geographical area and the client base of your choice, respectively. Herman Advertising offers this to all clients as an additional low-cost alternative for video production and promotion. Visit http://www.hermanadvertising.com for details or call (954)565-3102.

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersTue, 27 Nov 2012 23:46:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/273-pre-roll-your-guide-to-youtube-dominance.aspxAre You Retaining YouTube Viewers? Find Out with this New Analytics Toolhttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/272-are-you-retaining-youtube-viewers-find-out-with-this-new-analytics-tool.aspx
Video marketing should be a pivotal part of your digital marketing.  It adds a physical face to your company, and a familiar and relatable tune to your marketing melody. Optimized videos are great because the thumbnails stand out on the Google search page like a sore thumb, but that's a discussion for another blog post. Today, we've got another avenue of nerdy goodness...
Social Media Examiner explained: "What we want to shed light on is YouTube's NEW Retention Report. YouTube allows users, or channel owners, to see "what kind of retention you're getting from your videos and how it compares to everyone else's. Want to get to the top of the results? Study the Audience Retention Report like a hawk and update your video making strategies accordingly."  


So, in other words, YouTube ranks videos based on the one's users watch the MOST.  The Audience Retention Report helps you decide if your video is capturing your audience long enough to garner increased views, thus pushing your video to the top of search on YouTube.  One special report, unknown to many YouTubers, is the "Audience Retention" Report on the left panel of YouTube's Analytics page.  






It shows an in depth graph, based on time, of how long individuals were engaged on the actual video.  So, for example, in the screenshot below, many YouTube viewers left around the 1:20 mark.  That would cause us, the Channel owner, to go back and review that video to see the exact moment indiviiduals began to leave.  Then, we can change the content of the video at that specific moment to keep users engaged longer.  This would have an invetible effect of pushing the video to the top of YouTube search.  Feel free to comment!



Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersTue, 13 Nov 2012 23:23:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/272-are-you-retaining-youtube-viewers-find-out-with-this-new-analytics-tool.aspxHow to Archive & Save Your ENTIRE Facebook Profilehttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/270-how-to-archive-save-your-entire-facebook-profile.aspx
pastingParanoia. It’s a feeling that’s been ingrained in us long before personal sanitizer gave germophobes a temporary safe haven. We’ve always been taught to “take precaution,” “be careful,” “don’t touch that”…and a ton of other one-liners that make curious children cringe. 

This is also evident in our daily routine, as well, creating a safe barrier between the decisions you make and the world around you. What if, and I’m speaking hypothetically here, your Facebook page somehow became corrupt and you lost ALL of your profile information? For someone who’s not as engaged as the average American, they would only suffer nominal consequences. But for an individual who uses it for their connections and life stream, they would lose all hope in Facebook, social media and the human race (ok, maybe I’m being a bit too dramatic). 

Anyway, Facebook contains thousands of moments we hold dear to us, including: photos and videos we’ve shared on Facebook, wall posts that include milestones and personal moments we’ve shared with friends (i.e. the purchase of a home, marriage, children photos, etc.) friends names and conversations, as well as your entire online identity. 

For me, I imagine being 75, showing my grandchildren the milestones and moments in my life that are important by scrolling through my Facebook Timeline. 

So, you ask, how do I keep MY profile? It’s simple, archive it. 



To use the profile downloader, sign into Facebook and click the down arrow next to the Home button in the top-right corner. Choose Account Settings and click "Download a copy of your Facebook data" at the bottom of the window.

Enter the account password, click “Continue” then choose “Start My Archive.”

Facebook combines your profile into a nifty ZIP file that’s available to download in a little less than two hours (verification is sent via e-mail). Once you open the ZIP file, you’re welcomed with a stripped down version of your Facebook profile, which includes your wall, photos, friends and messages. It’s as simple as that! Archive away!

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersMon, 29 Oct 2012 20:34:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/270-how-to-archive-save-your-entire-facebook-profile.aspxSocial Media: What Hour of the Day is BEST to Share Content?http://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/268-social-media-what-hour-of-the-day-is-best-to-share-content.aspx
Addicted to social media? If you suffer from the same ailments that I do, then you understand that optimizing the time you post and comment on social media sites is crucial to a work/social balance. You want to throw your two cents in, our a nickel in the social media elites case, but you also want to make sure you're getting maximum exposure and feedback when you do. To get your message to the most people at once, try to contribute your messages at high engagement times of the day. Below, you'll find a screenshot of the best hours to post during the day. Enjoy! 


Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersFri, 05 Oct 2012 20:01:42 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/268-social-media-what-hour-of-the-day-is-best-to-share-content.aspxGoogle Voice: An Underused Tool that Deserves Attentionhttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/266-google-voice-an-underused-tool-that-deserves-attention.aspx


The other day I was handed a business card. I was amazed with the long list of five phone numbers displayed on it. If you’re like me, you have difficulty remembering long strings of numbers.

Google Voice (GV) simplifies everything with one phone number, for free. Gmail users now have access to this service. When a user creates a GV account, he or she is required to pick a phone number from available numbers in selected area codes to use for this account. After the phone number is selected, the user is prompted to assign where calls to this phone number will be forwarded to. Users have the options of mobile, work, hom, etc. Selecting what time of day which phones will ring is another feature to customize GV.

The configuration and maintenance of the account is done online with an application that is styled after Gmail. Setup takes a quick 10 minutes.

After setup is complete, when a person calls the GV number, it will ring where the user assigned it to. For me, I have mine set to call my cell phone and Gizmo (computer). For people who own their own businesses and are reachable 24/7, they might include their house and office to ring simultaneously.

With GV being a call forwarding system, it makes it easier for people to contact you, especially if you’re never in one location for an extended period of time. It eliminates the need for a caller to dial your office, mobile and house. It also helps the GV user by channeling all voice and text messages into one inbox.

• In addition to simplifying your phones, GV offers other helpful features free of charge:
Voicemail with voice transcription to text, where a GV user can read his or her voice messages

• Call screening where calls are prompted to state their name before the call is connected

• Blocking of unwanted calls

• Call recording of inbound calls

• Conference calls with up to five people

• Text messaging

• The option to be notified of new voice messages and text messages via e-mail

Although I haven’t used every feature of GV, the ones I’ve used have been handy.

Being able to read voice messages is a great feature when you’re in a meeting or in a situation where you need to be discreet that you’re on the phone. When reading the voice message, you have the option of receiving it as an e-mail or to log into GV to read it. Whichever way you chose to get your messages, you still have the option to listen to the message.

With voice messages being transcribed into text, it’s also a helpful feature if you have a lot of messages, because you can log into GV and do a search for key words to find the specific message.

Driving and texting is a bad idea, but driving and writing is worse!
When a person receives important news, many questions typically follow. When a GV user receives a call and is unable to take notes (i.e. driving), the user can dial “4” which alerts the caller the conversation is being recorded. The GV user can listen to the recorded conversation online by logging into his or her account.

Sorry, Wrong Number!
In the last year, I’ve met countless females in South Florida who I’d define as crazy. GV has helped me with this issue. After I meet a girl who I define as “a stage five clinger” or a stalker, I simply log into GV and edit the call settings for her number. GV gives the option of having the call go directly to voicemail or to block the caller – I opted for the later.

Google created apps for users of iPhones, BlackBerries and Android phones to make using GV easy. For users who don’t have one of the phones listed above, calls can be made from the GV number by using the GV website, or by calling the GV number from a phone which is assigned to the GV account.

In conclusion, whether you’re a business owner or a person who likes new gadgets, Google Voice can simplify your phoning experience.

Distributed by Viestly

]]>Greg RosenbergFri, 28 Sep 2012 21:49:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/266-google-voice-an-underused-tool-that-deserves-attention.aspxHow to Prepare Your Car for Long Term Storagehttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/265-how-to-prepare-your-car-for-long-term-storage.aspx
So, you’re running out of room in your front yard, garage, mother’s house, friend’s condo, cousin’s yard, and anyone who’s tired of seeing one of your vehicles in their personal space. Now, you’ve decided to store your extra vehicle. You envision yourself riding of in it in the future, hair flowing, top down, and want to ensure that it’s taken care of. In today’s blog, we’re discussing what tips to follow to maintain your vehicle for long-term storage.

Check your paperwork: make sure you renew your registration, or set a reminder when the time is near so that your car is good to go when you’re ready to drive it.

Service your vehicle: Always make sure that your vehicle’s engines and fluids are in good shape before you store your vehicle for a long period of time. Also, fill windshield washer fluid, coolant, transmission, brake fluid, and make sure you fill your car with gasoline.

Clean the interior/exterior: Throw away trash, vacuum the seats, wash the windows, wax the car and even have it detailed if possible. 

Fully charge battery: make sure your battery is at OPTIMAL power. Also, if you’re storing your vehicle for more than six months, disconnect it from the power source and keep the battery somewhere temperate and dry. 

Do you have any tips to add? Feel free!

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersWed, 12 Sep 2012 17:05:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/265-how-to-prepare-your-car-for-long-term-storage.aspxAnnouncing George Magda VP, National Accountshttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/264-announcing-george-magda-vp-national-accounts.aspx
Herman Advertising is very pleased to announce that George Magda has joined our team as Vice President, National Accounts.

George has 15+ years of extensive experience within the automotive marketing space, with a strong concentration in digital. George has worked with hundreds of automotive dealer groups throughout the U.S. and Canada, guiding and mentoring successful automotive marketing and digital solutions.

George began his automotive career on the retail side with United Auto Group West (Penske PAG) in 1997. He rose quickly up the ranks through the successful utilization of burgeoning Internet technologies, towards his final position with UAG as Finance Director.

George moved on to become the Marketing Director for a Colorado-based top 100 dealer group. While there, he won a number of awards, including a JD Powers Catalyst Award Winner for best interactive automotive TV spot. George was also responsible for managing a $6 million annual advertising budget for the #1 Hispanic owned business in the U.S. at that time.

In 2008 George joined Dealer.com to launch the first all Spanish Dealer portal, and shortly thereafter, in 2009, was hired to become the Regional Sales Director for Dealer.Com. While at Dealer.com, he oversaw the Rocky Mountain, Midwest and Southwestern markets in the Western U.S.

As a result of this deep experience, and wide industry exposure gained by working with top dealer groups across the U.S. for over 15 years, George has become a well-known, trusted and respected resource in automotive, digital, and Hispanic automotive marketing.

In his new role, George will help grow Herman Advertising's national presence as the premier, full-service retail automotive agency.

Please join us in welcoming George Magda to the Herman Advertising team!

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersTue, 21 Aug 2012 15:59:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/264-announcing-george-magda-vp-national-accounts.aspxAwesome New Dodge Dart Adhttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/263-awesome-new-dodge-dart-ad.aspxOnce in a while, a car commercial comes along that breaks the barrier of creative imagery. A great concept, coupled with a superb soundtrack and good copy, is the recipe for a memorable commercial experience. Check out tis new spot from Dodge featuring the Dodge Dart:

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersTue, 21 Aug 2012 15:15:02 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/263-awesome-new-dodge-dart-ad.aspxA Great Way to Beat the Traffichttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/262-a-great-way-to-beat-the-traffic.aspx

Hello, Fans! In today’s day and age, most commuters spend at least an hour daily sitting in traffic, waiting for a light to change, and agonizing every moment they’re at a standstill. Traffic has always been a huge part of the daily drive and in most cases, has been an unwelcome addition to the daily routine. Gone are the days of empty roads and long stretches, especially between the times of 9am and 6pm. We’ve got news for you! 
There’s a new smartphone app (available for iPhone, android and Blackberry devices) that provides real-time traffic information for mobile devices and it’s FREE. Beat the Traffic allows commuters to instantly view real-time traffic conditions – including accidents; traffic congestion and roadway delays-and adjusts to travel plans if necessary. This saves you time, fuel and frustration. . Beat the Traffic has interactive maps and street details to assist you in finding the fastest and safest route to your destination! Traffic also lets motorists retrieve travel times and live camera views. Even more tools, such as personalized traffic reports and saved routes, are available for a small subscription fee. 
Check it out: 

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersWed, 25 Jul 2012 13:53:12 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/262-a-great-way-to-beat-the-traffic.aspxGet the Most Out of Instagramhttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/260-get-the-most-out-of-instagram.aspx
Being socially savvy is hard work, especially when the impeding doom of maxing out your smartphone’s memory is constantly in the back of your mind. On a daily basis, you’ve checked your Facebook 23 times, your Twitter feed 14 times, checked-in twice on Foursquare, and updated your Google+…well…the list goes on. Social media is an integral part of our daily lives and a central conduit for communication with friends, colleagues and interesting folks. In recent months, Instagram, an intuitive, simple to use smartphone photo sharing app, has gained a lot of steam over the course of a year with over 50 million followers.



If you have an Instagram account, in which most of you reading this do, I’ve accummulated some quick tips for increasing your followers and likes to encompass more of the digital landscape. Feel free to add your own tips below, and comment on any of the content.  pasting.  Cheers!

Don’t set your profile as private. Make it PUBLIC!

Setting your profile to private, especially being active in the social media space, is a no-no. You want individuals to be able to see your pictures and profile, so that they can decide if they want to follow you or not without you having to approve them first.

ALWAYS Use Hashtags



Hashtags are a great tool because, they provide specific content to users. For example, if someone is searching for cool new sneakers on Instagram‘s search bar, they might type in shoes, sneakers, kicks, etc…I would use the hashtags: #sneakers, #kicks, #shoes and anything I think would apply directly to those searching for sneakers.

It takes some time before a post, but it opens up the number of impressions for individuals searching at that moment to a broader amount. This promotes your new posts to thousands of users searching for pictures in your specific niche.

Post less than 3 times a day

There’s nothing worse than an overzealous Instagram user. If you’re scrolling through the Instagram live feed and five pictures from one individual’s profile shows back to back, you’re going to be a tad irritated. Someone who posts photos that much per day shows a level of egomania that’s should only be reserved for Twitter users, but…i kid i kid. Seriously, don’t do it.

Share Instagram photos on other social networks

This is a simple, effective way to promote your personal brand/new product/cute puppy, across platforms that include:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Tumblr

Setting them up is easy, just click on the far right icon once you open up Instagram and click edit sharing settings. Then, you’re prompted to input the username and password for that respective platform and viola!

Check out the popular page!



It’s there for a reason! Take some time to view the popular page on Instagram. This page shows the most recent, and viral, pictures on Instagram, providing a front page view of what’s “trending”. Don’t directly copy, but emulate some of the ideas from popular posts that seem to work, it’s a great way to showcase your work (for artists, designers…) in an easy to use platform that promotes creativity.

Find and invite your buddies!

There’s a settings tab (on your profile page on the top right, looks like a gear).

Get your friends from other social networks to follow you on Instagram with this feature. As a new user, it can be difficult to gain followers. Click the “Find Friends” button to add friends from Facebook, Twitter, or your address book to gain a running start on Instagram.

These are just a few tips to help you while you’re Instagrammin’ good luck!

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersTue, 17 Jul 2012 19:51:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/260-get-the-most-out-of-instagram.aspxHow Long Does an Electric Car Charge Last?http://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/258-how-long-does-an-electric-car-charge-last.aspx



It’s electric! Boogie-oogie-oogie! We know the song, and on select occasions, we’ve performed the dance (though not well might I add). Electric cars have seemed to always be an illusive dream, one that has only been seen in the imaginations of children, movies, and the Jetsons. 
In the last few years, the electric vehicle has become a popular mechanism as a catalyst of the future. A future that replaces gas with a more efficient, long lasting substance that benefits the driver and the environment. However, there are still skeptics who wonder how effective electrical cars are. So, today, we’re telling you how long ONE electric car charge lasts.
One charge really depends on the vehicle. The average distance for an electric vehicle is “up to” 172.5 miles (based on 245 miles for the Tesla Motors vehicle, and the 100 miles that the Nissan Leaf reaches). The key phrase is “up to”. There are several factors that affect this amount. Weather, speed and the use of accessories like air condition can decrease the range. The Environmental Protection Agency, or the EPA, hasn’t resolved how to accurately measure range, so these numbers are not necessarily 100% correct. This stems from what has been known as “range anxiety”-the fear of being stranded miles from a charging station with a dead battery. 
Electric car battery technology is constantly advancing, and in the future there are expected to be electric cars that can last even longer between charges. How far would you go in your electric car? 

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersTue, 21 Aug 2012 15:03:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/258-how-long-does-an-electric-car-charge-last.aspxHow To: Managing Your Twitter Followershttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/256-how-to-managing-your-twitter-followers.aspx
Twitter. 

It's the micro-blogging juggernaut that's taken over your social life. You're addicted to tweeting your follies, questions, and curiosities to people you've met at networking events, friends that you keep in touch with, and that one follower who seems to be "retweeting" your every word. If you're like us, then you need some organization to the 50 bazillion followers you communicate with online. 

Here's where we come in. There's a tool, unbeknownst to millions of Twitter followers, that allows you to organize your followers into lists. To explain, lets say you go to an event, in our case "Digital Dealer 2012", which is a huge cultivation of the automotive industry's best and brightest digital marketing minds. Over the course of this trade show, we met several pivotal Twitter followers that we would like to keep up with. First, we followed them on Twitter. 

Then, we hit the drop down right next to the Follow button. 



Now, you can either add that individual to an existing list, or create a new one. Once you place that individual in their respective list, you can access your Twitter followers according to the title. In our example, the list is called: Digital Dealer 2012 



So, to access your live Twitter feed with ONLY the individuals you want to see in the list you created, hit the drop down in the top menu, and click Lists. 





Now, you're able to organize your Twitter followers into unlimited Lists, tapping into your Twitter potential and organizing your followers to keep tabs on industry-wide individuals. 

For more information, visit http://www.hermanadvertising.com

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersMon, 09 Jul 2012 19:08:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/256-how-to-managing-your-twitter-followers.aspxFavorite Automotive YouTube Videoshttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/255-favorite-automotive-youtube-videos.aspx
YouTube is the TOP video-sharing website in the world and features a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos. You probably have a select list of your favorite YouTube videos. What’s your favorite? In today’s blog, we’re showing you our favorite. Provide a link to yours below! 

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersWed, 27 Jun 2012 21:20:54 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/255-favorite-automotive-youtube-videos.aspxA Real Life Flying Car, Introducing the PAL-Vhttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/253-a-real-life-flying-car-introducing-the-pal-v.aspxThe Jetsons. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a flying car. I imagine a hovercraft vehicle that soars through the air at super fast speeds with a quiet cabin and a protective windshield in the shape of a bubble for aerodynamic buoyancy. Gone are the days of four-wheel vehicles that can only travel a measly 220 MPH. Well, folks, the future might be closer than we think. Introducing, the PAL-V, your answer to traffic. Lo and behold:

A Dutch company called PAL-V (Personal Air and Land) wants to create a personal vehicle that a user could drive on the street and then take to the sky when they deemed it necessary. Sound strange? Well PAL-V has already achieved flight and is in the process of production. Picture driving down the road and hitting traffic, with the hit of a button, the rotor begins to unfold and the tail of the vehicle extends. Then, using the advanced gyrocopter technology, the PAL-V takes to the skies. Taking flight in a PAL-V is similar to flying a gyrocopter, using the safest form of flight available. Soaring above the street at speeds up to 110 mph toward your destination is more convenient than pulling your hair out in traffic. 

The PAL-V also drives well with speeds up to 110 mph, two person seating, a tricycle-like undercarriage with large wheels for comfortable travel, and a unique feel that’s similar to a motorcycle, improving the overall handling and precision. 

The PAL-V took a huge step after having their first successful flight during their maiden flight, but are looking for more investors for the cause. Purchasing on of these will not be a viable option for everyone, as they are expected to carry a price tag of around £185,500, that’s $287,545 in USD. 
What would you do with your PAL-V?

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersWed, 13 Jun 2012 17:07:23 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/253-a-real-life-flying-car-introducing-the-pal-v.aspxIs Your Website Mobile Yet?http://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/251-is-your-website-mobile-yet.aspx


Smartphone users nationwide are utilizing their phones for more than just conversation. They’re using them to find YOU…and when they do, how will you be portrayed?  Mobile websites make it simple for users to interact quickly, effectively and easily with their smartphones to check out the website they’re looking for. If your business is local, nationwide, or even worldwide, you expect your customers to find you. A mobile website is an effective medium for consumers on the go.

When you visit a normal website on a mobile phone, it usually becomes difficult to navigate because the small screen may not be large enough to accommodate a website made for a regular screen monitor or laptop.  We offer top-notch mobile website design services that help you reach your target audience effectively, while maintaining the aspect ratio of your website in a condensed and neatly positioned format that’s simple to read and easy to use. Our services include:

Mobile Website Optimization


We convert your normal website into a mobile version while maintaining content and optimization from the full site.

Regular Website & Mobile Sync


Any changes that you request or make on your regular website are automatically updated on your mobile site…for free.

Countless Design Options


Select from a variety of our templates or an original Herman Advertising mobile website design that fits your specific business.

Click-to-Call

Add a click-to-call button to make it easy for your customers to contact you. One push of the screen and your consumer can make a call to your business in seconds…directly from your mobile website


SMS

A simple, effective way for visiting consumers to text your business information to a friend in seconds.

Mobile Analytics

Keep track of all your mobile website traffic and site visitors

Mobile Map w/Directions

We can add a mobile map to your site with step-by-step directions to your business from their location


Contact Herman Advertising today to schedule a free website consultation and find out why mobile website design is a pivotal key in opening the door to your online success.

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersTue, 12 Jun 2012 19:55:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/251-is-your-website-mobile-yet.aspxCar Tips: Are Your Tires in Dangerous Condition?http://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/250-car-tips-are-your-tires-in-dangerous-condition.aspx
Are Your Tires in Dangerous Condition?


Good tires are one of the most important aspects of safe driving. Hands down. Sean Kane, president of Safety Research and Strategies, Inc. explains an aging tire to an old rubber band. "If you take a rubber band that's been sitting around a long time and stretch it, you will start to see cracks in the rubber," says Kane, whose organization is involved in research, analysis and advocacy on safety matters for the public and clients including attorneys, engineering firms, supplier companies, media and government.
Cracks in the rubber develop over time and can appear on the surface and inside of the tire, as well. This cracking can cause the steel belts in the tread to separate from the rest of the tire. Improper maintenance and heat can accelerate the process. 
How Long Does a Tire Last?
Lifespan differs and there is no guideline on tire aging, but tire manufacturers like Continental and Michelin say a tire can last up to ten years, provided you get annual tire inspections after the fifth year. There’s no way to put a date on a tire because there are several factors that affect the life of the tire: 
• Heat
• Storage
• Conditions
• Use
How to Determine Your Tire’s Age
All you need to know is the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) number. Tires manufactured after 2000 have a four-digit DOT code. The first two numbers represent the week, while the second two represent the year. If a tire has the code 1109, it was made in the 11th week of 2009. After finding the tire’s birthdate take a look at the rubber. Look for tread distortion, hairline cracks in the sidewall, and vibrations in the dynamic properties of the tire, could be cause for alarm. 
For more information, come in and see us. We’ll do an extensive tire inspection and let you know the exact status of your tires. 

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersThu, 07 Jun 2012 20:43:40 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/250-car-tips-are-your-tires-in-dangerous-condition.aspxSocial Media How-To: Schedule Posts Directly on Facebookhttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/249-social-media-how-to-schedule-posts-directly-on-facebook.aspx
Facebook has been making a lot of changes lately, they're enforcing their social throne status with key updates and power moves like the purchase of pic sharing app, Instagram, their new Facebook Camera app, and the ability to schedule future posts directly on Facebook. With third party applications like Sprout Social and Hootsuite, which have the ability to schedule posts in the future, Facebook is a bit late to the game, but due to the decrease in activity and engagement when third party apps post to Facebook, this is a move in the right direction for the social behemoth. 

According to a new study by Applum, developer of Page tool EdgeRank Checker, "Facebook Pages that automatically publish content to the news feed through third-party apps such as HootSuite, TweetDeck, and Networked Blogs receive an average of 70% fewer Likes and comments."


So, in today's blog, we're going to provide a quick guide to posting in the future, no De-Lorean required.

1.) Sign into Facebook and choose a Page (you must be a page admin)

2.) Navigate to the post a status update box




3.) Click the clock icon in the lower left-hand corner of the sharing tool.

4.) Select the year, month, day, hour, and minute. 

5.) The "Post" button will change to "Schedule" 

6.) Type your marketing message

5.) Hit "Schedule" and viola!




It's also possible to back-date content by choosing dates in the past to make these posts appear immediately in your timeline on the date you choose. You can check on your scheduled posts, as well. Here's how:

1.)Visit your page and scroll to the top and click "Admin Panel" (if it's your profile, the button will be to the right of your name.

2.) Click the Activity Log button.

3.)The new page will show your future posts as well as your current activity on Facebook. 

Feel free to comment below!

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersFri, 01 Jun 2012 16:31:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/249-social-media-how-to-schedule-posts-directly-on-facebook.aspxWhat Your Facebook Timeline SHOULD Look Likehttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/247-what-your-facebook-timeline-should-look-like.aspx
If you’ve logged on to your Facebook page lately, then you’ve grown accustomed to the BIG beautiful Timeline banners on top of personal profile pages and business pages alike. Usually, they’re eye-catching photos with vivid detail and color to draw you into the Business message.





The Facebook Timeline is a new aesthetic view for personal profiles and businesses. It places emphasis on the new banner and icon view to make Facebook pages “pop” with excitement. If you’re as digitally savvy as we are, then you’ve converted your Facebook over to the new Timeline format months ago and created some eye candy on top of the page to engage those visiting your Facebook Page. If you haven’t, and your page still resembles the old style Facebook Profile, then we have a few tips for your transition. In this entry, we’re providing WHAT your Timeline banner photo should look like.



1. The Facebook Timeline photo should be 851 X 315, while the smaller profile photo should be 180 x 180 pixels so that your image sits perfectly within the guidelines.
2. The content of your Timeline Banner should be eye catching while avoiding a cluttered look. If you’re an ice cream shop, place a nice HD photo of your most popular ice cream cone, or a smiling employee with the store back drop to some positive reinforcement for your brand.
3. Refrain from too much (or any at all) verbiage and selling points! People HATE being sold on Facebook (blatantly of course). Try and keep your banner friendly and aesthetic without placing a sales message or phone number. KIS – Keep it Simple
4. Lastly, rotate the image once in a while. Most of your fans on Facebook only see your page if they physically click a hyperlink to that page. When you post updated content, only the small profile picture shows up in the feed, not your entire Business page. So, when fans do visit your page, there's a chance they will see a different image next time around. 
These are just a few tips for tapping into the potential of your Facebook page. For details, give us a call or send us a message on Facebook on facebook.com/hermanadvertising

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersTue, 29 May 2012 21:23:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/247-what-your-facebook-timeline-should-look-like.aspxHow to Avoid Hydroplaninghttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/246-how-to-avoid-hydroplaning.aspx


One of the scariest experiences as a driver can be hydroplaning. Hydroplaning, which is the common term used to refer to the skidding or sliding of a car’s tires across a wet surface, can prove worrisome during a rainstorm. At the dealership, one of our main priorities is to make sure your vehicle is safe. So, in today’s blog, we’ll provide some tips on how hydroplaning occurs and what you can do to stop it. 
Hydroplaning happens when a tire encounters more water than it can scatter. In other words, there’s a pressure of water in the front of the wheel that pushes water underneath the tire. If too much water is pushed under the tire it can create a thin film of water, causing the tire to lose traction and you, the driver, to lose control over the vehicle’s actions. The result is a loss of steering, braking and power control. Many tires have grooves that channel water and prevent too much getting under the tire. 
The most dangerous time to become a victim of hydroplaning is during the first ten minutes of rain. Why? This is the moment in time when light rain mixes with oil residue on the roads surface, creating slippery conditions that can cause vehicles driving over 35 mph to hydroplane. These conditions can be dangerous for drivers and surrounding motorists.
 
How to Avoid Hydroplaining:
1. Turn off cruise control
2. Avoid sharp/quick turns
3. Drive in a lower gear
4. Avoid lanes that have deep puddles of water
5. SLOW DOWN
6. Rotate and replace your tires (we can take care of this)
7. Avoid hard braking
By following these tips, you should be able to avoid the worst part of hydroplaning. If you have any tips to add, feel free to comment below!
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Avoid it with quick tips from today's blog, right here:

Distributed by Viestly

]]>John SaundersTue, 22 May 2012 12:57:00 GMThttp://www.hermanadvertising.com/blog-41/246-how-to-avoid-hydroplaning.aspx