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31 Mar 2020
Automotive Public Relations, Kahn Media, Live Stream, PR, Public Relations Permalink

Social Media Best Practices During the Coronavirus Pandemic

March 31, 2020

The global spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus has affected the health, safey and economic well-being of millions of people. During these times of uncertainty, it can be difficult to strike the right tone on brand social media channels and pages. If a brand sells a product, is it appropriate for its social media strategy to stay focused on sales? Or, if the brand has event-focused social media channels and the event has been canceled, what’s the best way to move forward?

Ultimately, best practices for social media come down to sensitivity and common sense, which, unfortunately, can be in short supply during times of crisis and stress. As a brand, it’s more important now than ever to be mindful of the anxiety, fear, struggle and suffering that is affecting different people to different degrees. To offset some of the pervasive negativity,  there is nothing wrong with staying positive and projecting hope that things will improve in time. 

Here are some best practices for social media that can serve as guidelines for your brand, followed by two case studies.

Imagery 

Social media is highly visual. Imagery to accompany social posts should be avoided if it may be perceived as insensitive during the pandemic. 

  • Crowds/cities: Avoid imagery featuring large groups of non-related people in close contact with one another that contradicts social distancing recommendations. And avoid imagery of recognizable cityscapes of virus epicenters like New York City or San Francisco.
  • Travel/entertainment: Due to restrictions on travel, photos depicting domestic or international travel should be avoided. Avoid imagery featuring full exterior shots of hotels or non-essential entertainment venues or gathering places such as bars, museums, theaters or convention centers. 
  • Gatherings/restaurants: Avoid imagery of communal food displays, full table spreads that suggest a group gathering or staff handling food, especially if gloves are not being worn in the photo.

Text

Written copy should follow the tone of the imagery. Text should be informative as well as sensitive to the rapidly changing situation.

  • Language/jokes: Avoid or minimize exclamatory or over-enthusiastic language. Most importantly, under no circumstances should brand social media channels make jokes about the virus, or use the virus as an excuse for promotion.
  • Brand awareness/support/information: Acceptable copy creates general brand awareness, shares support for local restaurants that are providing delivery or takeout services, focuses on remote or private locations (not depicting people), provides updated cancellation policies, and/or offers relevant health and safety policies.
  • Hashtags/sharing: Up to two trending hashtags can be utilized if relevant to the copy and the conversation. Uplifting content can be shared sparingly to maintain a sense of humanity as part of the brand’s image. 

Client Case Study: @TheQuailEvents

Once the 2020 The Quail Motorcycle Gathering was canceled, @TheQuailEvents Instagram channel adopted many of the guidelines outlined above. The initial announcement of the cancellation was announced via Instagram as soon as the host, The Peninsula Signature Events, issued an official statement.

Overwhelming support flooded the post’s comments section, and each inquiry, comment and direct message received an individual response, thanking followers for their support during this difficult time and encouraging them to attend in 2021. 

Because The Quail Motorcycle Gathering is a large ticketed event, the @TheQuailEvents Instagram channel pivoted to focus its content on non-motorcycle event images. Imagery and copy shifted to close-ups of shareable supercars with added questions to boost engagement. 

Instagram Stories also became a top priority. With users having more time on their hands to engage with content, @TheQuailEvents introduced a “This or That” Story quiz, which was re-shared more than 30 times from followers who also tagged @TheQuailEvents. Since the “This or That” quiz was introduced less than a week ago, @TheQuailEvents Instagram reach has grown by 58.28 percent, impressions are up 142.92 percent and profile visits have increased by 98.88 percent.

Client Case Study: @GEARYSBeverlyHills

In response to California’s “Safe at Home” order that went into effect on March 20, GEARYS Beverly Hills closed its stores to the public and limited sales to online only. To communicate the store’s temporary closure, an Instagram Feed Post and Story was created to inform followers and encourage them to shop online.

The @GEARYSBeverlyHills Instagram page’s strategy shifted to become less sales focused and more inspiration-driven. Post frequency was spaced out to every other day instead of daily, and the page introduced a craftsmanship series highlighting notable artisans and their collections with top vendors.

Copy that was originally focused on Easter entertaining was altered to take on a more inspirational tone to avoid promoting social gatherings. Planned wedding content was removed from the social media calendar to steer the conversation away from weddings.

Once-a-week uplifting posts were incorporated into the social calendar to create brand awareness and connect with followers on a personal level. For example, the page included a throwback image of former owners Fred and Ruth Meyer in honor of GEARYS’s 90th anniversary. A heartfelt Feed Post and Story proclaiming love for the city of Beverly Hills depicting an empty city street and palm trees was also incorporated into the calendar. 

The response from followers has been warm and receptive to the message and changes. Organic reach has not been adversely affected by less frequent posts or the shift in tone over the past week. In fact, reach is up 283.67 percent and impressions have grown 246.49 percent despite the changes. 

Stay Engaged

Using sensitivity and common sense as guideposts, brands can navigate the world of social media during this pandemic in a way that creates brand awareness, provides hope and necessary information, and builds genuine relationships with followers.

31 Mar 2020
Blog Post, Digital Marketing, Kahn Media, Live Stream, PR, Public Relations Permalink

Remote Interviews 101: Do’s and Don’ts

March 31, 2020

With coronavirus forcing social distancing, TV news reporters are now conducting all “on-camera” interviews using video calling services such as Zoom, Skype, Google Hangout or FaceTime. While you might already be an expert on the subject matter, we recommend following these guidelines to make sure the technical and visual sides of the interview goes smoothly. 

Familiarize yourself with the software

Whether it be Zoom, Skype or Google Hangout, try out the software or web application well before your interview. Do a dry run with family or friends to learn how it works.

These programs typically require you to set up an account in order to participate. If you don’t already have an account, create one and keep that account information handy, such as your username. The reporter will need it to schedule the interview. 

Check audio quality and picture quality ahead of interview

What you say matters, and audio quality is key. It’s always a good idea to test the signal/connection prior to the interview. We recommend using earbuds with a microphone throughout the interview so you can hear the reporter clearly. 

Also, turn off your computer/phone’s speakers on during the interview to avoid a delayed echo.

Remember to speak clearly, and to take occasional pauses. Take a second or two to ensure the reporter has finished speaking before answering or contributing.

Just like audio quality, picture quality is equally as important. The quality will depend on your Wi-Fi speeds or internet connection. Test this out ahead of time. 

Use a clean background and good lighting

Find a quiet space to do the interview. Keep in mind that what’s behind you will be in the shot so it’s best to find a neutral background with minimal objects and good lighting. Test this out ahead of time to make sure the background is not distracting and the lighting shows your face with minimal shadows.

Also, be mindful of audio or visual distractions such as children, pets, lawnmowers, Amazon delivery drivers and so forth. 

Look the part

Although you are doing the interview in the comfort of your home, dress the part. This is still a professional interview and your attire should reflect that. 

You may be wondering where to look throughout the interview. Avoid looking at the face of the interviewer on the screen. Concentrate on looking directly at the computer’s camera (typically at the top of your monitor) throughout the interview. 

Live vs. recorded interviews

Ask the reporter if the interview will live or recorded for a future broadcast. That way you know whether it will be possible for mistakes or stumbles to be edited out of the interview. Regardless of live or recorded, do your best to give clear, concise responses with a few “ums” and other verbal distractions as possible. 

27 Mar 2020
COAST Big Sur, News, Public Relations Permalink

COAST BIG SUR TO PROVIDE CURBSIDE MEAL PICK-UP SERVICE

March 27, 2020

To alleviate the community’s need to frequent crowded grocery stores and heavily populated areas, the remote Highway 1 café will offer take-home meals for curbside pick-up only.   

COAST Big Sur will be preparing take-home meals for curbside pick-up for community members to enjoy while sheltering in place. The profits received through COAST’s curbside pick-up will be donated back to the Big Sur community during this time of need.

If community members would benefit from this service, but the timeframes are not accessible, they can contact COAST via email through info@coastbigsur.com or by calling (831) 667-2301. 

For more information about how to place an order, the pick-up schedule, this weekend’s offerings and suggested prices, please click here.

To learn more about COAT Big Sur, visit www.coastbigsur.com. 

Pick-up guidelines:
 Meals can be pre-purchased at https://coastbigsur.simpletix.com/e/53159.

Pick-up schedule:

  • COAST will begin this weekend’s pick-up on Saturday, March 28, 2020 from 2 – 4 p.m. 
  • Sunday’s offerings will be available for pick-up from 12 – 2 p.m.  
  • After this weekend, curbside pick-up will be available Wednesday – Sunday, 12 – 2 p.m.  

Safety precautions:
The staff involved are practicing safe social distancing guidelines provided by the CDC to avoid spreading the virus.

About COAST Big Sur
A Big Sur, California landmark since its opening in 1958, COAST Big Sur is the flagship destination for fine art, unique gifts and casual dining on California’s Central Coast. COAST Big Sur is located at 49901 Highway 1 in Big Sur, California, 93920. For general information, visit www.coastbigsur.com. Follow COAST Big Sur on Instagram.

26 Mar 2020
Dan Kahn, Kahn Media, PR, Public Relations Permalink

How to Maintain Sales, Even When the World Is Freaking Out

March 26, 2020

In our last newsletter, we talked about the massive shift away from traditional marketing to Media 3.0 and the realities facing businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and offered some strategic marketing ideas on how to keep things moving forward. This week we thought it was time to get a little more tactical – with specific programs that drive sales, site traffic and revenue, 24 hours a day: we’re talking about direct sales through Digital Marketing. 

We have been working hand-in-hand with clients around the clock to navigate this crisis, and while the entire industry has been dealing with challenges ranging from regional stay-at-home orders to consumers with jangled nerves, one thing is becoming very clear – as we approach “news burnout,” people are not only turning to digital entertainment, they are also refocusing on non-stressful hobbies to stay distracted, and that means they’re spending money. As a result, companies set up for direct-to-consumer sales with a robust digital marketing funnel are making sales and their operations are running strong. Let’s talk about why that is, how it works and how you can take advantage of it. 

The key to growing any brand’s digital footprint starts with the ability to sell direct and needs to be supported by four things: 1) active social media and websites with quality content, 2) an easy to use/navigate e-store for online purchases, 3) a targeted digital marketing effort across all channels and 4) robust back-end reporting to determine effectiveness and ROI. 

The reality is, both low-cost and high-cost products require multiple touchpoints across the web to drive sales. Consumers need to see digital content ranging from search results and reviews, to peer recommendations, social content, video ads and high-quality brand content multiple times before they make a purchase decision.

The process can be visualized as a sales funnel like the one shown here:

The general idea behind DM is to first engage the consumer who may not be familiar with your brand with social media content that targets them by their interests, hobbies, location or a combination of the three. Once they see posts on their social media channel of choice showing them the product in engaging videos, photos, or both, we transition into the research phase, where they are delivered targeted search results through Search Engine Marketing. Finally you enter the conversion phase, directing them to your product landing page on your site through targeted digital advertising and – if necessary – converting them through “remarketing” ads that redirect them back to the site or shopping cart if they leave the site without making a purchase.

We have created a few case studies based on real world campaigns we have run recently to illustrate how this strategy works across different types of companies and products appealing to a variety of different audiences. 

Race Parts Case Study

CHALLENGE: This performance hard-parts brand developed a new product for Chevrolet trucks and wanted to use the limited quantity of stock on hand to test the market’s demand. Our goal was to use a digital marketing campaign to drive awareness of the brand’s new product in a market they had little to no presence in and to generate sales of a product with a higher price point ($700) in a short time frame with a very small budget. 

TACTIC: We first used website analytics to identify the brand’s primary customer demographics. Next, we created a social media campaign across the Facebook/Instagram networks that leveraged both demographic and interest targeting to hone in on a qualified audience of potential customers. Our targeting group included people interested in competitors, complementary brands in that market and TV/media that cover these trucks. Facebook’s algorithm learning was used to further optimize the placement of ads to the users most likely to complete a web purchase for the maximum ROI.  

RESULT: A blended DM campaign drove 1751% ROI over a period of 9 days using only cold audiences (an audience that has never interacted with the brand previously). 

Car Care Line Case Study

CHALLENGE: This car care brand launched its vehicle car care line by selling directly on its own website, but didn’t have any paid advertising bringing new users to the site beyond posts on organic social channels and plugs on its YouTube channel. We created a series of how-to product videos, but needed to push them beyond use on product landing pages and social media.

TACTIC: Kahn Media deployed a paid Google display/AdWord, YouTube and Facebook/Instagram campaign using a combination of how-to videos as social content, product-specific display ads and targeted YouTube ads shown as pre-roll on competitor videos as well as suggested videos.

RESULT: By setting up an automated funnel-based advertising strategy with remarketing, we were able to create a seamless e-commerce experience with minimal time required to manage campaigns. Our new marketing strategy averaged a 439% return on investment from January to August, driving sales on all platforms while using a portion of the budget to promote future growth of the brand.

Undercar Lifestyle Brand Case Study

CHALLENGE: This brand sells most of its product based on two things: sound and performance. Our goal for this campaign was to place specific part numbers in front of potential customers that followed other channels and related videos on YouTube. The challenge is that there was a lot of competition in this space and varying levels of quality video and sound among its competitors.

TACTIC: For each specific part number/vehicle, Kahn Media utilized product spotlight videos and targeted users on YouTube. We targeted competitors’ videos with discovery style ads, and placed sound clips in the “suggested videos” section on channels with content relating to the specific make or model. Because this brand did not sell direct, our goal was to generate impressions and views of its videos to drive users back to its website to learn more about the product.

RESULT: Between three product videos targeting completely separate markets, we generated 4.5 million impressions and 34,000 complete video views for an average cost of $0.03 per view with a minimal overall budget that was shared between all three products.

Muscle Car Parts Brand Case Study

CHALLENGE: This brand is a small business that sold primarily through multi-step distribution at the beginning. We worked to build up the brand’s image and create product demand at the consumer level through organic social media and PR, along with launching and optimizing a new e-commerce website with direct sales. Our goal was to use the significant social following we’ve created for the brand to sell parts to classic car fans directly on the new site while maintaining a conservative ad spend.

TACTIC: Kahn Media implemented a series of Google display and Facebook/Instagram display ads targeting fans in the classic truck and muscle car space, using halo vehicles to draw them in. We also created video content educating consumers on their quality compared to overseas knockoffs.

RESULT: We have been able to consistently increase the amount of sales driven from our digital marketing campaigns by 24.5% year over year using roughly the same budget. In November, the brand had a record month with a 68.28% increase in overall parts sales over the previous year and drove over 2,300 clicks and 54 website purchases of a fairly high cost product to their website.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have been shifting to a new paradigm of buying direct from manufacturers and finding new products through digital marketing, but the current combination of “social distancing” and being cooped up inside has force the change to happen even faster, and we believe this shift in consumer behavior will be permanent. If you are currently set up for direct sales and need help with digital marketing strategy or execution, Kahn Media has been executing successful campaigns for nearly a decade, particularly when it comes to automotive digital marketing. 

If your company is not yet positioned to take advantage of these programs, we can help turn things on fast. We have helped clients navigate everything from product data implementation to website development to the buildout and execution of turnkey digital marketing-driven online sales programs. Our staff is well versed in everything from automotive and lifestyle brand marketing and content creation to creative, audience building, demographic research and thorough back-end reporting. 

For a free consultation and digital marketing road map, please contact us at info@kahnmedia.com and we will be in touch within 24 hours. 

26 Mar 2020
Automotive Public Relations, Events, Live Stream, Mullin Automotive Museum, Public Relations Permalink

The Mullin Automotive Museum to Stream Collection Tours on Instagram Live

March 26, 2020

Join @MullinMuseum every Tuesday at 10 a.m. PST for free, live, themed tours and collection spotlights. Tuesday, March 31, 2020 will focus on Gabriel Voisin and his amazing cars. 

WHO:  
Tour the Mullin Automotive Museum, voted one of the top 10 automotive museums in the world, from the comfort of your own home. 

WHAT: 
Hear the amazing true stories behind the museum’s award-winning cars and ask questions through a docent-led tour on Instagram Live. The tour will provide rare access to esteemed car collector and museum founder Peter Mullin’s French car collection, including one of the largest Bugatti collections in the world. 

Featuring more than 140 vehicles, art and artifacts, the museum collection is centered around true masterpieces of French curve coachwork and ingenious craftsmanship as envisioned by manufacturers such as Bugatti, Delage, Delahaye, Hispano-Suiza, Talbot-Lago and Voisin. Several of the automobiles in the collection have won prestigious awards at concours events around the world, while many have won historic races such as Grand Prix de Pau and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

23 Mar 2020
Automotive Public Relations, Live Stream, Petersen Automotive Museum Permalink

PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM TO NOW STREAM VAULT TOURS FOR FREE DURING CLOSURE

March 23, 2020

While temporarily closed until further notice, the museum will offer hour-long digital tours of the Vault presented by Hagerty® beginning Wednesday, March 25, 2020

LOS ANGELES (March 23, 2020) – For enthusiasts looking for digital entertainment during this time, the Petersen Automotive Museum will stream Vault tours for free during its temporary closure. Led by Collection Manager Dana Williamson, the hour-long digital tour will provide rare access to never-before-seen vehicles from the Vault presented by Hagerty®. Each live stream session is themed. The schedule is as follows:

  • Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 2 p.m. PST – Hollywood Themed
  • Friday, March 27, 2020 at 11 a.m. PST – Performance Themed
  • Saturday, March 28, 2020 at 11 a.m. PST – Full Tour
  • Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 2 p.m. PST – Presidential Themed
  • Friday, April 3, 2020 at 11 a.m. PST – Pre-War Themed
  • Saturday, April 4, 2020 at 11 a.m. PST – Full Vault Tour

Admission to view online Vault tours will be by suggested donation. Donations allow the museum to continue to maintain its collection and support staff and digital programs during its closure.

“Free Vault tours offer enthusiasts around the world an opportunity to enjoy our collection from the comfort of home,” said Petersen Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “These are tough times, but we are happy to give back to the community and fellow enthusiasts by providing a source of entertainment and education.”

In addition to the paid tour, the Petersen is also offering free online educational programming for students during the closure. To purchase a digital Vault tour or learn more about the museum’s free online educational programming, please visit www.petersen.org/online-education.

To learn more about the digital Vault tours, please visit www.petersen.org/vault-purchase. For more information about the Petersen Automotive Museum and its exhibits, visit www.petersen.org.

About the Petersen

The Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity. The museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Blvd. (at Fairfax) in Los Angeles, California 90036. Admission prices are $16 for general admission adults, $14 for seniors and $11 for children ages 4 to 17. Active military with ID, personal care attendants and children under age 4 are admitted free. For general information, call 323-930-CARS or visit www.petersen.org.

23 Mar 2020
Automotive Public Relations, Events, Sonoma Speed Festival Permalink

SONOMA SPEED FESTIVAL RESCHEDULED TO SEPTEMBER 4-6, 2020

March 23, 2020

In light of the unfolding developments of COVID-19, Sonoma Speed Festival, the leading automotive lifestyle event and vintage race held at Sonoma Raceway, has rescheduled this year’s event to September 4 – 6, 2020. 

Sonoma, Calif. (March 23, 2020) – In light of the rapidly developing COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and its effect on public gatherings, organizers of the second annual Sonoma Speed Festival have elected to reschedule the automotive lifestyle event at Sonoma Raceway to the Labor Day long weekend, September 4-6, 2020.  

Sonoma Speed Festival organizers have been monitoring the situation closely since the crisis first hit American shores, and have been working with officials at the City, County, State and Federal level as well as health care officials. As members of the Bay Area community, organizers have been following all recommended guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus and its impact on the community and because Sonoma Speed Festival is primarily a social event welcoming families of all ages and people of all walks of life, it was decided that it would be in the best interest of attendees, drivers, staff and event partners to reschedule to a date when the spirit of the event could be embraced. 

“Sonoma Speed Festival is social event first,” said Founder Jeff O’Neill. “As such, we couldn’t responsibly host something of this scale and fulfill our vision of a family-friendly motorsports, food and wine festival under the current conditions. With that said, we believe that rescheduling to September will provide welcome respite after what looks to be a long road in the months ahead.”

Over the coming weeks, organizers will revisit the lineup of cars for this year’s event. Sonoma Speed Festival was created to not only showcase some of the rarest, fastest and most beautiful automobiles ever built and raced, but also to create an environment where fans and enthusiasts could meet their heroes, watch icons of motorsport compete and gather for family-friendly entertainment. 

Sonoma Speed Festival remains dedicated to sharing the cars, stories and love for vintage automobiles through its social channels, newsletter and blog. In these uncertain and stressful times, we could all use a little automotive entertainment. Fans can join the conversation on Instagram and Facebook @SonomaSpeedFestival. Updates will be shared regularly as drivers and their cars are confirmed.  

Current ticket purchases will be valid for the September event date. However, if any guest is unable to attend the rescheduled date, a full refund (including any transaction fees) will be granted. All ticket holders will receive an email with further directions to select the option that best works for them and steps to roll-over tickets or to receive a refund.

For all questions, please reach out to info@Sonomaspeedfestival.com.

About Sonoma Speed Festival

The Sonoma Speed Festival is dedicated to highlighting the best race cars and collections from the international community and the U.S. One of the primary goals of the event is to connect the beauty and sophistication of the wine country to an event that is spectator and participant friendly while showcasing the best aspects of Northern California. For more information visit https://sonomaspeedfestival.com/, email info@sonomaspeedfestival.com
or follow us on Facebook at Instagram @SonomaSpeedFestival.

20 Mar 2020
Automotive Public Relations, Blog Post, Dan Kahn, Kahn Media, PR, Public Relations Permalink

Business Survival and Growth Post COVID-19

March 20, 2020

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

By Dan Kahn

Welcome to the new world order. While business for most of us has been booming for years, the marketing side of things has been undergoing aggressive change for a while. First, most of the automotive enthusiast print magazines folded, followed more recently by men’s lifestyle hallmarks like Men’s Journal and Playboy. Consumers are shifting towards digital in droves, they want to buy direct and they expect perks ingrained in them by Amazon like fast free shipping and no questions asked return policies. Brands that embraced the new order of things and adopted a digital first policy have prospered, those that ignored it have been lost in the woods. Then… everything changed with COVID-19.

This is not one of those newsletters where I tell you about how we are open for business and working remote (we are), nor is it the message where I pour my heart out with thoughts and prayers. I’m a straight shooter so I’ll be blunt – the changes that were already happening have been accelerated by this global pandemic. Mobile usage is up nearly 50% around the world, streaming video services are booming, online sales for consumer goods are booming and web traffic exploded (including a near 75% increase in gaming) as people adapted to a new “social distancing” lifestyle. Regarding consumer behavior, the fires of change were already burning – this pandemic dumped a barrel of nitro on it. That poses a short term challenge, and some major long term opportunities for those that rise to the occasion.

When I founded Kahn Media at the bottom of the Great Recession in 2008, I spoke a lot about “PR 2.0”, the shift away from traditional PR and marketing to empower brands to communicate directly with customers through the web and social media, using exciting content. Our mantra was that if brands “entertain, inform and engage” audiences, they won’t just make a sale, they’ll convert a customer for life. Those principals have served us and our clients well, building booming powerhouses in the wake of the recession. Today, as we look down the barrel at a serious global economic challenge, we have shifted into the next phase that applies those same ideas to an all-encompassing, cutting edge, measurable digital first strategy. We call it Media 3.0.  

What does that mean? We have an opportunity to capitalize on new consumer behavior and a rush to digital entertainment right now. All major motorsports are cancelled for the time being, same with car shows, trade shows, sporting events. People are stuck at home, working from home, bored, and rapidly beginning to suffer from news fatigue. That means they will be turning to online content to stay entertained and distracted, and eventually wandering into the garage looking for a distraction. Be that distraction.

By touching those consumers with inbound marketing (email), earned media (articles on blogs and sites), content marketing (videos and how-to stories), engaging branded social content, influencer stories and funnel-based sales initiatives (search engine marketing, remarketing, paid social) there has never been a bigger target audience looking for your content. Brands that engage consumers right now with killer content will gain long term fans, and eventually direct (high margin) sales.

With cashflow tight and workers trying to grind things out at home, most company leaders are worried to the point of paralysis right now. Those that see this as an opportunity to pivot will be rewarded, and when the pandemic is over, they will not only be leaner from operational changes forced on them by this situation, their sales funnel will be robust and highly profitable.

In simple terms, the old way of doing things – buy a few ads, attend a few events, send some press releases and wait for results – is like a fire hose that you hope will fill up with sales. The new, post COVID-19 path to success is a dozen garden hoses all in one bucket. It will still fill up with sales, and it takes a little more work and maintenance, but the redundancy means your business and path to sales growth is actually more reliable with better margins.

The challenge, of course, is building this marketing infrastructure. Content creation is time consuming and managing the distribution of that content across a wide variety of platforms – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, Mixer, email marketing, blogs and more – takes skill and manpower. Factor in paid funnel-based digital programs like search engine marketing, paid social advertising, remarketing (where people who leave your site are shown product ads until they return) and it takes an army. Plus you need to track it all and translate it into meaningful data and results. In our world (cars, trucks and luxury goods) the people creating the content also need to speak the language to be authentic.

This is not the time to significantly bulk up your payroll with new hires – and is exactly the time you want to consider a cutting edge digital agency. A good agency already has the staff, skillset, manpower and resources to turn things on quickly with no learning curve, for less than the cost of one skilled new internal hire. 

Marketing isn’t just a blanket advertising spend and hoping someone sees an ad and buys something. It’s doing the legwork to find out exactly who your customer is, where they spend their time and tailoring interesting content directly to them in an engaging and meaningful way. The content you create needs to be multi-purposed, whether it’s used as an organic feed story post on social, a pre-roll ad on YouTube or a display ad on websites across the net.

Here’s the good news – the award winning staff at Kahn Media has been doing this very thing for 12 years and counting. We can help you learn how to take advantage of this new world order. Our staff of two dozen marketers, writers, designers and digital strategists know how to turn things on fast. We are working at full speed, and we’re ready to help. We were born for this challenge and there is no learning curve, for the technology or the message. We’re gearheads and we know how to tell your story. Every brand needs to get in the driver’s seat and control its own message. We’re here to help.

-Dan

P.S.

During this time of crisis we are offering free marketing consultations on how brands can improve their digital presence, survive the pandemic and take advantage of Media 3.0. Please email info@kahnmedia.com and someone will contact you within 24 hours.

18 Mar 2020
Automotive Public Relations, Live Stream, Petersen Automotive Museum, Public Relations Permalink

PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM TO STREAM VAULT TOURS DURING CLOSURE

March 18, 2020

While temporarily closed until March 31, 2020, the museum will offer hour-long digital tours of the Vault presented by Hagerty beginning March 18, 2020 

LOS ANGELES (March 18, 2020) – For enthusiasts looking for digital entertainment while practicing social distancing, the Petersen Automotive Museum will stream Vault tours during its temporary closure. Led by Collection Manager Dana Williamson, the hour-long digital tour provides rare access to never-before-seen race cars, movie cars and culturally significant vehicles from the Vault presented by Hagerty.

Online Vault tours will cost $3. The admission allows the museum to continue to maintain its collection and support staff and digital programs during its closure until March 31, 2020. 

“Although we wish patrons could be visiting us at this time, we understand the risks and wanted to offer a new experience for fans of the museum to enjoy from the comfort of home,” said Petersen Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “The benefit of offering digital tours is that we are now able to extend the stories of our collection to a global audience and give our patrons more access to the cars than ever before.”

In addition to the paid tour, the Petersen is also offering free online educational programming for students during the closure. To purchase a digital Vault tour or learn more about the museum’s free online educational programming, please visit www.petersen.org/online-education.

For more information about the Petersen Automotive Museum and its exhibits, visit www.petersen.org.

About Petersen Automotive Museum
The Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity. The museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Blvd. (at Fairfax) in Los Angeles, California 90036. Admission prices are $16 for general admission adults, $14 for seniors and $11 for children ages 4 to 17. Active military with ID, personal care attendants and children under age 4 are admitted free. For general information, call 323-930-CARS or visit www.petersen.org.