Getting Social

When Reed Brothers Dodge was first established in 1915, times and cars were much simpler. Lewis Reed truly loved people and loved cars. He really prided himself on remembering people’s names, who they were and what kind of cars they drove. He operated his business with the mindset that he could make the deal and a handshake sealed it. Cars and society have both changed dramatically since then.

Upon returning to the family business in 2006, co-owner Jeanne Gartner, wanted to create a greater awareness of the dealership. As Director of Digital Marketing and Website Administration, she turned to social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs, etc) and in less than 12 months, created a complete Web 2.0 marketing network. When other car dealers were still throwing up balloons for a tent sale, Reed Brothers Dodge began “tweeting” on Twitter and building “fans” on Facebook.

Why make the shift from traditional media to a digital media marketing focus?  It’s the same reason why we did away with the horse and buggy and got into transportation in automobiles. Reed Brothers started the transition from traditional to digital marketing in 2006 — because that was the future.

Behold.  The next frontier is here.  And it is digital.

Reed Brothers Presence Across Various Social Media Platforms

Reed Brothers Twitter Page

Beyond the obvious upside of an amazing user-base, Facebook offered something that no other website in history has ever offered: truly personal connectivity. It was through this connectivity that Reed Brothers struck up real friendships online and sold five cars through interactions on Facebook. This example of web presence by Reed Brothers – a featured dealer in a Dealer.com a newsletter, Firsthand Accounts: How Social Media Sites Will Work For Your Dealer Website – only goes to show how effective social media can be if used really well.

Reed Brothers Automotive Facebook Page

1 of 3 Blog Sites

Reed Brothers Google+ Business Page

Reed Brothers Listed Under “Cool Rockville Businesses”

A New Age for Marketing

Reed Brothers has been quick to recognize and adopt Quick Response (QR) codes as a powerful instrument in their marketing tool kit. In today”s mobile world, people are turning to mobile technologies and smartphones instead of PCs. No doubt everyone has heard of QR codes or have at least noticed that more and more businesses are using QR codes on pretty much all of their marketing materials. These 2-dimensional barcodes allow consumers who own mobile devices with QR code readers to link to more information about Reed Brothers, in just seconds. Here is just one way Reed Brothers integrated mobile strategy in their business processes. Reed Brothers Automotive Adds QR Codes to Their Marketing Strategy

Try it! Scan this QR code with your mobile phone to see where it takes you!

In closing, I created this page because I am passionate about what I do. The most important things that I ever adopted to help me in achieving my goals were those I learned from two very successful men (my grandfather, Lewis Reed and my father, Lee Gartner) who both instilled in me their strong points:  including a strong work ethic, their savvy business skills, and the belief that I can achieve whatever it is that I desire. And my mother, Mary Jane (Reed) Gartner, who was the glue of our family and always motivated me to be successful. Her motto is one that I still live by to this day, “There is no such thing as can’t”.

Instead of giving myself reasons why I can’t, I gave myself reasons why I can.