Making his first appearance at the magazine’s annual conference, Jim Ziegler will be at the 2011 Industry Summit to lead a special workshop on how YouTube and an inexpensive video-recording device can help dealers convert 50 percent of their leads into appointments.

Calling his tips “blue-collar marketing” in the digital age, Ziegler will present, “Using YouTube as a Lead Conversion Tool.” He will be in the Conrad Room inside the Las Vegas Hilton on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at 11:30 a.m., and will showcase several examples of how dealers are using video to separate themselves from the pack.

“I was at a recent convention when I heard an Internet millionaire say that 80 percent of all online content will consist of video by 2013,” he said. “Well, I’ll be at this year’s conference to show you how you can get ahead of that curve today. This is guerilla marketing for the digital age.”

Ziegler, president of Ziegler Super Systems Inc., will focus on how dealers can easily create a video response for an Internet or phone-in lead. He’ll also talk about how YouTube can be used in conjunction with Facebook.

“When customers submit an inquiry for a car via the Internet, more than likely they’ll receive an auto-response e-mail from multiple dealerships vying for their business,” he said. “And because those dealerships are probably using the same vendor, each of those e-mails will most likely be worded the same. Well, there is a better, more personalized way to respond to those inquiries.”

Ziegler’s workshop is one of five sessions at this year’s conference that will address marketing in the digital age. Other presenters include Cory Mosley, Sales Driver columnist and principal of Mosley Automotive Training, and David Johnson, social media strategist for Next Generation Dealer Services.

To view the 2011 Industry Summit’s full agenda, click here.