Customer Logins
Obtain the data you need to make the most informed decisions by accessing our extensive portfolio of information, analytics, and expertise. Sign in to the product or service center of your choice.
Customer LoginsDealership marketing: shifting the mindset of social media as a strategy
As the social media world continues to evolve and become more prevalent in marketing, it has become commonplace for dealerships to try and determine how they want to participate and support their brand using this medium.
The feedback I hear in the dealer world is, "I need to have a social media strategy." But as with any strategy, I think this statement is much too general and dealers need to take a step back and evaluate the concept of social media and really understand that it is in essence a marketing channel.
I think of a marketing strategy as a methodology in which a plan of action is developed using specific channels to engage the customer.
To me, social media is one of those channels for marketers where a set of technologies or tactics can be used to elevate and amplify brands and their marketing communications. Done correctly, a dealer can really flourish if they revisit the strategy and look at ways to communicate their brand via a social media platform.
This would be no different than launching a direct or digital marketing campaign or generating buzz via TV or radio. And with the right message delivered to the target audience, the opportunity to engage has a chance to be significantly higher. The focus then is to determine how to execute the message using social media and what is the message the dealer wants to communicate.
Ford is a great example of using a social media platform, in this case Facebook, to unveil the 2011 Ford Explorer. Typically new cars are promoted and revealed at high profile auto shows. It has been this way for years as industry professionals want to make an impact statement for the vehicle and engagement with the press.
However Ford took a very different approach by using Facebook for an exclusive reveal that included a significant buildup with promos, videos and product sessions. In a single day, Ford garnered over 50,000 likes. Just looking at those numbers and taking a percentage of how many potential leads may have converted into sales is significant.
So in Ford's case, they had a strategy for the launch, which used social media as the medium to deploy the message.
At the local dealer level the same concept can be used to create engagement. Just adding followers to a Twitter feed or Facebook page may not necessarily determine success, so getting the overall communication strategy and call to action right is what will enable the dealership to begin tracking service opportunities, leads, phone inquiries and ultimately sales.
The strategy for being active in social media is fairly simple in its structure in which a dealer would want to build a following of individuals, start engaging with those individuals, and through messages and conversations offer them something that would be beneficial.
I still think the goal for the dealer is to create a voice around the dealership and to be able to stand out among their competitors. The use of a social media platform is how that voice is delivered with the message being the instrument to engage the customer.
In summary I think there are three key areas the dealer can focus on when using social media:
- Set quantifiable expectations in conjunction with a clear message
- Determine which social media platform(s) will be used and why to deliver the message
- Determine how the results will be tracked and measured
There is no clear-cut methodology on what works best and ultimately a dealership may need to try different messages and different social media platforms to gauge effectiveness. Having performance goals in place, such as number of responses to a message or number of service appointments generated are examples of measuring how effective the social media platform is working.
I'm interested in varying opinions on this topic and welcome additional feedback.
Posted by Mike Sharkey, Account Manager, Automotive Retail Solutions, Polk (07.12.2011)