It's the Holiday Season

If you’re looking for quick, fun tips your dealership can take advantage of in a big way, below are 7 of our best:

1. Decorate. Spruce up your showroom floor so your dealership feels inviting and visually appealing when customers stop in.  With decorations and music creating a festive atmosphere, it’s hard to resist the holiday spirit, and shoppers will be in a great frame of mind for buying.  Decorating your lot can also increase visibility to those passing by, attract people to your lot, help promote your holiday deals, and create an overall upbeat mood among both consumers and employees.
2. Deck the social media platforms. Update your profile pictures and cover photos to reflect a mixture of your dealership’s brand and the holiday season. Give online consumers a reason to celebrate and land on your website or platforms.  Be sure to highlight holiday specials and incentives, and provide content that offers engaging and educational material that’s relevant to seasonal topics.
3. Make your mail festive. Whether you’re sending out snail mail or email, spruce it up with holiday colors and themes. Consumers are more likely to open mail and emails around the holidays as they search for deals and sales, so if your mail is holiday themed, it will draw more attention.
4. Run contests online. Offer fun, mini contests giving away door prizes or a percentage off purchases, but also offer a couple significant prizes—like a car—to get even more people interested. Ask people to like, share, tweet, and follow your platforms for more entries. And include a hashtag to start your giveaways circulating and give consumers something to search if they want to locate them online.
5. Offer a holiday sale. Sales are one of the best ways to get consumers into your dealership during the holidays. Consumers are in the buying spirit, and you want your dealership to be competitive with its holiday sale. Give consumers a reason to show up on your showroom floor.
6. Give gifts. Offer gifts to those who visit your dealership. If you want customers to stick around longer, do giveaway announcements in-store only throughout the day and give customers a reason to come and stay.
7. Get involved in the community. After all, the holiday season is also about giving back to those around us. An easy way to get your dealership and community involved is to offer a donation or service at your dealership for an organization or cause in the community—like Toys for Tots or an adopt-a-family organization. This also gives people more incentive to physically come into your dealership, knowing they have the opportunity to participate, give back, and feel good about themselves and the positive impact your dealership is exerting.

Although the holiday season comes and goes quickly, the effort put into becoming a part of it, decorating, and showing holiday spirit is well worth it to drive consumers into your dealership. Remember, consumers are on the lookout for savings, both on larger purchases and smaller ones; and they are drawn to businesses that also offer ways for them to participate and give back to the community.  When your dealership pulls its resources together and offers savings, holiday spirit, and gets involved with the community, it’s a great way to entice consumers to shop with you.

It's the Holiday Season

If you’re looking for quick, fun tips your dealership can take advantage of in a big way, below are 7 of our best:

1. Decorate. Spruce up your showroom floor so your dealership feels inviting and visually appealing when customers stop in.  With decorations and music creating a festive atmosphere, it’s hard to resist the holiday spirit, and shoppers will be in a great frame of mind for buying.  Decorating your lot can also increase visibility to those passing by, attract people to your lot, help promote your holiday deals, and create an overall upbeat mood among both consumers and employees.
2. Deck the social media platforms. Update your profile pictures and cover photos to reflect a mixture of your dealership’s brand and the holiday season. Give online consumers a reason to celebrate and land on your website or platforms.  Be sure to highlight holiday specials and incentives, and provide content that offers engaging and educational material that’s relevant to seasonal topics.
3. Make your mail festive. Whether you’re sending out snail mail or email, spruce it up with holiday colors and themes. Consumers are more likely to open mail and emails around the holidays as they search for deals and sales, so if your mail is holiday themed, it will draw more attention.
4. Run contests online. Offer fun, mini contests giving away door prizes or a percentage off purchases, but also offer a couple significant prizes—like a car—to get even more people interested. Ask people to like, share, tweet, and follow your platforms for more entries. And include a hashtag to start your giveaways circulating and give consumers something to search if they want to locate them online.
5. Offer a holiday sale. Sales are one of the best ways to get consumers into your dealership during the holidays. Consumers are in the buying spirit, and you want your dealership to be competitive with its holiday sale. Give consumers a reason to show up on your showroom floor.
6. Give gifts. Offer gifts to those who visit your dealership. If you want customers to stick around longer, do giveaway announcements in-store only throughout the day and give customers a reason to come and stay.
7. Get involved in the community. After all, the holiday season is also about giving back to those around us. An easy way to get your dealership and community involved is to offer a donation or service at your dealership for an organization or cause in the community—like Toys for Tots or an adopt-a-family organization. This also gives people more incentive to physically come into your dealership, knowing they have the opportunity to participate, give back, and feel good about themselves and the positive impact your dealership is exerting.

Although the holiday season comes and goes quickly, the effort put into becoming a part of it, decorating, and showing holiday spirit is well worth it to drive consumers into your dealership. Remember, consumers are on the lookout for savings, both on larger purchases and smaller ones; and they are drawn to businesses that also offer ways for them to participate and give back to the community.  When your dealership pulls its resources together and offers savings, holiday spirit, and gets involved with the community, it’s a great way to entice consumers to shop with you.

Consumer Experience Meets Technology 

Consumers are continuously putting information and data about themselves into the online world, and in order to take your dealership to the next level, it’s important to focus on what’s being said.  Creating a positive overall customer experience is integral to the success of your dealership, and that begins where shoppers are talking, researching, and sharing information: online.  Consumers are eager to find brands they feel a connection with, and you’ll be able to build relationships by providing your own quality content, but also by inviting online shoppers to engage, give feedback, and interact with your brand.  When you spend time focusing on the customer experience and listening to what’s said on social platforms, the result will be lasting consumer relationships for your dealership. Considering online shoppers are taking the time to share their information and open themselves up to you, it’s critical your dealership work to personalize its interactions and experiences with customers via the insights they’re providing.  The data they are sharing is valuable information that will help your dealership succeed in a crowded and fast-paced marketplace.

Turning Data Into Personal Interactions

It’s important to show your customers you care about the things they’re sharing.  Not only are they seeking quality products in the marketplace, but they are also on the lookout for companies and businesses that are willing to go above and beyond to acknowledge them and listen to what they have to say.  By creating a meaningful online experience and focusing on building relationships, you’ll gain a loyal group of followers who have the power to boost your profits.  Use some of the following tips to help you successfully engage online consumers with your dealership:

• Use customers’ names. This is relevant whether interactions are in person, over the phone, or online. One of the simplest things your dealership employees and salespeople can do is address customers by their names. It’s personal and it gives individuals the sense you know who they are.

• Look up information. If your customer has taken the time to fill out a survey or reach out to you, chances are you can easily find information on what they’re looking for. Once you know a customer’s name, take the time to enter it into your CRM, make contact, and chat about specific wants and needs.

• Connect on a personal level. With the right technology, you can use your CRM to look up social media connections a customer may have with anyone at your dealership. Use that data to your advantage by finding employee connections in your dealership and leverage relationships that already exist.

• Acknowledge prior reviews. You have the ability to see customers’ previous reviews, so use that knowledge to your advantage. For positive reviews, take note of what customers liked and strive to repeat those experiences in the future. If you run across a negative review, be sure to respond personally and work with the customer to ensure your dealership is able to provide a more positive experience in the future.

• Pick up where you left off. Look up your customers’ prior communication histories and keep conversations flowing instead of requiring customers to start from square one each time they interact with you. This lets them know you’re listening and making an effort to remember prior interactions.

• Ask for opinions and feedback.  One of the best ways to get great engagement and interaction is to ask your online followers a question.  Consider topics you know are of interest or even just fun questions to elicit community responses (“Which make/model do you prefer?” or “What was your first car?”).  Once you’ve started the conversation, be sure to participate and be an online presence, so that your followers start to feel like they know you.

The data superhighway is endless, and new customer information is constantly becoming available.  In addition to providing quality content for your online audience, it’s important to focus on the overall customer experience.  You’ll be surprised at the level of engagement your dealership receives when you open yourself up to feedback, interaction, and communication. 

Your consumers are eager to communicate and let you know what they’re thinking, and by using the data shoppers provide via online social platforms, you’ll be able to create a more tailored experience for everyone.  When you strike a balance between providing great content and creating lasting relationships with consumers, your dealership will benefit by seeing loyal shoppers and increased profits.

Consumer Experience Meets Technology 

Consumers are continuously putting information and data about themselves into the online world, and in order to take your dealership to the next level, it’s important to focus on what’s being said.  Creating a positive overall customer experience is integral to the success of your dealership, and that begins where shoppers are talking, researching, and sharing information: online.  Consumers are eager to find brands they feel a connection with, and you’ll be able to build relationships by providing your own quality content, but also by inviting online shoppers to engage, give feedback, and interact with your brand.  When you spend time focusing on the customer experience and listening to what’s said on social platforms, the result will be lasting consumer relationships for your dealership. Considering online shoppers are taking the time to share their information and open themselves up to you, it’s critical your dealership work to personalize its interactions and experiences with customers via the insights they’re providing.  The data they are sharing is valuable information that will help your dealership succeed in a crowded and fast-paced marketplace.

Turning Data Into Personal Interactions

It’s important to show your customers you care about the things they’re sharing.  Not only are they seeking quality products in the marketplace, but they are also on the lookout for companies and businesses that are willing to go above and beyond to acknowledge them and listen to what they have to say.  By creating a meaningful online experience and focusing on building relationships, you’ll gain a loyal group of followers who have the power to boost your profits.  Use some of the following tips to help you successfully engage online consumers with your dealership:

• Use customers’ names. This is relevant whether interactions are in person, over the phone, or online. One of the simplest things your dealership employees and salespeople can do is address customers by their names. It’s personal and it gives individuals the sense you know who they are.

• Look up information. If your customer has taken the time to fill out a survey or reach out to you, chances are you can easily find information on what they’re looking for. Once you know a customer’s name, take the time to enter it into your CRM, make contact, and chat about specific wants and needs.

• Connect on a personal level. With the right technology, you can use your CRM to look up social media connections a customer may have with anyone at your dealership. Use that data to your advantage by finding employee connections in your dealership and leverage relationships that already exist.

• Acknowledge prior reviews. You have the ability to see customers’ previous reviews, so use that knowledge to your advantage. For positive reviews, take note of what customers liked and strive to repeat those experiences in the future. If you run across a negative review, be sure to respond personally and work with the customer to ensure your dealership is able to provide a more positive experience in the future.

• Pick up where you left off. Look up your customers’ prior communication histories and keep conversations flowing instead of requiring customers to start from square one each time they interact with you. This lets them know you’re listening and making an effort to remember prior interactions.

• Ask for opinions and feedback.  One of the best ways to get great engagement and interaction is to ask your online followers a question.  Consider topics you know are of interest or even just fun questions to elicit community responses (“Which make/model do you prefer?” or “What was your first car?”).  Once you’ve started the conversation, be sure to participate and be an online presence, so that your followers start to feel like they know you.

The data superhighway is endless, and new customer information is constantly becoming available.  In addition to providing quality content for your online audience, it’s important to focus on the overall customer experience.  You’ll be surprised at the level of engagement your dealership receives when you open yourself up to feedback, interaction, and communication. 

Your consumers are eager to communicate and let you know what they’re thinking, and by using the data shoppers provide via online social platforms, you’ll be able to create a more tailored experience for everyone.  When you strike a balance between providing great content and creating lasting relationships with consumers, your dealership will benefit by seeing loyal shoppers and increased profits.

News for the Week of 12.9

Facebook Messenger Arrives at a Website Near You 

Facebook recently introduced new Page plugins for Messages and Events, allowing users to message your business easily and check out what’s going on with your Events directly from your website.  This newest addition now means visitors to your website can message you on Facebook without leaving your website, allowing you to have meaningful and relevant conversations across the web and via mobile more easily than ever before.  Dealerships, keep an eye on this latest update from Facebook and use this feature as a way to interact and engage with even more consumers.  Visitors to your website can now interact with you on social media via your website, making you more accessible and making it easier to start up conversations about purchases, incentives, and deals that may be going on.

Facebook Live Video and Collages

Facebook continues to bring the updates, and users are sure to enjoy this one.  Live video and collages are now available, allowing users to bring to life all the moments they’ve captured.  The live video enhancement allows users to share real-time action, sharing in-the-moment thoughts and experiences.  Users are able to discover live video from individuals followed directly in their News Feed, and by subscribing to a feed, users will be alerted whenever a broadcaster goes live.  Currently, this feature is being tested in the U.S. with a small population of iPhone users.  The collage feature allows users to group photos and video together into a scrolling, moving collage that is sharable.  Simply by tapping Photo, users are able to see recent camera roll moments and can then edit and arrange photos into a collage.  Currently rolling out on iPhone, Android users should see collage availability in 2016.  Dealerships, continue to stay active on Facebook.  Because it’s the online social platform where your customers are interacting and sharing, you’ll want to use the latest and greatest features to stay relevant and share updates.  Try making a collage of your latest inventory or even your ugly sweater holiday party!  When you share fun content, it helps to humanize your brand and connect you with your customers.

LinkedIn Mobile App

Look for a rebuilt and enhanced LinkedIn mobile app that is now streamlined into five core areas: Your Feed, Me, My Network, Messaging, and Search.  In an effort to make the app more user-friendly and easy for users to connect and engage with other professionals, LinkedIn worked to develop a more intuitive and simplified mobile experience.  Now available globally, LinkedIn users will find it even easier to stay up-to-date and informed with what’s going on in their professional circles.  Dealerships, remember the importance of leveraging your professional networks as well as building your consumer audience.  Take time to post your educational and industry-specific content via LinkedIn, and you’ll stand out as a trusted and knowledgeable leader.

Instagram Partners Program

Instagram recently introduced the Partners Program as a way for businesses to thrive on their social platform.  Offering experts focused on excellence and ready to guide businesses toward a growth trajectory on Instagram, advertisers of any size can now take advantage of these partners to help them get results.  Their partners specialize in Instagram’s unique marketing tools and are able to simplify the process for businesses as they navigate and achieve their advertising needs.  Key areas of expertise include ad tech, community management, and content marketing.  The program is starting with 40 partners around the globe as it kicks off, and it is expected to grow as it achieves success.  Dealerships working to stretch their advertising dollars and leverage the power of social media should continue to look toward popular sites like Instagram.  Engage followers and start conversations by continuing to post compelling photos that show what’s unique and likeable about your dealership.  Instagram is a great place to show off your culture, happy customer photos, and even in-house celebrations like birthdays and holidays.

Tip of the Week – Turn Your Customers Into VIPs

Everyone wants to feel special, and when your dealership takes the time to give online followers, customers, and potential shoppers the royal treatment, you’ll end up with increased online participation and more loyal followers.  It doesn’t take a lot to let consumers know you’re in their corner.  In fact, you’re probably already doing several things at your dealership to show your appreciation for shoppers every day.  Now it’s just a matter of ensuring you carry your day-to-day actions over to your online social platforms to build on what you’ve already started.  Check out these quick ideas to get you started:

• Make it easy to contribute and interact.  Your audience follows you for a reason, and that’s because you’ve proven you have something of value to add.  They also want to participate and interact, so make sure you make it easy for them.  For example, asking them to use a hashtag is easy, however, creating a video may seem daunting to some users.
• Ask for opinions and feedback.  It’s one thing to sit back and wait for people to contribute; it’s quite another to request feedback from people you consider valued community experts.  Let your audience know you respect and look forward to what they have to say by specifically requesting their input.
• Offer prizes for interaction.  It’s hard to find anyone who is opposed to getting a prize, so if you’re asking consumers to do something for you, reciprocate with a gift in return.  It doesn’t have to be huge, but consider offering a gift that’s substantial enough to make it worth consumers’ time to participate.  For example, if you ask consumers to create a post-purchase video or leave feedback for others to see, offer a free oil change when they post.
• Learn about your customers.  In addition to putting great content out there for your audience to consume, be sure you’re doing a good amount of social listening as well.  When you know your customers, their likes, and the things they want to hear about, it shows—and they’ll be more willing to form relationships with you when you’ve taken the time to get to know them.
• Give them a reason.  Let consumers know why you are there interacting with them.  They want their voices to be heard when it comes to the way businesses do things, so let them know you’re there to listen to what matters to them.  When they have a valid reason to interact and share with you, they’ll feel like the valued resources they truly are.

When you let your consumers know they’re VIPs, you’re letting them know they are important to you.  Especially on social media sites, this means their engagement, feedback, and input is integral to helping you make the best decisions for your business.  Consumers who feel important and valued by your dealership are likely to feel a greater sense of loyalty and trust, and not only will they turn to your dealership when it’s time to buy, but they’ll also spread the word to their friends.

The image used in this post is from FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

News for the Week of 12.9

Facebook Messenger Arrives at a Website Near You 

Facebook recently introduced new Page plugins for Messages and Events, allowing users to message your business easily and check out what’s going on with your Events directly from your website.  This newest addition now means visitors to your website can message you on Facebook without leaving your website, allowing you to have meaningful and relevant conversations across the web and via mobile more easily than ever before.  Dealerships, keep an eye on this latest update from Facebook and use this feature as a way to interact and engage with even more consumers.  Visitors to your website can now interact with you on social media via your website, making you more accessible and making it easier to start up conversations about purchases, incentives, and deals that may be going on.

Facebook Live Video and Collages

Facebook continues to bring the updates, and users are sure to enjoy this one.  Live video and collages are now available, allowing users to bring to life all the moments they’ve captured.  The live video enhancement allows users to share real-time action, sharing in-the-moment thoughts and experiences.  Users are able to discover live video from individuals followed directly in their News Feed, and by subscribing to a feed, users will be alerted whenever a broadcaster goes live.  Currently, this feature is being tested in the U.S. with a small population of iPhone users.  The collage feature allows users to group photos and video together into a scrolling, moving collage that is sharable.  Simply by tapping Photo, users are able to see recent camera roll moments and can then edit and arrange photos into a collage.  Currently rolling out on iPhone, Android users should see collage availability in 2016.  Dealerships, continue to stay active on Facebook.  Because it’s the online social platform where your customers are interacting and sharing, you’ll want to use the latest and greatest features to stay relevant and share updates.  Try making a collage of your latest inventory or even your ugly sweater holiday party!  When you share fun content, it helps to humanize your brand and connect you with your customers.

LinkedIn Mobile App

Look for a rebuilt and enhanced LinkedIn mobile app that is now streamlined into five core areas: Your Feed, Me, My Network, Messaging, and Search.  In an effort to make the app more user-friendly and easy for users to connect and engage with other professionals, LinkedIn worked to develop a more intuitive and simplified mobile experience.  Now available globally, LinkedIn users will find it even easier to stay up-to-date and informed with what’s going on in their professional circles.  Dealerships, remember the importance of leveraging your professional networks as well as building your consumer audience.  Take time to post your educational and industry-specific content via LinkedIn, and you’ll stand out as a trusted and knowledgeable leader.

Instagram Partners Program

Instagram recently introduced the Partners Program as a way for businesses to thrive on their social platform.  Offering experts focused on excellence and ready to guide businesses toward a growth trajectory on Instagram, advertisers of any size can now take advantage of these partners to help them get results.  Their partners specialize in Instagram’s unique marketing tools and are able to simplify the process for businesses as they navigate and achieve their advertising needs.  Key areas of expertise include ad tech, community management, and content marketing.  The program is starting with 40 partners around the globe as it kicks off, and it is expected to grow as it achieves success.  Dealerships working to stretch their advertising dollars and leverage the power of social media should continue to look toward popular sites like Instagram.  Engage followers and start conversations by continuing to post compelling photos that show what’s unique and likeable about your dealership.  Instagram is a great place to show off your culture, happy customer photos, and even in-house celebrations like birthdays and holidays.

Tip of the Week – Turn Your Customers Into VIPs

Everyone wants to feel special, and when your dealership takes the time to give online followers, customers, and potential shoppers the royal treatment, you’ll end up with increased online participation and more loyal followers.  It doesn’t take a lot to let consumers know you’re in their corner.  In fact, you’re probably already doing several things at your dealership to show your appreciation for shoppers every day.  Now it’s just a matter of ensuring you carry your day-to-day actions over to your online social platforms to build on what you’ve already started.  Check out these quick ideas to get you started:

• Make it easy to contribute and interact.  Your audience follows you for a reason, and that’s because you’ve proven you have something of value to add.  They also want to participate and interact, so make sure you make it easy for them.  For example, asking them to use a hashtag is easy, however, creating a video may seem daunting to some users.
• Ask for opinions and feedback.  It’s one thing to sit back and wait for people to contribute; it’s quite another to request feedback from people you consider valued community experts.  Let your audience know you respect and look forward to what they have to say by specifically requesting their input.
• Offer prizes for interaction.  It’s hard to find anyone who is opposed to getting a prize, so if you’re asking consumers to do something for you, reciprocate with a gift in return.  It doesn’t have to be huge, but consider offering a gift that’s substantial enough to make it worth consumers’ time to participate.  For example, if you ask consumers to create a post-purchase video or leave feedback for others to see, offer a free oil change when they post.
• Learn about your customers.  In addition to putting great content out there for your audience to consume, be sure you’re doing a good amount of social listening as well.  When you know your customers, their likes, and the things they want to hear about, it shows—and they’ll be more willing to form relationships with you when you’ve taken the time to get to know them.
• Give them a reason.  Let consumers know why you are there interacting with them.  They want their voices to be heard when it comes to the way businesses do things, so let them know you’re there to listen to what matters to them.  When they have a valid reason to interact and share with you, they’ll feel like the valued resources they truly are.

When you let your consumers know they’re VIPs, you’re letting them know they are important to you.  Especially on social media sites, this means their engagement, feedback, and input is integral to helping you make the best decisions for your business.  Consumers who feel important and valued by your dealership are likely to feel a greater sense of loyalty and trust, and not only will they turn to your dealership when it’s time to buy, but they’ll also spread the word to their friends.

The image used in this post is from FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

By now, pretty much everyone has heard about the power of social media and the effect it can have on businesses that are leveraging it to enhance their bottom line. What may or may not be known—even by the businesses that are using social media to their advantage—are the actual numbers that are churning behind the scenes of specific social campaigns. So how can companies get to the nitty-gritty and really know how hard their campaigns are working for them?

Measuring Your Social Media ROI

A common misconception among business professionals seems to be that it’s impossible to measure the return on investment when it comes to social media, but that’s simply not the case. While it is a task that takes diligence and the right technology, it is most definitely possible—and necessary for those who want to be the most successful—to measure the success of online marketing campaigns.

Consider the companies that use roadside billboards for advertising. The billboards are huge and may (or may not) catch the attention of drivers who pass by. The problem is that marketers have no way of measuring who has seen their messages and who simply drove by without noticing a thing. That is essentially what marketers are doing if they post information online without following up by studying the analytics and discovering the actual return on investment.

A great example of recent success with social media marketing happened with the Kansas City area’s largest and most prominent Ford dealership, Gary Crossley Ford. This dealership hosts a dog adoption event annually, but this year the event had quite a different turnout than in years past. Why? It can all be attributed to the fact that this year the dealership took a completely different tack, and instead of pouring thousands of dollars into a traditional marketing campaign, they chose to strategically post their event using social media marketing. The results were nothing less than astounding.

In addition to a full house—a much larger turnout than previous years—the dealership celebrated finding homes for every dog that attended the event and having onsite veterinary professionals who microchipped 70 pets at no charge to the owners. The dealership was able to quantitatively measure attendance and reaction to this event with advanced technology designed to offer analytics, professionally curated and custom content, and improve employee engagement and advocacy—all in one easy-to-use tool. Simply stated, Gary Crossley Ford was able to watch the success happening in real time as the numbers increased on their analytics dashboard.

How Did It Work?

It may sound like a small neighborhood event, so how did the dealership manage to get such a great turnout for a pet adoption? With the help of the FuzeCast app, Gary Crossley Ford was able to encourage employees to post the event to their social media pages with one easy click. Not only did their employees share the event with their friends on social media, but those friends in turn went on to share it with even more people. The cycle of online sharing continued until the post had reached over 5,000 likes and had been shared on personal Facebook pages over 200 times. That is the power of social media marketing at work!

This event alone ended in a viral effect that goes to show that it doesn’t necessarily take big marketing dollars and a traditional approach in order to accomplish a great return on your investment. When businesses focus on creating messages that are tailored to their consumers, the high-impact, lower-dollar approach of social media marketing will effectively tap into a consumer market that has a propensity to engage and interact.

The image used in this post was provided by freedigitalphotos.net.

By now, pretty much everyone has heard about the power of social media and the effect it can have on businesses that are leveraging it to enhance their bottom line. What may or may not be known—even by the businesses that are using social media to their advantage—are the actual numbers that are churning behind the scenes of specific social campaigns. So how can companies get to the nitty-gritty and really know how hard their campaigns are working for them?

Measuring Your Social Media ROI

A common misconception among business professionals seems to be that it’s impossible to measure the return on investment when it comes to social media, but that’s simply not the case. While it is a task that takes diligence and the right technology, it is most definitely possible—and necessary for those who want to be the most successful—to measure the success of online marketing campaigns.

Consider the companies that use roadside billboards for advertising. The billboards are huge and may (or may not) catch the attention of drivers who pass by. The problem is that marketers have no way of measuring who has seen their messages and who simply drove by without noticing a thing. That is essentially what marketers are doing if they post information online without following up by studying the analytics and discovering the actual return on investment.

A great example of recent success with social media marketing happened with the Kansas City area’s largest and most prominent Ford dealership, Gary Crossley Ford. This dealership hosts a dog adoption event annually, but this year the event had quite a different turnout than in years past. Why? It can all be attributed to the fact that this year the dealership took a completely different tack, and instead of pouring thousands of dollars into a traditional marketing campaign, they chose to strategically post their event using social media marketing. The results were nothing less than astounding.

In addition to a full house—a much larger turnout than previous years—the dealership celebrated finding homes for every dog that attended the event and having onsite veterinary professionals who microchipped 70 pets at no charge to the owners. The dealership was able to quantitatively measure attendance and reaction to this event with advanced technology designed to offer analytics, professionally curated and custom content, and improve employee engagement and advocacy—all in one easy-to-use tool. Simply stated, Gary Crossley Ford was able to watch the success happening in real time as the numbers increased on their analytics dashboard.

How Did It Work?

It may sound like a small neighborhood event, so how did the dealership manage to get such a great turnout for a pet adoption? With the help of the FuzeCast app, Gary Crossley Ford was able to encourage employees to post the event to their social media pages with one easy click. Not only did their employees share the event with their friends on social media, but those friends in turn went on to share it with even more people. The cycle of online sharing continued until the post had reached over 5,000 likes and had been shared on personal Facebook pages over 200 times. That is the power of social media marketing at work!

This event alone ended in a viral effect that goes to show that it doesn’t necessarily take big marketing dollars and a traditional approach in order to accomplish a great return on your investment. When businesses focus on creating messages that are tailored to their consumers, the high-impact, lower-dollar approach of social media marketing will effectively tap into a consumer market that has a propensity to engage and interact.

The image used in this post was provided by freedigitalphotos.net.

News for the Week of November 16

Pinterest Visual Search Launched

Pinterest lovers, rejoice!  The new visual search has launched, which means users can now search for items that appear in pins simply by tapping the built-in search tool and zooming in on objects of interest.  From that point, Pinterest will show pins just like the objects that have been selected, including the product name and where it can be purchased.  Available on mobile and web, Pinterest is expecting users to have a blast with this latest tool as they shop their way around their favorite social site.  Dealerships, continue to establish your presence on Pinterest as a way of broadening your audience and reaching new and unique consumers.  With 100 million monthly users, this popular social networking site will help you gain traction when you post quality content that links directly back to your own site.

Facebook Local Marketing Tools

Facebook has announced the launch of two new tools for local marketers, making it easier for businesses with more than one location to create individual ads for each store.  These tools offer insights regarding consumer groups near their stores, enabling them to more effectively connect.  The newest tools come in an effort to make ads more locally relevant for individual locations.  Businesses using Locations for Pages can now use information from each page to add a variety of ad copy, links, and call-to-action buttons in order to localize ads for each store.  Additionally, Page Insights offers a new tab containing information about people near a particular store, allowing businesses to better understand individual consumer needs.  Advertisers will also be able to see the percentage of people who have seen their ads, giving them insights as to advertising effectiveness.  Dealerships, keep an eye on Facebook’s latest marketing tools and stay on top of the best ways to connect with the communities surrounding your individual locations.  If you have multiple rooftops, these new tools could be exactly what you’re looking for when it comes to personalizing your messages to reach individual areas with unique ad messages.

Instagram Partners Program

Advertisers of all sizes are welcoming the Instagram Partners program, a way for advertisers to find the technology partners they need in order to see the best results.  Their partners offer specialties designed to complement Instagram’s marketing tools and simplify business challenges.  This program kicks off with a group of 40 global partners and focuses on the three key areas of expertise: ad tech, community management, and content marketing.  As the program continues to grow, Instagram looks forward to expanding to even more specialties.  For dealerships active in online social circles, stay focused on Instagram for a fun way to connect with your audience.  Consider trying something new like showing off specific vehicle features via Instagram to garner interest in specific vehicles on your lot.

New Features for Periscope

Periscope introduced brand-new features for iOS and Android, an updated Global Map and Skip Ahead on replays.  The original Global Map showed live broadcasts with no replays and was limited to 250 broadcasts; now, the updated version of Global Map allows users to zoom, reload broadcasts from a particular region, and it includes replays from the last 24 hours.  It also displays red dots to indicate live broadcasts and blue dots to indicate replays for an easily-read overview of what has recently happened.   The Skip Ahead function allows users to skip to a portion of a replay they most want to view, rather than rewatching an entire video.  Users can also choose to seek through an entire video to quickly get an overview of the content simply by pressing down in replay and dragging left and right to change the seek speed.  Dealerships using Periscope for a more interactive user experience will continue to enjoy the app’s features and updates.  Reach a broader audience by changing up your content.  Consider providing vehicle-specific information to consumers who are in-market or providing live feeds directly from your service department with tips for the winter months.

Facebook Notify App

Facebook continues to deliver, and its newest tool is the Notify app.  Providing timely notifications about things users are interested in, Notify gets information from user sources and delivers relevant updates.  Notify has a broad list of stations users can select to indicate their interests, and stations can be updated by users at any time.  Once stations are selected, notifications will publish through the stations based on user Facebook profiles, and users can check updates right on their lock screens.  If interested, they can then choose full articles simply by swiping or tapping.  Notifications can be shared via text, email, Facebook, and other social networks—directly from user lock screens.  Currently available for iPhone, Facebook is looking at opportunities to expand the Notify app.  Dealerships, continue to use Facebook and other social media networks to interact and socially listen to your consumers.  The Notify app offers a great opportunity to follow trending stories and find quality content to view and share with your local audience.

Tip of the Week—Social Listening Is a Big Deal

You already know the importance of being active and showing a strong presence on social media, and you’re probably working pretty hard to churn out quality content on a regular basis.  But it’s also important to take time to ensure you’re truly interacting with your audience.  It’s a lot like a complicated juggling act.  At the same time you’re providing great content that educates, informs, and keeps a diverse audience interested in your brand, it’s essential you keep your eyes and ears open.  Be aware of what consumers are saying about you, about other brands, about products in the marketplace in general.  Only by getting a good read on your audience will you be able to connect with them and create the meaningful relationships that are necessary to build your brand.  Check out the things online listening can do for your dealership and your brand:

• You’ll get ahead of consumer complaints.  Before an issue even has a chance to go viral, you’ll be there, ready to interact with consumers who may have experienced problems—and you can offer solutions that will both benefit them and show potential future customers that your business is trustworthy.
• You’ll gain insights about your own brand.  By listening to what people have to say about your dealership online, you’ll get a good idea of what’s working and what could use some tweaking.  Your presence and interaction show consumers you truly care about what’s being said, and that lends credibility to your cause.
• You’ll make new friends.  By interacting and listening to what’s going on with your consumers, you’ll get pulled into their online social circles, and you’ll soon find your dealership’s list of acquaintances growing as well.
• You’ll boost your authenticity.  By being online and listening, interacting, and chatting with consumers, you’ll quickly humanize your brand.  Consumers will start to see the people behind the business, which makes it much easier to create relationships.
• You’ll be first on the scene.  When shoppers have questions about vehicles or services, you’ll have a better opportunity to answer their questions in real-time, giving you a leg up on the competition.  Social listening will keep you in the right place at the right time.

Several reasons to focus on your online listening skills exist–all of them focused directly on enhancing the credibility and trustworthiness of your dealership.  It may seem like a daunting task because the social media space is crowded, but once you carve out your space, you’ll find your consumers want to interact with you and appreciate the fact that you’re willing and eager to listen to their opinions.  It won’t take long to build an active community of online contributors who are a valued asset to your dealership’s brand.

The image used in this post was provided by freedigitalphotos.net.

News for the Week of November 16

Pinterest Visual Search Launched

Pinterest lovers, rejoice!  The new visual search has launched, which means users can now search for items that appear in pins simply by tapping the built-in search tool and zooming in on objects of interest.  From that point, Pinterest will show pins just like the objects that have been selected, including the product name and where it can be purchased.  Available on mobile and web, Pinterest is expecting users to have a blast with this latest tool as they shop their way around their favorite social site.  Dealerships, continue to establish your presence on Pinterest as a way of broadening your audience and reaching new and unique consumers.  With 100 million monthly users, this popular social networking site will help you gain traction when you post quality content that links directly back to your own site.

Facebook Local Marketing Tools

Facebook has announced the launch of two new tools for local marketers, making it easier for businesses with more than one location to create individual ads for each store.  These tools offer insights regarding consumer groups near their stores, enabling them to more effectively connect.  The newest tools come in an effort to make ads more locally relevant for individual locations.  Businesses using Locations for Pages can now use information from each page to add a variety of ad copy, links, and call-to-action buttons in order to localize ads for each store.  Additionally, Page Insights offers a new tab containing information about people near a particular store, allowing businesses to better understand individual consumer needs.  Advertisers will also be able to see the percentage of people who have seen their ads, giving them insights as to advertising effectiveness.  Dealerships, keep an eye on Facebook’s latest marketing tools and stay on top of the best ways to connect with the communities surrounding your individual locations.  If you have multiple rooftops, these new tools could be exactly what you’re looking for when it comes to personalizing your messages to reach individual areas with unique ad messages.

Instagram Partners Program

Advertisers of all sizes are welcoming the Instagram Partners program, a way for advertisers to find the technology partners they need in order to see the best results.  Their partners offer specialties designed to complement Instagram’s marketing tools and simplify business challenges.  This program kicks off with a group of 40 global partners and focuses on the three key areas of expertise: ad tech, community management, and content marketing.  As the program continues to grow, Instagram looks forward to expanding to even more specialties.  For dealerships active in online social circles, stay focused on Instagram for a fun way to connect with your audience.  Consider trying something new like showing off specific vehicle features via Instagram to garner interest in specific vehicles on your lot.

New Features for Periscope

Periscope introduced brand-new features for iOS and Android, an updated Global Map and Skip Ahead on replays.  The original Global Map showed live broadcasts with no replays and was limited to 250 broadcasts; now, the updated version of Global Map allows users to zoom, reload broadcasts from a particular region, and it includes replays from the last 24 hours.  It also displays red dots to indicate live broadcasts and blue dots to indicate replays for an easily-read overview of what has recently happened.   The Skip Ahead function allows users to skip to a portion of a replay they most want to view, rather than rewatching an entire video.  Users can also choose to seek through an entire video to quickly get an overview of the content simply by pressing down in replay and dragging left and right to change the seek speed.  Dealerships using Periscope for a more interactive user experience will continue to enjoy the app’s features and updates.  Reach a broader audience by changing up your content.  Consider providing vehicle-specific information to consumers who are in-market or providing live feeds directly from your service department with tips for the winter months.

Facebook Notify App

Facebook continues to deliver, and its newest tool is the Notify app.  Providing timely notifications about things users are interested in, Notify gets information from user sources and delivers relevant updates.  Notify has a broad list of stations users can select to indicate their interests, and stations can be updated by users at any time.  Once stations are selected, notifications will publish through the stations based on user Facebook profiles, and users can check updates right on their lock screens.  If interested, they can then choose full articles simply by swiping or tapping.  Notifications can be shared via text, email, Facebook, and other social networks—directly from user lock screens.  Currently available for iPhone, Facebook is looking at opportunities to expand the Notify app.  Dealerships, continue to use Facebook and other social media networks to interact and socially listen to your consumers.  The Notify app offers a great opportunity to follow trending stories and find quality content to view and share with your local audience.

Tip of the Week—Social Listening Is a Big Deal

You already know the importance of being active and showing a strong presence on social media, and you’re probably working pretty hard to churn out quality content on a regular basis.  But it’s also important to take time to ensure you’re truly interacting with your audience.  It’s a lot like a complicated juggling act.  At the same time you’re providing great content that educates, informs, and keeps a diverse audience interested in your brand, it’s essential you keep your eyes and ears open.  Be aware of what consumers are saying about you, about other brands, about products in the marketplace in general.  Only by getting a good read on your audience will you be able to connect with them and create the meaningful relationships that are necessary to build your brand.  Check out the things online listening can do for your dealership and your brand:

• You’ll get ahead of consumer complaints.  Before an issue even has a chance to go viral, you’ll be there, ready to interact with consumers who may have experienced problems—and you can offer solutions that will both benefit them and show potential future customers that your business is trustworthy.
• You’ll gain insights about your own brand.  By listening to what people have to say about your dealership online, you’ll get a good idea of what’s working and what could use some tweaking.  Your presence and interaction show consumers you truly care about what’s being said, and that lends credibility to your cause.
• You’ll make new friends.  By interacting and listening to what’s going on with your consumers, you’ll get pulled into their online social circles, and you’ll soon find your dealership’s list of acquaintances growing as well.
• You’ll boost your authenticity.  By being online and listening, interacting, and chatting with consumers, you’ll quickly humanize your brand.  Consumers will start to see the people behind the business, which makes it much easier to create relationships.
• You’ll be first on the scene.  When shoppers have questions about vehicles or services, you’ll have a better opportunity to answer their questions in real-time, giving you a leg up on the competition.  Social listening will keep you in the right place at the right time.

Several reasons to focus on your online listening skills exist–all of them focused directly on enhancing the credibility and trustworthiness of your dealership.  It may seem like a daunting task because the social media space is crowded, but once you carve out your space, you’ll find your consumers want to interact with you and appreciate the fact that you’re willing and eager to listen to their opinions.  It won’t take long to build an active community of online contributors who are a valued asset to your dealership’s brand.

The image used in this post was provided by freedigitalphotos.net.