If your customer was hanging out regularly somewhere, would you want to be there too? With 11 Twitter accounts added every second, it’s safe to say you need to be marketing your store on Twitter.

Twitter marketing is disconcerting for many dealerships due mainly to the fact that most dealership personnel aren’t users.  Twitter is a different language than all the other Social platforms and speaking it incorrectly will get you nowhere fast.  Two important points to consider:

What Twitter IS:

• Conversational
• Person-to-Person
• Impactful

What Twitter is NOT:

• Facebook
• Broadcast Tool

Everyday dealership peeps ask me crucial questions about Twitter marketing.  To help you, I’ve listed 5 useful steps here to follow to start building your presence and generate leads with Twitter marketing:

1. Define Your Strategy. Many new to Twitter often say to me, “I don’t know where to start”.  Just like building anything that’s worthwhile, you must start with a solid foundation.  Your Twitter profile should be defined by who you want to attract and engage with.  In a dealership’s case, it’s your current and potential customers in your surrounding community.  To succeed on Twitter, you must strive to know everything there is to know about your customer so you can create and share tweets that matter to them. Start by answering these 5 questions:

• Who is my customer?
• What are their interests?
• What problems can I solve?
• What desires can I satisfy?
• How can I help them buy?

2. Connect. Build your followers by following those you want to connect with. Twitter suggests people for you to connect with but in order to grow your followers more effectively, there are tools to help you.  A great way to start is by reaching out to thought-leaders in your community. Local celebrities, radio/TV personalities, local sports heroes, civic leaders and influential bloggers.  Follow them and remember that their audience is most likely your audience.  Start following those that are following your local leaders.

Create awareness in your store with QR codes linking to your Twitter profile.  Train front-line personnel to help customers find you.  It shows you care about the customer who’s on Twitter that you’d like to connect with them where they are.

3. Build Credibility & Trust. This is where the “networking” part of Social networking comes into play.  I always talk about how dealerships are now building relationships using Social Media prior to the sale (unlike before where we sold to many we’d never met before their visit to the store).  Twitter is where we build that relationship. Your content is what attracts and engages.

Awesome content is what separates the great from the mediocre.  Sharing content you’ve written, typically in a blog, has the most impact on your followers.  Your blog establishes you as the “likable expert” concerned with providing answers to questions your customers have.  Spending time and effort to provide valuable information to your followers builds credibility and trust.

4. Make Search Work for You.  How would you like to listen into conversations going on right now, in your area, about the products and services you sell? Twitter search does that for you.  Search for phrases like “by a car” or “car repair”, and seconds later you see what people are saying.  One smart salesperson I know did a search just like that.  He found someone complaining about a competitor so he followed that person.  He tweeted them saying, “Wow, so sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. I hope the rest of your day goes better.” That person thanked him.  The salesperson kept corresponding with him and a few days later, he sold him a car.

5. Leverage Tools.  Twitter is conversational and you have to be present, in real time, to converse.  How can a busy person keep up with all of the writing, posting, listening and analysis?  Make good use of the tools available.  Here are a few I use:

• Google Reader allows you to aggregate all your favorite blogs into one place.  It’s like your own personal newspaper. It saves so much time when you’re looking for articles you want to share. (Free)
• Bitly.com is a URL shortener.  You only have 140 characters to share content so you need to shorten those long URLs.  Bitly is fabulous because it gives you valuable analytics to see how many people are engaging with and sharing your posts.  You can also create QR codes with Bitly and get the same great analytics. (Free)
• Hootsuite.com is a Social Media dashboard.  It saves time by letting you set up posts to schedule out into the future. Spend an hour or two every few days to schedule your content.  You won’t have to always remember to post and it frees up your time so you can spend it interacting with your followers. (Free)
• Refollow.com makes it easy to discover, manage, and grow your Twitter Social circle.  You can manage your followers, establish new relationships, unfollow or block users, 
sort by importance and a lot more.  Using this tool will grow your followers faster and more efficiently than doing it manually. (Free to start; $10/month for active users).

Your Turn: I’m curious, have you tried marketing on Twitter?  What results have you seen?

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com
 

What We Do Trumps What We Say Every Time.

A few days ago I watched the awesome Scott Stratten at Blog World NYC remind me of that truth when he talked about misfires companies have with Social Media and customer service.  Ironically, his words perfectly fit my experience last week with Delta Airlines.  I love it when life imitates art.

We all love a good #fail story, right?  There’s just something about a “train wreck” that you can’t look away.  Airlines are an easy target, I’ll grant you, and why is that? Because they fail their customers so often and so catastrophically.  The experience on both my outbound and inbound flights from LAX to JFK is a prime example.

Before my flight, I called Delta Customer Service to make sure they offered AC power and WiFi on board.  I was told “yes” to both.  Once I boarded the plane, imagine my surprise to find no AC power.  Noted in the “fine print” of the vomit-bag magazine I learned that, oh, the AC power is only available in 1st class!  Bummer, I didn’t bring my extension cord.  And the WiFi?  It was $17.95 and slower than dial-up circa 1998.

I tweeted and Facebooked my reaction.  I have yet to get a reply.  Customer Service unplugged.

My return flight was even better and it’s actually what prompted this post.  While we were sitting on the tarmac stuffed into our seats like sardines, after paying $25 for each checked bag, apparently it’s now customary to play an unimaginative, corporate-sponsored video from the Chairman of the Board of Delta.  We were literally a captive audience.  In the video, he’s welcoming me with his corporate smile, talking about his “world-class team” and how wonderful it is to fly on Delta.  Meanwhile, I feel about as welcome as a turd in a swimming pool.

Mr. Chairman, it’s up to me whether or not it’s wonderful to fly on Delta.  I was shocked at how little leg room there was in coach.  I’m not a tall person and there was less than 2″ between my knees and the seat in front.  Imagine what it was like for the guy next to me who was easily 6’4″.  His legs were so cramped he could barely move, traveling 6 hours from JFK to LAX at 9:00 pm.

The service was non-existent.  They came by one time with beverages.  Now, I have to admit that I don’t fly across country that often so maybe things have changed a lot.  Maybe people are more tolerable now.  Maybe we’ve been abused for so long that inferior customer service feels acceptable.  It was so bad that I didn’t even bother tweeting.  The energy I’d invested in my earlier tweet was squandered.  My dissatisfaction grew into apathy.

I doesn’t matter how many times you say you’re awesome if your customers have an experience telling them otherwise.

One thing that never changes is how we feel when we receive stellar customer service. We remember it because we felt something uniquely positive.  Stellar customer service establishes and nurtures trust.  It’s remarkable and we keep coming back for more.

Customer response is measured in seconds.  You must be responsive.  If you want to be on Social, then you have to commit to being on Social.  The fact that Delta never responded to me opened the door for further reaction.  Customers just want to know you’re out there caring about them.  What Delta did trumped what Delta said.

Don’t try to have a Social presence without being present!

33% of Americans follow brands/companies on Facebook & Twitter.  That number has doubled in past 2 years.  In Social customer service, you don’t make the rules, the customer does.  It’s about the customer and how they want to contact you.  Are you there….listening?

Don’t be unplugged. Have you ever thought about Saturdays?  Saturday is a dangerous day for dealership Social Media.  Don’t make the mistake of tuning out Social just when your customers have the most time to respond.

The numbers are in (thanks to Tom Webster): 47% of American consumers in 2012 say Social networks influence their buying decisions. That’s doubled from 24% in 2011.  It’s fascinating to see 29% of online Americans check Twitter several times daily. That’s an 11% increase year-over-year.

Social Media is real-time evidence of your store’s mission statement.  Is what you’re saying in tandem with what you’re doing?

Your Turn: Have you had a negative customer review lately?  How did you respond?  How did they respond?

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com 

“The world is very noisy so we have to be very clear about what we want people to know about us.” ~Steve Jobs

How many times have you visited a dealership’s Facebook page to find the content is all about them?  I see it everyday.

We’ve all known a narcissist or two in our lives who tries to commandeer our attention.  We also know how uneasy we feel when that’s happening.  We remember to avoid them the next time.

Posting status updates on Facebook or Tweeting only about your brand makes your audience feel the same way.  It’s a total turn off.  It damages your brand and your reputation.

In these days where we get 2.7 seconds to hold someone’s attention, it’s hard to bounce back from having a reputation as a narcissist.  People won’t buy from you.  People won’t recommend you to their network.  Heck, they won’t even bother to think about you again.

I’ve developed 3 smart strategies for attracting the right kind of attention.  These are the roots of Social engagement:

ABC – Always Be Curating

If you’re not devoting at least 2 hours per day to curating relevant and beneficial marketing content for your store, you’re not going to sell anything through Social Media.  The most ideal content is that which you create and it all must speak to your customer.  Blog posts, videos, status updates, and Tweets – you have to be the Publisher of Awesomesauce.  Make it so interesting that people will even make a point to visit your profile to see what new things you’ve posted.  Do whatever you can to help people buy from you.

Grow Your Own Specialist

Content is what drives your Social marketing success and that success culminates into transactions.  Within 3 years’ time, every dealership will have an in-house content writer/strategist.  Google is morphing from an information channel into a knowledge channel.  Google wants to know how you influence others.  The content you share on your profiles, the links, the Social connections you make and everything you create, it all represents your store’s “knowledge footprint”.  No one watches your brand like you do.  Start right now to “grow your own” content creator.  Educate them.  Give them the tools and training they need and you’ll be miles ahead of your competition.

Get Grassroots Employee Buy-In

The reason that certain stores are more successful than others on Social Media is they have an open door policy regarding content ideas from their staff.  Employees who’re on the front lines have access to great information and should be welcomed to contribute.  My friend, Dennis Galbraith, of DrivingSales advocates the cohesiveness that must happen between departments at the dealership in order to compete in this socially-connected world.  The culture of Social Business is community.  The community you’re building around your store’s brand involves your staff as much as your customers.  Develop a process for employees to contribute content ideas.

Sales transactions DO happen on Social Media.  You have to be listening for the lead.  Put these three winning strategies to work, watch engagement rise and your competitor fade into the distance.

Your turn: I love hearing Social Media success stories. Do you have one?

Have you ever sat and stared at a blank screen waiting for something to pop into your mind that inspires you to write your next post?  How about tossing and turning in bed as your blog is speaking to you from beyond the next room saying, “Where have you been lately?”

This week I’ve talked to quite a few people bemoaning, “Ugh, the blog. I don’t know what to write about”.  Our minds can convince us of many untruths.  I’m about to let you in on a simple secret that promises you’ll never utter those words again.

I’ve been blogging now for over 2 years on automotive Social Media and online reputation/customer service advocacy.  I come from a creative family so as long as I can remember, I’ve paid attention to those voices inside that nudge me to create (not to be confused with the voices in my head that try to convince me it’s all a sham).  Inspiration comes when you least expect it and I’ve learned over the years to always be ready to channel it.  It takes focus, it takes commitment.

We all get very busy with our lives.  Taking time out of our day to “be inspired” is not an easy task.  You can’t switch it on.  In auto retail, your time is governed by your customer.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven home at night wondering where my day went!  It’s not like you can just take a few minutes out of the day to create (those who’ve tried this know it’s futile).  So, what CAN you do if you want to blog regularly in spite of all the chaos?

An interviewer once asked Stephen King, “You’re an iconic writer.  What’s your secret?”, to which Stephen replied “I read a lot.  If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

Consume More Content

As you sit there wondering what to post, ask yourself how much awesome content you’ve consumed this week.  Social Media and Blogging is literally ONE BIG conversation.  As you read others’ opinions, your own are born.  The need to express those opinions is what inspires all of us to act.

A good artist copies, a great artist steals.

Pick any subject.  There is someone, somewhere who’s written something about it.  They started the conversation.  You take that in, ponder it, and send it back out into the world with your stamp on it.  It comes down to exposing yourself to the best things humans have done.  Shamelessly steal an idea and carry it forward into new territory.

On my own path, I continue to be inspired by thought leaders like Pam Moore, Dino Dogan, Mark Schaefer, Shelly Kramer, Marcus Sheridan, Mitch Joel and Sonia Simone (just to name a few).  In automotive, I’m always inspired by cool cats like Tom White Jr, Jared Hamilton, Chris Costner, Bryan Armstrong, Jim Bell, and Renee Stuart.  My clients, and those “rank and file” awesome folk I talk to every day, always say things that inspire me and require further expression (this post included).

Who inspires you?

I was reading a post from Lifehack yesterday on why we’re unable to get things done: it’s all about the ritual.  They call it the “Get Things Done” (GTD) mindset.  They advocate identifying your “Horizons of Focus”.  To always have something to blog about, you must consume content.  Consuming content takes time, a minimum of 30 minutes per day.  Put your focus on that time and make it part of your daily ritual.

Every post you read, every video you view, every podcast you listen to, becomes inspiration fodder.  It just does.  Make deliberate choices about the content you consume.  Is it necessary to consume the “news” every day?  What would happen if you went on a news fast for a week and instead, filled your pipeline full of interesting, provocative, inspiring information?  You know, the kind of stuff that makes you think and act in accordance with how you want to be known in the world.

Reconnect with your ritual.

No matter what, stay motivated to voice your opinion.  The conversation is happening right now.  Make consuming content a daily ritual and witness how your blog posts materialize.

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com

“The goal of Social Media is to turn your customers into a volunteer marketing army.” ~Jay Baer, author, The NOW Revolution

It’s not too shabby for your Online Reputation either.  The most-profitable new customers come from referrals by your existing customers.  Your job is to get your customers talking about you. Turn them into a volunteer marketing army and keep a steady stream of word-of-mouth referrals coming into your store.

Let’s talk about something that isn’t new: customer retention.  On average, it costs about 7 times more to gain a new customer than to keep an existing one. Most dealerships own a valuable customer database and many don’t use it to its full potential.  These customers have bought from you before, some many times over. What better group to start with in recruiting your army?

Even though dealerships are brick and mortar establishments, owners and GM’s are recognizing that Social commerce has a substantial affect on their sales.  Thanks to Social Media and online ratings sites, customers are connected and they share experiences like never before. Dealers must now utilize Social Media to grow and interact with their customer.  Get them talking about what it’s like doing business with you.

The Proof is in Your Process

What percentage of your overall marketing budget is dedicated to customer retention strategies?  In a recent post from The Social CMO, Steve Olenski spotlights a recent survey that said 60% of responding business owners dedicate less than 20% of their budget to customer retention. The way people buy cars has changed more in the past 3 years than in the prior 50 and actions must be taken as a consequence of that change. It’s a dance between you, your customer and the technology that facilitates your communication.

Internal communication is first.  Examine how your current process welcomes a customer to engage with you, online or off.  What would an ideal process look like in your store?

• Trained front-line personnel consistently aware of opportunities to engage your customer
• Employees are immersed in the proper language of asking for online “referrals”
• Programs are installed to motivate, recognize and reward employees for meeting goals
• Customer appreciation is part of your culture

Welcome Employee Participation

What percentage of your employees are focused on driving customer retention?  With the rise of Social customers, who have no problem expressing their opinions online, it’s even more important now to have a dedicated internal Community Manager.  Social Media is part marketing, part advertising, a dash of PR and good size helping of customer service.  Writing content, listening, engaging and executing the strategies around all that requires a kingpin.  They are the liaison between you, your customer and your staff.

You must enlist front-line employees in Social Media.  They are the ones who talk to your customer every day. Heck, some of your staff are probably already becoming online influencers in their own right.  Seek out the ones who have a true passion for it and leverage that.  Provide education to fill in the missing pieces to the puzzle.  Social Media is driven by awesome content and your staff has access to it everyday though your customer’s contributions.

Make Social Media education and immersion part of your employee orientation and ongoing training.

Every team member on the front lines is a representative of your brand.  Build your team as though they have the potential and opportunity to nurture the customer base you’re trying to build…because they do!  It’s about recognition:  Appreciate your staff and your customers for their contributions.  It keeps them connected, enthusiastic and vocal.

Activate Your Fans, Don’t Just Collect Them Like Baseball Cards

Now here’s where the rubber meets the road.  Building your volunteer marketing army requires attention paid to every transaction, every interaction, that happens with your customer and honoring it with appreciation.  You want them to WANT to talk about you.  Every dealership has the basis for customer retention and satisfaction process and now is the time to build on that.  Use Social Media to attract your repeat customers.  Engage them in conversations.  Ask for their contributions.  You have the power, it’s time to exercise it.

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com
 

Everybody loves to hate Facebook.

You may or may not have caught some of the talk surrounding GM’s Facebook Ads decampment.  GM does not understand Facebook marketing.  There, I said it.  To that point, this post from AdAge’s B.L. Ochman on 11 boring things GM posted on Facebook says it all.  GM’s Facebook marketing is a shining example of a company that wants to broadcast instead of listen, ignore instead of engage.  Frankly, I’m glad they pulled their Facebook Ads budget.  It was a waste of money.

I’m a Facebook lover…especially for marketing and generating leads for business. Automotive News ran an article this week saying (for 100th time) that Facebook is ineffective at selling cars. Really? They don’t have all the facts. They even quoted a guy from Honda who got his Facebook user stats wrong by 400+ million! Nice.

To those that read the article: please consider another opinion before you pass judgment.  There’s a lot of negative noise out there about Facebook Ads.  Most of it’s coming from those that are doing it wrong.  Calling out Facebook as the culprit in your failed advertising is like blaming the golf course for your lousy game.

Meanwhile, back in reality…Michael Scissons of AdAge writes that automotive will be a big Facebook Ad spending category if marketers can get it right.  The opportunity for Facebook Ads success is huge at the dealer level. Why? Successful dealership Social marketing is local because sales are local. How the dealers and their salespeople promote themselves and interact with their local community will become a competitive advantage to the companies who get it right. Private dealers and large auto groups alike should be spending money on locally-targeted Facebook advertising to drive local relationships, events and test drives.

Right now, the focus is upside down.  Dealers are making Facebook too complicated in one area and too simplistic in another.

They’re complicating things by bringing expectations based on the antiquated view of “Mad Men” era advertising.  Confusion sets in when the results they were looking for never materialize.  Give up trying to “get the word out”.  You can’t interrupt everyone just so you can talk about your stuff.   You used to be able to grab attention and turn it into money.  But now, attention is scarce.  People are interrupted by more interruptions.  We must earn attention and trust and turn that into money.

Dealers must cease this simplistic idea that anyone can “do” Facebook.  Successful advertising has ALWAYS required skill, experience and talent.  Facebook Ads call for that and much, much more.  Most businesses don’t set goals for Social Media or Facebook Ads.  A typical goal is “we just want people to buy our stuff”.  Hire a skilled expert to train your marketing manager.  Grow your own “in-house Social marketer” to write great content to engage people and increase your sales by designing, managing and monitoring Facebook Ads.

Display ads are over, folks.  They have morphed into something more relevant called Social Engagement Ads. In the Automotive News article, Ford had it right, “Our Facebook ads are effective when strategically combined with engaging content and innovation.”  Owned and earned media now have the fire power of paid advertising.  This is confusing for many who think in terms of display advertising.  Display used to be the dominant way to make sales because it stole attention.  Now, it’s a delicate balance between paid, owned and earned media.  It’s the savvy marketer who can unite all three and win.

Facebook and other Social Media platforms came along and replaced this idea of stealing attention.  Instead, Facebook gives you a platform with which to earn your customers’ attention.  You earn attention, build trust and turn it into profit.  It’s not easy but it does work when you do it right.

For dealers, successful Facebook Ads will help you meet your sales goals.  You laser-target to those that will most likely buy from you.  But coming to the table with the mindset of display ads and trying to apply it to socially-engaging Facebook Ads is useless. Embrace Social Engagement Ads and put them to work for your business.  “Get the word out” will take on a whole new meaning:  The good word spreads from person to person and that’s how sales happen.

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com

What happened?  It seems like it was just yesterday that our world was filled with unicorns and rainbows.  We heard lots of advice on love your customers, engage them in conversation and poof! they would magically appear in your showroom.  There was a lot of unsubstantiated ideas about Social Media put forth on the unaware audience. Expectations grew, thinking the medium was free.

Today, we’ve all come down to earth.  The dreams of fluffy clouds and rainbows with unicorns jumping over them are over.  Facebook is now a public company and we’ve recognized that the consumer is in charge.  Dealerships get educated more and more every day and reality has started sinking in.  The concept of “free” Social Media has vanished.  We know now it takes time, a budget and hard work, including integrating Social business across your entire company.

I see some dealers still with expectations.  This is due mainly to avoidance and not spending time on Social networks as a user.  There are a lot of things Social Media can do for your company but today, let’s talk about 3 things it will never do:

1. Make up for a bad customer experience.  As the saying goes, “If you suck in real life, you will suck on Social Media”.  Nielsen just reported that the most trusted form of advertising is a “recommendation from someone I know”.  The close second is “Consumer opinions posted online”. (Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Survey Q3 2011).  If your business is delivering a less-than-stellar customer experience, be prepared to have that amplified on Social Media.

2. Drive traffic to your door by simply announcing how great you are. The old model of advertising was to broadcast to the masses.  An audience would hear your message and eventually someone would buy from you.  The advertising noise is deafening now.  Consumers are bombarded with marketing messages every minute of their day.  People have become apathetic to what you have to sell and keenly interested in who you are.  If you’re broadcasting boring stuff, your messages get lost in all the other noise.  Don’t be the only one talking about your store.  Deliver interesting, relevant content to your audience so they feel a connection to you.  Motivate your happy customers to talk about you. That’s where you have the most impact.

3. Deliver immediate sales.  Building relationships takes time.  However, leads from those relationships are far more ready to buy than the ones you typically see.  I hear a lot of dealers say, “You can’t sell cars on Social Media”.  Don’t believe that for a minute.  When you’re doing it right, you generate leads.  It just doesn’t happen the way you’re used to.  Dealers are always chasing the next new customer.  I propose slowing down, taking a look at your established community and engage them with your store (like you do in real life).  You won’t believe what you can find out by just listening.

Social Media is not for amateurs anymore.  This is a whole different way of interacting with people and it’s time to get familiar.  Find a person who’s immersed in Social marketing to help guide you and your staff.

What Social Media WILL do for you is genuinely connect you with customers in your market area on a regular basis.  Email inboxes get bombarded.  Voicemail goes into never-never land.  But your customer is available on Social Media all the time so take advantage of that opportunity.   The old adage of “touch the prospect 7 times before they buy” is true.  When people like your Facebook page or follow you on Twitter, they’re choosing to spend time with you.  Each and every time counts.

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com

A master teacher grew tired of his apprentice complaining, and so, one morning sent him for some salt.  When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it.

“How does it taste?” the master asked.
“Bitter,” spit the apprentice.

The master chuckled and asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake.  The two walked in silence to the nearby lake, and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the master said, “Now drink from the lake.”

As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the master asked, “How does it taste?”
“Fresh,” remarked the apprentice.
“Do you taste the salt?” asked the master.
“No,” said the apprentice.

At this, the master sat beside this serious young man who so reminded him of himself, and took his hand, offering, “The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same.  But the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in.  So when you’re in pain, the only thing you can do is enlarge your sense of things.  Stop being a glass.  Become a lake.“  ~From “The Book of Awakening” by Mark Nepo

I’m contacted daily by enthusiastic and frustrated individuals working in auto retail who desperately want to know more about Social Media marketing.  They’ve taught themselves some basics and now they’re stuck.  I can hear the pain in their voices when they say their boss wants nothing to do with Facebook, Twitter, Blogging or any other Social platform.  Some say their bosses give them the opportunity to market the store on Social Media but give them no budget for training or the actual marketing and advertising that comes after that.

In today’s auto retail, the customer demands a different way to buy.  They’re connected to other buyers and they share information through word of mouth using Social networks. 

Dealerships need to be part of those conversations.  We have the ability to reach the buyer in so many cool ways but there are many dealers who still want to live inside the glass.  They feel the pain when the old ways of advertising aren’t working any more but avoid opening up to new media.

To my friends who struggle everyday to make the most of their time and effort on Social Media:  stay the course and take action.  Devise ways to convince your boss that nothing is free in business.  These Social platforms were designed to have people visit them, spend their time and that’s where dealerships need to be.  Everything worthwhile costs something.  Once you’ve got the basics down, you have to face the music and get expert Social marketing guidance.

You CAN sell cars and service on Social Media; you just have to know how to do it right.  You can walk on water, you just have to know where the rocks are!

Instead of staying stuck, consider these 5 questions and answer them thoughtfully:

• What would success on Social Media look like?
• Which components need to be in place to get us where we want to go?
• How much would my budget need to be?
• What training is available so I can do the best job for my boss and our store?
• What am I willing to do to achieve my goal?

There is no reason your struggle needs to be contained in the glass.  Sprinkle the salt in the lake.  There is a path to every goal.  Be willing to do what it takes to get there.  Identify who can help you and develop your plan for success.  Ask your boss for a meeting and unveil your plan. Use the language and phrases your boss will warm to, that are familiar to him.  Show how the budget he’s going to spend will make sense on the bottom line.

You’re so close!  It’s time to move past your pain and go directly to successful Social Media.  Show your boss (and your customers) how Social Media engages your community, fosters lasting sales relationships, improves your online reputation and closes more sales.

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com

For the past few years, I’ve been either a participant or an attendee in just about every automotive retail marketing conference.  There are a lot of great minds today helping dealers acclimate to the ever-changing world of Social Media.  The one drawback to all of this information that’s being thrust on dealers is that very little of it focuses on the core component to Social Media success.

I’ve seen countless dealership Facebook pages that have a steady stream of updates talking about themselves.  Users are bored with this.  They’re bombarded with so much noise already so it’s a challenge to get people to like your page and engage with your posts.  You feel it personally too, right?  It’s not very likely that you’re ever compelled to like or comment on some advertising message.

Technology is what makes Social Media available.
Strategy is what makes you successful.

Technology is simply the tools you need to build your Social presence.  Strategy is the design, chassis and the materials that get people to buy.  You won’t see much interaction on Social Media without a clear content strategy.  All the tools in the world won’t help you have meaningful conversations with your customers.  You cannot achieve full marketing potential (ie: sell cars, parts and service) without these 4 deliberate and strategic steps.  And they must be in this order:

Culture

The world of auto retail, like many other businesses, is shifting into Social Business. Customers are voicing their opinions on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and Google Places about the products they buy.  In his book, “Smart Business, Social Business” Michael Brito writes that social business forces an organization’s cultural change.  We’re seeing now the increase in sales when a company truly cares about the community and wants to meet the demands of the customer.  Cultural change must come from the top down and meet in the middle from a bottom up approach.

People

Employees at every level need to change their thinking, embrace new technologies and shift their focus from traditional advertising messages to building relationships.  Of course there will be resistance.  Some will rush to defend the status quo, and this is normal.  The key is designing and implementing an internal process that welcomes feedback and rewards participation.  Social Media marketing cannot truly succeed without employee buy-in.  They are your conduit to your customer.  They are your first resource for awesome content.

Process

Get a system that works for you, not against you.  Provide targeted education so your staff feels comfortable about Social networks.  It’s revolutionary but so were the telephone and email when they first appeared.  Help your staff learn how to communicate with the customer on the platforms where the customer is.  Institute a process so front-line personnel understand 2 things:

• How to be aware of relevant content when it comes their way
• How to foster sales relationships by asking for online reviews and referrals.

In addition, implement a Social Media policy to ensure marketing consistency, employee  and protect the organization.

Technology

Now we can talk about the tools you’ll need to expedite your Social marketing campaigns. Here are a few I use:

• Google Reader helps you consolidate relevant, recent and local content to share.
• Bitly.com shortens URLs so you can post them on Twitter. (They provide QR codes and cool analytics too!)
• Hootsuite is a Social Media dashboard that allows you schedule out posts at optimal times for best engagement–freeing you up to devote your time to listening and interacting with your fans/followers and write blog posts.
• Post Planner offers a white-label Facebook App to schedule your posts right inside Facebook!  Your posts are branded with your dealerships’ ID, you can post photos, and they give you engagement-rich status update suggestions.
• Refollow is a tool to help you grow your Twitter following.
• TweetAdder also grows your Twitter following using more advanced automation tools.

You can’t automate conversations on Social Media.  Human interactions happen spontaneously. How do you want to be known online?  Your well-planned strategy carries out your mission.  Technology is only the facilitator.

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com
 

Let’s talk about the unique challenges today for car dealers and other small businesses when it comes to Social Media.  Many still believe Social Media is “free”.  I don’t have to remind you that nothing in life or business is ever free.  Social Media takes all the time and money that other forms of marketing and advertising do, with the added layer of needing new skills and manpower to master it.

Facebook is one of the hubs to your Social marketing strategy.  You need these 2 basics in place to build your hub:

1. An in-house digital/Social Media manager.  Nobody communicates your brand on Facebook like your own staff.  Those dealers that have made the investment are seeing much higher engagement and closing more sales.
2. A budget for Facebook ads.  Facebook ads complete your strategy.  Your Social marketing manager stimulates engagement by curating valuable, relevant content for all your platforms.  Facebook ads amplify your reach and increase your sales.

These 10 steps will help you understand how it all works and if you need any further assistance, hire a Social strategy expert to guide you.

Identify Your Goals. Do you want to grow your fan base? Are you promoting an event? Are you ready to make Facebook ads a significant source of leads for your business?  Define your goals first. You must have clear goals so you can measure your ad’s effectiveness later!

Facebook is Local.  Facebook is the place where you can build an online community that mirrors your offline community.  Facebook ads target your local area in ways like never before.  You reach those people who will most likely buy from you.

Facebook Ad or Sponsored Story? Sponsored Stories are about your Pages’ activities on Facebook. If you have a post with particularly high engagement, spotlight it with an ad. These types of ads reflect Social proof to other users; evidence that people are engaging with your Page.  Facebook Ads are more traditional.  You create a message you want to share and choose who you want to reach.

Landing Pages.  A staple of internet marketing, landing pages drive visitors to do what you want them to do. When used with Facebook ads, design your ad so that people will click and be taken to your landing page.  Once on that landing page, you have an opportunity to create more value and carry visitors further down the sales funnel.

Target the Right People.  Let’s say that the buyer demographic for one of your vehicles is women aged 35-54.  What are the interests of this group? Perhaps topics relating to family, work/life balance, shoes?  Facebook ads allow you to choose specific audience interests and target those people who are most likely to buy.

Design an Engaging Ad.  You’ll need a catchy headline, marketing language for the body of the ad and a compelling photo or graphic. I’ve talked about the misconception that, since Facebook provides free real estate to build your community, everything else is free and easy.  No dice.  Facebook ads take skill, training and money to develop and design.  Facebook is a new medium but the age-old components of successful marketing and advertising are still very much alive and kicking.  If you don’t have it, get help.

Connections.  It’s important to note that Facebook ads are Social.  Ads can be customized to reach people who are already connected with you or not at all connected with you.  You choose if you want to reach friends of your fans or not. Identify what kind of connection users have to your page so you can reach your optimal audience.

Location.  This is where you can laser target your surrounding community.  Choose a city, include surrounding cities, or target specific zip codes.

Objective. You have a choice now to reach people you want to “like my page” or “click on my ad or sponsored story”.  Page Like Ads are a great way to build audience size.  Page Post Ads will drive deeper engagement.  Your choice governs whether you’ll pay per 1,000 impressions (CPM) or per click (CPC).  CPM, according to Facebook, is the cost per 1000 times your ad or sponsored story is displayed.  In the past, impressions were not always effective.  Now, with Timeline stats showing higher page engagement, I’m seeing good results with CPM.

Manage Your Budget.  Set a maximum amount you want to pay each day and start off slow. $5-10 is plenty.  A daily limit guarantees you’ll never spend more than you want to.  If you’re paying per click (CPC), be sure to review the “bid price” regularly as it changes often (Yes, you’re actually bidding along with others, similar to Google pay-per-click).  Facebook ads are the most time-consuming ads you’ll ever run so set time aside everyday.  You must review and improve at least twice daily to make sure your budget is spent wisely.

Your Turn: I’m curious, have you used Facebook ads yet to drive sales or grow likes? What results are you seeing?

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com