I suspect you’ve heard it’s a good idea to blog for your store.  Your SEO guy is bugging you.  People like me, Social Media coaches, tell you how valuable it is to become the “likable expert”.  Nearly every customer service evangelist preaches the value of blogging.  You see others blogging about their business and generating leads. So what’s stopping you?

The #1 excuse I hear dealers and their staff say is, “We don’t know what to write about.” Of course not, this is all new and writing witty content has never been in the job descriptions of any dealership personnel.  Grab a cup of coffee.  Let’s talk about changing that.

You have, at your fingertips, a gold mine.  An untapped reservoir of not only outstanding stories and content but people to do it for you!  It’s your own employees.  They’ve been right under your nose all along and it’s time to unleash the Kraken!

Almost no dealership has a shortage of raw material for blogs.  It’s channeling the material that’s the hurdle.  In the dealerships of the future (read: 2013), every front line employee will be trained and be regularly submitting blog content.

In this post from Marcus Sheridan, he spotlights US Waterproofing and their team of bloggers, otherwise known as their salespeople.  You think blog content is tough for a car dealership? It seems like a walk in the park compared to a waterproofing company!

In just a short few months, US Waterproofing, by using their sales staff, has produced more blog posts than most companies will produce in a year. Furthermore, their web traffic is spiking, leads and sales are up, and the blog has already become the most trafficked page of the website.  It’s hard to argue with that.

For automotive Social Media marketing to reach its full potential, there are 4 success factors (in this order) that must be present:

• Culture
• People
• Process
• Technology

In the dealerships of the future (read: 2013), I see every employee being trained on how to use Social Media, produce content and the importance of the two within the daily dealership operation.

Changing culture is hard work.  This shift began with the customer and we must adapt.  Some of your salespeople will love the idea of creating content and you’ll get major push-back from others. Many will say, “I can’t write.” but writing is actually just writing down what’s in your head.  Start with customer FAQs–each one is a blog post.

Help your people remain aware of content opportunities.  Stories happen on the front lines where the customers are–in your showroom and service drive.  Education and training are in integral part of creating awareness.  Knowledge helps your people recognize an opportunity and not be afraid to use the tools to publish it.

Capture content in their format of choice. Make it easy for your people to be inspired.  Some prefer writing, some prefer video.  Some might just want to write you a long email.  Along the way, they’ll get accustomed to searching for content and with so many of them doing it, your blog will soon be generating traffic and leads in ways you never imagined.

Your Turn: What’s preventing you from shifting to this “all in” culture and getting more participation and results from employees?

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

I suspect you’ve heard it’s a good idea to blog for your store.  Your SEO guy is bugging you.  People like me, Social Media coaches, tell you how valuable it is to become the “likable expert”.  Nearly every customer service evangelist preaches the value of blogging.  You see others blogging about their business and generating leads. So what’s stopping you?

The #1 excuse I hear dealers and their staff say is, “We don’t know what to write about.” Of course not, this is all new and writing witty content has never been in the job descriptions of any dealership personnel.  Grab a cup of coffee.  Let’s talk about changing that.

You have, at your fingertips, a gold mine.  An untapped reservoir of not only outstanding stories and content but people to do it for you!  It’s your own employees.  They’ve been right under your nose all along and it’s time to unleash the Kraken!

Almost no dealership has a shortage of raw material for blogs.  It’s channeling the material that’s the hurdle.  In the dealerships of the future (read: 2013), every front line employee will be trained and be regularly submitting blog content.

In this post from Marcus Sheridan, he spotlights US Waterproofing and their team of bloggers, otherwise known as their salespeople.  You think blog content is tough for a car dealership? It seems like a walk in the park compared to a waterproofing company!

In just a short few months, US Waterproofing, by using their sales staff, has produced more blog posts than most companies will produce in a year. Furthermore, their web traffic is spiking, leads and sales are up, and the blog has already become the most trafficked page of the website.  It’s hard to argue with that.

For automotive Social Media marketing to reach its full potential, there are 4 success factors (in this order) that must be present:

• Culture
• People
• Process
• Technology

In the dealerships of the future (read: 2013), I see every employee being trained on how to use Social Media, produce content and the importance of the two within the daily dealership operation.

Changing culture is hard work.  This shift began with the customer and we must adapt.  Some of your salespeople will love the idea of creating content and you’ll get major push-back from others. Many will say, “I can’t write.” but writing is actually just writing down what’s in your head.  Start with customer FAQs–each one is a blog post.

Help your people remain aware of content opportunities.  Stories happen on the front lines where the customers are–in your showroom and service drive.  Education and training are in integral part of creating awareness.  Knowledge helps your people recognize an opportunity and not be afraid to use the tools to publish it.

Capture content in their format of choice. Make it easy for your people to be inspired.  Some prefer writing, some prefer video.  Some might just want to write you a long email.  Along the way, they’ll get accustomed to searching for content and with so many of them doing it, your blog will soon be generating traffic and leads in ways you never imagined.

Your Turn: What’s preventing you from shifting to this “all in” culture and getting more participation and results from employees?

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

Awesome content is what drives engagement on Social Media.

I see a lot of emphasis on technology lately with Social marketing.  Putting technology before strategy is quite dangerous.  There are a lot of cool tools out there to manage your time.  However, automation is there to support your efforts, it’s not the guts of your campaigns.  You can’t skip planning, listening, education and go straight to engagement.  No one will connect with you if you’re not real.  Human connections are what drive sales.

Focus on your connections, not your network.  People buy from people.  Each Like on Facebook, every follower on Twitter, every reader of a Blog post is a person.  Social Media has connected us all in ways we couldn’t have imagined even 5 years ago.  Never forget that each connection represents many things to those who participate.  Providing great content that people want to engage with propels your connections (read: relationships) further down the trust road.

Social Content strategy is the act of designing, developing and managing the relevant information you produce on various Social platforms.  Do you have an on-staff content writer/strategist?  Those who want to succeed at Social business have created this position and tied it with customer service.  Hint: Your online reputation is part of your Social presence.

I hear many dealers asking, “How do I know what to post on Social Media to grow Likes, get people talking and sell cars?” You must start with a solid foundation. The only way to the goal is to build your house, brick by brick.  Here are 5 questions to ask yourself and the answers are your blueprints:

Who is my customer?

You won’t know how to frame your content strategy unless you understand something about the type of person you’re trying to sell to.  The more you know and understand, the better your content will be.  If you’re new, the answer here may seem elusive and you may not realize how well you know your customer.  The individual who drives an import compact car is far different than one who drives a European luxury sedan.  The F-150 driver has certain interests that the Nissan Juke owner would never be interested in.  Break things down by each model you sell.  Describe in detail who your customer is.  Never lose touch with the people who buy from you.

What is my customer interested in?

Start local. Think about your market area.  What are the communities and causes in your town?  Is your store near the wine country, a recreational fishing area, or ski resort? There are all sorts of communities already built for you.  Once you’ve identified your customer’s interests, you can find pieces of content (blogs, articles, videos and photos) based on those subjects.

What problems can I solve?

You’d be surprised how many questions people have about car dealerships.  Here’s your chance to be the “likable expert”.  Be as transparent as you can about the information you give.  What are your customers’ frequently-asked questions?  Ask your front line personnel to contribute.  One store I know has a gregarious master technician who likes to do short “how-to” videos.  Solving customers’ problems fosters loyalty and engagement.

What desires can I satisfy?

The great Eugene Schwartz, master copywriter said, “You can’t create desire, you can only channel it.”  Create content which serves that existing desire.  If you’ve spent time getting to know your customer, you understand what drives them to certain behaviors. Buying is sometimes an irrational process that meets a hidden desire.  People buy social consciousness, not the Prius.  People buy credibility and trust, not your service menu.

How can I help them buy? 

Start conversations.  Social Media allows you to keep in touch with your customers regularly.  Keep awesome information coming their way and over time you cement a relationship for all future sales.  People buy from those they know, like and trust.  The content you post everyday should engage your customer.  They buy from those who helped them the most.

The answers to these 5 questions lay the groundwork for your content strategy.  They’ll help you identify the goals of your Social marketing campaigns. I’ll cover what to do from here in another post. Until then, will you let me know how it’s going for you?

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

Awesome content is what drives engagement on Social Media.

I see a lot of emphasis on technology lately with Social marketing.  Putting technology before strategy is quite dangerous.  There are a lot of cool tools out there to manage your time.  However, automation is there to support your efforts, it’s not the guts of your campaigns.  You can’t skip planning, listening, education and go straight to engagement.  No one will connect with you if you’re not real.  Human connections are what drive sales.

Focus on your connections, not your network.  People buy from people.  Each Like on Facebook, every follower on Twitter, every reader of a Blog post is a person.  Social Media has connected us all in ways we couldn’t have imagined even 5 years ago.  Never forget that each connection represents many things to those who participate.  Providing great content that people want to engage with propels your connections (read: relationships) further down the trust road.

Social Content strategy is the act of designing, developing and managing the relevant information you produce on various Social platforms.  Do you have an on-staff content writer/strategist?  Those who want to succeed at Social business have created this position and tied it with customer service.  Hint: Your online reputation is part of your Social presence.

I hear many dealers asking, “How do I know what to post on Social Media to grow Likes, get people talking and sell cars?” You must start with a solid foundation. The only way to the goal is to build your house, brick by brick.  Here are 5 questions to ask yourself and the answers are your blueprints:

Who is my customer?

You won’t know how to frame your content strategy unless you understand something about the type of person you’re trying to sell to.  The more you know and understand, the better your content will be.  If you’re new, the answer here may seem elusive and you may not realize how well you know your customer.  The individual who drives an import compact car is far different than one who drives a European luxury sedan.  The F-150 driver has certain interests that the Nissan Juke owner would never be interested in.  Break things down by each model you sell.  Describe in detail who your customer is.  Never lose touch with the people who buy from you.

What is my customer interested in?

Start local. Think about your market area.  What are the communities and causes in your town?  Is your store near the wine country, a recreational fishing area, or ski resort? There are all sorts of communities already built for you.  Once you’ve identified your customer’s interests, you can find pieces of content (blogs, articles, videos and photos) based on those subjects.

What problems can I solve?

You’d be surprised how many questions people have about car dealerships.  Here’s your chance to be the “likable expert”.  Be as transparent as you can about the information you give.  What are your customers’ frequently-asked questions?  Ask your front line personnel to contribute.  One store I know has a gregarious master technician who likes to do short “how-to” videos.  Solving customers’ problems fosters loyalty and engagement.

What desires can I satisfy?

The great Eugene Schwartz, master copywriter said, “You can’t create desire, you can only channel it.”  Create content which serves that existing desire.  If you’ve spent time getting to know your customer, you understand what drives them to certain behaviors. Buying is sometimes an irrational process that meets a hidden desire.  People buy social consciousness, not the Prius.  People buy credibility and trust, not your service menu.

How can I help them buy? 

Start conversations.  Social Media allows you to keep in touch with your customers regularly.  Keep awesome information coming their way and over time you cement a relationship for all future sales.  People buy from those they know, like and trust.  The content you post everyday should engage your customer.  They buy from those who helped them the most.

The answers to these 5 questions lay the groundwork for your content strategy.  They’ll help you identify the goals of your Social marketing campaigns. I’ll cover what to do from here in another post. Until then, will you let me know how it’s going for you?

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

One of the first rules they tell you in sales training is it’s a numbers game.  You gotta throw a lot of spaghetti against the wall to have some stick.  Last week I blogged about using Social Media to foster long-term sales relationships (not one-night stands).  Instead of looking at each prospect you meet like a lotto ticket, use Social Media to touch people’s lives.

Word of mouth is universally acknowledged as the most powerful and effective marketing force there is. In their book, “Go Givers Sell More”, Bob Burg & John David Mann write, “From Hollywood executives gambling hundreds of millions on the latest Summer blockbuster” to a car sales professional trying to fill his or her capacity of a few hundred clients, “everyone in business knows that their trade ultimately rises or falls on the quality of the word of mouth it generates.”

It’s not that other forms of advertising and marketing aren’t effective.  They are but only to the degree that they emulate or reinforce the effect of word of mouth: human beings communicating the impact that a purchase experience has had on them.

In this numbers game, Social Media allows dealers and salespeople to harness that impact.  I always hear, “Social Media doesn’t make me money!”  Money is not a measure of goodness or worthiness.  It is a measure of impact.  You want more income? Have more impact.  What would your world be like using Social Media to impact so many people on a regular basis?  That’s the power we have today.

Impact takes hard work.

Start with a solid foundation of masterful networking techniques.  Keep in mind, Social networks are not replacements for your normal networking activities.  If you suck at networking then you’ll suck on Social Media.  You must identify:

• Who you want to meet–who is your customer?
• Who do you know who can get you an introduction?
• Where do these people like to hang out?
• What problems can you solve for them?
• What desires can you satisfy?

Your impact is directly proportional to how many people you serve and how well you serve them.

Is Social Media your Digital Mask?

Authenticity and transparency rule when engaging on Social networks.  It’s time to get yourself (your store, your brand) detailed and ready for the front line.  What communities are you already part of that can vouch for your credibility? How many people in your circle of influence know that you’re the #1 Salesperson at your company?  It’s perfectly fine to talk about yourself as long as you’ve worked to bring value to your relationships.  If you haven’t done that, take action now using Social Media.

Too little, too late.

I have a friend who recently lost his job as a GM of a dealership.  Like many other dealers and business owners, he was not using Social Media himself or as a marketing platform for his store.  As we’ve all seen in this new economy, it takes a wide array of marketing and advertising to fill the pipeline.  The majority of that has to be digital because that’s where people are.  Now that my friend is looking for a job, he’s had to scramble to build his network.

Whether you’re a salesperson, a family-owned legacy dealership or a massive publically-traded auto group, your sales depend on word of mouth. Even if you think Social networks are a fad, you HAVE to present a positive experience on ratings sites.   Are you guilty of ignoring the advantage you have over your competitor by not building a network of fans?

Don’t be another leg-humping salesperson who dwells in old school tactics. People buy from people. It’s not simply to sell something now.  It’s about creating an experience of value that has a positive impact on people’s lives.  That’s what they tell others about!

Your turn: How have you capitalized on word of mouth for your business?

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

One of the first rules they tell you in sales training is it’s a numbers game.  You gotta throw a lot of spaghetti against the wall to have some stick.  Last week I blogged about using Social Media to foster long-term sales relationships (not one-night stands).  Instead of looking at each prospect you meet like a lotto ticket, use Social Media to touch people’s lives.

Word of mouth is universally acknowledged as the most powerful and effective marketing force there is. In their book, “Go Givers Sell More”, Bob Burg & John David Mann write, “From Hollywood executives gambling hundreds of millions on the latest Summer blockbuster” to a car sales professional trying to fill his or her capacity of a few hundred clients, “everyone in business knows that their trade ultimately rises or falls on the quality of the word of mouth it generates.”

It’s not that other forms of advertising and marketing aren’t effective.  They are but only to the degree that they emulate or reinforce the effect of word of mouth: human beings communicating the impact that a purchase experience has had on them.

In this numbers game, Social Media allows dealers and salespeople to harness that impact.  I always hear, “Social Media doesn’t make me money!”  Money is not a measure of goodness or worthiness.  It is a measure of impact.  You want more income? Have more impact.  What would your world be like using Social Media to impact so many people on a regular basis?  That’s the power we have today.

Impact takes hard work.

Start with a solid foundation of masterful networking techniques.  Keep in mind, Social networks are not replacements for your normal networking activities.  If you suck at networking then you’ll suck on Social Media.  You must identify:

• Who you want to meet–who is your customer?
• Who do you know who can get you an introduction?
• Where do these people like to hang out?
• What problems can you solve for them?
• What desires can you satisfy?

Your impact is directly proportional to how many people you serve and how well you serve them.

Is Social Media your Digital Mask?

Authenticity and transparency rule when engaging on Social networks.  It’s time to get yourself (your store, your brand) detailed and ready for the front line.  What communities are you already part of that can vouch for your credibility? How many people in your circle of influence know that you’re the #1 Salesperson at your company?  It’s perfectly fine to talk about yourself as long as you’ve worked to bring value to your relationships.  If you haven’t done that, take action now using Social Media.

Too little, too late.

I have a friend who recently lost his job as a GM of a dealership.  Like many other dealers and business owners, he was not using Social Media himself or as a marketing platform for his store.  As we’ve all seen in this new economy, it takes a wide array of marketing and advertising to fill the pipeline.  The majority of that has to be digital because that’s where people are.  Now that my friend is looking for a job, he’s had to scramble to build his network.

Whether you’re a salesperson, a family-owned legacy dealership or a massive publically-traded auto group, your sales depend on word of mouth. Even if you think Social networks are a fad, you HAVE to present a positive experience on ratings sites.   Are you guilty of ignoring the advantage you have over your competitor by not building a network of fans?

Don’t be another leg-humping salesperson who dwells in old school tactics. People buy from people. It’s not simply to sell something now.  It’s about creating an experience of value that has a positive impact on people’s lives.  That’s what they tell others about!

Your turn: How have you capitalized on word of mouth for your business?

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

It’s 1998.  You scan your inventory for the best cars to put in the ad.  You pay the local newspaper and cable company huge sums to run the ad.  Buyers show up on the lot with their checkbooks in hand.  The focus then was meet, greet, sell, then next up.  It was the equivalent of 50 first dates.

We've come a long way, baby...or at least the customer has.

My hero, Carl Sewell speaks about the $517,000 customer.  The average person buys 12 cars in their lifetime and the tab for those, including service, equals roughly $517K.  Establishing a long-term relationship with that potential repeat customer ensures you’ll be there for every one of those purchases.  The top salespeople know this.  They treat every customer as though they were going to do business with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s 2012.  Buyers aren’t showing up on the lot like they used to.  Some dealers are more concerned with wishing it was 1998 than reaching today’s customer with Social Media marketing.  Some on Facebook are more concerned with getting Likes on their Page than getting their message out to their existing fans.  It’s important to grow your fan base but only if those fans are potential buyers.  Buying Likes and running meaningless contests to get Likes will never increase your sales.

Facebook marketing has never been about getting in the face of a million strangers in hopes of landing 50 first dates.  It’s about building an amazing Page and giving your fans a reason to talk about your store.  You build an online community to mirror your existing offline community.  You want your message to reach the fans who already love you, engage in your content, and want to share how cool you are with their friends.

I hear a lot of GMs asking, “How can we get more likes on Facebook?” Whether you have 100 fans or 10,000+, your message will never reach your fans’ newsfeeds if they’re not engaging with you.  It’s never been about the number of fans you have.  What matters is the actions they take.

Social Media is an action-based medium.

You have to listen, talk and converse to get noticed and be remarkable.  A successful Facebook Page does not happen overnight.  It’s not  “build it and they will come”.  You can’t lurk and expect to close sales.

So which will it be:  50 one-night stands with people who don’t trust you, who may or may not buy from you again?  Or will you focus your efforts on cultivating those repeat buyers–the people who already know, like and trust you?  Social Media helps you turn one-night stands into long-term sales relationships. Everyone wants repeat buyers.  After all, Facebook is a referral-based platform and those existing fans are your best salespeople!

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

It’s 1998.  You scan your inventory for the best cars to put in the ad.  You pay the local newspaper and cable company huge sums to run the ad.  Buyers show up on the lot with their checkbooks in hand.  The focus then was meet, greet, sell, then next up.  It was the equivalent of 50 first dates.

We've come a long way, baby...or at least the customer has.

My hero, Carl Sewell speaks about the $517,000 customer.  The average person buys 12 cars in their lifetime and the tab for those, including service, equals roughly $517K.  Establishing a long-term relationship with that potential repeat customer ensures you’ll be there for every one of those purchases.  The top salespeople know this.  They treat every customer as though they were going to do business with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s 2012.  Buyers aren’t showing up on the lot like they used to.  Some dealers are more concerned with wishing it was 1998 than reaching today’s customer with Social Media marketing.  Some on Facebook are more concerned with getting Likes on their Page than getting their message out to their existing fans.  It’s important to grow your fan base but only if those fans are potential buyers.  Buying Likes and running meaningless contests to get Likes will never increase your sales.

Facebook marketing has never been about getting in the face of a million strangers in hopes of landing 50 first dates.  It’s about building an amazing Page and giving your fans a reason to talk about your store.  You build an online community to mirror your existing offline community.  You want your message to reach the fans who already love you, engage in your content, and want to share how cool you are with their friends.

I hear a lot of GMs asking, “How can we get more likes on Facebook?” Whether you have 100 fans or 10,000+, your message will never reach your fans’ newsfeeds if they’re not engaging with you.  It’s never been about the number of fans you have.  What matters is the actions they take.

Social Media is an action-based medium.

You have to listen, talk and converse to get noticed and be remarkable.  A successful Facebook Page does not happen overnight.  It’s not  “build it and they will come”.  You can’t lurk and expect to close sales.

So which will it be:  50 one-night stands with people who don’t trust you, who may or may not buy from you again?  Or will you focus your efforts on cultivating those repeat buyers–the people who already know, like and trust you?  Social Media helps you turn one-night stands into long-term sales relationships. Everyone wants repeat buyers.  After all, Facebook is a referral-based platform and those existing fans are your best salespeople!

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

We talk a lot about Social Media as a marketing platform.  One of the cheapest, most effective forms of marketing is called extraordinary customer service.  When you combine Social Media with customer service, you create an environment where customers want to share their story.

Social Media done right is like a supportive cocoon enveloping your customer during every stage of the sales process.  You serve your customer in ways they never expect.  You develop and manage long-term profitable relationships on a scale larger than ever before.  You create a personal connection with your customer throughout their life.  They emerge from their cocoon as butterflies, free to spread the good word.

Your employees are an integral part of your customer service process.  They’re on the front lines interacting with your customers every day.  You can mirror this in the online world.  With guidance in Social Media best practices, employees can be outstanding advocates for your store!

Social Media is a valuable resource to listen for sales opportunities.  When you spend the time and effort to build your online community, conversations arise that bear fruit.  Social allows you a glimpse at where each fan/follower is in their sales process. From the very top of the sales funnel (not necessarily interested in buying) to the bottom (ready to buy this weekend), you are privy to each person’s needs and wants.

Here’s how mastering Social Media can help you facilitate the sale from top to bottom:

Before the Sale

This is where Social content marketing is vital.  Ask yourself, “Who is my customer?” Once you know what they’re interested in, once you’ve defined where they live, what they like and how they buy, you write and publish content relevant to them.

Think about it locally.  What’s happening in your surrounding area that means something to your audience?  What problems can I solve?  This is how you strategize for the customer who’s either not ready to buy right now or is just beginning to research their next purchase. Once this customer becomes a fan, you can keep them engaged in conversation while they are in the market.  The added benefit to you is each fan/follower has a trusted network themselves.  In social situations, online and off, your fan/follower will only think of you when someone they know is ready to buy.

During the Sale

What a fantastic time to use Social Media!  Make sure your Community Manager acknowledges each sales transaction and creates content that engages your customer and your fans.  During the sales process, your salespeople get to know their customer very well.  Make sure they know how to spot the right opportunities during that process.

Take the time to find out which Social platforms the customers are on and ask them to become part of your network.  Video testimonials are awesome, give great Social proof to others, and can be recorded right there in the moment with a smartphone.  Are they a repeat customer?  Ask them what it was that brought them back.  Are they new?  Ask them why they chose your store.  Social Media allows dealerships to interact with more people on a broader basis more regularly.  Use Social Media to communicate everything that’s great about the purchase process.

After the Sale

The period directly after a purchase is the best time to get your customer talking about it on Social Media.  Online ratings sites give them a megaphone to speak from. People spend huge sums of money on their vehicles so why not help them acknowledge what they’re spending so they can appreciate it even more!  Social gives your customer a way to tell others why they bought from you and what’s great about the car.  Help them recognize and respond to the experience they just had by providing the platform for them to speak.

And what better way to “stay in touch” than on Social Media!  Anywhere in the sales process, if you can stay connected, you increase your chances of top of mind awareness.  The more they hear from you, the less prompting they’ll need when it’s time to consider a purchase.

Dealerships and manufacturers have always made customer service a priority.  There are winners and losers in this race.  I know you want to win so take advantage of the power of Social Media to listen, converse, prospect, and sell.  No matter where your customer is in the sales process, whether you’ve sold to them or not, they’ll remember those conversations and come back to you every time.

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

We talk a lot about Social Media as a marketing platform.  One of the cheapest, most effective forms of marketing is called extraordinary customer service.  When you combine Social Media with customer service, you create an environment where customers want to share their story.

Social Media done right is like a supportive cocoon enveloping your customer during every stage of the sales process.  You serve your customer in ways they never expect.  You develop and manage long-term profitable relationships on a scale larger than ever before.  You create a personal connection with your customer throughout their life.  They emerge from their cocoon as butterflies, free to spread the good word.

Your employees are an integral part of your customer service process.  They’re on the front lines interacting with your customers every day.  You can mirror this in the online world.  With guidance in Social Media best practices, employees can be outstanding advocates for your store!

Social Media is a valuable resource to listen for sales opportunities.  When you spend the time and effort to build your online community, conversations arise that bear fruit.  Social allows you a glimpse at where each fan/follower is in their sales process. From the very top of the sales funnel (not necessarily interested in buying) to the bottom (ready to buy this weekend), you are privy to each person’s needs and wants.

Here’s how mastering Social Media can help you facilitate the sale from top to bottom:

Before the Sale

This is where Social content marketing is vital.  Ask yourself, “Who is my customer?” Once you know what they’re interested in, once you’ve defined where they live, what they like and how they buy, you write and publish content relevant to them.

Think about it locally.  What’s happening in your surrounding area that means something to your audience?  What problems can I solve?  This is how you strategize for the customer who’s either not ready to buy right now or is just beginning to research their next purchase. Once this customer becomes a fan, you can keep them engaged in conversation while they are in the market.  The added benefit to you is each fan/follower has a trusted network themselves.  In social situations, online and off, your fan/follower will only think of you when someone they know is ready to buy.

During the Sale

What a fantastic time to use Social Media!  Make sure your Community Manager acknowledges each sales transaction and creates content that engages your customer and your fans.  During the sales process, your salespeople get to know their customer very well.  Make sure they know how to spot the right opportunities during that process.

Take the time to find out which Social platforms the customers are on and ask them to become part of your network.  Video testimonials are awesome, give great Social proof to others, and can be recorded right there in the moment with a smartphone.  Are they a repeat customer?  Ask them what it was that brought them back.  Are they new?  Ask them why they chose your store.  Social Media allows dealerships to interact with more people on a broader basis more regularly.  Use Social Media to communicate everything that’s great about the purchase process.

After the Sale

The period directly after a purchase is the best time to get your customer talking about it on Social Media.  Online ratings sites give them a megaphone to speak from. People spend huge sums of money on their vehicles so why not help them acknowledge what they’re spending so they can appreciate it even more!  Social gives your customer a way to tell others why they bought from you and what’s great about the car.  Help them recognize and respond to the experience they just had by providing the platform for them to speak.

And what better way to “stay in touch” than on Social Media!  Anywhere in the sales process, if you can stay connected, you increase your chances of top of mind awareness.  The more they hear from you, the less prompting they’ll need when it’s time to consider a purchase.

Dealerships and manufacturers have always made customer service a priority.  There are winners and losers in this race.  I know you want to win so take advantage of the power of Social Media to listen, converse, prospect, and sell.  No matter where your customer is in the sales process, whether you’ve sold to them or not, they’ll remember those conversations and come back to you every time.

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