Has your dealership gotten on board with social media? Perhaps you’re wondering how many other dealers are really using social sites to build a following. A recent study by SmartBrief, surveying 6,000 people, shows that a wide range of businesses (yes, including car dealers) are using social media, with many jumping on the bandwagon recently. In fact, half have used it just over the last year, while almost 20% joined the social world in the last 13 to 18 months.

Also, most of these companies utilize the top 5 platforms: YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. You know, these are the sites where you go to watch the video of the skateboarder crashing or see your friends’ uploaded pics of their Thanksgiving plates. Companies that have used social media over a longer stretch of time acknowledge that using these sites effectively requires a well-planned strategy using more than one site. Auto dealers wanting to jump into the social media arena can’t go in and expect results if they have not planned ahead.

So what keeps dealerships from getting into automotive social media promotion? The answer is the same as in this general survey of a variety of companies. A large chunk of those surveyed said they had no freedom to make decisions or met resistance from management. Also, one-third said confidentiality was a key issue.

Also, many companies do not utilize social media as a business tool but merely as a fun toy they don’t take seriously. In fact, fewer than 15% bothered to measure ROI for social efforts.

Learn a lesson from this survey: to involve your auto dealership in social media, you need to take it seriously, and you need to plan out a strategy. Treat social sites like Facebook for what they are: a place to network, build relationships, and have conversations, not a place simply to pump out hard-sell advertising. So, what’s the state of social media at your dealership?

Paul Potratz

Has your dealership gotten on board with social media? Perhaps you’re wondering how many other dealers are really using social sites to build a following. A recent study by SmartBrief, surveying 6,000 people, shows that a wide range of businesses (yes, including car dealers) are using social media, with many jumping on the bandwagon recently. In fact, half have used it just over the last year, while almost 20% joined the social world in the last 13 to 18 months.

Also, most of these companies utilize the top 5 platforms: YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. You know, these are the sites where you go to watch the video of the skateboarder crashing or see your friends’ uploaded pics of their Thanksgiving plates. Companies that have used social media over a longer stretch of time acknowledge that using these sites effectively requires a well-planned strategy using more than one site. Auto dealers wanting to jump into the social media arena can’t go in and expect results if they have not planned ahead.

So what keeps dealerships from getting into automotive social media promotion? The answer is the same as in this general survey of a variety of companies. A large chunk of those surveyed said they had no freedom to make decisions or met resistance from management. Also, one-third said confidentiality was a key issue.

Also, many companies do not utilize social media as a business tool but merely as a fun toy they don’t take seriously. In fact, fewer than 15% bothered to measure ROI for social efforts.

Learn a lesson from this survey: to involve your auto dealership in social media, you need to take it seriously, and you need to plan out a strategy. Treat social sites like Facebook for what they are: a place to network, build relationships, and have conversations, not a place simply to pump out hard-sell advertising. So, what’s the state of social media at your dealership?

Paul Potratz

Mobile Marketing for Car Dealers

Mobile Marketing comes in many forms and each can be beneficial to your Car Dealership. Text Message Marketing (also known as Short Message Service Marketing or SMS Marketing), Mobile Websites and Smartphone Apps are the three dominate forms that Mobile Marketing comes in. Considering 85% of Americans own a cell phone, while only 80% have a land line, it seems that Mobile Marketing is worth looking into.

Text Message Marketing is cheaper than a direct mail piece. And unlike an email blast itʼs sent directly to your customerʼs cell phone. It is easier than optimizing your dealerships mobile site for 300 different cell phones and less expensive than developing a dealership specific application. Text message marketing doesnʼt require a fancy smart phone either. Best of all, approximately 94% of SMS Messages are read and received.

If you have ever seen American Idol, then youʼre familiar with how Text Message Marketing works. Text Message Marketing takes an opt in approach, similar to email marketing, and thereʼs a lot of potential uses for Car Dealers. Texting updates to customers about current promotions, events and service specials could drive customers to the lot.

Dealerships can encourage customers to join their Mobile Lists by promoting exclusive specials and offers through their Text Message marketing campaign. Return Orders and Lot Posters can illustrate the steps customers need to take to opt in to your dealerships Mobile List. Joining a Mobile List requires a customer to text your Dealership a 5-6 digit short code.

There are a couple ways to plan Mobile Marketing into your Car Dealership’s Advertising Strategy. The best Mobile Marketing Campaign would not be solely based on sales incentives. Several Dealers across the Nation use Text Messages to update their customers on special events while also promoting a sales message from time to time. Your car dealership can do the same by promoting special events and saving the big sales messages for when it’s needed most.

PAUL POTRATZ

Mobile Marketing for Car Dealers

Mobile Marketing comes in many forms and each can be beneficial to your Car Dealership. Text Message Marketing (also known as Short Message Service Marketing or SMS Marketing), Mobile Websites and Smartphone Apps are the three dominate forms that Mobile Marketing comes in. Considering 85% of Americans own a cell phone, while only 80% have a land line, it seems that Mobile Marketing is worth looking into.

Text Message Marketing is cheaper than a direct mail piece. And unlike an email blast itʼs sent directly to your customerʼs cell phone. It is easier than optimizing your dealerships mobile site for 300 different cell phones and less expensive than developing a dealership specific application. Text message marketing doesnʼt require a fancy smart phone either. Best of all, approximately 94% of SMS Messages are read and received.

If you have ever seen American Idol, then youʼre familiar with how Text Message Marketing works. Text Message Marketing takes an opt in approach, similar to email marketing, and thereʼs a lot of potential uses for Car Dealers. Texting updates to customers about current promotions, events and service specials could drive customers to the lot.

Dealerships can encourage customers to join their Mobile Lists by promoting exclusive specials and offers through their Text Message marketing campaign. Return Orders and Lot Posters can illustrate the steps customers need to take to opt in to your dealerships Mobile List. Joining a Mobile List requires a customer to text your Dealership a 5-6 digit short code.

There are a couple ways to plan Mobile Marketing into your Car Dealership’s Advertising Strategy. The best Mobile Marketing Campaign would not be solely based on sales incentives. Several Dealers across the Nation use Text Messages to update their customers on special events while also promoting a sales message from time to time. Your car dealership can do the same by promoting special events and saving the big sales messages for when it’s needed most.

PAUL POTRATZ

Automotive Marketing on Facebook creates the possibility to build relationships in your local community.  We say that “Facebook is a cocktail party” and urge dealerships treat it as such.  It is important to build the number of likes that your public page has, but that doesn’t mean that you have to do it on your own.

Creating social relationships with other businesses such as restaurants, not-for-profits, colleges and other local businesses and industries will help a car dealership brand itself as a community leader.  Working with other public pages that are social leaders will help build your dealership as a social leader.

With being committed to conversing comes a consistent non-sales message.  Everything your dealership does on Facebook appears on the News Feed and you don’t want to be ignored.  Even worse, you don’t want to lose likes because you continually post messages that your fans can’t relate to.

If your dealership promoted iPad or iPhone giveaways in the past, do you think you can promote low lease rates in the future?  Maybe, but only if those messages are kept to a minimum and aren’t invasive.  Your dealerships entire Social Media Campaign shouldn’t be based on Traditional Media Messages, but it shouldn’t be entirely based on giveaways either.

Keeping customers involved with updates on manufacturer warranties and recalls is important because it builds that professional trust in the consumer’s eye.  Creating relationships with national manufacturer campaign’s is important, but your dealership's Social Media Campaign shouldn’t be based entirely on their message either.  As a local leader in selling automobiles, you need to find the balance between promoting the national message with local messages like community events and news.

Making a good cocktail is all about mixing the ingredients.  Automotive Marketing on Facebook should contain four key ingredients: National Messages, Giveaways, Local Messages and Sales Incentives.  Dealerships need to show the product they sell and where they sell it.  Dealerships also need to know when to reward their fans.  All of these components should be visible in a social media campaign and shouldn’t drown any of the others.  Let the cocktail party begin!

PAUL POTRATZ

Automotive Marketing on Facebook creates the possibility to build relationships in your local community.  We say that “Facebook is a cocktail party” and urge dealerships treat it as such.  It is important to build the number of likes that your public page has, but that doesn’t mean that you have to do it on your own.

Creating social relationships with other businesses such as restaurants, not-for-profits, colleges and other local businesses and industries will help a car dealership brand itself as a community leader.  Working with other public pages that are social leaders will help build your dealership as a social leader.

With being committed to conversing comes a consistent non-sales message.  Everything your dealership does on Facebook appears on the News Feed and you don’t want to be ignored.  Even worse, you don’t want to lose likes because you continually post messages that your fans can’t relate to.

If your dealership promoted iPad or iPhone giveaways in the past, do you think you can promote low lease rates in the future?  Maybe, but only if those messages are kept to a minimum and aren’t invasive.  Your dealerships entire Social Media Campaign shouldn’t be based on Traditional Media Messages, but it shouldn’t be entirely based on giveaways either.

Keeping customers involved with updates on manufacturer warranties and recalls is important because it builds that professional trust in the consumer’s eye.  Creating relationships with national manufacturer campaign’s is important, but your dealership's Social Media Campaign shouldn’t be based entirely on their message either.  As a local leader in selling automobiles, you need to find the balance between promoting the national message with local messages like community events and news.

Making a good cocktail is all about mixing the ingredients.  Automotive Marketing on Facebook should contain four key ingredients: National Messages, Giveaways, Local Messages and Sales Incentives.  Dealerships need to show the product they sell and where they sell it.  Dealerships also need to know when to reward their fans.  All of these components should be visible in a social media campaign and shouldn’t drown any of the others.  Let the cocktail party begin!

PAUL POTRATZ