Facebook, and social media in general, is THE talk of the automotive industry. Think of the number of presentations and sessions at NADA, Digital Dealer and other industry conferences directed at getting your dealership on board with social media. It’s EVERYWHERE…and for good reason. The reason of course is that the old school ways of marketing where you push your message out via television and radio aren’t as effective as they once were. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Instead, dealers may have more success and ultimately better sales leads when a consumer who is already learning about and shopping for the products and services they offer finds them…and they will likely first find you and research you online. How do they find you? By having regular social media activity and great search engine optimization, people will be able to more easily find you, because people are searching online for you!
Not only are dealers trying to figure out how to operationalize and monetize social media to drive revenue but you’ll also find General Managers and other upper level management trying to determine the best course of action to deal with the ever-increasing popularity of social media and the use by their employees during the work day.
According to a late 2009 study, 54% of companies surveyed prohibited their employees from any online social networking activities. Let’s face it…the reasons behind this prohibition aren’t entirely implausible because there are risks associated with employee activity on social media. One of the biggest concerns expressed by employers is about the use of Facebook and other social media networks hampering employee productivity (though studies have found the opposite to be true – Source). Additionally, according to Social Networking Law blog, what an employee does online may:
- Hurt the employer’s reputation, or disparage the company or its officers;
- Disclose proprietary information (maybe even inadvertently);
- Result in vicarious liability for the employer (for example, supervisor harassment via Facebook); or
- Otherwise violate company policies.
So you’re probably wondering what are the benefits to advocating the use of social media by your dealership’s employees and how can you manage this activity successfully (and to your advantage)?? Have no fear…I’ll cover that in my next blog post.
~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager @ DMEautomotive.
Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!
Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals
Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at
missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com
LinkedIn Profile:
Missy Jensen - LinkedIn 
Encouraging Your Dealership's Employees to Use Facebook 
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