First, let me begin this post by saying I have much love for Facebook. After much observation I've determined that Facebook targeted ads pull in more leads than many other marketing tactics for local dealers. However, when I got an email from one of my own employee’s the other day extolling the values of a sports company promotion (below) leading people to Facebook, I realized the madness has to stop.

What is the madness?

Luring your own visitors away from your dealership homepage to other sites, like Facebook and Twitter, with promotions and campaigns. By doing this you are essentially taking customers from the bottom of the sales funnel, your website, back up to the top. You would never greet an up in your showroom by saying..

“Thanks so much for coming, but may I escort you to a dealership down the street for more options?”

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While this sounds absurd, it’s exactly what is happening when your dealership designs a promotion that sends would-be shoppers away from your website to visit another.


Let’s look at the above homepage from Alpine Sports as an example. Their promotion for free shipping sends visitors away from Alpine Sports own website by directing them to visit Facebook.com/Alpinesports for a free shipping code.

While this may seem, on the surface, like a great way to increase Facebook “likes” and get visitors to their Facebook page. Is this the best way to engage shoppers?

Let’s look at what visitors can do from the Alpine Sports homepage:

• Search apparel
  
• Get recommendations
  
• Check out Q&A with Alpine-branded stars
  
• And most important of all, BUY their merchandise.

In comparison, a quick glance over Alpine Sport’s Facebook page shows some cool pictures and a listing of upcoming events, but nowhere can a visitor find apparel for sale and they certainly can’t buy anything directly from the Facebook page.

While Facebook campaigns are great for a lot of things – branding, event promotions, coupons – they should always be driving customers to your dealership website – not the other way around.

Establishing a strong social community has many benefits I could extrapolate on for hours… and I have. Instead, I’d like to focus on just one, recommendations. A Nielsen study showed that 92% of consumers trust word of mouth. That far exceeds the 47% who trust advertisements. Facebook is a great place for people to discuss and recommend your product, which is why some businesses might feel so compelled to send customers there in the first place. But let’s consider an option that keeps your customers at the bottom of the sales funnel, while still allowing them to contribute to your social community -- Install the Facebook Connect Comments widget directly onto your site.

This strategy works for any company that sells a product, but let’s focus on a dealership-based example. If someone is looking for a car and they find it at your dealership… give them the opportunity to comment on Facebook right then and there on your website. Now you are getting your consumer actions into the newsfeed to drive more traffic straight to your site while simultaneously generating user feedback and building a social community.

Let’s look at a real example of someone doing it right. ThinkGeek.comallows Facebook users to comment on all their products. Here a customer finds a hoodie they like.


They scroll down the page and find a place to leave a comment.


Their comment shows up right on the page but also goes to their Facebook page, sharing both their comment and linking his friends and followers back to the ThinkGeek site.


Bottom line: when you have customers on your dealership homepage – keep them on your dealership website website. They’re more likely to be much closer to the bottom of the sales funnel – time to convert! With the right strategy and tools in place, you can continue to build your social presence without killing your conversion.

Based on these factors where are you integrating social within your website?

Do you have social icons on your dealership homepage?

If so, are you worried that you're potentially directing customers away from taking action on your website?

Have/Would you install the Facebook Connect Comments widget directly into your dealership website?

Sounds off in the comments below. I want to hear your opinions and answers to the above questions!

 

Yes, by traditional standards I was considered an early adopter. I tend to be one of the first to embrace a technology that permits me more efficiency on the go. Smartphone? I had one of the originals - a massive Handspring Treo 300. The year was 2002 – your PC was based on a Pentium processor and James Bond’s iconic BMW Z3 was still in production.

I’ve been using a smartphone for over a decade. Whether that makes me innovative or dangerously close to a Star Trek bedroom set is your call. My first smartphone was large and closer in size to the iPad mini than a current mobile phone. However, despite the size, myself and other early-adopter business pros couldn’t go back. It went quickly from a want to a need. It was the convenience, power, and ability to get things accomplished on the go.

Wait, you understand. A recent study found that more people would rather lose their wallet than lose their smartphone. I think this speaks volumes of how precious our mobile devices have become in today’s society.

Over 110 million in the US have a smartphone. My article on Nielsen smartphone data shows just how fast the revolution is moving. Not only is there a growing number of smart phone purchasers in US, but their usage behavior is more in line with early adopter tendencies than ever before. They’re willing to upgrade and place a priority on having the latest features.

I’m writing this one month after the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 launch. Let’s look at some staggering numbers.

In 2001, one year after Windows XP was launched only 14% of users had upgraded to the latest Microsoft software offering.

In the first month over 60% of iOS users have upgraded to iOS 6 – a month old operating system with well-documented issues and bugs common to new software releases. That’s tens of millions people willing to risk the functionality of a device more important than their wallets so they can have the latest.

Today’s early adopters are not the fringe, they are becoming the majority.

Your mobile customer is an early adopter and a recent Nielsen study helps define their behavior.



 
This Nielsen study published by Cars.com surveyed 1,500 recent automotive purchasers and intenders.

1. Mobile car shoppers aren’t just young and techy

Of Nielsen’s survey the average age of mobile car purchasers and intenders was 43. Further, a full 66% of those surveyed were over the age of 35. In fact, 26% of this grouping was made up of individuals over the age of 55.

2. Mobile: Not just high-end purchasers

The study finds that among new car purchasers, the majority “paid price or planning to pay price” was between $20k and $40k. Used car purchasers cited the $10k to $15k range most, with certified used car purchasers/intenders one bracket up at $15k to $20k.


3. Shoppers prefer mobile close to time of purchase

The study found that while computers, tablets, and smartphones were used in all stages of the purchase process, different devices were used more commonly in certain phases. Desktops/laptops were favored early in the process during the research phase while mobile was more often tied to activities closer to the purchase stage.

4. Mobile Apps vs. Mobile Sites

Interestingly the study found that among shoppers that used both websites and apps in their purchase process, nearly double those surveyed preferred apps over websites when using a mobile phone. The study found that shoppers used apps most for contacting or locating a dealership, sharing aspects of the shopping process, and writing reviews.



5. Dealership apps / mobile sites influence dealer selection

The study found that nearly 2/3rds of intenders had narrowed down their dealership choice since they first accessed an automotive website or app from their device. This is one of the most interesting finds in the study. After using their mobile device, two thirds of intenders had made the decision from which dealership to purchase their vehicle!

In summary, your customer is increasingly utilizing mobile during their automotive shopping experience. They’re not afraid of using new tools to enhance their shopping efficiency.

What steps has your dealership taken to create a mobile marketing strategy?