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Tangible ROI in Social Media

Mar 17, 2011
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First Name
Ryan
According to an early 2015 NY Times article, there is a large gap between dealers and consumers in social media.

Why do you think this is?

Is this because people aren’t interested in their local dealers on social media, or is it because campaign effectiveness in social media lacks / ROI?
 
I remember reading a post by I believe @JoePistell shortly after I started visiting this site regularly. I suppose it was a year or two ago. The post said something to the tune of "Show me someone that 'friends' a car dealer, and I will show you one lonely guy". I still laugh about that today! Classic.

I am by no means against social media. My store has an active Facebook page which we regularly post to. We get friend request primarily from our customers that are purchasing vehicles, and I see it as a really good way for us to stay in front of customers. We do not post any 'buy this car' stuff. If we get a specialty vehicle or something rare, we may post it without a price and tell our followers to stop in and see the 1966 Chevelle with the frame off restoration and a documented 12.7 second quarter mile time. It is posted as more of a novelty than an attempt to sell the vehicle.

I read the article, and quite frankly despise articles that are written the way that article is written. Just what I needed, a social media expert to tell me that I don't do well with social media because I don't know how to write content. Holy Shit!!! That is some seriously enlightening material there! By no means would I appreciate even the most vague of examples to possibly back up a claim here or there. I am perfectly happy just knowing that I suck at writing content.

From what I have observed, the lower the transaction cost the more effective social media is. Post, promote, and boost a post for $1.99 Subway footlongs, and strap on your plastic gloves! $15.99 oil changes, look out. Now post a car for $5,000 under book......(chirp, chirp, chirp...anyone else hear that cricket?)
 
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I remember reading a post by I believe @JoePistell shortly after I started visiting this site regularly. I suppose it was a year or two ago. The post said something to the tune of "Show me someone that 'friends' a car dealer, and I will show you one lonely guy". I still laugh about that today! Classic.

I am by no means against social media. My store has an active Facebook page which we regularly post to. We get friend request primarily from our customers that are purchasing vehicles, and I see it as a really good way for us to stay in front of customers. We do not post any 'buy this car' stuff. If we get a specialty vehicle or something rare, we may post it without a price and tell our followers to stop in and see the 1966 Chevelle with the frame off restoration and a documented 12.7 second quarter mile time. It is posted as more of a novelty than an attempt to sell the vehicle.

I read the article, and quite frankly despise articles that are written the way that article is written. Just what I needed, a social media expert to tell me that I don't do well with social media because I don't know how to write content. Holy Shit!!! That is some seriously enlightening material there! By no means would I appreciate even the most vague of examples to possibly back up a claim here or there. I am perfectly happy just knowing that I suck at writing content.

From what I have observed, the lower the transaction cost the more effective social media is. Post, promote, and boost a post for $1.99 Subway footlongs, and strap on your plastic gloves! $15.99 oil changes, look out. Now post a car for $5,000 under book......(chirp, chirp, chirp...anyone else hear that cricket?)

Clint- I'm throwing down a challenge my man....the challenge, if you wish to accept it is this....hand me the keys to your Facebook page for one week. I agree to pay for the advertising spend costs upfront and of course I would clear any AD or initiative by you first. Lets agree to cap the budget wherever you are comfortable and that sentence is in fact deliberately worded with the intent of making it crystal clear that you will be paying that money back, likely with a smile and a different outlook. The catch is this....you set the dollar spend, and you also determine the number of leads generated from that spend that would serve as ample proof that your opinions were misguided. One week....your page, your market, your budget, your figures, your CRM- all I want in return is this. A, be reasonable with the numbers- lets have some fun...and B, in the event that I happen to win this wager- you agree to recant your current sentiments, as well as change your Dealer Refresh picture to a headshot of Mark Zuckerberg.

The reality is that the journalist that wrote that article was equally as misinformed- albeit differently- but what he also subtly attempted to do with his poorly researched article was take a shot directly across the bow of our industry. Essentially, what he did was call us stupid. I'm quite confident in that because when I originally read the piece I sensed it, but figured it would be a better idea to give the benefit of the doubt...then I did what any reasonable car dealer would do when they think they are being called stupid- I called him up, got him on the phone and being as his office is 30 minutes away, offered to send a taxi to pick him up so that he could come by and see a dealership that had attributed 75% of its leadgen for that particular month approaches the platform that he had assumed all dealers had written off. To date, I have called him at least 3-4 times without a reply.

Anyway....my offer stands. Your call, you in or are you out?