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Tangible ROI in Social Media

Use all avenues made possible to you. Don't ignore Google+, just because you personally hate it (there are many benefits to posting to Google+ and frankly it's probably much more valuable -- insertion into SERPs -- than posting organic content to Facebook, which holds a dismal amount of reach). You never know where or how you'll influence someone, there are all types out there. Are you using a tool that allows for post aggregation to all popular social networks, such as HootSuite, etc.?

Maybe I was unclear. I do use it for the business. I post to it and I completely understand the value of the reviews and the impact on search for a business. But on a personal level, as a social media platform, I hate it. The way it stands, I will never use it in place of Facebook or Instagram or Twitter for myself. I never get on it and check it to see what anyone else is doing or has added to it. It's like it's there only because its Google and they've decided to continue to hang on to it. The start of this thread was about the disconnect between consumers and our efforts on Social Media - I believe this one has some gaps.
 
  • You've got 42 cars for sale.
  • 1300 uniques = 42 shoppers per car p/month (that looks right)
1300 uniques = 30 uniques per car at 42 cars. That doesn't account for inventory turnover or anything, but as a simple figure it works.

@JoePistell has talked a great deal about Invisible Shoppers. I am looking for a way to give some of these shoppers an actual reason to reveal themselves a little.

This is the struggle we're all dealing with, but I have yet to find a lead format that does it for them.
We've been experimenting with incentives through RevUps, page exit prompts, hidden prices, get e-price and live chat.
What we found is that hardly any of them work, but the most successful thing we've seen is just driving them straight to some sort of "Make an Offer". Some dealers don't like it because it implies that the price they see isn't the "best price", but we get lots of contact information with people's offers and the sales people have scripts to handle lowballs, etc.

Which takes me to my heat maps. The hottest spot on any VDP is the forward arrow on the photos. Not even close. Next is the Payment Calculator, and then the Features Button.

Scroll mapping shows that I lose about 50% below the fold on my VDP's.

Pictures have always been #1 in our clickmaps. I've yet to see one of our VDPs have anything else.
If we add things like "more info" buttons that hide part of the comments they almost never get clicked, even if the comments are what we consider well done and informative. "Below the fold" is a variable thing now due to 1000 screen sizes, but we definitely find that users aren't scrolling much past the photos. Anytime we try to evaluate VDPs we always come back to the same three things that get results:
  • Great photos. Not good photos, great photos. Not HDR, not edited, just real great raw photos.
  • Trim / highlights. Most of my clients change Camry LE to Camry LE Heated Leather Seats Sunroof DVD Bluetooth because of AutoTrader, but we've found it works on the websites too
  • Price
Don't get me wrong, comments/stories are also very important, but we find they function better as an index for searching than they do for actual reading. Typically we see less than 25% of customers read the comments in a measurable way.

The other thing I've learned: better photos and better trims will often reduce the number of leads.
Answer more questions, get less questions.


This is a thread about VDPs, right?
 
I remember when this thread began, and all I wanted was to see some kind of proof that would would change my mind about advertising rigs for sale on my company's Facebook fan page. I don't think FB is a good medium to advertise my latest blowout special program rig and expect a positive result. I do know that FB is an excellent place to promote my brand, my latest service offers, or blood drive or parts discounts or my latest happy and completely satisfied customer, but not to sell cars. Maybe I missed that...... :dunno:
 
Use all avenues made possible to you. Don't ignore Google+, just because you personally hate it (there are many benefits to posting to Google+ and frankly it's probably much more valuable -- insertion into SERPs -- than posting organic content to Facebook, which holds a dismal amount of reach). You never know where or how you'll influence someone, there are all types out there. Are you using a tool that allows for post aggregation to all popular social networks, such as HootSuite, etc.?

That's a real good point @Alexander Lau , about the organic SEO benefits of Google+ likely exceeding the organic effects of Facebook. I was going to point out the SEO benefits of G+ but that's the first time I considered them in contrast to organic benefits of FB.
 
I remember when this thread began, and all I wanted was to see some kind of proof that would would change my mind about advertising rigs for sale on my company's Facebook fan page. I don't think FB is a good medium to advertise my latest blowout special program rig and expect a positive result. I do know that FB is an excellent place to promote my brand, my latest service offers, or blood drive or parts discounts or my latest happy and completely satisfied customer, but not to sell cars. Maybe I missed that...... :dunno:

@mikeelmore Would generating active buyer leads on Facebook in a verifiable way not be of value? I'm not talking about using an ad people click to visit your website (and hopefully convert there), but a user interface where the customer can browse your inventory, request more information, and schedule a test drive, even exchange messages with a representative, without leaving Facebook. This way, when the conversion occurs, you know it resulted on Facebook because the user never had to leave Facebook.

There's another thread titled, "Facebook Ads vs. Google AdWords" which explores how people clicking on Google AdWords expect to be taken to the website for a "transactional" experience, whereas the same user on Facebook prefers to remain on FB and engage there for a "relational" experience. This is why Facebook introduced Lead Ads, a feature for advertisers to convert consumers without requiring them to leave the native FB environment.
 
I remember when this thread began, and all I wanted was to see some kind of proof that would would change my mind about advertising rigs for sale on my company's Facebook fan page. I don't think FB is a good medium to advertise my latest blowout special program rig and expect a positive result. I do know that FB is an excellent place to promote my brand, my latest service offers, or blood drive or parts discounts or my latest happy and completely satisfied customer, but not to sell cars. Maybe I missed that...... :dunno:

Ya, I guess I did kind of hijack the thread a little! But hell, my Facebook experiment was the only reason anyone was watching anyway! (That is an attempt at humor) :2quiet:

In the last 30 days, I have received 187 referrals to my website. 136 of these referrals have come from my Facebook page. Not paid Facebook ads, but organic (free) traffic. These were all direct VDP clicks, not Homepage clicks. Your Facebook page is an excellent place to post your "latest blowout special program rig!". I would caution you against overdoing it though. Don't post half of your inventory every other day.
 
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You guys high-jacked this thread... ha ha

Ya @Alexander Lau, it happened. Sorry about that.

This is the type of thread where shit happens! Every "significant change" that I have made on my website in the past 2 years has come directly from threads like this one.

Dude, get in on this! I know you have a ton of knowledge and this thread has proven that I will listen to you!
 
Thread Hi-jack? Nope, it's all related.

Gregg said it well...

My point is this.... technology helps and social media is without question a worthy pursuit- but at the end of the day, what pays the bills isn't impressions, likes, clicks or leads- its making car deals; and what is most responsible for getting those cars sold and over the curb is people, period.

I'll add a twist.
I agree with Gregg that ppl make the sale, but, what we're obsessing about is how to get them in the door (so the ppl can make the sale).

Said another way...
  • Can technology (done right) sell a car? No*. It creates an up & ppl sell the car.
  • Can technology (done wrong) not sell a car? Yes. The shopper finds no stimulation from your effort and moves on.

So... if you're running a social campaign and your ROI is a mystery, everyone agrees, you're not alone. BUT, if you've got a weak Internet shopper experience, you have to spend more ad dollars to create the same amount of ups (regardless of ad source).

*Not concerned with the .0001% of the public that prefers a cart solution over a dealer visit (in 2016).
 
Pictures 63%
Payment Calculator 18%
Specials 14%
Customer Reviews 5%
Which takes me to my heat maps. The hottest spot on any VDP is the forward arrow on the photos. Not even close. Next is the Payment Calculator, and then the Features Button.

Clint... you've got proof that "pictures sell cars". How do you plan on leveraging this info?


Joe