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What Defines A Successful Automotive Social Media Strategy

I was asked to share my thoughts, which I originally posted on Twitter @CassieLee_89.

#1 Actually create a strategy
#2 Integrate it within a larger PR/Marketing/Adv Strategy
#3 Be Patient ...

Outside of this very simplified answer to the initial question, I've seen a few points made in these prior posts that I want to address:

- @JoePistell - You said "Answer this riddle: If a car shopper doesn't use Social Media to buy a home, a car, find an electrician, a landscaper, a jeweler, or anything related to commerce... Then why does Social Media get so much "face time"?" Shoppers do use SM to buy all of the above - Do your research! First & foremost example: JCPenney. They recently launched a full blown e-commerce app on their facebook page, where shoppers can purchase items right within Facebook. Check it out. There are others and I'll promise you that there will be more soon. I'd also like to agree with the man that said although not everyone wants to interact with large companies in social networking sites, they do look for the approval and suggestions of their friends. Hence the birth of Yelp, Google Places, Gowalla, Foursquare, FB Places, Google Pots .... And the integration of social signals into Google's and Bing's search algorithms should tell you that consumers want to shop socially, even if consumers aren't aware of it yet. How often do you see people shopping alone? Especially for cars. It's rare - Why? They want approval and affirmation from the people they trust.

- @David Moon - Social Media is NOT just an advertising medium. This is critical. It's a "tool" for PR, Advertising, Marketing, HR, Customer Service, Sales.

- @BrianPasch - I don't believe that the SM strategies of Ford and the other brands can be considered comparable to dealers. Brands and dealers differ in size, culture, organization, product, reach, and of goals. Naturally, this means that their marketing strategies should not be identical. Dealers should create their own unique PR/marketing strategies that align with the organizations. It's always a good idea to watch what the brands do, borrow their "best" ideas, but don't copy them.

- Social Media CAN be measured; there are ROI metrics ... but that shouldn't be the focus. As I said in my first response, while developing a social media strategy, patience is key. Most of all, social media, is PR. Is there are ROI for PR? Not really, at least with social media you can measure website traffic, CTR, reach, and interaction. And more...

- @MBMotorSports - I absolutely agree with your take on SM as a referral machine. And also that you don't "sell" on social media, that's not what it's about.

All of this is said without mention that SM (wake up - this does not just mean FB!) is absolutely critical to any SEO strategy. Without an SEO strategy, your website is only going to be found by those who wanted to find you, which means you're not expanding your shopper pool. Isn't that the point in marketing/advertising? To reach people you wouldn't otherwise reach ...

For a first post you didn't hold back did you.
 
@Joe

I know the thread is SM, but you keep bringing up Facebook.

If you want a bet on a trackable ROI on social media as a whole, I will take that bet.

I agree with you if you also though, yes there has been more time as an industry to develop the technologies you discussed. SM will take a little time, but I think I can make you a believer in 30 days. Ill put my money and time where my mouth is.
 
Cassie,

You said: "Do your research!"
Ahh.... We sell cars here. We are not JCP. We cannot sell via ecommerce, we cannot can ship UPS (ala JCP.com). We don't sell stuff that's hard to find nor unique. We don't make anything. In fact, most of our customers think we all are out to rob them of their 1st born male.

Noting your research error, I return to you my original question.... Show me 5 car dealers that are enjoying ROI from FB efforts. You'd better bring a lunch Cassie, it'll be an all day job.

I'll add this. To find 5, you've churned thru 500 dealers efforts to find those 5. I'll add more depth to your effort. From these 5 that you find, how unique are the MARKETING & OPERATIONS of the 5 dealers (relative to the 500 that have poor results).

For those of you FB fairies that don't work in our vertical, creativity & technology is not our strong suit. Something else you need to know. Our customers don't trust us AND they WANT to negotiate to buy. They arm themselves with information and arrive with boatload of negative equity on the unit they want to tradein.

Lastly, FB has a place in a dealership, it's best used as a sales reps personal tool, more than a dealer's marketing tool. I like adding fixed ops to the FB game plan. I LOVE JK's post and have that book marked for future use: How to Post DealerRater Reviews to Your Dealerships Facebook Fan Page Wall | DealerRefresh


Okay FB Unicorns and fairies, time for you to counter me with more promises and innuendos!

I understand your resistance, and I ABSOLUTELY agree that dealers have a different place in SM and other PR/Marketing channels than other industries, but that doesn't mean it's not relevant.

I'm no "FB fairy," thank you, and I do work in your vertical. I've been in the business for years. Just because creativity and technology is not your strong suit, doesn't mean that it doesn't have a place in the industry. It does; I found it and ran with it. So noting that I did not make a research error ... I stand by what I said. And in agreeing that our customer base often believes that we are out to rob them, you cement my argument that PR is a very important piece of your business. SM is crucial to PR nowadays. And once again, there is more to SM than FB. Social Media = media channels that incorporate a social feature to their operation.

FB as a sales reps personal tool = Great! FB for a dealer = Great too (if you do it right). Including Fixed Ops into SM = Awesome! I've created several SM marketing plans revolving around fixed ops. Dealerrater reviews on a FB page are great ... but is your FB page linked with your FB place page? Have you built a targeted audience? What about Twitter? Youtube? What about other LBS? How's your local SEO doing? What are people saying about your dealership outside of dealerrater.com? Are you listening? If there is ONE thing that SM is best for, above all else, it's listening to your customer base, and learning from them.
 
I understand your resistance, and I ABSOLUTELY agree that dealers have a different place in SM and other PR/Marketing channels than other industries, but that doesn't mean it's not relevant.

I'm no "FB fairy," thank you, and I do work in your vertical. I've been in the business for years. Just because creativity and technology is not your strong suit, doesn't mean that it doesn't have a place in the industry. It does; I found it and ran with it. So noting that I did not make a research error ... I stand by what I said. And in agreeing that our customer base often believes that we are out to rob them, you cement my argument that PR is a very important piece of your business. SM is crucial to PR nowadays. And once again, there is more to SM than FB. Social Media = media channels that incorporate a social feature to their operation.

FB as a sales reps personal tool = Great! FB for a dealer = Great too (if you do it right). Including Fixed Ops into SM = Awesome! I've created several SM marketing plans revolving around fixed ops. Dealerrater reviews on a FB page are great ... but is your FB page linked with your FB place page? Have you built a targeted audience? What about Twitter? Youtube? What about other LBS? How's your local SEO doing? What are people saying about your dealership outside of dealerrater.com? Are you listening? If there is ONE thing that SM is best for, above all else, it's listening to your customer base, and learning from them.



3 posts in and you opt for picking a Social Media fight with Ole Uncle Joe???? I think the 1200 plus views this post has should skyrocket soon.....:popcorn: