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What Defines A Successful Automotive Social Media Strategy

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!

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.

Joe, I got tired of reading after about the 15th page and skipped to the end. Did anyone ever provide the five with ROI?
 
DD,

Brian Pasch started this thread when Social Media was buzzing everywhere. Man was I unpopular when I stood my ground.

Our Jesse of MBMotorsports does a killer job with it mb motorsports - Automotive - Tinton Falls, NJ | Facebook

Tracey Myers is in my feed and somehow has avoided my ignore, he's an old school carnival barker with a deep soul. Frank Myers Auto Maxx - Car Dealership, Car Wash & Detailing - Winston-Salem, NC | Facebook I kinda grown to liking his rah-rah updates..the man never rests!

hahaha... now that's how you sell used cars!



FB fits these 2 players, so workin' FB has leverage. Otherwize, for the rest of the dealers out here...
 
I believe that we've begun growing into Web 3.0-- the semantic web, and social is no longer a standalone product. It's all about "discovery", and we have three core goals in relation:
  1. Discovery through trusted connections suggestions
  2. Discovery through real time activities
  3. Discovery of interesting patterns
I believe the successful strategy will adapt to the changing strategies and platforms, but remain true to those three truths.
 
I believe that we've begun growing into Web 3.0-- the semantic web, and social is no longer a standalone product. It's all about "discovery", and we have three core goals in relation:
  1. Discovery through trusted connections suggestions
  2. Discovery through real time activities
  3. Discovery of interesting patterns
I believe the successful strategy will adapt to the changing strategies and platforms, but remain true to those three truths.

I was just saying to myself, I wonder where NickCyblea went to!!
 
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.

Joe, I got tired of reading after about the 15th page and skipped to the end. Did anyone ever provide the five with ROI?


Agreed, BUT

Social Media sells cars.

But Social media is not Facebook. Facebook is one piece, for a car dealer a small piece, of the Social Media universe.

The piece of Social Media that works, that sell cars, that take customers from the competiton, is online reviews.

Everything that you have to do to get your online reviews in check breather the Social Media wave of doing biz.

We just focused in the wrong piece, thats all. Stay away from the shiny trinket and put attention in the hard earned reviews. They will bring ROI.
 
My Cajun uncle, when talking about his labs, "He don't hunt, he don't eat". I'm that way about the ROI report.

Most stores, in this market, have Customer Relations Managers. If the GM insists on having a FB presence, we can put it on that department.

Yago, I guess I don't think of reviews as social media. They are like testimonial advertising ...my bad.