0
0

Common Misconceptions About Social Media and Car Dealerships:


1. Treating their News Feed Like Dresden By Bombarding Me With All of Their Inventory

  • Twitter isn’t Craigslist. Nobody gives a shit about that 2012 Chevrolet Impala Fleet Edition that you just bought from Enterprise. I especially don’t want to see indecipherably long links to the vehicle details page on your website for Every. Single. One.

Here’s what they SHOULD do: 

  • Give me information about particularly scarce or rare inventory. 
    • Create your own YouTube channel and give me a video walkaround of it. 
    • Put at least nine photos of it on your Facebook page, including interior shots of special equipment or features. 
    • Share the best of those pictures on your Instagram (well, first, create an Instagram account. THEN, share the pics). 
    • Do it sparingly. I don’t want to see more than one or two posts a day from you—-after that, you are cluttering up my feed and you’re just going to get deleted.

2. Posting About Things That Don’t Have A Damned Thing to Do With Cars

  • Asking me “HOW WAS YOUR DERBY WEEKEND?” or “WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SUPER BOWL?” in all caps really doesn’t make me want to engage with you in any way, shape or form. I get it—-you’re trying to be socially relevant. Here’s a tip: you’re not.


Here’s what they SHOULD do: 

  • Go for what you know. 
  • Find compelling reviews of new vehicles from around the web and retweet them. 
  • Link me to the latest news from the big auto shows. 
  • If you get a great used car on your lot (like, say, a 2013 Boss 302 Mustang), use the power of the internet to go back and find a review from when it was new.
  • keep it relevant.

3. Thinking That Going to the OEM’s Feed and Using “Ctrl+C” is Effective Social Marketing

  • Listen, if I wanted to read all of Nissan’s posts, I would probably, oh, I don’t know…FOLLOW NISSAN. I guarantee that they’re better at Social Media than you are.


Here’s what they SHOULD do: 

  • Create original, compelling content. 
  • Tell me what’s interesting about your dealership. 
  • Tell me why I should do business with you or, if I’m an existing customer, why I should continue to do business with you. 
  • If you don’t know why, that’s your first sign that you’re in trouble. 
  • Pro tip: Telling me how long you’ve been in business or that you’re a “family-owned dealership” isn’t compelling. 
  • Linking me to an outstanding dealer review or a service special? That might do it.

4. Having This As Their Profile Picture

  • Is this a dealership or a gospel jamboree? I honestly can’t tell. I feel like I’m just as likely to be asked to give my testimony as I am to be asked, “What’s it going to take to earn your business today, sir?”
  • While you might perceive a photo of the family to bring people in to your dealer, it doesn’t actually tell people anything about the dealer. Believe what you will, but people aren’t coming to your dealer for you. They’re coming for the cars and the prices.


Here’s what they SHOULD do: 

  • Just use a good, clear picture of your dealership so that I know that I’ve arrived at the right place when I get there. If there’s snow on the ground in your picture and the calendar is currently indicating that it’s May, you might want to consider taking a new picture.

5. Failing to Believe That Social Media Is Now a Thing

  • The number one complaint I hear about Social Media from dealers? “It’s too much damned work and it doesn’t sell me any cars.” 
  • Here’s one absolute truth about old school dealers: When it comes to the internet, if they can’t track it, they don’t believe it works. However, they will gladly experience a big ol’ cognitive dissonance clunk when it comes to traditional media (TV, Radio, Billboards) and plunk down insane amounts of cash for advertising that has no measurable impact whatsoever.


Here’s what they SHOULD do: 

  • Adjust their belief systems and begrudgingly enter the Twenty-First Fucking Century. 
  • Realize that a vast part of the game today is just making people aware of your dealership, even when they aren’t in the market to buy a car. 
  • If the first time they’ve heard of your store is when they’re searching Autotrader or Cars.com, you’ve already lost. 
  • I know it’s hard. 
  • Suck it up. 
  • Hire somebody younger than forty to run your Social Media sites and make it a real, full-time position within your internet department.

6. Hoping and Wishing That Bad Reviews Will Just Go Away

  • This kills me. I don’t know how dealers just let reviews like this one sit there. Look at that adorable little girl! She had to sit there and watch her grown-ass man daddy cry as his new Jeep broke down. Would you buy a car from a dealership that made that little girl sad? This makes no “sense” at all.

Here’s what they SHOULD do: 

  • You’ve gotta monitor this shit, bro. Facebook, Google, Yelp—-anywhere and everywhere people can leave reviews of your dealership, you’ve got to quickly resolve any issues that people are bitching about online. 
  • Respond as quickly and as publicly as possible, and then once the problem is resolved, ask the customer to either remove or respond to their original complaint, stating that the issue has been resolved and that they are now happy as Pharell Williams before Marvin Gaye’s family sued him into the Seventies.

7. Dealers need to keep these sites updated with their inventory.

  • I don't give a hoot if they tweet or Instagram or whatever their cars; I'm going to find their inventory on sites that search specifically for car inventory. If you don't have what I want, I shall go elsewhere.

Here's what they SHOULD do:

  • Accurate inventory
    • "I tried to buy a 4Runner that was advertised online. I went to the lot, test drove it, everything was good. Then I was told THAT 4Runner was actually sold (my salesman claimed not to know) and they were waiting for a transporter to come pick it up. Then he tried to sell me another 4Runner that was a different trim and color. Anyways, I cussed out the manager after he told me their “Internet” guy only updates the website once a week."
  • Actual vehicle descriptions and photographs, not stock or base model from the computer
    • Countless dealers don’t know the difference between auto and manual. So many wasted calls, “The listing says manual, is it actually a Manual?”
  • Site offering lots and lots of filters (if my biggest issue is that I need the third row seat, I don’t car that it’s got a sunroof)
  • VIN so I can shop insurance easily

So many crappy dealer stories. Tom usually goes out of his way to make things look diverse in the dealer-buyer relationship, but it’s painfully obvious the majority of dealers just suck, and the majority of buyers are sick of their BS.

8. "Our ad agency handles that for us.” 

  • Do they? I have a feeling that we’re about to find out that you and I have a very different definition of “handle.”

9. “Who the hell follows a car dealership on Facebook or Twitter? Do YOU follow any car dealers on Twitter? Wouldn’t that be boring as shit?” 

  • Well, Mr. Dealer, based on that attitude, I’m fairly certain that I’m not going to be following you.

Here's what they SHOULD do:

  • Generate personal 1-on-1 Connections with your customers
  • Open up conversations with customers and prospective buyers
  • Have a meeting with a customer? Check their social media for any recent life events and mention it when you greet them.
  • Provide highly targeted content to a range of different customer personas.
  • Provide Utility to your Customers
    • Share the knowledge of all your staff and allow people to meet your employees at your dealership before they even come through the door.
    • Boost Service Sales
    • Boost Customer Loyalty
    • Customers cling to those who demonstrate themselves as an expert.
    • Have a new car in the lot? Go for a test drive and demonstrate its attractive features.

10. “Nobody buys cars off of Facebook.” 

  • Thank you for that sterling insight, sir. I look forward to hearing more pearls of wisdom from you in whatever amount of time you’ve decided to dedicate to the “Internet Guy” this week. 

Here's what they SHOULD do:

  • The point of social media presence for them is to build a level of trust and comfort that keeps your business in the front of potential customer's mind's come car-buying time. 
  • Advertising in modern days is about far more than just putting up an ad and stating product benefits. Most marketing professionals would tell you that user engagement is one of the most important parts of connecting your business to customers. 
  • To a lot of people, being able to “visit” the dealer through Facebook photos, reviews on Yelp, YouTube walkthrough videos, etc goes a long way toward selling a car.
  • The major driving point to the presentation as that 10 years ago, potential car buyers would visit 5 dealers within 20 miles. NOW, they’ll only visit on average 1.2 dealers within 100 miles.
  • They know what they want, and will drive the distance to get it, especially if Jim Bob’s Subaru and BBQ down the road from them doesn’t have a Facebook page and shitty Yelp reviews.
  • People LOOVVE to follow/have followers on Facebook. And what better way to keep up with service specials, sales deals, and general goings on at the dealer than to follow them?
  • Another easy place to ask questions, complain, etc. Any good business knows they have to be where their customers are. Along with this is just establishing a relationship with the community so John Q doesn’t feel threatened to stop by if they’re having a BBQ, ride and drive or car show b/c they already have some sort of relationship with the dealer via social media. Obviously the end is to sell cars but its purpose should be much more about community outreach than a hard sell online (and this baffles most dealers).
  • Its free advertising for the dealer as well.

Why Use Social Media:

1. A Few Stats about  Social Media

  • The majority (or close to) of social media users are over 40. 
  • How online reviews and social media play a role prior to Car Purchase or Service
    • Remarkably, 87% of car buyers and 90% of service customers said they consulted online reviews when selecting their dealership.
    • 75% car buyers say that social media and review sites were key to helping them select a car dealership.
    • 72% of car buyers said they would drive up to 60 miles to visit a dealership that had earned positive online reviews.
    • 38 percent consult social media before they purchase a car
    • 75% of car buyers said they clicked on a Facebook ad in response to an offer or promotion.
  • Post Car Purchase
    • 23% share their experience about recent car purchase.
    • 42% of people tell their friends about a good customer experience
    • 53% will talk about a bad customer experience.
  • Conclusion:
    • Social media and reviews are an integral part of growing your dealership’s sales year over year.

2. A Few stats about your Service Department and Social Media

  • How online reviews and social media play a role in your Service Department
    • 50% of service customers said they clicked on a Facebook ad in response to an offer or promotion
    • 63% of service customers said they would drive up to 60 miles to visit a dealership that had earned positive online reviews.
    • 90% of service customers said they consulted online reviews when selecting their dealership.
  • Conclusion:
    • Social media and reviews are an integral part of growing your sales year over year.

3. Social is Personal

  • Keep your products top of mind for your prospective customers.
  • 35 percent of iPhone and Android users in the U.S. check mobile apps before getting out of bed.
  • The average person spends over an hour a day on social media.
  • Generate a large community of LOYAL, ENGAGED followers
  • Social Media is a long-term investment, the longer you stay in the game the more ROI.
  • The larger the network the more influence you have in your local market.
  • Generate long-term loyalty.