In this post, we thought we’d focus on the efforts of a single point auto dealer who’s been actively using Facebook to cultivate customer relationships and what that has meant for them in terms of customer communication, retention and sales.
Auburn Volkswagen is a single point Volkswagen dealership located in Auburn, Washington a suburb of Seattle. General Manager Matt Welch first hired our team to build “Dynamic Pages” for his store. As we covered in our last article here in DMM, these ‘Dynamic Pages’ essentially places the entire content of his dealerships website inside the Facebook environment. User can browse inventory, build a vehicle, and even schedule a service appointment on-line without ever leaving the Facebook. Beyond these “dynamic pages” the store also actively engages the local community with regular ‘Wall Posts” including everything from brand information to humorous ‘outtakes and bloopers’ of their TV commercials, even the company Christmas video!
The result? Over 675 fans to date (and growing), active comments, and some wonderful new customer interaction. General Manager Matt Welch shares just one example: “Just the other day, a Jetta customer posted on her own page that she had a flat tire. It was raining, a cold miserable day. Because she was a friend on Facebook, our sales manager could see her post, and took the initiative to contact her, and offer to drive out to help her with a new tire. She was so excited, not only about the tire, but the fact that we took the time to help her that her next post was “I LOVE AUBURN VOLKSWAGEN!!!!!”. All of her friends saw her post, as well as all of our fans (over 800 people total). According to Matt “You can’t buy that kind of positive publicity, and it all happened because of Facebook.“
Welch reports he get emails every day on Facebook with customer comments and, estimates his store does two or three new car deals a month directly as a result of his presence on there. Not bad for a media portal where the only cost is a little time and creativity. And one who’s influence is sure to grow.
WHAT TO POST ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ‘WALL’
by Ed Steenman for Dealer Marketing Magazine
This month I’m going to tackle a topic certain to raise some eyebrows - our vision for the posting of the ‘daily wall posts” on facebook and daily ‘tweets’ on twitter. This is the part of your social media website that is ever changing, the updated ‘short form’ content - often with links to other websites or areas. What makes this subject controversial is that there are few official ‘rules’, and if you were to sit down with ten social media ‘gurus’ I predict you’d get ten different ‘expert opinions’ on the ‘correct’ things to include.
From my perspective, it’s easy to rush straight to the activity of posting, while glossing over the necessary underlying strategy needed for any advertising or publicity project. In it most base form, ask the question; ‘what is the expected outcome or goal from what we’re doing? But before you bellow out “sell more cars!” let me suggest that the term ‘closing the sale’ reminds us that there is also a beginning and middle to the selling process. We must remember to apply this same kind of metric to our social media programs so as to not short circuit the process.
Now, shift your focus the other way for a minute and ask yourself the million dollar question ‘why would anyone want to ‘fan’ or ‘like’ your business? Simply put, WFIM (what’s in it for me) posed from the perspective of someone choosing to ‘opt in’ to receive your content. Put this question and the ‘sales process’ together and you begin to see where the road leads.
People patronize businesses based on lots of factors. Certainly price, convenience and location are important. Beyond that, people also buy from people they ‘like’, shop at places their ‘friends’ recommend, and choose companies that ‘share’ their values. Note how the words ‘like’, “friend’ and ‘share’ are all common terms in the social media space.
In short, you should be presenting content that will help people to ‘like’ you, show that you ‘share’ their values, and that doing business with you is something their ‘friends’ would approve. This is tough concept for salespeople who only want to focus on the immediate sale in front of them, and is another reason why we advise dealerships to use a combination of internal and external ‘brand ambassadors’ for their social media programs.
Here are some examples of things to post: Information about what your store or your people are out doing in your community; Customer testimonials about what it’s like to do business with you; also relevant brand content your customer will find of interest. In the end, your wall posts or updates should reflect your stores ‘personality’ to compliment all that other ‘hard information’ on product, price, etc. that is available elsewhere. Our recommended goal for your program is engage shoppers with the hope to increase the value of doing business with you in their minds prior to ever walking through your door.
Think of your daily social media updates as another step in time honored ‘sales process’ and you’ll be on the right track for a successful social media program.
This month I’m going to tackle a topic certain to raise some eyebrows - our vision for the posting of the ‘daily wall posts” on facebook and daily ‘tweets’ on twitter. This is the part of your social media website that is ever changing, the updated ‘short form’ content - often with links to other websites or areas. What makes this subject controversial is that there are few official ‘rules’, and if you were to sit down with ten social media ‘gurus’ I predict you’d get ten different ‘expert opinions’ on the ‘correct’ things to include.
From my perspective, it’s easy to rush straight to the activity of posting, while glossing over the necessary underlying strategy needed for any advertising or publicity project. In it most base form, ask the question; ‘what is the expected outcome or goal from what we’re doing? But before you bellow out “sell more cars!” let me suggest that the term ‘closing the sale’ reminds us that there is also a beginning and middle to the selling process. We must remember to apply this same kind of metric to our social media programs so as to not short circuit the process.
Now, shift your focus the other way for a minute and ask yourself the million dollar question ‘why would anyone want to ‘fan’ or ‘like’ your business? Simply put, WFIM (what’s in it for me) posed from the perspective of someone choosing to ‘opt in’ to receive your content. Put this question and the ‘sales process’ together and you begin to see where the road leads.
People patronize businesses based on lots of factors. Certainly price, convenience and location are important. Beyond that, people also buy from people they ‘like’, shop at places their ‘friends’ recommend, and choose companies that ‘share’ their values. Note how the words ‘like’, “friend’ and ‘share’ are all common terms in the social media space.
In short, you should be presenting content that will help people to ‘like’ you, show that you ‘share’ their values, and that doing business with you is something their ‘friends’ would approve. This is tough concept for salespeople who only want to focus on the immediate sale in front of them, and is another reason why we advise dealerships to use a combination of internal and external ‘brand ambassadors’ for their social media programs.
Here are some examples of things to post: Information about what your store or your people are out doing in your community; Customer testimonials about what it’s like to do business with you; also relevant brand content your customer will find of interest. In the end, your wall posts or updates should reflect your stores ‘personality’ to compliment all that other ‘hard information’ on product, price, etc. that is available elsewhere. Our recommended goal for your program is engage shoppers with the hope to increase the value of doing business with you in their minds prior to ever walking through your door.
Think of your daily social media updates as another step in time honored ‘sales process’ and you’ll be on the right track for a successful social media program.
What is twitter and how can I use it for my store
Dealer Marketing Magazine- December 2010
By Ed Steenman Twitter: @greenhuman
Usually when a dealer asks about social media, they are really asking about facebook. ‘Twitter’ gets mentioned almost as an afterthought. That’s too bad because, as I have personally discovered, Twitter is a powerful social media tool in its own right. As a starting point, let’s being with a definition of what Twitter is (courtesy of Wikipedia);”Twitter is a website, which offers a social networking and micro-blogging service, enabling its users to send and read other users' messages called tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the user's profile page. Users may subscribe to other users' tweets—this is known as following and subscribers are known as followers.”
Think of Twitter as your own personal ‘broadcast channel ‘ where you control the programming in 140 characters. People (viewers) can elect to look at your tweets on a one time basis – or agree to receive your messaging on an ongoing basis. This is a significantly different from facebook because they don’t need your permission to follow you, and, as a user, you can track tweets from places like Ford Motor Company (@Ford) to your friend next door. From a user perspective, it’s a bit like having a newspaper in real time customized with subjects you’re interested in.
Twitter is a very searchable environment (in my view, the Twitter search bar is set up to look very similar to google- simple, clean and to the point and is a real opportunity) and operates much more like a traditional newspaper or newsfeed than other social media. However, keep in mind that Twitter is a very short form world so it’s important to “headline oriented” in your messaging (use links to provide more in depth content). It’s also crucial in setting up your account to have a good ‘handle’ as well as a profile that telegraphs your business, product or service. This is important because users tend to scan your profile and tweets very quickly to decide if you are interesting enough to them to follow.
As far as what to Tweet on an on going basis:
(1) If you can establish yourself as a credible expert source, followers will find you. Whenever possible be sure to use #HASHTAGS which is a feature that unites global Tweets around a particular topic (ie: green cars, Subarus, or whatever). Using #HASHTAGS also adds additional context and metadata to your tweets (good for SEO). (2) Tweet the news! About your dealership, your people and – YES- your inventory! The number of ‘classified car ads’ on twitter is growing daily, as well as lots of car reviews and helpful information being viewed by active shoppers within twitter environment - so don’t be shy to post your inventory as part of your mix of information.
(3) Tweet often. Remember, while your tweets are stored on your home page (and hopefully with #HASHTAG to aid search), most users will see them as part of scrolling feed so they have a short shelf life in that regard.
(4) It’s okay to have fun sometimes, it doesn’t have to be all business.
Most importantly, listen and respond - you’ll be amazed at how fast the conversations start.
By Ed Steenman Twitter: @greenhuman
Usually when a dealer asks about social media, they are really asking about facebook. ‘Twitter’ gets mentioned almost as an afterthought. That’s too bad because, as I have personally discovered, Twitter is a powerful social media tool in its own right. As a starting point, let’s being with a definition of what Twitter is (courtesy of Wikipedia);”Twitter is a website, which offers a social networking and micro-blogging service, enabling its users to send and read other users' messages called tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the user's profile page. Users may subscribe to other users' tweets—this is known as following and subscribers are known as followers.”
Think of Twitter as your own personal ‘broadcast channel ‘ where you control the programming in 140 characters. People (viewers) can elect to look at your tweets on a one time basis – or agree to receive your messaging on an ongoing basis. This is a significantly different from facebook because they don’t need your permission to follow you, and, as a user, you can track tweets from places like Ford Motor Company (@Ford) to your friend next door. From a user perspective, it’s a bit like having a newspaper in real time customized with subjects you’re interested in.
Twitter is a very searchable environment (in my view, the Twitter search bar is set up to look very similar to google- simple, clean and to the point and is a real opportunity) and operates much more like a traditional newspaper or newsfeed than other social media. However, keep in mind that Twitter is a very short form world so it’s important to “headline oriented” in your messaging (use links to provide more in depth content). It’s also crucial in setting up your account to have a good ‘handle’ as well as a profile that telegraphs your business, product or service. This is important because users tend to scan your profile and tweets very quickly to decide if you are interesting enough to them to follow.
As far as what to Tweet on an on going basis:
(1) If you can establish yourself as a credible expert source, followers will find you. Whenever possible be sure to use #HASHTAGS which is a feature that unites global Tweets around a particular topic (ie: green cars, Subarus, or whatever). Using #HASHTAGS also adds additional context and metadata to your tweets (good for SEO). (2) Tweet the news! About your dealership, your people and – YES- your inventory! The number of ‘classified car ads’ on twitter is growing daily, as well as lots of car reviews and helpful information being viewed by active shoppers within twitter environment - so don’t be shy to post your inventory as part of your mix of information.
(3) Tweet often. Remember, while your tweets are stored on your home page (and hopefully with #HASHTAG to aid search), most users will see them as part of scrolling feed so they have a short shelf life in that regard.
(4) It’s okay to have fun sometimes, it doesn’t have to be all business.
Most importantly, listen and respond - you’ll be amazed at how fast the conversations start.
Cover Interview for Dealer Marketing Magazine
October 2010; Dealer Marketing Magazine.
Here are the actual interview questions and our responses from our front page cover story in the October issue of Dealer Marketing Magazine. You can read the final edited article at http://preview.tinyurl.com/6dwn3fc
Why is it important for dealers to be involved with social media?
Steenman: You need to be where people are and more than 500 million of them are utilizing social media on a regular basis.
How has social media changed consumer buying behavior?
Steenman: Social media has changed consumer buying behavior significantly. One example is the level to which customer generated information about your dealership is now being shared. The experience a customer had with your business, and how they felt about it (huge) is now almost a standard part of the next customers buying process. It used to be these types of reviews were sometimes suspect, but the standards and level of transparency required by social media sites have trained customers that it’s okay to use their real identity in these types of postings.
Which forms of social media (facebook, blogs, reviews, chat, etc.) have the most benefit for auto dealers and which forms have the least?
Steenman: These days, it’s becoming more about what others say about you than what you say about yourself. From a consumer point of view they want both sides of the story; yours, and what other customers have to say about you. If you don’t actively participate in the social media, you’ll miss out on the opportunity to be a part of the second conversation.
Can dealers benefit from partnering with social media experts?
Steenman: This is fast moving landscape and not one you can embrace on a casual basis. There’s just too much at stake. Someone outside the dealership has a much broader and more consumer driver perspective as well as a better understanding of how to grow and protect the dealership ‘brand’. Contrast the example of an employee who’s objective is to ‘just sell cars’against having professional ‘brand ambassador’. One is (rightly from their perspective) focused only on ‘making car deals’ while the other sees the value in talking about the dealership involvement in the community, or the service specials the dealership is offering that month, or about a new vehicle the manufacture is developing that is of interest to enthusiasts, or reputation management. It’s a completely different perspective. And then there’s the legal stuff. Sites like facebook make fairly dramatic rule changes on what you can and can’t do with your site and if you’re not actively following this, your site can get shut down quickly.
How do you see social media marketing integrating with internet marketing and traditional marketing?
Steenman: It’s absolutely crucial to integrate them and this is unfortunately an area of disconnect with a lot of dealers. Face it, the consumer is going to use multiple platforms (traditional media, mobile media, social media) in their interaction and information gathering phases of their buying cycle so your message needs to be consistent across multiple platforms.
What kind of content, and how much of it, should dealers post to their social media sites?
Steenman: While we’ve seen a variety of approaches, probably the biggest mistake a dealership can make is to treat social media like another ‘push’ media and acting as if it’s like a newspaper ad with a listing of cars. The thing to remember above all is that this is ‘opt in’ media the consumer has chosen to be there, and can just as easily chose to hide your feed or opt back out. The content needs to engage the end user, not the dealer who is posting it.
What is the best use of online chat technology?
Steenman: We don’t have a lot of experience with real time chat – yet, but rule number one would be to make sure that you are clear in your communication to the consumer about it’s availability and response time. There is nothing more frustrating that clicking the ‘chat online now’ button only to have the ‘not available now’ response occur.
Here are the actual interview questions and our responses from our front page cover story in the October issue of Dealer Marketing Magazine. You can read the final edited article at http://preview.tinyurl.com/6dwn3fc
Why is it important for dealers to be involved with social media?
Steenman: You need to be where people are and more than 500 million of them are utilizing social media on a regular basis.
How has social media changed consumer buying behavior?
Steenman: Social media has changed consumer buying behavior significantly. One example is the level to which customer generated information about your dealership is now being shared. The experience a customer had with your business, and how they felt about it (huge) is now almost a standard part of the next customers buying process. It used to be these types of reviews were sometimes suspect, but the standards and level of transparency required by social media sites have trained customers that it’s okay to use their real identity in these types of postings.
Which forms of social media (facebook, blogs, reviews, chat, etc.) have the most benefit for auto dealers and which forms have the least?
Steenman: These days, it’s becoming more about what others say about you than what you say about yourself. From a consumer point of view they want both sides of the story; yours, and what other customers have to say about you. If you don’t actively participate in the social media, you’ll miss out on the opportunity to be a part of the second conversation.
Can dealers benefit from partnering with social media experts?
Steenman: This is fast moving landscape and not one you can embrace on a casual basis. There’s just too much at stake. Someone outside the dealership has a much broader and more consumer driver perspective as well as a better understanding of how to grow and protect the dealership ‘brand’. Contrast the example of an employee who’s objective is to ‘just sell cars’against having professional ‘brand ambassador’. One is (rightly from their perspective) focused only on ‘making car deals’ while the other sees the value in talking about the dealership involvement in the community, or the service specials the dealership is offering that month, or about a new vehicle the manufacture is developing that is of interest to enthusiasts, or reputation management. It’s a completely different perspective. And then there’s the legal stuff. Sites like facebook make fairly dramatic rule changes on what you can and can’t do with your site and if you’re not actively following this, your site can get shut down quickly.
How do you see social media marketing integrating with internet marketing and traditional marketing?
Steenman: It’s absolutely crucial to integrate them and this is unfortunately an area of disconnect with a lot of dealers. Face it, the consumer is going to use multiple platforms (traditional media, mobile media, social media) in their interaction and information gathering phases of their buying cycle so your message needs to be consistent across multiple platforms.
What kind of content, and how much of it, should dealers post to their social media sites?
Steenman: While we’ve seen a variety of approaches, probably the biggest mistake a dealership can make is to treat social media like another ‘push’ media and acting as if it’s like a newspaper ad with a listing of cars. The thing to remember above all is that this is ‘opt in’ media the consumer has chosen to be there, and can just as easily chose to hide your feed or opt back out. The content needs to engage the end user, not the dealer who is posting it.
What is the best use of online chat technology?
Steenman: We don’t have a lot of experience with real time chat – yet, but rule number one would be to make sure that you are clear in your communication to the consumer about it’s availability and response time. There is nothing more frustrating that clicking the ‘chat online now’ button only to have the ‘not available now’ response occur.
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