Last updated 4 months ago
It can be hard to keep track of everything that happens in a week. That’s why we endlessly roam the Internet in search of some of the most interesting stories from the automotive and social media industries – so you don’t have to. Take a look at what we’ve found this week:
Top Social Media Case Studies of 2012
“What were the most popular social media case studies in 2012? Based on traffic, here are the top case studies we published in the last year, from social media fails to innovative, multi-platform campaigns…”
Storytelling: Why Stories Attract More Customers
“What’s the story of your business? Are you wondering how storytelling can help your marketing and sales? To learn about the power of storytelling, I interview Dave Kerpen for this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast…”
New Years Revolutions for Inbound Marketing in 2013
“If we’ve learned anything from the past several years of belt tightening, it’s that actions speak louder than words. And actions are tough to come by. We can resolve to increase business through online lead generation and lead nurturing, but getting there isn’t easy. What we need are ‘revolutions,’ not ‘resolutions.’ We need to embrace change and find new ways to get the job done…”
5 Common Facebook Marketing Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
“Odds are you’ve liked a page on Facebook only to regret is a few hours or days later. Maybe it keeps posting about itself, or there’s no relevant material out there. Don’t be that page. Kevin Mullet, a social media and search engine optimization expert and the director of product development for Cirrus ABS, talked with AllFacebook about the biggest mistakes he’s seen companies make on their Facebook pages…”
Infographic: Biggest Social Media Moments of 2012
“Facebook Timeline, SOPA, KONY and US President Barack Obama’s re-election were just some of the big social media stories of 2012. This year, we also saw Pinterest emerge as one of the top social networks, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg became the center of media attention after the social network finally went public. Social media is no longer a trend, but a way of life…”
Last updated 4 months ago
As we welcome in 2013, it’s likely that social media is still a large part of your dealership’s marketing strategy. We’ve blogged a lot about social media in the past year, so it’s only fitting that we kick off the New Year with our social predictions for 2013! Here are 4 ways we think social media will change the way your dealership does business this year:
Social media breaks free of your marketing department.
Social media isn’t just for marketers anymore. It’s for everyone in your dealership, from your sales team to your service department. Your sales people can use social channels to streamline the selling process and prospect for leads, while your service team can leverage social media to connect with customers and build loyalty. While social media will still have a marketing purpose, we predict that the communication channel will start to show it’s more serious business value this year.
Social listening becomes a top priority.
As dealerships begin to look for leads and prospects on social media, listening is going to be of increasing importance – and listening to the right information. Businesses want to know what local customers are saying about their company, products, and services, so expect more efficient ways to filter conversations and social data to build stronger connections with customers in your area.
Social media becomes one of the primary ways your dealership communicates with customers.
Forget email. Social media offers a near instant way to connect with customers. In fact, 78% of respondents to a study conducted by Market Force [via Forbes] indicated that companies’ social media posts impact their purchases. We expect that number to increase in the coming year, as corporate social profiles – and how businesses respond to customers – have a growing impact on their bottom lines. Ensure your dealership has a communications plan in place for responding to customers via social channels as quickly as possible to maximize lead potential and customer satisfaction.
You invest in a social command center.
Managing your dealerships social communities, and all of the data that comes with it can be challenging. That’s why we predict that more and more businesses will invest in social media command centers, or a central platform to manage their web presence on various social networks, like Facebook and Twitter. These platforms often track everything from RT’s and ‘Likes’ to customer sentiment, offering companies real time data to make informed business decisions.
We’ve got our own miDealer social platform for automotive dealerships. Call us toll free, at 1-866-575-8731 to learn more.
How do you think social media will change how your dealership does business this year? Leave your predictions in the comments below.
Last updated 4 months ago
The end of the year is a great time to reflect on the past and set new goals for the future. We’ve taken a look back at our blogs for the year, and put together the following list of our most popular auto marketing posts.
4 Social Media Tricks to Improve Your Dealership’s Online Reputation
“As customers place more emphasis on online reviews, it’s more important than ever for your dealership to build a positive reputation on social networks. You need to work to engage customers, encourage positive feedback, and broadcast the best reviews across all of your social media channels…”
5 Ways to Get More Customer Reviews for Your Dealership
“Customer testimonials are one of the best ways that your dealership can build trust. And it’s that trust that’s going to help you earn new business and find new leads. But what inspires customers to write positive reviews?...”
5 Social Media Mistakes Costing Your Dealership Leads
“Social media should be an important part of any company’s marketing strategy. Your dealership is no exception. However, creating social media accounts and actually leveraging those channels to drive leads, customers, and ultimately revenue are two different stories…”
Customer Service Is Your Best Marketing Tool
“It’s likely that your dealership has been the subject of many online reviews. In fact, one of your customers could be writing about you right now. Do you know what they’ll say? Millions of people are turning to reviews before they buy a new car, or determine where to bring their current vehicle for service…”
Why Your Dealership Needs a Blog
“Now more than ever customers are turning to the Internet to research purchase decisions. They’re visiting websites, social networks and forums, seeking out any information that they believe will help them make the most of their money…”
How to Overcome Social Media Skeptics At Your Dealership
“You understand that social media is a vital part of your dealership’s web presence. After all, a well-planned social media campaign can help you increase website leads, traffic and customer loyalty. But not everyone recognizes the potential of social media…”
How to Respond to Customers Online on Behalf of Your Dealership
“A negative review has the potential to damage your dealership’s reputation and your bottom line. However, it’s also an opportunity to turn an unhappy customer into a loyal one…”
Search Strategies to Help Your Dealership Reach More Customers
“A recent study of US adult Internet behavior from the Pew Research Center showed that search marketing continues to be one of the most popular ways customers find information – and 60% of all Internet users use search engines to do so daily…”
The Auto-Dealer’s Guide to Facebook Timeline
“A recent study from eMarketer reports that the majority of brands who have been using Facebook Timeline (the new layout was made mandatory for brand pages as of March 30, 2012) have been seeing increased engagement as a result…”
7 Community Engagement Essentials
“Your online community is a great place for your dealership to connect with customers and build brand loyalty. In fact, social media makes it easier than ever before to interact with customers outside of your sales and service department…”
Last updated 4 months ago
It can be hard to keep track of everything that happens in a week. That’s why we endlessly roam the Internet in search of some of the most interesting stories from the automotive and social media industries – so you don’t have to. Take a look at what we’ve found this week:
8 Ways to Increase Blog Traffic
“Building a blog is not a big deal but the main test lies in providing it with significant traffic. A successful blog is one which has good traffic. This post is targeted to help numerous bloggers who are struggling to get significant traffic for their website. So, let’s start…”
5 Tips for Rocking Your PR Around the Holidays
“Although most marketing and communications departments are winding down for the holidays, I believe now’s the ideal time to put the petal to the metal. Why shift your public relations efforts into overdrive? Because most of your competitors won’t be muddying up the space in your local, regional or industry media, that’s why….”
10 Ways Brands Will Win with Content Marketing in 2013
“When Felix Baumgartner jumped from the edge of space, it represented a watershed moment for content marketing. With 8 million people watching live, Red Bull showed the world that the ‘brands as publishers’ movement was here to stay…”
6 Ways Social Media Marketers Should Capitalize on the Visual Content Revolution
“Like a moth to a flame. Could there be a more perfect analogy for humans’ innate attention to visuals? I think not. If you agree with me on this, then you can easily understand why visuals have become so important to online marketers’ content strategies, especially when you think about the increased emphasis social networks like Pinterest and Facebook are giving them…”
Your Customers are Probably Annoyed with You
“Starbucks has done a brilliant job of training its customers to patiently wait in line. But should that verity excuse the company from exploring cheap and simple opportunities for efficiency?... Customer satisfaction surveys tend to be biased toward identifying more ‘significant’ issues and problems… I’ve seen many surveys and questionnaires asking customers what made them ‘unhappy’ or ‘dissatisfied’ with their experience or interaction. I’ve never seen – or been asked – was their anything particularly irritating or annoying about your dealings with us?...”
Last updated 4 months ago
Your dealership should be spending lots of time crafting your social media strategy. So when it comes time to share those photos, videos and status updates, you want to ensure that you’re maximizing views. A recent study from PageLever suggests that the overwhelming majority of impressions on social channels (95%!!) happen within the feed. That’s true for all networks, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. However, for the purpose of this blog post we’re going to focus specifically on the Facebook feed – where the competition is particularly fierce and only the best content tends to rise to the top. See our 4 tips below to help ensure your customers see your dealership’s Facebook posts.
Rethink the Timing of Your Posts
Facebook posts get the majority of their organic engagement within the first hour of being published. That means you’ll want to publish your updates when people are actively using the social networking site. Yet most brands still post during business hours throughout the week – a time when their community managers are at work. Unfortunately, so is most of their audience. Try posting content in the evenings and on weekends, when people have more free time to browse Facebook.
Don’t Over Publish
If you notice that a particular post is generating a lot of engagement, resist the urge to share new information. Wait until you notice the ‘Likes,’ shares and comments have stopped before sharing a new status update with your fans. If you don’t, you could inadvertently cause your first update to disappear from customers’ news feeds.
Think Like a Consumer
Before you share any information on your dealership’s Facebook page, ask yourself whether or not it’s something that you’d be interested in as a customer. Ensure that all of your updates are helpful, interesting or entertaining to your audience. When you’re sharing something that requires a little more attention, save it for a time when your fans have more leisure time to really appreciate the update.
Analyze and Adapt
Every audience is different, and your dealership’s fans are no exception. Therefore in order to really maximize your customer views and engagement, you’ll have to do a little testing. Real optimization comes from reviewing the numbers over time to determine what works (or doesn’t) for your dealership. Track results, and adapt the timing and content of yours posts as needed in order to maximize engagement.
Is your dealership using Facebook to interact with your customers and fans? Share your tips in the comments below.
