Facebook is by far the most utilized social channel by dealers, and with good reason: it has the highest number of subscribers in every single demographic. This means you should dedicate at least 50 percent of your social media marketing time to Facebook efforts, which includes Promoted Post Advertising campaigns.
Google+ and Twitter are the other two channels that I consider must-haves. The thought of managing three channels is daunting; however, the use of Hootsuite makes this problem disappear. Hootsuite is a social media management tool that allows you to post to multiple channels simultaneously, and it only costs $9.99 per month. Even better, Hootsuite allows your posts to be scheduled, so content can be planned ahead of time and posted when your fans are most active.
YouTube is another powerful social media marketing tool. The ability to express company culture, personality and style via video is second to none. Furthermore, 30-second walk-around videos sell vehicles like there’s no tomorrow. Dealers who dive into YouTube are the most successful I have seen. The hard part is figuring out who is going to put their face on camera and who is going to shoot the video (it’s simple to shoot from a smartphone using the YouTube app which will automatically upload the video).
Finally, we have two other visual-based tools: Pinterest and Instagram. Instagram is owned by Facebook and it can be integrated into your account, so that is a plus for its usage. Pinterest is known for its “boards” format, which auto-magically sorts your images into an eye-pleasing display that begs to be viewed and repinned by any enthusiast with a passionate bone in his or her body. My advice here is to take one of these channels on, if and when you have mastered the management of the big three under the umbrella of Hootsuite, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.
Performance Reporting
Facebook insights are right there for the reading, so you must take the time to review the reports. The demographic and city reports tell you who your fans are and where they live, and you will likely be surprised to find that your in-store demographic is different than your online demographic — which is something you need to consider and accommodate for when planning your content and promotions. Next, the daily performance reporting on key metrics is essential. The key metrics include “Reach,” “Likes,” “Engagement,” “Talking about this” and “Virality” (hover over each metric on your report to learn what each statistic means for your business).
Your website reporting tool (i.e. Google Analytics), will tell you the referral traffic from your social media channels.
Award-winning blogger and CEO of Duo Web Solutions, Heather Blessington is a nationally-renowned speaker on social media marketing and a digital marketing veteran. Her company provides MPN monthly columns focused on best practices in Web marketing for powersports dealers.
