With very few exceptions, right now every marketing agency

and marketer out there will tell you and try to convince you

that they have the answer you have been looking for. They

have an elaborate, “hard to follow vocabulary” and a very

subtle but firm voice that enchants the entire audience. After

a couple of phone calls, some emails and may be a personal

visit, all you come to realize is that you need this “marketer”

to make it in the Automotive business!

Once again, and going back to our prior articles about leads -

Car Leads are actually Real People – Care for them and

listen to them! and Car Leads need Technology and the

Human touch to convert, these marketers have done their

homework and know exactly how to treat you as a real person

that can convert into a sale.

We’re not against marketing agencies or third party marketers

that have dedicated their careers to finding the needed loops and tricks to enhance and improve a dealership’s

results. These folks are a needed remedy to time efficient and scalable solutions. Our goal is to educate and

inform you as a car dealer, of some of the steps that YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION to when planning social

campaigns.

Social Campaigns are about your overall business

When you think about social campaigns, you may be considering Facebook opportunities, Twitter comments,

Pinterest images, etc. You have to go beyond this. Regardless of the channel or channels you’re willing to

implement, always remember that all your efforts are focused on your business.

It is up to you, as a dealership, to know and understand your goals and objectives. The why, how, where and

when of every goal you want your marketer to reach has to come from you. No marketing agency or third party

marketer can determine an intelligent estimate on issues that may need attention. This is why rushing into a

social campaign that is not clear to you and hoping for a positive ROI is not the best practice.

Be open to criticism. As you engage in the search for professional marketing help, marketers can point out some

of the obvious issues that can be dealt with immediately. The lack of reviews, lack of information on your

listings, the lack of interaction with your audience, etc. are just a few examples.

Connect your Social Campaigns with

your existing assets

With the growing social communities, is imperative that car

dealerships today get involved in this new trend. By having

an evolving social campaign that is connected to your

existing assets, such as main URL, blogs, specials’ page,

inventory, service, etc., you’re reviving and refreshing your

overall business’ strategies.

The concept of a campaign is to become a problem solving

tool for your goals and objectives. Keep it simple but clear. If

you’re pushing your new inventory on a social campaign,

why would you link any of the VIN pages to the service

appointment form? Focus on the objectives. This way, you

can demand results on what you’re expecting to see.

It doesn’t matter how big or successful your car dealership is, you’ll always have room for improvement and

audience domination.

Social Campaigns demand human involvement

The traditional marketing campaigns rely on emails, clicks, lead generators, etc., which still work, but now you

need more. Car buyers are getting smarter and more demanding on others’ opinion about a car or a dealership.

The social communities are very friendly when it comes to give out an opinion or a comment that could help the

potential buyer chose to visit your store or not.

As you well know, the social trend means interacting with your existing and potential audience. Be ready to be

involved with your social campaigns as these evolve and grow. The strength of the social communities can be a

positive boost or a very heavy anchor.

Social campaigns demand the human touch. From simple questions to more “Like” and followers, these need to

be addressed and followed up promptly.

Rules of engagement are there to be followed and adjusted depending on your needs. At the end of the day, is

about reaching the consumer thru all the channels available in an organized and well oriented informative

approach and not by the overrated sales gimmicks that are already part of the past.

Be involved in your social campaigns and be the master of the goals and objectives you want your marketing

agency to achieve.