Social Media for Dealers

A resource from HuebnerPetersen's Dealer Marketing Services

September 8, 2010 • 10:07 am 3

A cupcake case study.

A cupcake social media case study
We love social media success stories and sharing case studies in which businesses have triumphed using social media as a key marketing tool. If that business also happens to sell cupcakes? Even better.

Now we know that the world of RVing and the world of cupcake bakeries differ in more ways that can be counted on one hand, but bear with us. There are very few businesses that base their entire marketing strategy on social media, and this case study highlights one of them (make sure to read it!).

While we understand that you can’t go about selling RV’s like you go about selling cupcakes, but there are great takeaways from Foiled Cupcakes focused social media strategy that can guide and inspire you.  Here are key tips we’ve pulled out of this delicious cupcake case study:

1.  Connect with the right people
You can find tons of followers the wrong way, but the only way to succeed is to find people that think your story and message is interesting.  This means don’t use a robot to build followers and do your legwork to find your customers online.

2.  Reply
Make sure you’re interacting, replying and conversing with every single comment or message that comes your way. Be genuine, be helpful, and give (not sell) as much as you can.

3.  Have goals
Set goals or figure out what you hope to accomplish with social media. With a clear plan in mind you’ll stay focused and start connecting with the right people in the right way.  Are you trying to build a local following?  Are you trying to educate consumers on RVs?  Are you trying to generate website traffic?  Think about what you want your social media efforts to do for your dealership.

4.  Don’t waste time
Your tweets, updates and blog posts are suppose to be genuine and honest. If it takes you hours to make something up, it’s a waste of time. If you’re passionate about what you post and what you write about, time will fly and your passion will be apparent.  Establish an angle for your writing, one that fits your dealership.

Look how much we learned from cupcakes today — don’t you want one right now?!

*Photo Credit: megpi

Filed under: Small Business, Why social media?, , , , , , , , ,

July 6, 2010 • 10:07 am 0

Should my dealership use social media?

Ask yourself these marketing questions to figure out if social media is right for your dealership

Should you be integrating social media into your RV dealership’s marketing efforts?  Here’s a quick questionnaire to answer to find out (from an older, but terrific Jeff Bullas post):

In the last few months have you either professionally or personally.

1.Responded or answered to a direct mail letter or brochure? (Current research shows only 3% have responded)

2. Did you follow up on a mainstream media advertisement such as TV, Radio, Magazine or Newspaper? (22%)

3. Did you go to the Yellow Pages to look up a company to buy a product? (3%)

4. Did you Google and search online when looking to purchase a product or service? (97%)

5. Used Your Peer to Peer Network via Facebook, Instant Messenger, Twitter, LinkedIn or other Social Media to get a URL to a website  for a product that you were looking to buy? (80%)

And here is the clincher…..

6. So why are you still using marketing for your company that you yourself  have minimal response to?

Think of yourself as the consumer, as the RV buyer.  As a consumer, do you go to Google or to the Yellow Pages when you need info?  So as a marketer, should you spend money on Google (SEO, search engine marketing, social rankings) or on the phone book?

*Photo credit: konradfoerstner

Filed under: Small Business, Statistics, Why social media?, , , , , , , , , , ,

June 11, 2010 • 7:00 am 1

How Facebook builds your business.

A great breakdown on exactly how you can use Facebook to connect with your customers and build your dealership’s online presence.  If you wondered exactly how to harness Facebook for your RV dealership, this quick video will help clear it up!

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Filed under: Facebook, Small Business, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 21, 2010 • 9:17 am 0

Is social media really for my dealership?

Time for your dealership to jump on the social media bandwagon

It’s easy to convince yourself that social media will be fruitless and pointless for your dealership because of your dealership’s size.  Maybe you’re not a huge brand like Nike or Starbucks, but don’t let that scare you away.  The reality is, social media is just as good, if not better, for small businesses and local retailers.

We’ve posted before about the importance of social media for all businesses (here and here). Social media can and will benefit your RV dealership. Here are our top reasons your dealership should be working with social media :

1. Social media improves search results

Using social media can help increase your ranking in search results. The more social media sites you actively participate on (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogs) the higher your rank will be. Being active on these sites and building links from these sites back to your own website helps increase your ranking on popular search engines, making it easier for customers to find you.

2. Social media builds credibility

It used to be that if you wanted to be perceived as a credible business to your customers, all you needed to have was a website. Well, the tables have turned and that isn’t going to cut it anymore. Customers now expect technological ease, personalization, and clear points of contact with the brands, businesses, and companies from whom they buy. Utilizing social media at your RV dealership is the perfect way to give them that. Social media is an easy way to build trust with your customers and to make sure that you stay in touch with their needs and preferences.

3. Social media serves as a learning tool

Listening to your customers is a good way for you to locate areas of improvement and to understand what engages your customers.  Social media allows you to easily reach out to customers, listen to them, and learn.  By following what your customers are saying and doing, you can adjust your strategies to best fit their wants and needs.

For other resources on how social media can benefit small businesses, here are articles to check out:

“Why Social Media Really Is Worth Your Time”

“Social Media Can Work for Small Business Too”

“5 Small Business Tips For Social Media Success”

*”Jump on the social media bandwagon” image by Matt Hamm

Filed under: Small Business, The Basics, , , , , , , ,

April 30, 2010 • 9:17 am 0

YouTube: Tips for your dealership

Using YouTube and/or other video providers can help your dealership’s online marketing efforts more be dynamic.  In order to get the most from your YouTube channel and to optimize your customers experience on your YouTube site, check out this Open Forum Article by Amy Mae Elliot. In the article she lists her top 10 YouTube tips to help you get the most out of the platform.

Tips for getting making the most out of YouTube at your RV dealership

Our top three takeaways:

1.  “Promote Your YouTube Videos Elsewhere”

Your customers will not automatically search for your dealership on YouTube.  Videos posted on other sites can be linked to your dealership’s YouTube account and will help drive traffic to your video posts.

2.   “Don’t Overlook Tags”

Tags are keywords, you determine, that are used to describe your video content and give your videos “searchability”.  The more relevant tags your content has the more easily customers can search it.

3.  “Engage With the YouTube Community”

Engaging with other YouTube users will help you distribute your own YouTube content as well as provide your customers with a glimpse of other materials and causes your dealership supports.

Filed under: Small Business, Video, , , , , , ,

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This information is brought to you by HuebnerPetersen's Dealer Marketing Services and Front Lines Marketing Programs. Please visit http://HuebnerPetersen.com for further information.

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