engaging customers « Social Media for Dealers

March 21, 2012 • 11:24 am 1

Social Media and their mean words…

It’s great when customers write love notes on your Facebook wall or Twitter feed but what do you do when they write some, well, less than favorable reviews? I know there’s no way someone would think that your product or service was less than legendary, but mistakes happen. Below are five steps to dealing with uncomplimentary comments on social media.

1. DON’T IGNORE IT! Don’t just assume the negative comment will get lost in the feed or other customers will come to your rescue. Not only is the angry customer expecting you to respond, but all your other customers will be watching to see how you handle the issue.

2. Comment and Apologize RIGHT AWAY! No, you don’t have to admit you were wrong but you do have to apologize for the experience your customer went through. A number of times, customers just want to be heard. If you comment “I’m really sorry to hear about that! I can understand your frustration’, you are demonstrating that their comment is a concern of yours and you heard it.

3. Be Quick About it. One of the most important things to remember is to respond right away! Consumers using social media to express their concerns are looking for a response within hours! YES HOURS! Keep an eye on that feed/wall and make sure to respond as soon as possible.

4. Get Details in Private. Ask the customer to ‘explain the experience in an email to info@issue.com (your email) or by phone 555-123-4567’ so you can fully understand the situation. If they don’t email or call, at least other customers see that you are trying to fix the issues and you’re dedicated to your customers. Also, this way they don’t hear all the negative details.

5. Fix the Issue. Is it something as easy as apologizing and promising to look into the situation? A good way to not give away the bank, is to ask the customer what you can do to fix it. Most of the time you were willing to do more than they need.

photo by Life As Art

Filed under: Quick Tips, community, customer service, engaging customers, Listening, social media, social media presence

March 5, 2012 • 10:08 am 0

Turning virtual traffic into real customers.

One of the most powerful outcomes when you use social media regularly is the virtual following you have. There are so many opportunities to communicate with your followers and entice them to visit your dealership. Social Media is a perfect way to tell people the perks of visiting your location. Here are a few ideas on how to turn your virtual traffic into actual customers in your dealership.

Have a special promotion. Everybody loves a good deal. When you hold a special promotion and advertise on your Social Media outlets, you will likely have more visitors. Remember to make it conversational when you promote a sale. Ask your followers “Are you coming into our dealership this weekend for our annual sale? It is going to be big!”
Host a charity event. Even people who follow you, but wouldn’t necessarily walk into your dealership, won’t pass up the opportunity to help a good cause. There are many ways you could donate to charity but also bring in traffic. For example, broadcast through your Social Media that for every person that comes to your dealership this weekend you will donate $1 to a specific charity. Or say that x% of your profits one week will go toward a certain non-profit organization.
Advertise a contest. People love the thrill of winning. Hold a raffle. Have a BBQ cook-off. Host a family game day. Remember, the prize doesn’t have to be too huge or extreme. The idea is more about providing people with something fun and interesting to do on the weekend that giving away an extravagant prize. Promoting these kinds of contests on your Social Media outlets will not only bring in customers but it will show the fun personality of your dealership.

Remember to show your Social Media followers what your dealership has to offer without making them feel like they are being advertised to. In the end, you want to meet, in person, the people that you communicate with over Social Media. You don’t necessarily want to make a sale that day, rather you want to develop a relationship and potentially gain a lead. If you have this mentality when promoting your dealership, then you will find yourself with loyal and valuable customers.

Filed under: Strategy, community, engaging customers, Facebook, marketing, social media presence, social media strategy

February 23, 2012 • 2:02 pm 0

What To Write: Camping Packing List.

One of the hardest aspects when using Social Media is coming up with new content that engages your followers. Coming up with new ideas on what to write every day can be a job in itself. In our “What To Write” series we try to give a few ideas on how to get your content going.

An easy way to create content is to form a theme then occasionally post something off of that theme. For example, use a camping packing list as your theme. Remember to not only make comments, but also ask questions. Here are some posts you you could build around packing for camping:

If you go camping this weekend make sure to pack extra blankets. It is supposed to be chilly!
What is one item that you can’t live without while camping?
Packing lots of hot dogs and marshmallows for this weekend’s camping trip. Can’t wait for some good campfire food!
Quick poll: What is the perfect way to cook a marshmallow? A. Barely heated, just a little warm B. A good medium, with a little brown all over C. It’s not a campfire marshmallow without some char!
Camping list for this weekend: Hiking boots. Check. Backpack full of trail mix. Check. Lots of sunscreen. Double check.
If you go camping this weekend make sure to pack a tank top and sandals. It is going to be beautiful weather!
At our dealership we are debating whether or not popcorn is a camping list necessity. What do you think?
When you go camping, do you bring your own firewood or chop it up lumberjack style?
Quick poll: What beverage would we find in your camper’s refrigerator? A. Lemonade, there is nothing like a refreshing drink on a relaxing camping weekend B. Water, with an active camping weekend like ours, it is important to stay hydrated C. Soda, camping is a party for us and it’s not a party without Coca-cola!
If you go camping this weekend be sure to pack an umbrella. It will be rainy, but there is nothing more soothing than hearing the soft raindrops on the roof of your camper!

photo by J. Paxon Reyes

Filed under: what to write, camping, engaging customers, Facebook, rv dealership, RV writing, social media strategy, what to write, writing ideas

February 17, 2012 • 10:00 am 0

Creating content with donuts.

Every business, large or small, feels the overwhelming obligation from consumers to be on Facebook. They sign up, put all their information and get ready for the fans and posts to come flowing in! Wait… No one is commenting… what should I write…. BLANK PAGE! EEKK! Setting up a page on Facebook isn’t the hard part; thinking of content to get people to interact on your page is! Today we have a delicious list of ideas to help you get your creative posting-juices flowing. We used a recent post from the HuebnerPetersen blog as inspiration for example posts… DONUTS! They might just be taking over the world!

Fun: If you were going to eat a 200lb donut, what kind would it be?
Preference: Do you prefer sprinkles on your donut or just frosting?
Tips: Where can you find the best donuts in town?
Contests: We’re having a donut-eating contest Tuesday! How many donuts do you think you can eat in 10 minutes?!?! OR The first 10 people to name this donut gets 10 free donuts!
Photo: How many donuts can you count in this photo?
Controversial: Do you feel it’s bad to give your kids donuts for breakfast?
Yes or No: Are donuts better with filling?
Finish the sentence: I ALWAYS crave donuts before I….
Event: There is a donut expo this weekend… Who’s coming with us!?!?
Responsive: I glad to hear you visited our store, Amy! How was your experience?
Facts: Did you know, a 16 year old actually invented the whole in the donuts we’ve all come to love?!? Do you have any donut fun facts?
Specific: What is your favorite kind of donut?
Emotional: If you could send a donut with anyone special in your life, whom would you send one to?
Opinionated: Do you feel donuts should be banned in the state of Colorado?

Do you have any ideas for posts that have worked well for you? Help others out by adding them in the comment section of this blog!

*photo by kimubert

Filed under: what to write, content, engaging customers, Facebook, HuebnerPetersen, ideas, social media strategy, writing ideas

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Social Media and their mean words…

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Turning virtual traffic into real customers.

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What To Write: Camping Packing List.

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Creating content with donuts.

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