Social Media for Dealers

A resource from HuebnerPetersen's Dealer Marketing Services

February 1, 2012 • 12:51 pm 2

YouTube Is Your Friend

There are so many ways dealers can utilize social media to promote their dealership. One outlet that is often overlooked is video. Here are three reasons why YouTube should be part of your social media goals and a key player in your social media strategy.

1. The majority of RV buyers do online research before heading into a dealership. Every day, people are surfing the web to explore options before actually heading into a store to purchase, especially on big-ticket items. If you have a video showing the features on one of your best selling campers, people are going to be more likely to come in and see it for themselves. They want to know what to expect before walking through your door.

2. YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google. This means that having a video for your dealership is just as important as having a Facebook page. When a buyer searches YouTube for a great camper, you want to make sure your name comes up. People don’t just want to see pictures of a unit, they want a virtual tour!

3. Having a video shows great customer service. You want to show people that there are friendly, knowledgeable people working at your dealership. Wouldn’t you be more willing to walk into a store if you already knew that the staff had great customer service? Having a video shows the “humanness” of your RV dealership. Video allows you make a connection with your customers before they walk into your dealership!

Making a video for your dealership can be a very easy way, to interact with customers online. When customers know what to expect before they even walk through your door, they’ll be much more likely to stop by your dealership!

photo by ukberri

Filed under: Video, , , , ,

January 29, 2012 • 1:18 pm 0

The Power of a Video

One of the fastest growing social media outlets is video. Sites like YouTube and Vimeo have enourmous amounts of traffic.  YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine (Google is #1)!  For business, online video provides the opportunity to speak directly to customers and show a product up close.  Many dealers have found that giving virtual tours of their RV units helps drive traffic to their websites and dealerships.

Customers are increasingly turning to the Internet to research before they purchase any product, especially big-ticket products like RVs. That considered, producing a video for your dealership will help you connect with customers and influence their purchase decision. Online video is a powerful way to show customers why they should buy an RV from your dealership.

This week the HuebnerPetersen blog features a blog post on Blendtec, a small business who used video in a clever way.  Blendtec was able to engage customers and get them excited about an unlikely product, blenders.  Clever use of online video helped Blendtec become hit product overnight.  Check it out!

Filed under: Video, , , ,

January 18, 2012 • 8:00 am 0

The Importance of Updating

We cannot stress enough how important it is to update your social media regularly. Social media is a virtual extension of your dealership. The values you portray in your dealership need to also be portrayed through your social media. Would you shut down your dealership for a week at random? Of course not! If someone came in to your dealership with a customer service question, would you ignore them? No way! You need to act the same way in your social media outlets. Here are a few tips on how to keep your social media current:

1. Make an appearance.  At the very least, post something weekly. If your last Facebook post was in September 2011 promoting your last sale, you have a problem. People need to see you engaging in their community. If someone walked into your dealership but couldn’t find a soul around, that would be an issue. It is the same way with your social media outlets. You need to show them that you are there.

 2.  Make it a customer service priority. More and more people are using social media, rather than an email or phone call, to resolve customer service issues. If someone posts on your Facebook wall or tweets you with a question or comment, respond! Even if you don’t have an answer right away, tell them that you will find out and get back to them ASAP.

3. Don’t be afraid of negative comments. You should always respond to comments immediately, especially negative comments or complaints. When you immediately respond, it shows that your dealership takes customer service seriously.

4. Have a current and quality profile picture. Your profile picture is the first thing your customers see, so make sure it represents your dealership well. If you have a 2009 model of a camper in your picture: change it. If you have a picture of your staff from five years ago: change it. If you have your old logo as your picture: change it. Your profile picture needs to describe the way your dealership looks today.

5. Keep your BIO and information current. Any time your dealership makes a change, think about how it could affect your social media. If you change your phone number, you may need to update your Facebook page. If your store hours change, update your information. If you have a new web address, change it on your social media.

Quite simply, if you remember that your social media is an extension of your dealership, then keeping current shouldn’t be a problem. You want to make sure that people can always reach you with as much ease as possible. The more they trust your social media, the more they will trust and recommend your dealership.

photo by Ias

Filed under: Quick Tips, , , , ,

December 23, 2011 • 10:28 am 1

The Art of Listening

One of the biggest mistakes made by RV dealers when starting out with social media is talking without taking the time to listen. Social media is all about creating a real relationship between your RV dealership and your customers. These types of relationships can’t be fostered when one party does all the talking.

A recent blog post by Eric Harr, “Myth: To Be Heard, Talk. Truth: To Be Heard, Listen.” is full of great information on the importance of listening. In his post Eric details the ways in which you can spend more time listening and still be heard. Here are some of our favorite points:

1. 80/20 Rule - You should be 80% listening and 20% talking. It’s hard to write back or produce valuable content if you’re not listening to what your customers are saying.

2. Quality Counts – Don’t stop talking completely, but when you do respond, make sure what you’re saying is valuable and engaging.

3.  Listen to Learn – You should be listening to your customers so you can know better how to improve their lives. You’re building loyal followers by offering information that makes them feel special or is valuable o them.

4. Get Personal – Ask questions about your customers. Make them feel like they are in a personal conversation with you. Social media is a great tool for making mundane conversation personal. Find out about your customers and engage them in conversations that apply directly to them.

5. Caring is Sharing – If you make people feel like you care about them, they’re more likely to spread the word about your dealership. And, we all know that it’s hard to beat good word of mouth.

Filed under: Quick Tips, , , , , ,

September 28, 2011 • 11:18 am 1

Facebook Timeline.

Facebook is at it again, making BIG changes across the board — many that will impact they way brands (your RV dealership) interact with their followers and customers online. The Timeline feature, of the biggest changes to hit the platform, will start out in Beta testing followed by availability via an opt-in basis. After time in testing and allowing users to become familiar with the changes and new layout, Timeline will be rolled out to the entire Facebook user base. So, what does Timeline mean to you? It means that your followers will be able to view the entire life of your brand (in fact, you’ll be encouraged to add images and information to extend the story back even further). It means that the content you post needs to be meaningful, relevant and engage customers in way that your casual, quick posts have not. Your followers will not only have the ability to see what’s happening right now, but the bigger picture for every profile they view. Take a peek at Facebook’s introduction to Timeline, albeit on the consumer side of things:

It may be hard to fully visualize what this means for you, your business page and your followers. Mashable has pulled together mock-up’s of top brands (by top designers) and how  Timeline and other Facebook changes may alter the look and feel we’re used to … as well as the content that’s posted.

*Note: These are just mock-ups, not approved by the brands represented.

As the Timeline feature further develops, the implications for your social media strategy and implementation will need to develop as well. Make sure to stay tuned as these updates are revealed.

Filed under: Facebook, , , ,

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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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