Many dealerships express frustration with making social media work for their dealership. At 3 Birds, we manage social media for hundreds of dealerships with a simple formula that drives results. The conversational, personalized nature of social media can be easier than you think if you let your voice come through to your followers. Your voice is your content, your benefits, your people and your unique dealership personality.
Following these 5 tips have proven effective for us. They will work for you.
Tip 1: Know your audience
Take advantage of demographic data from Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms your business utilizes to understand the types of people following your company. You may find that you have more young mothers than you thought, or perhaps a large population of new grads. These insights will give you the power to tailor your messaging, your posting schedule, your creative, and more to appeal to your audience’s interests.
Tip 2: Craft creative content
Messaging should be consistent on each platform but tailored for that network’s unique audience, with Google + posts being the lengthiest (between 200 – 400 characters) and Twitter and Facebook content being shorter (100 characters or less for tweets and just forty characters or less on Facebook) for maximum engagement. Examples of creative content include engaging questions or prompts (“Describe your very first car.”) or links to frequently asked questions about choosing a vehicle, financing, and service.
Tip 3: #Smart
When it comes to hashtags, remember that they are mainly used on Twitter and Instagram. Hashtags are a way to filter your content—any hashtag can be clicked to bring up a feed of posts that include that hashtag. Use only one or two per post (if necessary), and make them specific to drive the best engagement (such as your brands, service cities, or popular generic hashtags like #CarTips and #WheelWednesday).
Tip 4: Visuals and videos, oh my!
Visual content engages users at an astoundingly higher rate than plain text posts, and video takes that engagement to even greater heights. This year, video content will represent 74% of all internet traffic,* which means it’s time to start filming if you haven’t already.
When posting on Facebook, it’s important to note that live feeds receive three times more interactions than regular video,** and that a video uploaded directly to the platform will have higher views and share rates than a video link from YouTube or Vimeo. Check out our how-to guide for Facebook Live for examples of creative video options.
Tip 5: Reporting
Show some ROI by looking at the reporting within each social network, and take some time to familiarize yourself with the different metrics. You can also look at channel metrics, see an overall picture of your social media health, and delve into specific reporting details through the 3 Birds Social Media App within the Wire.
Bonus Tip: Make it a two-way street
Social media is just that – social! If you’re posting great content but stopping there, engagement and growth will stagnate. It pays to respond to reviews, engage with customer questions and comments, and show your client base some love by retweeting, reposting, and otherwise sharing your customers’ excitement about your dealership.
Your customer base is researching online before they ever reach out to you. Stay ahead of the competition by sharing content that is unique to your dealership, conveying that personal touch your customers are searching for. Social media is a fantastic platform to develop your dealership’s reputation as a thought leader in the industry; where else can you share valuable content in a fun and informative way? Use these tips to help keep current customers happy and keep new clients walking through your doors. If you’re not sure where to start or need help with your social media strategy, our team can help.
*Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers