Snackable Digital Dealership Tips
Getting consumers to your showroom instead of the competitors is always challenging. With resources devoted to sales, service, and administration it’s hard to allocate time and personnel to Social Media. It’s certainly hard to measure ROI without link tagging and Google Analytics setup.
The only catch with shorting Social Media activities is that’s where your customers are.
Social media isn’t necessarily hard, but you need a plan. Digital Dealership Tips are meant to give you quick “snackable” tips that can be applied right away.
Digital Dealership Tip:
Consider asking customers who have purchased a new or used vehicle to take a selfie of themselves alongside their new car. They’re highly likely to do this already, but ask them to send you a copy or offer to take one yourself and post it on your platform showcasing another happy consumer. Instagram is great for user-generated content.
Digital Dealership Tip:
To build trust with today’s tech-savvy crowd, never put down the competition on the internet and steer clear of publicly interacting with people who are posting negative comments online. People are accustomed to seeing one or two bad reviews. Most people take a few negative posts with a grain of salt. When addressing online complaints, do so by acknowledging their criticism, apologizing (even if it’s not your fault) and offering a remedy. Take it offline if you can.
Ready for a bold move? Prove you’re on the high road – send a sincere compliment to your competitor on social media.
Digital Dealership Tip:
Demographics are tricky especially when it comes to car sales and targeting groups by age. Reach out to the younger millennial crowd knowing the growing popularity of ride-sharing apps. You may think this could hurt your business, but maybe not. Try advertising your gas efficient cars like you usually would then add a little plug that the car would be great for Uber or Lyft drivers too. Or even structure the ad as an opportunity to make some cash themselves by purchasing a newer car. This can be fun using visual social media posts.
Digital Dealership Tip:
In the past, senior shoppers were looking at luxury vehicles, but it’s becoming more commonplace for them to seek out SUVs which are easier to get in-and-out of rather than cars close to the ground. Factor this knowledge into your marketing efforts. Don’t be afraid to use a little humor.
Digital Dealership Tip:
Be sure to use the highest-resolution content that is available for the most effective online visibility. In other words, don’t slap up shotty content formats. Be careful using impersonal stock photos from online sources. Website pictures and posts should reflect your customers. In addition to Canva, here are seven great tools to help create good content without a lot of training. The more visual content you prepare, the more inclined people are to click and learn more.
Digital Dealership Tip:
When filling out the sales paperwork, consider jotting down the customer’s birthdate as shown on their driver’s license. Send them a personalized greeting on their special day. Handwritten cards go a long way. Word-of-mouth on social media often garners recognition from those receiving this type of unexpected message.
Digital Dealership Tip:
Don’t let your service department escape from your marketer’s claws! Making video intros of your service team is easy. It doesn’t have to be professionally shot, but it should showcase your dealership in a good light.
Use your cell phone and shoot a few DIY videos. ‘How to change a tire.’ ‘How to check fluid levels.’ ‘Tips and tricks to keep an older car running.’ These videos could go viral, and that’s an excellent thing!
DIY videos go a long way in building customer trust. Using a bit of humor helps too. But be careful, that on-camera talent is hard to handle. When they want their own dressing room and artisan water, you’ve made a DIY monster!
Good luck!
Learn more social media tips.