It used to be that social media was just that – social. A place for friends to connect online, sharing photos and thoughts. Then brands and businesses began to get on board, but only to have a presence. That's where consumers were spending time online, so it made sense for retailers to be there too.
Social media, and Facebook in particular, has since evolved into something completely different and groundbreaking – it’s turned into a goldmine for earning business.
Why? The biggest reason is due to an eternal truth in the art of selling – word of mouth will always be your #1 sales tactic. Social media for business is a way to easily enable word of mouth advertising, and in the most accessible way possible. Buyers trust recommendations from friends and family first, above any other advertising method. They even trust recommendations from strangers above advertising efforts that come from businesses themselves. If people are going to make a purchase, they often need that human element that a review or recommendation provides. When your customers speak positively of your dealership and products, it increases the authenticity of your business and gives you credibility.
Real leads that convert can come from a simple “like” on Facebook. Consider this situation from your own perspective: You are interested in making a purchase on new tiles for a big home project. In your research, you find a local company with reasonable prices and decide to “like” their page on Facebook. While you are still pondering your purchase, you notice in your newsfeed that the company is constantly receiving complimentary comments and posts, and a high amount of “likes” from other followers. This would give you nothing but further encouragement to purchase from the company, right? Those other followers that are fans of the company give you reassurance that you will also be happy with your purchase. The more reassurance and high marks you see, the more encouraged you’ll feel to buy from them.
Successful posts that garner “likes” and other interactions will do the same for prospective customers who are thinking about buying from you. How can you promote a more successful presence on your social media business page?
Add a human element to encourage follows, likes, and shares. Let your personality and dealership culture shine through. Does your service tech have the best jokes? Post a 30-second video of him telling a new joke each week for a “Funny on Friday” series. Maybe your receptionist is an amazing artist – post her sketches of your units on the company Facebook page.
Share more of what people like to see. The most obvious? Great imagery! Most people are visual, so high-quality photos of your inventory units will be your most successful posts. Video is even better. Other tips:
Focus on compelling messages within your posts. “Blow-out sales,” “Brand-new models,” etc. For obvious reasons, these posts will receive a lot of attention – so put some effort into planning for them. Accompany the message with graphics, great imagery, or video.
Encourage interaction. Ask your followers questions, and welcome feedback. Hold a contest. Offer an in-store incentive for followers to share your posts.
Include simple call-to-action buttons with your posts: “Learn more,” “Get a quote,” “Call us today.” Make it very easy for followers to submit a lead and get in contact with you.
Advertising on Facebook can help you reach more members of your target audience, which can only help you collect more leads overall. Create custom audiences by selecting the ages, genders, interests, locations, and more – this will help you best spend your resources on those potential leads most likely to convert.
There is a lot to learn from the analytics provided through your Facebook ads. See stats like post reach, post clicks, organic vs. paid reach per post, and much more. Adjust your advertising strategy as needed, based on these results. The more successful your ads are, the more likely they are to pull in future customers.
Promoted posts are another option if you don’t want to commit to ads. This will push your post to the top of the newsfeed, further increasing the likelihood that people will see it and engage with your dealership’s Facebook page.
This may be a no-brainer, but not everyone who is drawn to buy because of a social media post will tell you about it. In fact, unless you ask every customer how they made their purchase decision, you may be unaware of countless sales that were made due to your social media marketing efforts. Not all who like, share, or favorite your posts will end up making a purchase – but the opposite is also true. Social media is only increasing in popularity, and in effectiveness for marketing your business.