5 Reasons Dealerships Need a Social Media Manager

Car dealers in Southern California (and probably everywhere else) are asking themselves whether or not they need a Social Media manager. Many are noticing the popularity of Social networks and it was all the rage at NADA2011. The problem is they don’t know who, how, why, when or where to start. I wrote in a post a while back that dealers are on Social Media…even if they aren’t. Right now, your customers are out there reading/writing reviews, articles, comments and opinions on your store. They’re deciding where to buy or service their car and are chatting amongst themselves (and to the rest of the web) about their latest visit, what their experience was, and even how it bugged them that they had to wait so long for their car and that no one said “Thank You”.

Do you want to know in real time what your customers are saying about you? CSI is no longer the tool to gauge your customer’s opinions. Do you want to effectively engage with them? Wouldn’t you love to hear first-hand about their experiences at your store–good or bad? Wouldn’t it be great to know how they felt about their delivery so you can implement better QC in the drive? Think of all the money you’ll save on hidden cameras and surveillance equipment. But seriously…

There really is no excuse for not being part of the online community that’s talking about your store. Wouldn’t you like to seize the opportunity to be influential and let your store be heard on Social Media? If all of this didn’t convince you, here are 5 more reasons your dealership needs a Social Media Manager:

1. Contrary to what you might think, just because your kid is on Facebook it doesn’t mean they could (or should) create and manage your Facebook page. Your Social Media manager candidate needs to know how to market your store while staying active, listening and responding to Social networks. If that’s your kid, then fantastic. If not, then search for a viable candidate. How? Use a professional Social Media coach/trainer. Someone who has extensive knowledge not only in all the Social platforms but who’s actually been IN the car biz, who can help you decide which strategy is best for your store. Social media is so constantly evolving, you want a professional to coach and train your new Social Media manager that’s up to speed with the latest tools, platforms, & strategies.

2. Your new Social Media Manager will create a content strategy that will attract fans and generate leads. Starting out, there needs to be a plan; a plan that will provide you with a road map so things don’t get lost. Consistent, relevant, recent and local content wins and you need a body whose job it is to create and manage that.

3. Just because you already have Social Media platforms in place does not mean they are successful. Are you seeing real results? If you have a Facebook or Twitter account that gets updated every now and then when you have the time…you’re in trouble. It actually looks worse for your dealership to have inactive pages than not having any at all. Also, you want them all integrated together so they are working for you.

4. A Social Media manager balances your Content. It’s easy for someone to ‘hide’ you on Facebook or ‘unfollow’ you on Twitter, it takes 2 seconds and I see it happening all the time with dealerships. “Push” advertising is viewed as spam on Social networks when you haven’t established a relationship yet. Your Social Media manager will be the voice of reason to balance your posting content. Sure you can mention this week’s ad or Service special, but only about 10-20% of the time. You want to make fans comfortable enough to join in the conversation and with someone managing that, responding and interacting, your fan base will grow.

5. A Social Media manager saves you time and brings you profit. I’ve seen quite a few stores lately who are handing the Social Media duties over to the Internet Sales Dept. This costs you gross, plain and simple. Salespeople sell cars, that’s their job. Even though an effective social media campaign requires an “all hands on deck” approach to be effective, you need a fully-trained Social Media manager who spends their day listening, conversing and providing great content to attract buyers. Social Media is word-of-mouth and your mouthpiece has to devote their attention to your online community…not to who’s going to be their next Up.

Dealerships in the last 2-3 years have been so prudent in expense control and staffing. Isn’t it time now to hire and/or train a person in your store who manages your Social Media and online marketing? At this point, can you afford not to?

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Comment by Kathi Kruse on March 10, 2011 at 1:43pm: Thank you @Derek and @Terry. You guys are awesome!

Comment by Derek Finke on February 24, 2011 at 2:51pm: I have to thank for the great posts from all of you.

I'm quite new in this forum but very interested in the Social Media issue. Compared with dealers in the States most of the European dealers still live behind the moon (at least regarding this issue). On the other hand we have to consider that the number of people using Social networks both absolutely and relatively is different here and there. Facebook shall have 550 million users currently, and most of them are coming from the U.S. alone. Just this example shows the importance of Social Media in the U.S. compared to the rest of the (business) world. Your customers are there and they use this medium very actively. Here in Europe there are many people with an account as well, but frequent users will be missed.

Next point is that here is another tradition in making business: while in the States doing business and making money is an accepted way in the society to become happy, Europeans often believe that having long and proud history and culture is the key for success. Unfortunately they forget that this stuff don't fill our freezers and pockets ;-)

But back to the topic: I've been at NADA 2011 some weeks ago and was fascinated by some new tools which could perfectly support dealers in using Social Media. Getting a fast ROI in this new media business is maybe an illusion, but being one oft the first in this market is the key. On the other hand one of the oldest business strategies applies also here as always: Be different!

Comment by Terry A Powell on February 23, 2011 at 10:08am: Hi Kathy! Spot on and informative. Anyone not fully involved in Social Media is playing catch up. Those involved are often playing catch up to the newest twists. The time is NOW!

Comment by Kathi Kruse on February 18, 2011 at 10:34pm: @Scot This is a great post too!

What a fantastic success story - 15% closing ratio! As you pointed out, Chat really is an artform unto itself. This reluctance to change from the "old school" thinking or the status quo costs real money, real profit, and these days NO ONE can afford that. I don't know if you're a TED fan (that's the yearly conference where you have to be invited and it's about innovation, creativity and thought-leadership) but they post the talks on TED.com This one explains what kind of shift we are in on the planet and why the old ways of marketing are not working. I feel compelled to share it with you so here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04c8e_W8jmg

Thanks for sharing such a great story.

Comment by Kathi Kruse on February 18, 2011 at 6:34pm: Thanks Nancy, Bobby and Paul!

Paul: You bring up a few great points. Part of a Social Media campaign would most definitely involve the employees, in particularly, the sales people. I attend sales meetings and show sales people how building a personal profile can amp up their prospects. They are usually very motivated and as long as the management is supportive, empowering them is the best way to have a successful campaign.

Outsourcing Social Media is a viable option but in my experience here in Southern California, dealers are reluctant to spend the money because they can't see the benefit completely. With time, that will change and outsourcing will work for many. But, I do believe that no one can tell your story like you do and at the very least, there should be someone at the store who's job is to work with a coach or the provider to create great content that engages their audience and generates leads.

I also see your point about an SEO manager and perhaps someday, dealerships will have it all in-house. After all, it used to be all in-house when we were using paper, TV and radio, right?

Comment by NANCY SIMMONS on February 18, 2011 at 3:43pm: As always, nice job Kathi!

Comment by Paul Chesher on February 18, 2011 at 2:54pm: Great Post!

Question: Wouldn't it be just as effective, and more cost effective, for the dealership to out-source this type of work? I would argue that SEO is perhaps even more bang-for-the-buck than Social (Today that is, moving forward social will out-do search), however we see most dealerships hiring out-side companies instead of hiring SEO managers. I would suggest that, if a dealership was to do this in-house, it would make more sense to empower and utilize their existing sales people for their social influence? Perhaps the best way would be to teach the current sales staff to become masters of their own social destiny. -Just a thought! Great post.