8 Reasons Your Dealership Facebook Page Isn't Working

“Why isn’t our Facebook page taking off? We need more fans!” This phrase is something I hear on a regular basis from dealers. Growing a community on Facebook is an elusive task for some dealerships. We used to advertise and the community would come to us…now we need to go to them, attract them and engage them before they step on the lot. Is achieving consistent engagement on Facebook a struggle for your store? Here’s a list of 8 reasons why your Facebook page is not growing as fast as you’d like it too:

1. You’re Not Posting Regularly. Facebook’s algorithms are set to foster and reward engagement. If you’re not posting 2-3 times per day, you won’t have built enough momentum to appear on the News Feed.

2. You’re Not Promoting Your Facebook Page. A month or two ago I did a mini-market study to see how many dealerships in the Orange County, CA area had icons for their Facebook Page on their website. I’m sorry to say, the results were dismal: About 35% had a link on their site. If you promote Facebook and offer the “Like” button in all your other media, then your customer doesn’t even have to leave your site to give you that coveted “Like”.

3. You’re Posts Look Counterfeit. Social Media cannot be automated. It must have a realness, an authenticity to it or people won’t engage. Is your provider’s branding apparent on your posts? Does it look like someone other than you is doing the work? That’s the quickest way for a user to by-pass you and look at the next post on their wall. Real people are behind your dealership’s name so let that shine through in your content.

4. You’re Not Posting Quality Content. Your fans need a trusted resource when they or someone in their network needs to buy or service a car. My motto for content is “Share or Solve, don’t Shill.“ Think about it, what attracts you to reading something or watching something? It has to be relevant to your audience or they won’t engage.

5. You’re Not Engaging Your Fans. Evoking emotion or playing into the natural human tendencies of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain can work to your advantage. Ask questions like, “What car would you drive to your ex-wife’s wedding?” Simple giveaways like “We’re having a contest for dirtiest car. Post your picture here and the winner gets a free detail.” Also, monitor your page at least 4 times a day. When someone responds to your post, you need to respond back quickly. It’s a SOCIAL medium.

6. You’re Not Leveraging Customizations. You need to leverage every opportunity you can for people to like your page. Install a nice landing page to welcome your new visitors. Point the user in the right direction by using a nice graphic, make it easy for them to do what you want them to do. It’s also a perfect chance to use a lead-generation graphic to schedule a test drive. For these customizations, you can hire a designer (prices are reasonable) or if there’s someone in the store that can do it, here’s a great tutorial on how to do it yourself.

7. You’re Posting at the Wrong Times. Dan Zarrella (Hubspot’s Social Media Mktg Scientist) has a great Webinar called The Science of Timing. He says generally that nights and weekends are the optimal sharing times on Facebook. That’s when most people are home relaxing and have time to really engage. There are certain times of the day that work better too. The best way to know for sure is to experiment with different times and track the results.

8. You’re Not Paying Attention To Your Analytics. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Most stores don’t spend time looking at their results on Facebook. Facebook Insights is your best friend. It allows you to see what content got the most interaction. It allows you to see what you did right and what didn’t work so well. Spend a few minutes each week getting to know your fans better with Insights. You’ll deliver a better experience for them and make better decisions on your content.

Kathi Kruse

Kruse Control Inc.

www.krusecontrolinc.com

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Comment by Kathi Kruse on May 3, 2011 at 11:00am: Thanks Nancy! So true about the community that can be built. Facebook and Social Media is about being a trusted member of the community, fostering enthusiasm in that community and ultimately generating leads. It's so great what you said about getting every employee on board with it We had to do that years ago with CSI but today it's moving so fast that there's no time to waste. We just got 51 leads for our client from a Facebook campaign we did in April. Their "likes" went from 230 to 1900+. It can be done when everybody is involved.

Comment by NANCY SIMMONS on May 3, 2011 at 10:34am: Fantastic, once again!!! I am friends or fans of so many dealerships' sites on facebook and I look at the ratio of their total friends/fans and how many mutual friends we have...Many times it is astounding that they have not built a community of fans who could be potential buyers. 80% are automotive folks, other dealers and vendors who most likely will never buy from them! By engaging in other groups on line of organizations and other businesses, they will make friends with people who are demographically in a positions to purchase products and services... Just as you would off line, engage in community small business groups pages, Lions Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, Boys and Girls Club, Schools, sporting teams, etc.... Get all the members of your staff on board; don't leave it up to one person to be everywhere!!! The benefits of the brand marketing will be infinite!!!

Comment by Kathi Kruse on May 3, 2011 at 1:58am: Thanks Bobby! You're right, it is a full-time job because of the rewards. The more you put in, the more you get out.

Comment by Kathi Kruse on May 3, 2011 at 12:44am: Thanks Jim and Keith!

Comment by Jim Radogna on May 2, 2011 at 8:45pm: Great info Kathi, thanks!

Comment by Keith Shetterly on May 2, 2011 at 8:40pm: You might enjoy this, too, Kathi. http://www.dealerelite.net/profiles/blogs/shetterlys-three-laws-of

Comment by Kathi Kruse on May 2, 2011 at 8:30pm: Wow thanks you guys! So nice to know you're reading my content and liking it. Your comments motivate and inspire me :-)

Comment by Keith Shetterly on May 2, 2011 at 7:14pm: I love the post, Kathi. Really good!

Comment by Terry A Powell on May 2, 2011 at 6:33pm: Kathi always has the inside on social media. By just following some simple free advice you can greatly improve your interaction and results with FB. Once again great info from a pro!

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