Check out this great blog by Jenn Mayer of Potratz, as she explores the importance of using Facebook in your dealerships Advertising.

Facebook is the second most used website in the entire world, after Google (http://www.alexa.com/topsites), and one in five clicks in the U.S. are made on Facebook. So why did GM decide to pull its advertising campaign just days before the much talked about IPO of this revolutionary company?

GM claims that the campaign didn’t result in an adequate return on investment, but many in the marketing world aren’t buying it.  According to Brian Wallace, VP-strategic internet marketing for Samsung Mobile, “Blaming Facebook for a lack of ROI on your advertising is akin to blaming the internet because no one purchased from your website.” He adds, “Facebook is a platform that attracts close to a billion people and it’s ultimately up to advertisers to understand how to optimize this platform for your customers.” (http://adage.com/article/digital/brands-facebook-advertising-option...)

While Facebook provides the perfect base for advertisers, it’s up to you to properly engage your potential customers and increase your brand awareness.

So what mistakes did GM make?

• By visiting facebook.com/generalmotors, you’ll get a taste of their posting style, which some can say fails to engage readers and encourage “likes” and revisits.

• Most Facebook users don’t visit GM’s page to see a picture of GM’s chairmen, but GM posted a photo of him on their page anyway. Although 379,000 people have “liked” the page, less than 200 “liked” that photo.

• GM also does a poor job motivating their fans to interact with them on their page. There are currently no contests or interactive posts, and GM doesn’t even phrase any of its status updates as questions. Rather than saying “we’re excited to announce the launch of…” why not ask your viewers if they’re excited, or what vehicles they’d like to see introduced next? Overall, the page appears static, and may be more to blame for GM’s success in the Facebook world than any ad campaign.

So how does this affect you? For starters, don’t think that advertising on Facebook or creating a Facebook page for your brand will automatically produce results. With so many people spending so much time on Facebook, you’ll have to work to consistently post value-added content.

What do you think? Did GM make the right move? What’s the best way to advertise on Facebook?