The newest keeping up with the Jones’s marketing trend is Social Media Marketing.  Social Networking has found a home in American Capitalism as the twenty-something crowd has become a strong demographic in today’s enterprise.  Business hours have been replaced with 24/7 virtual access to your dealership.  Social Media Marketing has become a channel for customer support, service and satisfaction.  Dealership brand and reputation control is now in the hands of fast fingers on instant access keyboards.  Social Media Marketing strategies have become insurance policies for continuous market share.  So, how does a dealership with limited resources, both time and budget, get in the game of landing pages, website back linking, blogging, etc. to stake their SEO and SMO claim?  One option is outsourcing.  Here are a few questions when considering your Social Media Marketing plan and the decision to enlist some help with outsourcing. 

Q:  Is Social Media a fad?

A:   Social Media is not a fad, it is a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.  Welcome to the World of Socialnomics.  Click here to view a video regarding The Social Media Revolution: 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng&feature=player_embe...

Q: Is Interactive Marketing expensive?

A:   Social Media is the least expensive advertising medium available.  It has 24/7 visibility and market exposure as compared to radio, print and TV at a fraction of the costs.  Plus this media is delivered in a personalized format, giving each potential customer the experience they are looking for when considering your products and services. 

Q: What are the benefits of outsourcing your Interactive Marketing program?

A:   Cost!  There is no need to hire, train and provide payroll and benefits for a full time employee when you can outsource your Interactive Marketing Program to an expert for approximately 80% less than it would take to pay an employee.  In addition, look for experts that are the leaders in today’s current technologies and best practices in Social Networking when considering outsourcing.

Q:  How should negative feedback be handled when outsourcing?

A:   You should inspect what you expect and monitor your social media platforms daily.  Block out an hour a day and keep this task an in-house routine, as you know your customers better than anyone else.  This becomes an excellent opportunity to engage the customer and show other followers your proactive responses thus turning the shared information into a positive experience while building loyalty and continued brand recognition.  Social Networking then becomes a form for why a consumer should engage in business with your organization over the competition.

Q:  What assessment tools are used to determine the success of an Interactive Marketing Program?

A:   Utilize several different analytic programs to measure effectiveness on the major platforms.  Take time to also view organic listings on Google, Yahoo! and Bing.  Even social media blasts can be measured as well as real time customer engagement across platforms using active links and specialized tags.  You can have assessment be part of our outsource plan, but make sure your outsourcing company provides reports on a regular basis and inspect them for accuracy. 

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