Social Media marketing is on the rise in the dealership world and many stores are struggling to manage the basics.  Using content to generate leads is tricky business.  It’s not something a dealer can hand off to a subordinate easily.  There are lots of great marketing strategies that can turn fans in to prospects but many dealership personnel need help with mastering the art of engaging fans.

The learning curve is huge and it’s easy to misstep along the way.  Here are the top 6 Facebook marketing mistakes to avoid:

1. Starting With a Personal Profile Instead of a Business Page. Facebook personal profiles are for people, not dealerships.  It’s actually a violation of Facebook’s Terms and Conditions to set up a personal page for a business.  Personal profiles only allow 5,000 friends max so you’re going to have to convert to a Business Page anyway.  A personal profile also doesn’t provide access to Facebook’s analytics called Insights.  You need to know what posts were a hit with your audience so you can give them more of what they want.  The only way to find that out is with Facebook Insights.

2. Broadcasting. The reason your fans like you is because provide them with interesting, relevant content and you continually engage with them.  Continuous broadcasting of this week’s ads or specific vehicles is the best way to offend current and potential fans.  Your job on Facebook everyday is to give your fans a reason to stay.  Posting your specials is perfectly fine but make sure you have engaging conversations around them.

3. Abandoning Your Profile For Long Periods of Time. “Oh crap, has anyone updated Facebook since Mary left?” Variations of this question get asked everyday in dealerships.  People leave, people forget, people neglect. You probably aren’t aware of how many potential customers visit your page on a daily basis.  Don’t embarrass your store…you check your email, right?  Social Media users are passionate about their network and they’ll be instantly annoyed if they see that you’ve abandoned your page.

4. Not Investing Adequate Time. Facebook is new for many dealers and it’s common to underestimate the amount of time it takes to create a successful Facebook marketing strategy.  Social Media is not a “launch it and leave” proposition.  Unlike traditional advertising, you can’t just set up a page and post whenever you “have some spare time”.  This mentality equates to failure.  Your page needs to be updated and monitored regularly (3-4 times per day minimum).  If you start a specific campaign to generate leads, you must allocate the time to see it through.

5. Failing to Attract Fans with an Enticing Welcome Page. Have you launched your Facebook page and not been able to grow your fans?  The biggest mistake dealerships make is to not provide an attractive Welcome/Landing Page or Reveal Tab with a call to action.  When your potential fans come to your page, they need direction and a reason to like your page.  Give them one: convert them into a fan.

6. Violating Facebook’s Terms & Conditions. Before you start a contest, before you make an offer to like your page, make sure you review Facebook’s rules. There are very defined guidelines for contests and drawings on Facebook.  I’ve seen Business pages shut down without any notice and, believe me, getting them back is not easy.  Remember: this is Facebook’s movie, we’re just in it.  Make sure you adhere to their policies so that all your hard work attracting fans and generating leads doesn’t go out the window.

All Social Media platforms have specific best practices and guidelines.  To avoid these and other common mistakes, invest time in learning about the Facebook platform.  Educate yourself on how to build your fans, sustain your audience and convert them into leads.  What’s great about dealerships is that we value the personal connection we have with our customers.  Facebook is the tool that allows us to strengthen those relationships.

Kathi Kruse
Social Media Coaching & Training
www.krusecontrolinc.com