Normally nosy bloggers post the first spy pics of a new car model, but this time Hyundai itself has revealed a spy shot of the 2011 Elantra on its official Twitter account. This clever image leak is a great example of automotive social media marketing.

The tweet simply said, “Self-Spy-Photo: Just received this from our friends at the plant in Alabama. #LAAutoShow unveiling next week! http://twitpic.com/35e5w4.” Soon afterwards, people all over the internet were retweeting and blogging about this announcement, which soon showed up on several popular automotive blog sites. A simple picture, a short tweet, and Hyundai attracted a ton of attention online. This has drawn attention to Hyundai’s social media efforts.

If you’ve thought of Twitter as just a silly fad for people to share their personal lives, think again. Twitter can be a valuable tool for your auto dealership to gain a following online. Post content that’s interesting enough, and others will retweet and blog about it and give you free publicity. Pick up on news as it happens and post about it.

For more information on using Twitter to promote your car dealership, please contact us.