Webinar: Your Store on Social
More Leads Through Social Media Integration
Description:
Before they visit your store, Internet savvy car shoppers spend up to 11 hours online researching you. They bypass the Yellow Pages and cable ads to see what their Social network says about your reputation and inventory. Next to the Internet, a referral from friends and family is the single most-influential source leading to your store. When word-of-mouth is the way customers buy, Social Media is word-of-mouth digitized. Social Media is where buying decisions happen.
To get Social leads in your store, you need a Social strategy. Engaging your staff in the Social Media process increases your chances of success ten-fold. Sales close when a prospect is ‘warm’ or ‘hot’ due to social relationship development.
Have you made a Social Media marketing plan that integrates into your daily operation? Where does your staff fit into that strategy? Communication between your fans and your store is vital. Internal communication is key.
During this webinar you’ll learn specific Social Media strategies you’ll take back to your store and use immediately:
1. How to build your fan base quickly to generate leads
2. 2-step Social marketing process that engages fans with relevant content.
3. Simple techniques to manage Social Media effectively
4. Why getting buy in and engagement from your staff is vital to your success
5. Why a “Launch it and Leave” mentality will harm your reputation forever
Dealers have an opportunity to create a bond with their customers that’s never been available before. To manage Social Media means to embrace a very lucrative tool, a tool that drives business to your store.
Join 30-year car business veteran & Social Media expert Kathi Kruse from Kruse Control Inc. as she shares Social integration secrets that attract eager, qualified leads to your dealership.
31. 7-Steps to Integration: Train Frontline personnel Signage Tell your stories Tap into “Brand Advocates” Motivate, recognize & reward Lean on already-existing presence Video and Testimonials
I’ve spent my life in the car business. Joke: An older guy working out in a gym spotted a sweet young thing. He asked the trainer that was nearby, “What machine in here should I use to impress that sweet young thing over there?” The trainer looked him up and down and said, “I would try the ATM in the Lobby.” Today’s “sweet young things” are internet car shoppers. They have money in their pockets & they’re ready to buy. They’re not impressed with advertising hype. Today,that the “ATM in the Lobby” is called Social Media.
There’s a full-circle power shift happening right now. Many car business peoplehave failed to see that the game we all learned to play has changed. Thanks to Social networks and the incredible openness of the Internet, dialogues have grown (for free) between people living world’s away from one another, who might never actually meet in person. This colossal power shift back to the consumer means direct, daily contact with other consumers. We’ve come back to a place where buying decisions have a Social component. This means more sharing, gossiping, engaging, informing, and advising. Before,advertisers treated the consuming audience like a caged bear. Well folks, the bear has escaped.A PR person reached out to me recently saying her client’s goal was to “get more Facebook fans”. After we spoke, I realized that even these seasoned PR/advertising professionals have not fully boughtinto Social Media. While the marketing components are still present–creating awareness, generating leads–many advertisers still think the bear is caged. They’re feeding the bear the same old stuff, trying to push the mess into the cage like before and expecting the bear to eat it.Audiences everywhere are bored with and have zero tolerance for being brow-beaten by orthodox old-school advertising. Today’s we need to stop interrupting what people are interested in and BE what people are interested in. Social Media is the platform to achieve that. Your audience was the caged bear and now that it’s escaped, the bear can eat anything it wants, including you!
Your customers are looking for good, trustworthy information and feedback.Give them quality information thenYOU are who they’ll interact with. When they feel comfortable with you and believe you, they buy from you.Your potential customer is looking for you right now.They’re looking for you on Facebook, for instance, and if you don’t have a Facebook page to welcome them and interact with them it’s the equivalent of customer walking on the lot and no one upping them.
Targeted marketing & relationship building is how we succeed at selling cars today. SEO, PPC, Facebook Ads target your buyer with expertprecision.Targeted marketing is better than traditional advertising at reaching car buyers.Social Media is relationship building. You’re creating a community to engage buyers in conversations.When you use targeting marketing in tandem with Social Media, it generates leads & builds lasting sales relationships.
AutoTrader & Polk just released a study in June. Car shoppers are spending 11 hours online researching their next vehicle. They spend the most time on 3rd party sites, which includes Social Media. Conversations are happening. If you aren’t participating, then someone will speak for you or instead of you.
The MOST Influential source leading to the dealership is the Internet. What’s the 2nd? A Referral from friends and family—word of mouth. Bottom Line: Your online marketing has the potential to influence 77% of car shoppers decisions.When word of mouth is influential then Social Media is your platform.
Social Media is word of mouth...digitized.It facilitates the speedy delivery of referring buyers to your store.There’s a buzz about you, just like any social situation...people talk.What’s new about the buzz, the marketing aspect of things, is that Social Media amps your message and puts it all out there like never before.
What’s driving the changes in the way customers purchase?It was started by a generational preference and aversion to traditional forms of advertising.
Gen Y-ers were born into a world of hype.Their BS-detectors are highly sensitive & calibrated with Social feedback.Where Baby Boomers rejected conformity, today’s generation of buyer rejects pretense.They’re connected, clever and highly-perceptive.
Consequently...Tried & true selling methods that worked as recently as 2 years ago work less well today.We have to step up our game and build a community where savvy shoppers want to buy from us.
Social Media is the platform that connects us all. Mark Zuckerberg’s plan: Open and connected.In marketing the store: We can talk about how we’re the best place to buy but webetter deliver all that we promise.Claims of “Biggest” & “Best” mean nothing when your customers have friends who tell them otherwise. There’s a new trend in decisions-to-purchase called alignment.It’s about shared values and shared perspectives between buyers and dealers.
Today’s customer doesn’t just buy what you sell...they buy who you ARE.Customers are looking for similar values from dealers, they want to know they can trust.
We need to meet the Social customer where they are, communicate our message consistently, we can prep them to buy.Build relationships, establish trust and convert leads to sales.
The question is...How do we handle the operational changes to make our Social Media marketing a success?What are the shifts we need to make in our daily operation to be successful at attracting the Social customer?Let’s talk about 3....
First, like everything else from 3 years ago, advertising budgets have shifted. The most talked about topic at last week’s Digital Dealer was the need for in-store marketing managers. Consider re-allocating funds from your advertising budget to serve your store’s online community.Social and internet marketing are too important to be attempted in someone’s spare time.The Community Manager is the face of a company, managing communications in both directions. This digitally-savvy employee is responsible for all communications, PR, social media, events, and content creation, among other things. Communicatewith fans and followers count inreal-time. Monitor and manage your Social channels. They respond to all feedback and comments. They are the kingpin that keeps conversations happening between you, your front-line personnel and your customer.Content Creation. Your Community Manager creates, manages and grows your company’s presence through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Yelp, Google Places, your blog and other strategically-relevant online platforms. They write blog posts, newsletters and other marketing materials for all Social media channels. They produce a monthly content calendar and utilize a Social Media dashboard to measure audience response.Consistent The most successful Social marketing campaigns are those that communicate and deliver a consistent message. Your fans and followers have given you permission to market to them. Your Community Manager is responsible for developing your business and increasing the leads generated for sales. Your message needs to be clear and your communityneeds to know about it regularly.
Second: Wake up to your Social Community. Often I have potential clients say “I’m not on Social Media”. That’s a misconception: If you’ve sold more than 5 cars, you’re on Social Media. Even if you think you aren’t, one of those Buyers is talking about you on their network.Conversations are happening on Social Networks, including ratings sites, with or without you.
Third: Your staff are your Brand Advocates. Engaging your staff in the Social Media and online reputation process increases your chances of success ten-fold. In your current daily operations, each employee has their responsibility, the job they perform, that adds to the success of the bottom line. Now it’s a matter of tapping into your workforce to participate in your marketing and sales goals.
Now let’s talk about some winning strategies to market your store on Social Media:Whether you do it in-house or outsource, the management of Social Media must include a go-to person in the store. It’s paramount because communication between your fans and your store is vital. Internal communication is just as important. Having a responsible person, your social leader, ensures it’s done timely and accurately. Even outsourced, Social Media is not a “launch it and leave” proposition. You’re still on the hook because it’s your brand & your fans. Nobody has a greater stake in your money and brand reputation than you. We’ll talk more about implementing Social marketing into your store later.Right now, let’s talk about creating awareness of your store’s Facebook presence with a 2-step approach. 1. Build fans with certain strategies we’ll talk about here.2. Turn Fans into Leads with:--Engaging content that’s relevant, recent and local.--Balanced content: 80% targeted content—20% “selling” content (specials)
Build Fans with great Welcome Page.Welcome page with Reveal Tab (Fangate)Something to entice them to like your page: Contest, enter-to-winCall to ActionLead Generation Form to capture any leads immediately.Facebook Ads
Build Fans with something enticing: Exclusive offers, enter-to-win.
Build Fans with FanGate/Reveal TabCreate excitement for visitors, lead them along the path.
Build Fans with Call-To-Action and Lead Generation Form.
Build Fans with cheap, effective Facebook Ads.Drive visitors to your page, Drawing for Gas Card.
Next, Turn Fans Into LeadsIf you already have the lead generation form in place, that will bring fansfurther down the sales funnel.Once they become a fan, Contentis what builds the relationships that turn into leads.
Audi (Most Engaged Fans)
Target: Fresh content, relevant, humorous.
There is no short cut to trust.Engaging fans and building trusted relationships takes time. First: Capture leads immediately with lead generation form andget traction with Facebook Ads. Second: Once the visitor likes your page—you now have permission to market to them. Engage them with content that matters.Think about “Who is my customer?” what do they like, what are they interested in, what problems can you solve for them?It could be a week, a month or more: over time your compelling content develops that trust. THEN They think of you when it’s time to buy.
Listen for leads
Your Social marketing success is based on specific processes and implementing them in each department of your store.The first place to start is your frontline personnel.Sales people & Service Writers—they’re the most pivotal because they are who your Social customer meets in real life.They communicate with your marketing manager for content and what issues your customers are having. Some sales people build their own Facebook page. My client in PA sells 3-4 cars a month just from Facebook.
Grassroots participation, so they can connect with your customer when and where your customer is.I’ve developed 7 steps to help you integrate Social into your store.
Train front-line personnel on how to ask customers to “Like” our Facebook page and follow you on Twitter - Salespeople, Cashier, Service Advisors, F&I, even office staff. Encourage your front-line personnel to create their own Facebook page. It’s a simple way for them to stay engaged with their customers & market to them.2. Signage. Display “Find Us On Facebook” signs throughout the store. F&I, Sales Offices, All Entry Doors, Waiting Room, Service Advisor offices. Anywhere the customer’s eyeballs are. Add reminders on the Repair Orders and Counter Tickets. “Follow Us on Facebook (logo) for weekly specials and contests” 3. There are stories everyday to be told. Managers and employees can email your “community manager” with stories they’ve been part of: sold a car to a great family, new products that are cool, service specials, any positive experiences with customers. Stories evoke emotion. They paint a picture and that can influence buying decisions. You can spotlight a customer (Facebook Fan of the Week)It makes them feel important and they share that with others.4. Tap into your Brand Advocates: Create awareness with all staff by adding memos to paychecks, signs in the lunchroom, etc. Ask the staff that are already on Facebook to “like” the store and then have them show the other staff members how to do it – even if it that means showing them how to sign up for Facebook. After that, they can ask their network to “like” the store’s page. The more involved the staff gets on Social Media the sooner it will become part of their daily routine.Motivate, recognize & reward: Run a contest among the staff. Recognize staff members who get new Fans with a spiff-$ or with recognition. Create a “Fan-ilicious” board in the customer waiting area where the employee's name is recognized. Hold a gift card or cash drawing for the whole store. Customer DatabaseEmail MarketingTraditional AdvertisingWebsiteCauses/Cross PromotionEnlist the Parts Dept to ask their Wholesale Parts customers to like your page. Return the favor if they have a Facebook page—it’s a fantastic opportunity to cross-promote. (This is where your marketing manager will come in handy)Have the Office compile a list of your vendors. When it's slow, they can contact those vendors (with a script) to ask if they’d become Fans. Offer to reciprocate for that vendor’s Facebook page. Video Testimonials. Video is the single most popular thing shared on FB. Communicate how valuable that isto your frontline people. The first few are always the hardest. As time goes on, they’ll develop a mindset especially when they see others doing it. Of course not all customers are enthusiastic so it takes good leadership and communicationfrom management. Reward for Video Testimonials: Sales/Weekend: Give a spiff to the salesperson that’s able to obtain the first video of the day or weekend or week.Service: Give a spiff to the Service Advisor or Cashier who’s able to obtain the first video of the week. Monthly: Have a contest to award the best video of the month.
For those wondering about employees’ access to Social Media, I look at it like this: They are already on Social Media at work. They have their laptops and smartphones. Embrace it and regulate it. You have a policy for the phone and email...include an established policy for Social Media. The benefits far outweigh the negatives.
After 3 decades in the car business and the worst recession in my lifetime, I’m excited about the the new wave of buyers Social Media draws into dealerships. We have an opportunity to create a bond with customers that’s never been available before.To manage Social Media means to embrace a very lucrative tool, a tool that drives business to your store.It’s about creating a community of sustained relationships. Community members buy from each other. Theysupport each other.Your Brand Advocates make the difference. Tap into that source to celebrate your store and foster the community.Create great word of mouth, generate leads and build lasting sales relationships. Or, you can go to that ATM machine in the lobby and hope there’s enough left to keep going the old fashioned way…