2. Social Media: The Missing
Piece
Thus far, CW Taylor Marketing has focused on SEO,
content, and to an extent, email. The next and
crucial step is Social Media…
SEO Email
Conten
t
Social
Media
3. Why Social Media?
1. Go beyond basic searching and information
listings to increase visibility.
2. Create a unique brand different from competitors.
3. Build a community around your brand. Interact
with customers demonstrates that you will go the
extra mile for them.
4. Create value for customers beyond
simply fixing their cars.
5. Putting a human face on an otherwise
dreaded process- getting your car fixed.
4. Two pronged approach
● Make the client feel like he is
getting social media exposure
through likes, retweets, comments
and followers. Build a brand with a
loyal community.
1
● Provide real, tangible ROI through
new customers (Groupon-like
offers) and retention of existing
clientele (email and location-based
offers).
2
6. First Approach
● Twitter basics:
•Be sure to instruct the contact person who will
be tweeting in the basic features of Twitter:
Retweets
140
Characters
Direct Messages
@Replies
#Hashtags
Bit.ly links
1
Favoriting
7. First Approach
● Twitter hashtag specifics:
•Make auto shop discoverable and trending
through popular and appropriate hashtags
(although no longer necessary)
•For example, “Bob’s Auto Shop” in Newton, MA
could compose a tweet such as:
The entire staff of Bob’s Auto Shop stands with
the people of Boston. #bobsautoshop
#bostonstrong
1
8. First Approach
● Twitter hashtag specifics:
•Use hashtag of business with trending hashtag
found at Hashtags.org, What the Trend,
Twazzup, Trendsmap, etc.
•Follow proper etiquette: Avoid using more than
two hashtags. This will avoid tweets being
perceived as spam by followers.
1
9. First Approach
● Twitter: Use for customer interaction
•Once a Twitter presence is created, it must be
maintained. Be aware of complaints or comments
directed at the business and politely address
them promptly with an @reply and/or direct
message.
•Tweet deals and coupons (mirror the information
sent via email and Google+. More in Part II)
•Notify of blog updates and include a link.
1
10. First Approach
● Twitter: Build a brand through content curation
•Be consistent, shareworthy, and relevant.
•Tweet about events at the shop and new equipment
purchases.
•Remind customers of services offered, and how they are
different and superior to the competition.
•Be proactive in the community. RT info about events like
sports, fundraisers, charities, and other (non-
competing) businesses.
•Be timely. Twitter lives almost exclusively in the moment.
1
11. First Approach
● Twitter: Create a following
•Put the Twitter sticker on the door.
•Determine who your audience is. If the shop specializes
in a certain car, body work, engine rebuilds, etc.
•In the email newsletter, urge customers to follow on
Twitter. Promise news, deals, etc.
•Stay local, but occasionally reach national in scope. For
example, during the Superbowl or March Madness one
could tweet about the game.
•Use a service like Fiverr or one of the many clones to
build a follower base.
1
12. First Approach
● Twitter: Grow the number of followers
•Share, share, share. RT other people’s stuff.
•Be pithy and interesting. Share expertise. Convey trustworthiness
and authority on the subject.
•Follow local businesses and ask them to do the same. Follow
relevant car-related twitter accounts.
•Cater to a wide variety of interests, from car geeks to those who don’
t care about cars.
•Post at least once or twice every two weeks.
•Track growth via analytics tool like Followerwonk or equivalent.
•Old but good collection of blogs re: Twitter: www.copyblogger.
com/ultimate-twitter
1
13. First Approach
● Twitter & Vine
•Twitter acquired Vine in October 2012.
•As of April 9, 2013, Vine is the number one free
app on the iOS App Store.
•Vine posts six second video clips directly to
Twitter and Facebook with other options to come.
•Easy to use and very popular at the moment.
•Upload humorous clips, quick tips, or trending
memes.
1
14. First Approach
● Google+: Much that was said of Twitter
marketing applies to Google+. Note these
major feature differences:
1. Not limited to 140 character limit
2. Use of Circles for those you follow
3. Powerful searching tools
4. Local
5. Communities
1
15. First Approach
● Google+: How to use for marketing
•Choose images wisely. Google+ is a very visual
experience. Add photos to an album.
•Make sure page is open to search.
•Use circles wisely to make new connections.
•Link to company website and blog.
•Review other businesses. Your business will
appear on their page and they might return the
favor, too.
1
16. First Approach
● Google+: How to use for marketing
•Although hashtags are used, they are not quite
as numerous as in Twitter. Another difference is the
content of hashtags- on Google+, businesses
and products are extremely popular topics.
•Post information that makes you sound like an
expert on the topic. This will lead to +1s and
more followers.
•Link to interesting posts. Show your passion and
knowledge for any given topic.
1
17. First Approach
● Google+: How to use for marketing
•Unlike the microblogging of the Twitterverse,
Google+ is more of a miniblog. Perhaps excerpt
portions of the blog updates to save work.
•Google+ is the best tool for conversations. Ask
questions to provoke responses like, “Which was
the best BMW of all time?” People are sure to
respond.
1
18. First Approach
● Google+: Advanced Tactics
•Google+ Events: Schedule a party to celebrate
the shop’s 10th
anniversary and invite customers.
•Use Google+ Events to schedule a Google+
Hangout where the head mechanic answers
questions about some aspect of fixing cars.
1
19. First Approach
● YouTube: Basic Approaches
•Think of YouTube as a secondary means of
marketing. Embed videos in Twitter, Google+, and
Facebook posts to add content to your social media
presence and increase followers.
•The primary gain in producing such content is
brand awareness. Viewers will view your brand in a
more positive light, increase brand recall,
perceived legitimacy and overall reputation.
1
20. First Approach
● YouTube: Suggested Content
1. Provide 1 minute tips on keeping your car in shape.
Free advice demonstrates skill and provides value for
viewers.
2. Create 1 minute how-tos on cars outside of what the
shop fixes.
3. Ads. Creating a paid advertisement will spread brand
recognition.
4. Creative videos produced by the shop employees
referencing viral clips, trends, workplace events, or
workplace tours. Introduce each employee and show
him at work.
1
21. First Approach
● YouTube: Three ways to refer traffic back to
website
1. Include a link in the description, just as a naked
URL with no anchor text.
2. Set up the content for advertising and get an Ad
overlay link.
3. Get approved YouTube partner status (by
allowing preroll ads form other companies on
your videos) and then include links back to your
site within your annotation.
1
22. First Approach
● YouTube: Analytics
•Video views are basically equivalent to “hits” on
a website and are not indicative of whether
someone actually watched the clip.
•Instead, use YouTube analytics to obtain a
“Relative audience retention” report. The YouTube
“estimated minutes watched” report and "average
view duration" figures are much more useful
indicators of overall success.
1
23. First Approach
● Facebook: Brief remarks
•Define the goal for creating a business
Facebook page.
•Are you going for brand awareness or for more
customer interaction? If the business is located in
Peoria and someone from Indonesia likes your
photo, are you really increasing sales?
•Use Facebook primarily to create a sense of
community with customers, building trust and
legitimacy.
1
24. First Approach
● Facebook: What to post
•Announce promotions and other events well in
advance as well as when they are occurring.
•Actively seek customer comments regarding
recent car work and respond promptly. This
interaction will increase Edgerank.
•Provide a full experience of welcoming content,
introducing the staff and providing an overview of
the business and what services are performed.
1
25. First Approach
● Facebook: How to get more likes and followers
•Like local businesses and charities. Like the
restaurants that the workers frequent.
•Get friends and family of the workers to like and post
on the company’s page.
•Offer Facebook-only promotions to get them into
the shop. Host contests through sites like Shortstack
and Pagemodo, free for pages with under 2000 likes.
•Get friends and family to jumpstart comments.
1
26. First Approach
● Facebook: Advertising
•Marketplace ads. Simple to set up and relatively
inexpensive.
•Promoted posts
•Premium ads. Sponsored stories, video ads,
polls, custom audiences based on email list.
•FBX or Facebook Exchange. New ad network
based on “retargeting” ads to those who clicked on
your page.
1
27. First Approach
● Instagram: Some ideas
•Instrgram is a more intimate site and lends itself
to behind-the-scenes images, reflecting one’s
personality.
•Be artistic. Use filters on cars and items around
the shop to make them appear interesting.
•Get involved with the community. Take pictures
of the local environment, buildings, parades,
street festivals, etc.
•Be sure to include hashtags to make images
searchable and to increase viewership.
1
28. First Approach
● Instagram: Some ideas
•Have Instagram-only promo codes or contests
where customers can upload their own car
related photos.
•Give the company phone to a waiting customer
and tell them to find something interesting to
photograph. Upload with a statement that a
customer took this picture in order to demonstrate
interaction.
1
29. First Approach
● LinkedIn: B2B presence
•I don’t see auto shops interacting with customers
much nor do I see most people searching for oil
changes on LinkedIn.
•However, it is crucial to have a 100% complete
profile and up-to-date company information for
secondary searching and validation.
•Connect with local businesses for brand
awareness.
•Connect with parts suppliers and automotive
companies.
1
30. First Approach
● LinkedIn: Networking
•Use a LinkedIn profile for basic networking
among similar companies.
•Consider purchasing upgrades like an overview
tab, a products and services tab, analytics tab,
and a career page for job listings.
•Create pages for each of your employees to add
trustworthiness.
1
31. First Approach
● Pinterest: Women??
•I personally don’t use Pinterest much, but it has
its benefits.
•Keep in mind that at least 70% or more of the
user base is female, about the opposite of Google+.
•There is a new business center: business.
pinterest.com. Not too much yet specific to
companies, but sure to improve and grow in
features over time.
1
32. First Approach
● Pinterest: Strategies
•Content curation is key. Only upload the best and most
interesting photos. Generally follow the Instagram model
but cater to the demographic.
•Repinning images, like RTs, is a must. Comment on
posts.
•Fill out profile and connect Facebook and Twitter
accounts.
•Pin videos to stand out amongst the still pictures.
•Use Pinterest to tell customer stories.
•See copyblogger.com/pinterest-marketing for more
ideas.
1
34. Second Approach
1. Groupon (or
equivalent) Offers
2. Check-in, email &
follower promotions
2
Increased Customer Base
$
for
$$
xx%
off
New customers
Retention
35. Second Approach2
Groupon-type Deal
Pros: 1. Free Marketing. Even if no one buys the
deal, it is included in the email.
2. Businesses get the email of the Groupon
purchaser, allowing for future marketing
messages.
3. Free help from Groupon to aid in
crafting the promotion. Only pay if
minimum sales are met.
4. Track efficacy through own point-of-sale
system and Groupon’s Merchant Center.
36. Second Approach2
Groupon-type Deal
Cons: 1. Groupon takes 50% cut on deal. So if a
shop offers $20 for $40 of service, Groupon takes
$10.
2. A study from Rice University said that
80% are first time buyers and only 20% ever return.
3. Only 36% buy beyond the value of the
Groupon.
4. Of the repeat customers, only 2% have
never visited the store before getting the
Groupon.
37. Second Approach2
Groupon-type Deal
•If a shop wants to create a Groupon deal, be
sure to follow up with a plan to retain those
new customers.
•Groupon has a built-in rewards system
designed to promote repeat visitors.
•Have a way to upsell and cross-sell.
Combine promotions.
•Give Groupon users a premium experience
to increase likelihood of them coming back.
38. Second Approach2
Promotional Deal
•A promotional deal is one that is not prepaid,
but is valid for a fixed amount or percentage
off the cost of a service provided.
•The first method of transmitting such
promotions is a traditional email blast, which a
customer must then print out and bring with
them.
•An update to this procedure is sending the
promotion by Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.
39. Second Approach2
Promotional Deal
•The traditional method can be improved
upon greatly by utilizing a check-in service like
Yelp, Facebook, or most popularly, Foursquare.
•The promotion is listed when one searches
for the business on these sites, potentially
bringing in new customers.
•Customer retention is achieved through the
check-in process, which becomes a social
game where one can earn badges, mayorship,
etc.
40. Second Approach2
Promotional Deal
•There are several types of Foursquare
specials, and promotional deals with credit
cards:
sproutsocial.com/insights/2011/06/how-to-
foursquare-specials
sproutsocial.
com/insights/2013/02/foursquare- visa-
mastercard/
•Promote check-in deals via other social
media sites for maximum exposure.
41. Second Approach2
Promotional Deal
•Check-ins are also free advertising even
when there are no deals to be had, since the
action may appear on the user’s Facebook or
Twitter feed.
42. Objectives
1. To foster a sense of trust, expertise and
community with the customer.
2. To network with other local businesses.
3. To promote brand awareness.
4. To acquire new customers.
5. To retain and value those new customers.
