Contemporary Social Media Strategy

Is your dealership socially savvy? Think about this - in a traditional sense, the consumer journey would start with a potential customer becoming aware of your brand and coming to you. These days, marketing has made that a thing of the past - you should be one step ahead of them.

According to Falcon Social, today's marketing strategy is composed of four steps:

1. Discover.
   • Your ideal customer likely has a certain social profile. You can figure out what your customers' traits and habits are through data collection but also by connecting relevant information about them and their interactions with your dealership.
   • When your current and potential customers go on social media they want to know something, do something, buy something…they have some type of intention. If you can predict what that may be (a service department coupon, information about your summer promotions, a happy customer's story, etc.) and provide what they are looking for ahead of time, you will capture more audience members who won't want to miss out on what may come next.
2. Attract.
   • Using what you know about your audience through that social profile, you are able to create a targeted campaign to reach them most effectively.
   • Promote social media posts using audience data to reach the right people. Invest wisely to get the kind of exposure you want for your dealership.
   • Consider the content you're distributing from your audience's point of view. Maybe your blog post or educational article would be better repurposed as a video?
3. Engage.
   • Create personal relationships with your audience. Be where your customers are on your website and on your social media channels. Respond to every comment and message you receive. Analyze conversations you have with your audience members to better understand them.
   • Take advantage of your followers' networks. Encourage your most engaged followers to advocate for you, and reach a wider audience through them.
4. Connect.
   • Provide content on social media channels that addresses what your audience came there for, but also content that is entertaining and interesting. Share a funny meme or an informative article.
   • Interact with customers through a variety of touch points. You have something to provide for them - a solution to their problem, a way to make them happier - your audience has an experience with your brand, and you can provide lifetime value for your customer.

5. Today's social media strategy involves interacting with your customers on a personal level and knowing what they want before they want it. While that may be a challenge, you now have an opportunity to target people who are the perfect customers for your business but may not have found it on their own. By staying ahead of the game in this new social media world, you capture sales and earn business that may have been impossible to reach before. Consider it a gift that you can present your business in its best form to your ideal audience before they even think to look for it on their own.

   Sharpen your content marketing skills, be as responsive as possible, hone in on the data you're able to collect, and enjoy the fruits of your labor with leads coming in through your social media channels.