Does Your Social Media Tell a Story?
You may have heard that people reportedly have shorter attention spans than goldfish.
The seeming culprit is the digital internet – where storytelling is the key to standing out.
Being exposed to multiple forms of media (thanks to smartphones) has made us much more selective about marketing messages. While we encounter thousands of messages through social media, email and streamed videos, we can choose which messages are worth our interest. As a dealer whose biggest source of customers is the internet, you need to stand out from other marketers. The best way to do so is to be authentic and organic through your storytelling.
Storytelling Through Social Media
Social media is the perfect avenue for storytelling – after all, it was designed for us to stay connected by sharing about our lives. Here are three points of focus to help your brand stand out:
- Share your story: This is also known as your why. Why did you go into business? Why are you passionate about what your dealership has to offer?
- Consistent audience engagement: Build your audience by getting to know who they are and what they need. In turn, help them get to know you by demonstrating a consistent brand personality.
- Brand continuity: Your brand design has a certain style, one helps tell your story. Consider how your dealership’s design elements such as logo, website layout and colors appeal to your audience across all your social pages. Align your business goals with your digital presentation and interactions with online shoppers.
What you post on your social media goes a long way in telling your story. And we don’t just mean sharing your why. Part of telling your story is showing potential customers what they stand to gain from shopping at your dealership, and here are three examples of powerful posting strategies:
Congratulate Your Shoppers
One way we often see dealers telling an engaging story to their audience is through celebratory posts that congratulate customers on making purchases. For example, sharing a picture of a buyer with their new unit and welcoming them to the dealership family is simple yet effective. The congratulations and well wishes reflect the excitement customers feel when they leave the lot with their new purchase, but it also inspires other shoppers to make a purchase as well.
Let Customers Share Their Stories About You
We’ve said it before in previous blogs, but content generated by your audience is a highly effective form of marketing because it forms emotional and personal connections with viewers. People are 2.4x more likely to view user-generated content as authentic over content created by a brand (1). What is user-generated content? Reviews, testimonials, videos and other messages created by your customers about their experience of and thoughts on your business.
Show, Don’t Tell Your Story
Not only do images imprint your message in the minds of your audience, but showcasing real people (such as posting real buyers on your page) invokes a feeling of authenticity. Prospects see themselves (or who they want to be) in the excited faces of your shoppers. Images also use a show-don’t-tell tactic that captures your audience’s attention, whereas they might keep scrolling if all they saw was a text-based message.
The major takeaway from using social media to tell a story is that your audience needs to form a personal connection with your brand in order to proceed with business. This may seem ironic considering they’re interacting with you through a screen rather than at your store, but in today’s frequent use of smartphones, digital connections are becoming one of the main avenues for shoppers. You can use this digital reality to your advantage by being authentic with your shoppers and capturing their interest.
Are you looking for additional support in growing your dealerships social media presence? Feel free to contact Dealer Spike today for a review of your social media goals and optimal strategies.
(1) Business Wire