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    • Media Isn’t Social, People Are!

    by Kathi Kruse

    automotive-social-media-helpful-marketing“Sell something, create a customer today. Help someone, create a customer for life.” ~Jay Baer, Keynote at 14th Digital Dealer Conference.

    I’m privileged to be a contributor in the creation and sharing information around automotive Social Media marketing. I’ve been in the space for about 5 years now and it’s clear to me that many, many dealers (and other small businesses) still haven’t adapted to the ever-changing landscape of inbound and Social marketing.

    What continues to baffle me is that many dealers and business owners consider Social Media an anomaly. Pure and simple, Social is a medium to promote your message and increase leads and sales. Customers use this medium to share experiences with each other. Being part of those conversations is vital to your marketing success. It’s not the medium that’s Social, it’s the people!

    The rules of business have changed. Today, every brand/seller competes for customers’ attention. Your marketing messages are intertwined within posts from friends, family, viral videos and cute kitty pictures. Businesses have been asking the wrong questions: how can we make our products/services even more exciting…how can we create more hype…how can we sell for the cheapest price?

    I was honored to spend a few minutes talking with Jay Baer (@JayBaer) recently at the Digital Dealer Conference in Orlando. He’s got a great new book coming out called “Youtility.” Jay says, “What we should be asking is how can we help?”

    In a world of information overload, the perfect marketing strategy is to cut through the noise by providing real customer service to people who need it. Businesses can do this by connecting with customers on the platforms where they spend the most time and deliver valuable information they can’t live without.

    Think about how you buy something, especially a big ticket item. Do you generally just go out and buy it? Probably not. You consider the product and who you might know (like & trust) that can help you get the best deal. You search online for every bit of information you can find. You ask friends and family what they think. We all want to make the best choice, right? Well then why wouldn’t your customers do the same thing?

    The customer experience is what sets every great business apart from the rest. We are blessed today to have a medium that facilitates our “social” exchanges. How wonderful it is to be able to enhance our customers’ experience by helping them buy. Here are 3 useful tips to help you utilize technology to differentiate your business:

    1. Develop your content strategy. Content is what you post on Facebook status updates, tweets, youtube videos and blog posts. Ask yourself, “How can we help?” You must develop the mindset of delivering all your customers’ information needs, in all the places they’re searching for it, across each stage of the buying process. Helping means sharing your expertise, solving problems, and sometimes even entertaining your ideal customers. You become a trusted brand when you’ve helped someone understand something they didn’t know. You become remarkable when you’ve taught them something they didn’t know they didn’t know.

    2. Empower your employees to participate with content. Marketing is not suited to a closed-end mindset. Crowdsource your content. Employees are your closest connection to your customer. Give them a voice to create and share ideas about what the customer needs or wants. Maybe they have an idea for a “How to” video series. Perhaps they’d like to blog but are apprehensive because they “don’t write.”  Encourage them. Make it easy for them to contribute. Your Social Media manager can edit it once they contribute. Recognize there truly is strength in the crowd.

    3. Start a blog and post often. Keeping your content strategy in mind and utilizing your staff as often as possible, create a blog for your business. Your blog posts should be compelling to read and deliver that needed information your customer is looking for through all stages of the buying process. Your store becomes the “likable expert” bringing people back again and again. Blogs also create visibility and influence with search engines. Your content gets found by your most ideal customers.

    Like Jay Baer says, “Make your marketing so useful that people would pay for it.” It’s not easy and it takes extra effort to succeed at being the “likable expert.” The payoff is you’ll beat your competition hands down.

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    Crack Your Comfort Zone: Overcome Social Media Fears

    by Kathi Kruse

    “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ~Dale Carnegie

    I was in Orlando last week speaking at a conference. I had a free morning so I asked the concierge where the best place to walk might be. He answered, “The Nature Walk.” That conjured up beautiful images in my imagination and I couldn’t wait to get going. The Florida Everglades are a natural wonder and for someone who grew up in Southern California, they are very intriguing.

    I walked out and around the hotel’s golf course then onto the path and came upon a sign with information about the Nature Walk. It reminded people to watch out for ant hills along the way. “Ok”, I thought. I walked about a 1/2 mile further and the scenery was breathtaking. I saw beautiful birds and wondrous plants that can only be found in the Everglades. I took another turn and came upon a gorgeous clearing. I looked ahead a few feet and saw this sign:

    automotive-social-media-marketing-training

    When a hotel concierge describes something as a “Nature Walk”, one never really thinks about it being an exercise in food chain economics. For a moment, I thought about moving forward but then realized that these were REAL alligators, not the ones I’m used to seeing on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland. So, I started to get scared because all the while I’d been on the lookout for those ant hills, an alligator could’ve been sauntering along getting ready to pounce. I scanned the area like the Terminator and high-tailed it for the golf course filled with the less-harmful animals.

    Later that day after my speech, I walked the exhibit hall floor and met the most delightful car dealer and his Internet manager. They were from the South and were probably very comfortable with alligators in their midst. What they were apprehensive about was Social Media. They’d been hearing about it for awhile and knew they needed to find out more but it just wasn’t sitting too well with them for a myriad of reasons:

    • Who is supposed to handle Social Media?
    • How do we keep employees from saying the wrong things?
    • What do we post?
    • Where is the return on investment for Social Media?
    • Why do we have to be on Social Media?

    I got to thinking about how scary it must be for dealers (and most all business owners) who are new to Social Media. Those of us that adopted early and are in the trenches everyday don’t take enough time to realize how fearful this “open and connected” economy can be for someone new. What a metaphor that Nature Walk experience was for me.

    The best way to face your Social Media fear is to crack out of your comfort zone, breakdown the components and load yourself with enough information so that you can make the right decisions:

    • Spend 15 minutes everyday reading blogs that focus on Social Media marketing.
    • Sites like CBT News offer short, information-packed videos that require a very small time commitment.
    • Find people you trust or those that have credibility in the industry who can guide you without trying to sell you.

    The next step is to take action and experience Social Media yourself:

    • Get a Facebook account and start lurking. You don’t have to interact but it’s oh so much better if you do.
    • If Facebook isn’t your gig, then check out Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Linkedin. The concept of Social networking is the same on these sites so find that one that you feel good about and go for it.
    • Spend 15 minutes everyday interacting with those you’re connected to.

    Information is power. That sign on the path gave me information to make a considered decision. Social Media is nothing to be feared. It’s a way to connect and engage your customers at every level of the sales process. Once you’ve taken the few steps outside your comfort zone, you’ll start to see how valuable Social Media is to your business.

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    Social Media ROI: It’s Possible With These 7 Metrics

    For years now you’ve heard everywhere that you can’t measure Social Media ROI (return on investment). I’m not sure if it’s been an excuse to discount Social Media’s value or a fear of adapting to a new marketing model. Perhaps a little bit of both. Marketing Charts recently outlined on a new report by the Platt [...]

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