When the winds of change blow, some people build walls. Others build windmills. ~Chinese Proverb
Social Business is fast-becoming a core component of daily business operations. Adoption of Social Media marketing within auto retail has been slow and many see it as an afterthought. Viewing Social Media as an add-on marketing function is like saying the steering wheel is an add-on function of a vehicle.
Those brave companies currently engaged in Social business initiatives today are well aware that it’s taking real time and effort for their organizations to make the transition to this new way of engaging our customers, employees, and business partners.
Creating marketing content your audience enjoys and wants to engage with takes time and money. Those that are not adopting Social Media effectively make the mistake of throwing the responsibility over to an in-experienced novice and then provide them with zero budget. I see this nearly everyday.
Doesn’t your brand and your customer deserve more?
There are thousands of marketers working with their hands tied behind their backs, handcuffed, frustrated and not growing their brand. As Seth Godin says,
“How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?”
Content marketing on Social Media for any length of time takes passion. Every member of your organization should have that passion. If they don’t see the vision, work with them until they do. And that’s where I come in. Today I’m asking you to look hard at Social Business and what that means for your store. I’m suggesting you stop for a moment and notice that there are people and situations surrounding you to stimulate your growth.
You can’t go back to the fort. You can only go forward.
When I talk to potential clients, we work together to see if Social Media marketing is their next step. If they’re down with it, we run with it. If they’re not, we agree to visit in a few months. Many do see the value and want to know more. A dealer client of mine said, “If you have to convince someone in this digital age, and they’re not “all in”, then failure is their destiny.”
This morphing of marketing and media is our new business culture. You may have employees who’ve already established themselves online using blogs, Facebook, or Twitter. How effective can you be at Social marketing if they have to convince you to be on board with it? Eventually, they decide to just find another ship.
Social Media breaks down barriers between those inside the company and the customers who’ve been regarded before as “outside the company.” It was once a one-way communication–advertising messages broadcasted to the masses. Social Business is three-way communication: Messages shared between the company, its employees and its customers.
Social media enables a more intimate relationship with your store–one that must be nurtured, even on a large scale. Customers are talking to other customers and you better be participating in those conversations.
If you’re not marketing where your customer is, your competitor will be.
Just this weekend my friend had a disturbing customer service experience with her cell carrier. She’s got a half-million followers on Twitter and runs the largest Twitter Chat in the world (#CMChat). Her carrier tweeted some very rude remarks to her after refusing to waive early-termination fees on equipment that was inoperable. Another carrier picked up on it, reached out to her, and offered to pay the fees. They even created a song for her and put it up on YouTube.
Listening is Social Business.
Citizen Influencers now directly influence other consumers, just as individual employees can directly influence individual customers. This is a seismic shift for all business. Taking action would be a bold move. How will you embrace this change and use it to your advantage?
