5 Reasons Dealerships Need a Social Media Manager

Car dealers around the globe are asking themselves whether or not they need a social media manager.

Many business owners are noticing the popularity of social platforms, the problem is they don't know who, how, why, when or where to start.

Right now, your customers are out there reading and/or writing reviews, articles, comments and opinions on your store. They're deciding where to buy or service their car and are chatting among themselves about their latest visit, what their experience was, and even how it bugged them that they had to wait so long for their car.

Do you want to know in real time what your customers are saying about your business? CSI is no longer the ideal tool to gauge your customer's opinions. Do you want to effectively engage with them? Wouldn't you love to hear first-hand about their experiences at your store–good or bad? Wouldn't it be great to know how they felt about their delivery so you can implement better QC in the drive?

There really is no excuse for not being part of the online community that's talking about your store. You should seize this opportunity and let your store be heard on the social media. If all of the above didn't convince you, here are 5 more reasons why your dealership needs a social media manager:

• Managing your Facebook page isn't for amateurs.

Your social media manager candidate needs to know how to market your store while staying active, listening and responding to social networks. You can assign this job to one of your existing employees if s/he is capable of doing it. If not, then search for a viable candidate. I also suggest the use a professional social media coach/trainer. Someone who has extensive knowledge not only in all the social media platforms but who's actually been in the automotive industry; who can help you decide which strategy is best for your store. Social media is so constantly evolving, you want a professional to coach and train your new social media manager that's up to speed with the latest tools, platforms, & strategies.

• Create a content strategy that will generate leads.

Your social media manager will be responsible to create relevant content. Use this content and information to attract fans and generate leads. Starting out, you will need a plan; a plan that will provide you with a road map so things don't get lost. Consistent, relevant, recent and local content wins and you need a body whose job it is to create and manage that.

• Fresh content; regular updates.

If you have a Facebook or Twitter account that gets updated only when you have the time then your business is in trouble. It actually looks worse for your dealership to have inactive pages than not having any at all. Also, you want them all integrated together so they are working for you.

• A Social Media manager balances your Content.

It's easy for someone to "hide" you on Facebook or "unfollow" you on Twitter, it takes 2 seconds and I see it happening all the time with dealerships. "Push" advertising is viewed as spam on social networks when you haven't established a relationship with them yet. Here comes the role of your social media manager; s/he will be the voice of reason to balance your posting content. Sure you can mention this week's ad or service, but only about 10-20% of the time. You want to make fans comfortable enough to join in the conversation and with someone managing that, responding and interacting.

• Saves your time and brings you profit.

Some stores may hand the social media duties over to the internet sales dept. Salespeople sell cars, that's their job. Even though an effective social media campaign requires an "all hands on deck" approach to be effective, you need a fully-trained social media manager who spends their day listening, conversing and providing great content to attract buyers.

Social media is word-of-mouth and your mouthpiece has to devote their attention to your online community. Dealerships in the last 2-3 years have been so prudent in expense control and staffing. Isn't it time now to hire and/or train a person in your store who manages your social media presence and online marketing?