When it comes to selling cars, dealerships do all they can to get the most out of leads. But when someone comes in and is ready to buy, once they’ve completed that process, the relationship tends to end. The customer moves on with their new car and salespeople focus on the next sale.
However, with social media keeping businesses connected with customers, there’s no reason your dealership’s Facebook page can’t see a huge boost from offline customers. Here’s why its important to promote your Facebook and other social media profiles, and a few things you can do to connect your offline customers with your online business:
Why Social Media is Important for Customer Relationships
The most important thing you need to understand about social media marketing is that it builds trust. When your dealership presents a positive, fun image and provides entertaining content, users follow and turn into customers. By bringing offline customers online, you’re maintaining a vital connection for future business and opening the door to shares from local users, which help drive social media car sales.
Car Buying Has Changed
The days of locals buying from local dealerships is over. People research dealerships 100 miles or more away online in order to get the best deal on the best car. I recently drove 50 miles to buy my latest car, and that’s despite living within 8 miles of 10 different dealers.
Also, customers also take to social media to ask questions about vehicles and check up on the reputation of dealerships now more than ever. After being put on call lists and endless emails from dealerships, I can understand why car buyers find social media a convenient and simple way to show interest in a dealership’s inventory.
How to Connect Offline Customers with Social Media
- Prominently Display Facebook URL Around Your Dealership
While it’s important that customers know your phone number and email address, Facebook is becoming an alternative way to contact businesses, especially amongst millennials. Make sure you’re prominently displaying your Facebook URL wherever you’re displaying other forms of contact. It’s time to start thinking of social media as a new form of customer service.
After a visit–even if it does not end in a sale–people have the opportunity to connect with your dealership outside of a one-on-one phone or email conversation.
- Add Facebook URL to Business Cards and Email Signatures
Just as your employee’s and business’s email and phone numbers are important pieces of contact information to add to company business cards, Facebook should be added to keep customers and potential customers informed of things going at your dealership.
- Verbally Ask Customers to Connect on Facebook
Whether a salesperson just completed a sale or they’re handing off a business card in hopes of future business, make it standard practice to verbally ask people to visit the dealership’s Facebook page. If you’ve gone as far as to add your Facebook URL to business cards, this should be easier for your salespeople and other staff to bring up as the customer or potential customer is about to leave your dealership.
Take Social Media Seriously
If you’re going to the trouble of displaying your dealership’s Facebook and other social media information with customers, be sure to actually have a strategy in place for each platform. Don’t just post images of your latest sales or direct links to inventory–give your audience real content and show personality.
Too often do I see legitimate questions go unanswered and negative/vulgar comments allowed to stay in public view. There’s no point in investing in social media if you’re not going to take advantage of all it has to offer you and your business.
Watch Wikimotive’s Social Media Leaders Discuss Customer Relationships
You can catch Erin and Amanda Ryan on Auto Dealer Live every Thursday at 3:30pm EST for their “Get Your Social On” segment.