banningsocialmediaAfter watching the social media marketing field for as long as I have, it is frustrating to see that many car dealerships are having the exact same problems they had with the internet 10-15 years ago today with social media. Social media has become one of the fastest ways to spread word of mouth advertising, but so many companies (I’m picking on car dealerships because there seems to be so many of them with the same problems) are just failing to completely utilize the new tools they have available.

It isn’t the manufacturer’s fault. Almost every major car producer in the world has a competent, sound social media presence. It seems to be the local guys that don’t have a huge corporate structure that are struggling most with the issue of why they even need a Facebook page in the first place.

“I could just hire in some kid from the street to do this job,” they say, “or my nephew that spends 18 hours a day hooked to his computer, why do I need an expert in social media?”

The reason is that it takes a whole lot more know how than just putting up a Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, etc. account and watch the money roll in. Running a successful social media marketing campaign means sticking to the main principles of what older people would call a marketing strategy.

The landscape just isn’t the same as when a lot of businesses need a new “internet manager.” Usually it was just somebody from the sales team that liked computers and new enough about the internet to keep the company from sinking. By hiring from within like this, it is likely that those businesses missed out on real opportunities to increase their market share. Utilizing social media takes much more understanding of not just the tools, but also marketing itself.

Many managers just don’t know how to properly integrate the social media network into their already existing advertising campaign. They trust the reputation they have as established businesses to attract business. This last recession showed a lot of us that without a good back up for your marketing, it is really easy to go under in a difficult time.

And that is another reason that the local dealership is slow to take on the social media experience. They are suffering from a lack of income, so why invest in a new employee that is an expert in something that the manger probably has nothing but contempt for? The simple answer is that the companies that are integrating well into the social media networks are showing not only sustainability, but also growth in an age where loss is the norm.

Complicating the issue, most dealerships are still reeling from the financial hits taken by their business during the last 18 months; so finding ways to stretch their dollars is a high priority. Unfortunately their inability to see the potential results combined with their tight purse strings will cause many to miss the advantages associated with getting on board early and distancing themselves from the pack.

If a car dealership wants to be a real innovator, they have to take that leap of faith and hire a competent, patient social media marketing consultant that will keep those dealership doors from closing for good.

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