Your social presence: Are you being social or spamming?

Liz KeenerNovember 12, 2013

With more than 72 percent of adults on social media sites, if you’re not active on the main social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+, you’re missing a huge marketing opportunity.

If you’re not sure how to tell the difference between being social and selling (known as spamming in the social world), a good rule of thumb is the 70-20-10 rule:

70 percent of your content should offer your customers value while building your brand. Content in this category includes product or service information such as winterization tips, service awards and new product lines.
20 percent of your content should be sharing posts and ideas. You don’t need to be the original author of everything on your social sites. You should be “listening to” and monitoring what others are doing so you can share their content on your social channels. This shows users you are engaged with your social media presence.
10 percent of your content should promote your dealership. Social media offers a small window for promotions of new products, in-store events and service specials, including end-of- and pre-season maintenance. The more creative you can be with your promotions the better — when it comes to social, creativity and humor goes a long way.

Here’s a few do’s and don’ts of posting:

Do post content regularly. The key here is quality. Don’t just post just anything that pops into your head. Really think about who your customers are and what they want to see from you.
Do reveal behind-the-scenes. Customers want to do business with companies they trust and have a connection with. They want to be in the in-crowd. By sharing what’s going on behind the scenes, you provide your customers with the chance to get to know you and your team.
Do share the good. There’s nothing more uplifting than receiving a favorable review about your dealership. Share the good word and post your customer reviews and pictures when they’re submitted.
Do post event and dealership pictures. By using a simple social media app (try Hootsuite.com), your employees can easily post pictures and event updates directly to all of your social sites at one time.
Don’t spam. There is a fine line between promoting your dealership and social network spamming. It’s okay to post a special event or to mention an in-house service special occasionally, but people on social networking channels don’t want to be bombarded with sales pitches. They get enough of that in their inboxes.
Don’t TYPE LIKE THIS! oR tHiS. All caps is considered yelling at your fans, which you certainly don’t want to do. Unless your target market is tweens, stick to proper grammatical rules, and keep your writing style in a casual tone.
Don’t go off-topic. Staying on-topic is crucial for encouraging engagement and growing your follower base. This means your posts should address one topic at a time rather than a large paragraph of information on different subjects.
Don’t smack-talk your competition. Never let your competitive feelings make it to your social channel. Rise above it and leave it alone. Remember, what you say is out there on the web f-o-r-e-v-e-r.
Don’t use surprise pictures and tagging. Just because your dealership is a superstar on social media doesn’t mean everyone is comfortable being in the public eye. Don’t publish photos, use location-based tagging, or tag the names of people who haven’t given you permission.

Ramp up your social media efforts by implementing the tips above and you are sure to see a bump in your fan count and engagement. There’s no time like the present!

Bob McCann is ARI’s director of education. ARI creates award-winning software solutions that help equipment manufacturers, distributors and dealers Sell More Stuff! — online and in-store. ARI removes the complexity of selling and servicing new and used inventory, parts, garments, and accessories for customers in automotive tire and wheel, powersports, outdoor power equipment, marine, RV and white goods industries. More than 22,000 equipment dealers, 195 distributors and 140 manufacturers worldwide leverage our website and eCatalog platforms to Sell More Stuff!

Contact: mccann@arinet.com

Phone: 877-806-2150