Everyone is on it and you probably know that it’s a crucial part of your digital marketing strategy. But do you know how to make Facebook work for you?
If this social media giant leaves you guessing about best practices and strategy, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Here at Dealer Authority, we have five important things to consider when using Facebook as part of your dealership’s outreach.
- Audience: Any good marketer worth their salt will tell you that it’s vital you know your audience. If you don’t know who is interacting with your page, how will you know what content will resonate most with them?
Check out the Insights tab from your Facebook business page for information about your audience demographics, locations of users, popular times for interaction, and much more. If you or a vendor partner are running ads on Facebook, you should also be able to see audience stats through Google Analytics, which will help you better understand your customers’ mobile device usage, time on site, and bounce rate, among a host of other data. Having these stats will help you better understand how to cater to your audience by giving them the content they enjoy at the times they are most active on your page.
- Content: There are so many different types of content! Everyone knows the single image post, but are you branching out with Facebook Live? What about fan content? Once you know who your audience is, you’ll be able to engage with them, possibly even getting user-generated photos or videos to use on your page! Some customers love being tagged in new vehicle posts, at local events, or in #ThrowbackThursday posts of their very first car. (Be sure to get permission before posting fan content.)
Strong imagery is key to finding success on social media platforms. It’s called “social” media and not “stock imagery” media for a reason! Getting a good camera and having a dedicated member of your team in charge of photos and videos is a great way to start increasing the quality of the images you use on Facebook. Don’t have a nice camera? Your new iPhone will do the trick for now.
One last note – keep it simple, especially when it comes to the copy in your post. Let your images do the talking for you.
- Personality: The greatest imagery in the world won’t get you anywhere if you don’t inject your personality into your social media presence. Some brands are known for their witty comebacks while others take the family-friendly approach.
If you don’t know what your dealership’s personality is, take some time to talk with your team and find out what sets your business apart from the guy with the gorilla on the roof down the street. Nail this down, and your social media marketing will be next level.
- Interaction: You’ve done steps 1-3, and now it’s time to take things up a notch. Posting great content is an awesome way to jump-start your strategy, but we know you’ve got more to offer. Now it’s time to interact! Like we mentioned earlier, social media is Your customers want to engage with you. Ask them questions, provide fill-in-the-blank posts, encourage them to share photos showing off their brand loyalty, and engage with them in comments. Imagine you were talking to each customer face-to-face, and you’ll find that conversation on social media channels comes much more naturally.
When you increase the number and quality of conversations on your Facebook page, you’ll improve your ranking in the platform’s algorithm, making it easier for you to grow your reach and continue engaging with current and potential customers.
- Budget: Unfortunately, Facebook organic reach is next to nothing. It’s a pay-to-play platform now; if you don’t have a budget allocated towards post engagement, the content on your page will not reach your audience.
Setting up a post engagement budget will also allow you to target specific locations in and around your primary market area, and you can add other targeting options as well if needed. Make the most of your social media marketing by putting a strategic budget behind your posts and watch your engagement increase!
Emily Bower is a Social Media Strategist, copy editing wizard, and social media guru from North Carolina. She is continually looking for ways to improve and enhance our clients’ social media strategy and does so with attention to detail and a personal touch. To learn more about Emily, click here.