The term ‘social media’ can seem a bit daunting to those who don’t already use it.
But sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube can be powerful tools for your business – every bit as important as your own website – and so it’s well worth taking the time to understand how they work and, more importantly, how they can work for you.
Using these sites effectively is a great way of connecting with potential new customers and keeping in touch with those you already know – allowing you to ‘spread the word’ about your dealership and instantly communicate key messages to people who are ready to listen.
Happily, they’re also completely free and so using them to great effect costs nothing but a little time and effort.
Check out the following guides to learn how to set up and operate social media accounts:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/business
Twitter: https://business.twitter.com/en/basics/what-is-twitter/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/t/about_getting_started
Once you’re started, there are no hard and fast rules about how to make your social media pages and accounts a success and what works for one dealer may not work for another.
It’s important to find your own ‘voice’, perhaps using your local knowledge and position within the community to connect with people, grow your follower base and start discussions.
Remember, you can also use the content provided by the Nissan Dealer PR service to populate your pages and create interest. For example, the product videos (see Video section) available to you free of charge are a ready-made source of entertaining, engaging and informative content while any press releases prepared by the Dealer PR team can also help your news reach a wider audience.
Finally, if you have any queries about social media or need some help and advice, the Dealer PR team is on and to help.
A few things to remember:
Remain professional at all times:
Your social media pages and accounts are a reflection of your business and the Nissan brand. Steer clear of anything too personal or controversial and anything that’s likely to cause offence.
It’s not advertising:
It’s important to think of social media as a way of being ‘social’ and not as a hard-sell advertising tool. It’s OK to post about new products and special offers, but simply flooding your pages with details of the vehicles on your forecourt is likely to turn people off and prove counterproductive.
Have fun:
Creating content that’s fun, entertaining and engaging is the best way of winning friends and followers. If people like what you’re doing they’ll look out for your posts and tweets and participate in your discussions. That way, when you do have an important message about your business, they’ll be listening.
Be involved:
Don’t just post or tweet and walk away. Check your social media pages whenever you can and respond as quickly as you can to what your friends and followers are saying on your wall to keep discussions alive. Also, be a good friend and follower to others. Use your business social media accounts to comment, like and share other users’ statuses and retweet their posts.
Take it seriously:
Social media is not the future, it’s the now. Even if you don’t get it or aren’t an avid user, so many of your customers and potential customers do and are. If you don’t have the time or inclination to post yourself, don’t simply ignore social media – give the role to one of your team.