Create an Event with Local Impact

When you begin developing a campaign that will use Social Media it is important to know your audience and speak to that audience. For example, if you develop a campaign with an offer to plant a tree for a tweet, provide a link to your dealer website and make sure the trees are going to be planted in a needed area, in your community near the dealership. 

Record every step of the process to truly make an event. Take video the morning of, when the trees are picked up at the dealership, delivered to the site with dealership vehicles, and planted with the help of key members of the dealership staff.  Convey all of these events using the social networks prior to, during, and after the event. Display positive comments made by participants. Keep the event local and not gimmicky!

Be Creative and Consistent

A review of a dealerships site analytics showed a low number of visitors and a reduction in the number of leads coming from the website. The GM decided to run a Social Media campaign and offered a free movie ticket to anyone that found the movie title on their website. They placed the title on the vehicle detail inventory page of their oldest vehicle on the lot.  

The dealerships web site saw a huge spike in visits, and with the leads generated they sold that vehicle. The promotion was a success, right? Well, sort of. When the promotion was over, the web site traffic and leads went down again. 

Keep them engaged. Let your fans and followers come to expect these types of fun things from you, and collect all the data they provide when they participate!

Build-on and Maintain Your Social Media Presence

When the bad press hit regarding the Toyota recalls, an Internet manager engaged with Social Media decided to turn the negative into a positive.  He developed a Social Media campaign that offered free oil changes to any local Toyota Prius owner that would provide a video testimonial. They followed up with another Social Media campaign that offered one Toyota Prius that had previously provided a testimonial an opportunity for free oil changes for life if they could demonstrate the highest number of miles per gallon.  The dealership realized a tremendous growth in their followers, but in order to capitalize on this progress, it needs to be Maintained.

Developing and implementing Social Media events takes resources, creativity and time.  When done correctly, it can drive ROI!