Automotive News - October 25, 2021 - S29

OctOber 25, 2021 | 29
JONES JUNCTION, BEL AIR, MD.
Social media team boosts engagement
In-house effort builds
customer connections
- and vehicle sales
Published in Automotive News June 14, 2021
C.J. Moore
cj.moore@crain.com
L
ike dealership groups everywhere, Jones
Junction had to figure out how to continue
attracting customers' eyes to its
available vehicles during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
As businesses scaled back in-person operations
last year, the dealership group in Bel Air,
Md., employed a strategy it had been testing
since early 2018 by ramping up digital retailing
at all eight of is stores.
Amid social distancing and lockdowns,
Jones Junction began
showcasing vehicle home
deliveries on its social media
pages to emphasize
that people were still buying
cars.
As a result, the group
was able to more quickly
adapt
to the pandemic
Ramsey: " Ahead
of the curve "
than other stores in its
market, said Jeffrey Ramsey,
Jones Junction's
e-commerce and marketing director.
" I do feel like we were ahead of the curve before "
the pandemic, Ramsey said. " We were a
leader in social media. The pandemic hit ...
and we saw what really can be done and how
we can reach our customers. "
Building an in-house team
Ramsey joined Jones Junction in late 2017,
hired on for the purpose of increasing sales
and overall business. His goal since then has
been to market cars while also humanizing
the group, using social media to showcase
events such as new employees starting, birthdays
and anniversaries - much like people
post on their personal accounts.
In March 2018, Ramsey started putting together
an in-house marketing team focused
on using creative and social media to capture
consumers' attention.
Its tasks included redesigning the website,
improving search engine optimization, answering
customers' Facebook inquiries as
quickly as possible and advertising giveaways
Graphic designer Hannah Busenitz,
left, and social media specialist
Sydney Segal shoot a video
featuring sales professional Ray
Washington, wearing vest, and
Sales Manager Zack Mohr.
and contests.
" The automotive market has been pretty
strong the last couple of years, but even on top
of that, our growth since we implemented an
in-house marketing team that's connected to
our community ... we're selling a lot of cars, "
Ramsey told Automotive News.
In 2020, the group sold a record 12,500 new
and used vehicles. It has sold nearly 30 percent
more vehicles a month this year through
May.
Ramsey said the marketing strategy has increased
the group's market share and the
quality of its social media traffic.
" Everything is measured to see what converts
best, " Ramsey said. " We started using
emojis in our social ads and saw a clickthrough
increase of 75 percent. Every detail
matters. "
Uniquely engaging customers
The team, currently made up of Ramsey,
graphic designer Hannah Busenitz and social
media specialist Sydney Segal, plans to add
someone dedicated to Facebook and Instagram
in the coming year.
The general idea was to give the group a
The in-house social media and
marketing team created by Jones
Junction 3 years ago has increased
sales and the quality of the group's
social media traffic, particularly
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
unique personality, Ramsey said, and the
marketing team welcomes input from other
staffers. Sales professionals, managers, human
resources staff and even the group's president,
Bryan Kilby, have reached out with
ideas.
That has translated into more customer engagement,
Ramsey said.
Three years ago, Jones Junction was averaging
only one to two likes per Facebook post.
Now, each post regularly gets 10 to 15, and
some draw more than 100.
" We've done some giveaway posts online
where we've gotten 3,000 to 4,000 mentions
on it, " Ramsey said.
Facebook messages to the dealership group
have shot up as well, to an average of more
than 10 a day.
" I think we've shown our customers that our
Facebook is being handled by us, so when
they message us or they communicate with
us, they're talking to a real person, " Ramsey
said.
While the dealership's primary connection
to the community comes from Facebook, the
team is experimenting with platforms such as
TikTok, where it posts music-backed snippets
of employees showcasing new vehicles. One
video featuring a 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Rubicon with a power roof has garnered
more than 162,000 views.
" That's my favorite thing - when customers
say, 'We saw the content,' " Ramsey said. " You
can't track it, but when people mention
they're seeing it, they'll remember it. That's
what I want. " a
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