Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 44

COMMUNICATIONS

APRIL 21-23, 2015 * TAMPA, FL
APRIL 21-23 * TAMPA, FL

ONCE YOU SPEND TIME IN THE FACEBOOK ECOSYSTEM AND MAKE ANY
PROMOTION EFFORTS, YOU WILL REALIZE THAT YOU CAN EASILY SPIN
YOUR WHEELS, INVEST TIME AND RESOURCES, AND END UP WITH
VERY LITTLE TO SHOW FOR YOUR EFFORTS.
customers spend their
time.
 Engage customers
long before they're buyers. With a solid content
strategy to reach buyers
at every stage of the
buying cycle, including
post-purchase, Facebook can't be beat for
engaging people.
 Communicate who
you are and why people
buy from you. Today's
consumers want to
know your story. By
leveraging the right content mix, your Facebook
presence allows wouldbe buyers to learn more
about you.
 Opportunity for
transparency and
authenticity. Consumers have had enough
of fakes and phonies.
The realer you are, the
closer people will come
to you. It makes them
more comfortable about
their decision when they
feel a connection.
 Generate leads
and sales. Facebook
ads drive customers to
purchase and there's
no reason you shouldn't
capture some of that
magic. While Facebook
ads take serious skills
to master, it's worth your
time to consider the
opportunities.
CONS OF BUILDING
A FACEBOOK PAGE

44

JANUARY 2018

 It's a major investment. Building a Facebook page takes commitment. It's not only time
consuming but it requires:
 A financial investment (especially Facebook ads budget and
management fees)
 Human resource
investment (someone to
manage and interact with
the community you're
growing).

out a content strategy.
The old adage "If you fail
to plan then plan to fail,"
couldn't be more relevant
than when it comes to
Facebook marketing.
Useful customer information is one of your store's
biggest assets and
delivering quality content
to buyers via Facebook
takes a solid content
strategy.

ENGAGE CUSTOMERS LONG BEFORE
THEY'RE BUYERS. WITH A SOLID
CONTENT STRATEGY TO REACH BUYERS
AT EVERY STAGE OF THE BUYING
CYCLE, INCLUDING POST-PURCHASE,
FACEBOOK CAN'T BE BEAT FOR
ENGAGING PEOPLE.
 Personnel/HR (to
manage employee use of
social media).
 Constant change. If
you're not comfortable
with constant change,
building a Facebook page
will be one of the most
infuriating experiences
you'll ever have. They
roll out updates without
any notice. They make
changes to things that
don't necessarily need
changing. There are bugs
that cause unexplained
issues.
 It doesn't work with-

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

 It's Pay to Play now.
Facebook has changed
dramatically, even from
just a few months ago.
Perhaps the biggest
change is that posting
great content is only half
the job now. Paying to
promote your content effectively is the other half.
 Growing your likes
was a huge investment
that didn't pay off. Many
people judge the success
of a dealership by their
number of Facebook
likes. For years, people
have spent millions of

dollars on growing their
likes, but now that Facebook has shifted their
focus to advertising, the
amount of likes on a
page isn't as valuable.
Some will view Facebook's shift as less-thanforthright (as I do) but
remember, it's Facebook's movie and we're
just in it. If you invested
in growing your likes
over the past few years,
treat your investment accordingly. Leverage the
community you've grown
and work on increasing
its engagement.
Building a Facebook
page is not for every
dealership. I hope these
tips will help you decide
what's best for your
store and, as always, I'm
here if you need advice.
KATHI KRUSE is an
automotive social media
marketing expert, blogger,
speaker, coach, author and
Founder of Kruse Control
Inc. Born in the heart of Los
Angeles to a family of "car
people," Kathi's passion for
the car business spans a
30-year career managing
successful dealerships in
Southern California. Kathi
is the author of "Automotive
Social Business - How to
Captivate Your Customers,
Sell More Cars & Be
Generally Remarkable on
Social Media." EMAIL: kk@
krusecontrolinc.com
http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - January 2018
