Digital Dealer - September 2019 - 36

M A R K E T ING & ADVERT ISING: So cia l M e d i a Continued from pg. 35

79 PERCENT OF SALESPEOPLE WHO USE SOCIAL
MEDIA AS A SELLING TOOL OUTPERFORM THOSE
WHO DON'T."
But social selling doesn't
happen on its own. It
requires ongoing training
so that salespeople can
recognize their value in using social media to connect,
engage with prospects, and
foster referrals.
Some dealers already
have salespeople who are
using social media to their
advantage.
Pro Tip: Implement a
policy for employee use of
social media. Many things
can happen out there in
social media-land and you
don't want to get caught
in a crisis without a life
preserver.

11. APPOINT A
QUALIFIED DIGITAL
MARKETING MANAGER

Whether it's managing
your website, content,
social media, review sites,
and other digital properties,
this requires someone who
listens, monitors, responds,
engages, and nurtures your
customers.
The best social media
managers possess these
attributes:
	  Social media savvy
	  Branding/marketing
experience
	  Creativity
	  Ability to focus
	  Emotional maturity
	  Empathy and patience
	  Clear, concise, and
professional communication
	  Ability to recognize
leads
	  Google Analytics proficient (preferably certified)
36

SEPTEMBER 2019

	  A sense of humor

12. REWARD LOYAL
CUSTOMERS

It costs five to eight times
more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep
an existing one.
It's difficult to sustain
customer loyalty in a world
where untrustworthy messages bombard customers
as if through a fire hose.
Answer this question:
How can we reward repeat
customers for their loyalty?

disturbs some very primal,
entrenched beliefs, and
oftentimes, its resistance to
this disturbance that keeps
people stuck. When we
ourselves see the value of
the change, we often don't
consider the impact it will
have on those around us
who see our "fringe ideas"
as dangerous.
Employ these five tactics
to mitigate resistance to
change and open the gates
to growth:

IT COSTS FIVE TO
EIGHT TIMES MORE
TO ACQUIRE A NEW
CUSTOMER THAN IT
DOES TO KEEP AN
EXISTING ONE."
Focus your attention (aka
content marketing strategies) on keeping customers
for life.
BONUS: Address your
challenges to organizational
change.
I saved this one for last
because it is likely the most
difficult. In this "season of
digital transformation," there
are a lot more naysayers
to digital marketing than
you might imagine. Having spent years managing
dealership, I've found that
change is the biggest obstacle to growth.
The secret to digital marketing buy-in is managing
change.
Buying into change

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

1. CONSISTENT AND
HELPFUL INFORMATION

Provide specific information
and training that makes the
desire to change greater
than the desire to stay the
same.

2. SPEAK THEIR
LANGUAGE

The best way to convey
the merits of something
that's seen as fringe is to
use an analogous example
or familiar story. Example:
Most of us today can't imagine life without our mobile
device - so what once was
a fringe idea is now widely
adopted.

3. NUMBERS
DON'T LIE

Change is often perceived as a financial
burden. Collect and provide
data to prove digital marketing is a valuable option to
increase sales.
4. ADDRESS THE
EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT

Humans are hardwired
to seek pleasure and avoid
pain. Understanding the
emotions that come up for
people is key to getting
them to change.

5. KNOW WHO
TO FREEZE OUT

Keep the 'Debbie Downers' of the world at bay.
Apply these digital
strategy tips to your organization. Maybe not every
single one will resonate,
but even if just one spurs
your business' growth, it
could turn into something
huge. Without action, things
will remain the same. The
question is, can you really
afford to remain where you
are?
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
Digital Dealer - September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - September 2019
