Woody Folsom knows what keeps customers coming into his auto dealerships in southern Georgia, and it isn't the Internet.
"I'm not going to use Facebook," declares Folsom, who last year sold about 1,500 new Chevrolets and other GM vehicles, 1,200 new Fords and almost 1,000 new Chryslers -- all through the power of radio advertising around his home base in Baxley, Ga., population 4,400.
"I'm not going to put my customer's picture on Facebook after he's bought a $50,000 truck from me," he says. "That's not right. It's nobody's business."
Deep into the digital age, as automakers and retailers stampede to online marketing, a curious truth remains: Many car dealers prefer to advertise the traditional way -- radio, TV, direct-mail fliers and even the occasional full-page ad in the local daily newspaper. They like the human touch. They are pleased with the results. And like many things in the auto industry that are not always easy to explain, it just feels right to them.
"I guess I'm old-fashioned," Folsom concedes. "And maybe somebody'll tell me I'm not doing things the new way. But it's working fine for me."