Bring social reputation together as part of big-picture marketing

In marketing, it’s really easy to fixate on one piece of your strategy. Maybe it’s the piece you find the most fun, or the one that has always performed well, or the one that needs the most help in the moment. There is no problem with occasionally focusing on one area that needs a little push, but thinking of your marketing as separate pieces over the long term can sabotage a cohesive strategy.

In dealership terms, think of how your sales floor, service drive, F&I office, and business offices are often treated like their own separate worlds. However, they affect one another’s day-to-day operations constantly, and they should all work towards the same goal: the success of the whole dealership.

For marketers, working toward that goal means diversity in the methods, services, and solutions we prescribe to help dealers maximize their success. And we need to help the dealer see the connections. It’s understandable that someone could look at two areas as different as SEO and data segmentation and miss how they connect to a broader strategy.

One strong example of this is social media presence and digital reputation. Thanks to how digital technology and internet use are evolving, managing your reputation online and managing your social media presence have become two sides of the same coin. 

 Drawing imaginary lines between managing your digital reputation and your social media presence is not only an outdated strategy, but a potentially harmful one.

Why? There are a few reasons:

•    More and more of the customer journey is happening online, before the customer ever makes direct contact with your dealership. That includes researching customer reviews and ratings of your business and checking out your social media presence.

•    Synchronization between platforms is increasing. Consider apps and plug-ins that allow you to embed ratings and reviews on your social media page or display your inventory directly in the social media feeds of consumers who’ve expressed interest on your website, app, or one of your online ads.

•    As we live more of our lives digitally, the messaging your customers see online should be cohesive in the same sense that traditional advertising – magazine placements, mailers, billboards, newspaper ads, television, radio, etc. – should be.

The idea of your website, your social media presence, and your public-facing reputation on Google or Bing all being separate entities that need separate attention is outdated.

What’s a sensible alternative? A holistic marketing strategy. As these different marketing channels bleed into each other and the digital ecosystem continues to take on a less siloed nature, your approach should reflect that shift.

Now, we have to make an important distinction here: I’m not advocating for one-size-fits-all marketing. There are still important differences between managing reviews on a search engine, interacting on a social media page, or implementing good web design across devices.

But, a holistic approach recognizes that these different channels can serve each other – and that they’re all going to simultaneously inform the digital customer journey. Good reviews become useful promotional content on your social feed or your website, while your responsiveness and professionalism on your social page boosts your reputation online.

Or, consider the unparalleled targeting-by-demographic opportunities that are built into social media platforms. With the right marketing partner, you can get your inventory in front of warm leads like never before.

OEMs recognize this as well. Dealerships who rely on marketing partners are increasingly expected to have a single provider handling both reputation management and social media management.

What if you’re a dealer who has created these unnecessary divisions, but aren’t sure how to bring it all back together?

Here are a few suggestions to get you moving in the right direction:

•    First, decide if you want to handle this responsibility in-house or rely on a marketing partner. If you choose the latter, understand the vendor’s capabilities and track record for providing timely responses to customer reviews, being professional in social media interactions, leveraging social media advertising opportunities, and so on.

•    Re-evaluate the current messaging across your digital channels. Make sure they’re in alignment and have the same underlying goal: driving customers to your site and towards a buying decision.

•    Remember, as reputation management and social media management have become two sides of the same coin, many of your marketing assets (such as positive reviews or viral social media campaigns) could find new life in a repurposed format, enhancing value at no additional cost.

These recommendations all have one common theme: viewing the digital customer journey holistically, with interrelated elements happening simultaneously.

For dealers who embrace that shift in thinking and take the time to re-evaluate their current digital approach, there is potential for increased success in every area, from acquiring new customers to improving customer satisfaction.

Naked Lime Marketing takes an all-in-one approach to delivering a full suite of marketing, advertising, and web services for automotive retailers. We offer data-driven strategies developed for the individual needs of dealers and focused on their long-term success. http://www.nakedlime.com | http://facebook.com/nkdlime | http://twitter.com/nkdlime