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Millions of people use social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook to keep up with old friends, make new ones, post pictures and status updates, and generally stay connected to large amounts of people. While this is not earth shattering news, how these social media portals are being used by companies such as car dealerships may surprise you.
Many car dealerships and car producers have turned to social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook to implement what essentially is free advertising. Websites like Twitter enable car dealers to have instant contact with their customers. For instance, people that begin following a particular dealership may be notified that “The next 100 customers to show up on our lot will receive $1,000 off a car purchase instantly plus a $50 gift card”. This type of promotion could never happen with a television or newspaper advertisement because it takes far too much time to produce advertisements through these mediums. Promotions such as the example above also allow dealers to gauge how effective their marketing strategies are as well as how many people are paying attention to the dealer’s social media web pages.
Using Twitter and Facebook also enables car dealers to get feedback on their products, services, and business practices directly from consumers. For instance, if a customer buys a new car from a particular dealer and over the first few weeks discovers something about the car that they do not like they may voice their opinion online. If the item or feature the customer does not like is not a major issue they will most likely not report it to the dealer but the opinion they voiced online can help the dealer make changes in the future or at least suggest changes to the manufacturer.
Twitter and other popular social networking websites also offer something else to car dealers that traditional mediums such as television, radio, and print advertising cannot: personal relationships with consumers. The point of contact is crucial for building relationships with consumers yet most mediums offer very little with regard to connecting with consumers. Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and other internet based social media websites offer car dealerships and manufacturers a chance to speak to consumers individually as well as understand the specific needs of real consumers.
While the pervasiveness of the internet has created new challenges and obstacles to overcome such as identity theft, it has also created new and unique ways for companies to connect with their consumers on a very personal level. Consumers want to know that they are not getting ripped off and creating personal relationships through social media portals may be the best way to create these long lasting business relationships.
