Automobile dealers are working harder than ever to connect with consumers during their car buying process.
Dealers and manufacturers have spent millions of dollars and huge amounts of their resources to quickly and accurately identify consumers getting ready to make a purchase. These consumers were the same people that is the past would stop by the dealer and go for a test drive, ask for a brochure and fill out a credit application. Today that consumer tends to do online research long before making the purchase. Manufacturers and Dealers want to find ways to connect with car buyers early in the process and stay connected until a purchase is made.
When you decide to start your search for a new or used vehicle, are there any changes in your social or online behavior? Do friends or family know that you are looking for a new car? Are you likely to read online reviews of the vehicle you are looking for? Do you look at the ratings of the dealership? Would you ask the opinion of others on Facebook? All of these questions, (and many more) are indications that a consumer is getting closer to buying a new or used vehicle. Dealers and Manufacturers are looking for ways to get their name in front of the consumers exhibiting this behavior and it is a very lucrative business for Google and Facebook.
Ads triggered by specific keywords or phrases like 2018 Chevy Tahoe reviews or How much is my 2016 Dodge 1500 SLT worth? Are examples of searches from a truck buyer. Google has cornered the market for these types of searches and the costs are staggering. Most consumers have no idea how much Dealers and Manufacturers spend on those search words / phrases and would be shocked. But what about Facebook?
Facebook has become a useful tool for Dealers wanting to share photos of happy customers and listing some of their inventory to people who have “liked” their page, but connecting with others in the Facebook community is much more challenging and expensive. Some Dealers and Manufacturers have purchased ads from Facebook in hopes of grabbing the attention of consumers while they read the posts of their friends. Other Dealerships are using Facebook to promote special sales or local events they participate in. This helps the Dealership appear active in the community and drives local views to their page, but has a limited reach.
Facebook (and Google) have done a very poor job teaching Automobile dealerships how to best use their products. Both Facebook and Google have relied on their online support forums to give advice and help the dealers use their products. Some Dealers have hired specialists to produce social ads and content while others have handed the responsibility to the most active social networking person / people in the building. It appears that Facebook and Google have missed a huge opportunity to instruct dealers how to best use their products and at the same time sell advertising opportunities. I guess somewhere in the future a dealership will stand out by doing Facebook “the right way” and others will follow, but until then we will just keep liking funny videos and pics and sharing the best seasonal recipes we can find.
Give me your feedback about how you think car dealers should use Facebook and Google. Jim.Kincer@sutherlandchevy.com
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