Social: The Soft Sell Managing Your Expanded Web Presence

Social: The Soft SellManaging Your Expanded Web Presence Michael Sos Product Manager, Interactive Media @dominiondealer Michael.sos@drivedominion.com

1. Social engagement that works/doesn’t work 2. Expanded web presence’s influence on dealership traffic 3. SEO: the new social soft sell 4. Develop your own social soft sell strategy Agenda

Social Strategies OEM Messages Increasing Fans and Followers Online Ratings and Reviews “likes” Geo Targeted Twitter Hunting Contest or promotion Posting Inventory Coupons Posting New Buyer photos Responding to Reviews Posting Video Increase Website traffic

Social Strategies OEM Messages Increasing Fans and Followers Online Ratings and Reviews “likes” Geo Targeted Twitter Hunting Contest or promotion Posting Inventory Coupons Posting New Buyer photos Responding to Reviews Increase Website traffic Posting Video

3% -7.5% of Facebook page fans see posts daily • Less actually “See it” due to technical limitations • 100 fans = 7 will see your posts in Facebook Newsfeed The effectiveness of “Likes” Source: PageLever.com, January 2012

Social Strategy OEM Messages Increasing Fans and Followers Online Ratings and Reviews “likes” Geo Targeted Twitter Hunting Contest or promotion Posting Inventory Coupons Posting New Buyer photos Responding to Reviews Posting Video Increase Website traffic

“I think of my money as soldiers…I am send them to war every day and I want them to take prisoners and return to me in greater numbers” Source: Kevin O’Leary, SharkTank

Social Network Growth

Internet and Vehicle Purchase Source: 2011 JD Power and Associates

Internet and Vehicle Purchase No change in 5 years Source: 2011 JD Power and Associates

Internet shoppers submit leads JD Power Study Cars.com Study 21.5% 22%

Social Network Growth Huge adoption with no change to percentage of leads

Few people really want to be your friend • Social buddies already purchased and will not become a lead again soon • People sell cars…not social networks or fancy vendor products • No one wants your t-shirt - Community building only occurs in hyper-focused niches (corvette clubs) Lets Get Real

Internet and Vehicle Purchase Big Change in 5 years Source: 2011 JD Power and Associates

The Last 5 Years: What’s Changed? Social Networks Reviews and Ratings CSI

OEM Reviews Source: MBUSA, 2005-present

73% of car shoppers consult online dealership reviews 1 in 5 change choice of dealership based on reviews For Consumers: Online Reviews Trump Personal Experience and Location Source: 2011, Yahoo! Automotive

The Social Soft Sell is not about lead generation as much as it is about consumers choosing where they will buy EARLIER and how we can influence them Social Networks Reviews and Ratings

Take Action • Evaluate customer path and potential social impact • Establish our Expanded Web Presence • Develop a plan to grow the right social content

Pre-2010 Search Results x4.1 Biggest Competitor for Traffic Lead Gen Websites Submit Lead Top levelKeyword Dealer Website Search on favorite search engine Visit dealership for sales or service Walk-in Long-Tail Keyword Competitor Site

Search: 2010 - 2012 Lead Gen Websites X1.3 Submit Lead Dealer Website No more long tail Direct competition on SERP Walk-in Competitor Site Search on favorite search engine Visit dealership for sales or service Top levelKeyword Dealer Website Reputation Sites Extra step to become lead Biggest Competitor for Traffic Competitor Site Social Networks

The SERP Unmanaged Example

OEM Messages Increasing Fans and Followers Online Ratings and Reviews “likes” Geo Targeted Twitter Hunting Contest or promotion Posting Inventory Coupons Posting New Buyer photos Responding to Reviews Posting Video Increase Website traffic

The Soft Sell Bird-KultgenFord

Soft Sell: KingdomChevrolet

Investigate your expanded lead gen funnel • Choose your expanded web partners • Identify speed bumps • Create a content strategy & process • Commit! Your Soft Sell Social Strategy

Questions? Michael Sos Michael.sos@drivedominion.com 804.363.6692

Social: The Soft Sell Managing Your Expanded Web Presence