Social Media Meltdowns…. Friending your Co-Worker let alone your Boss!

As we dabble in the wonderful world of social media we find ourselves conversing more with our co-workers, boss or internal departments more than our own family at times. We tend to get so mixed up with our social life digitally we forget the consequences that can follow while being social after hours. What can you do to prevent a Social Media Meltdown?

Friending your Co-Workers is a great way to know more about them & their families. We learn so much about a Co-Worker during the day it is turning into a pure habit to friend them on Facebook, Twitter etc. Why not? You know a lot about them from talking & working with them during the day, it can’t hurt to friend them… Can it? This also falls upon the boss when either you or they decide to request a friend request.

Has this gone too far? Do we find ourselves more involved with our Co-Workers & Boss’s Social Life then our own?

I am guilty of taking just about every moment of my life and posting about it on Facebook & other social networks. I enjoy my life, my daily activities along with having no shame of sharing my fun, crazy & wild moments with my social friends, family & clients. There is an advantage of me being a freelancer. Many social buddies, family & friends know I live to have fun & go all out when doing so but at the same time keeping my work professional to ensure that quality comes with fun.

I don’t miss working in an office with management hanging over my shoulder & watching everything I do however with individuals that do need to be careful with posting crappy, moody or downright ridiculous comments, status updates & remarks on Social Media sites as they can come back and bite you in the behind!

Yes there are a handful of social media buddies that seem to be very angry most of the time & it reflects in their postings. You scratch your head & think “Wow, life can’t be that bad can it?” but when it is consistent you may have to remove them which can cause a Social Media Meltdown within an office or work environment. Trust me 99% of the time you will be approached by your Co-Worker or Boss & them asking you why? (DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS LOOK)…..! All you have to say is that you are getting away from social media or just having your close friends & family on social media. Work is separate from play!

Taking pre-cautions before hitting the accept button may be the best thing to do! Below are 5 tips to prevent from a Social Media Meltdown when friending your fellow Co-Workers or Boss!

SEPARATE PROFILE: creating a secondary profile for social media can be a great benefit for your professional career life. Limiting your co-workers & boss to see what you do after hours. Yes there are times when you like to kick back and have a few pints each night or kick it up a notch during the weekend but what does your boss think about that or your co-worker? Keeping a separate profile specifically dedicated to your day life during working hours can alleviate them from seeing your personal life as much as possible.

DENY REQUEST: yes this can be hard to swallow to deny request from your co-worker and /or boss however explaining to them you are not comfortable with accepting their request as your life outside work is personal or you only use social media for your family & close friends.  If you explain with sincerity they will understand. Another option you can take advantage with Facebook & it’s latest & greatest feature is unsubscribe from them within your news feed. This can be helpful when you are dealing with a Co-Worker that is consistently posting every 15 minutes about how life sucks & such.

LIMIT POSTING: when you have accepted the friend request from your Co-Worker or Boss, limit your postings during the day. If they see you posting every ½ hour they will wonder if you are actually working at all. Limit the posting to 3 times during the day; 1 post before work, 1 during lunch & 1 after work. Doing so will prevent them thinking about your work ethics along with your dedication to your work, not just socializing during working hours digitally.

AVOID CONFLICTS: by all means avoid any and all conflicts! If you see your Co-Worker posting negative post about fellow Co-Workers or your boss…. AVOID IT! If you comment or even get involved with the comment thread regardless it can come back and bite you! If your Boss or fellow Co-Worker approaches you about it, simply reply “I haven’t had the time to see it”… This response can prevent you from getting questioned even more about conflict that is happening between them.

BE CONSIDERATE WHEN POSTING: being involved with your Co-Workers social life let alone your boss, be considerate when posting to their status updates. Everyone has a bad day however many nowadays run right to social media to vent out. Being sympathetic to their frustrations can be a benefit to you as you are trying to help them through their negative mood and alleviate them from posting further negative remarks, bad mood status updates etc.  When management sees you trying to help your Co-Workers work through an issue you can be a rock star in their eyes and being positive over a negative post.  Being helpful & considerate can be helpful. Don’t post “GET OVER IT” etc this can stir a pot of SOCIAL MEDIA MELTDOWN!

Taking these 5 tips can help with preventing a Social Media Meltdown within a working environment & prevent you from getting involved with personal issues a Co-Worker or Boss may be having. You hear enough of it during the day by being with them.

What is your opinion about friending your fellow Co-Worker or Boss? Have you had great success or has it cost you your job?

All views & opinions are solely based upon the author only Jennifer Schrader

jenschradergraphics@aol.com

How to get more results from your website by following these simple steps!

Everywhere we look online we see websites. Full of colors, different varieties of products & information; which can be comparable to 52 Card Pick Up. Too many choices & all of them are waiting for you to click on them. But how do you make the most out of your website and make it work for your personal self or business?

Looking at your website each and every day can be an issue from the start. You know what it looks like and you can be overlooking simple things that you may not be aware of.  Reaching out to friends, family & co-workers can be a benefit to your marketing efforts online. Having an outside view can help with catching spelling errors, lack of information, confusing layout & much more. Don’t be offended by their critical feedback as some can’t handle it very well.  Yes we all know that you worked hard on setting the website up and it is your pride & joy however you can only be looking at the benefits of yourself without the consumer in mind.

The consumer is your main target, you want to provide them with the utmost information, content & have what they are looking for. Here are some questions you will want to ask yourself when reviewing your website.

Why buy from me? Do you have content that offers the reason why they should buy from you? Consumers are interested in learning about you & your business offerings.  It’s human nature. The more the consumer knows of you & about you; the more likely they are going to purchase from you!

Creative colors; are you matching what your wearing? Maybe your business is all about “Going Green” or “Nature Preserves”; would you have Yellow & Red colors dressed up on your website? The consumer will get scared as they are expecting Green, Neutral & Warm Colors not a Fast Food Restaurant. Being relevant with colors to your business will help the consumer be more inclined to view further into your website and not close out the window to move on to another website.

What deals do you have? Depending on your business structure you may provide discounts, special offers and such but where are they? As this is a common mistake for many companies marketing online is not having any offerings posted on their website. Consumers are coming to you for a deal, why isn’t there any around?

Providing your phone number as the largest text item on your header, footer and throughout each and every page can also be a benefit to your consumer for a quick reach of contact to you and your business.  Consumers are different when it comes to online shopping or researching product & having that contact number at their fingertips will be more inclined to reach out to you.

Having quick response time is very helpful for many online consumers. Answering their request via phone or email will show the consumer your credibility and your business is at full attention to their wants and needs. Ensure your contact forms and email are being forwarded to your cell phone as you then can monitor the incoming leads or contact us forms.  Consumers get excited by your quick action. Remember it’s your business and they are the consumer.

Be educational! As mentioned earlier that consumers want to learn and know more about you. By educating them of your process & how you do it they are more inclined to take on your services. Body shops are a great example; consumers will drop their vehicle off to get repaired then return to their vehicle and it looks like brand new! What happens during that process and how did they make it that way? Having photos of before, during & after are a great piece of education for the consumer on what actually goes on behind those doors at the paint booth. Giving them the information on what particular paints are used, tools, processes etc can create a great educational tool for the consumers.

Can they find you? By creating rich content & proper keywords for your website will help with search results within the search engines and help your Search Engine Optimization.  By having the proper keywords that are relevant to your business & products will help you be more recognized to Search Engines.  If you are a flower shop within a specific town you want to use terms that are relevant to your product and location.  You would not want to have the keyword “Tire Repair” for your “Glass Repair” shop.  The content would then be irrelevant and wouldn’t make sense to the consumer and of course the Search Engines.  Having an “About Us” page you want to ensure that all the content is about you or your business along with Service Specials you want to ensure also that the content matches to that specific page.

With these tools in mind, take a step back to review the results and take all and any feedback as a compliment to help you achieve your goals and that is Your Business and the Consumer.

All views & opinions are solely based upon the author only. Jennifer Schrader

(231) 360-0730 jennifergene@hotmail.com

 

Demo Glam and Glitter… What to look out for on a product demo!

Demo Glam & Glitter… What to look out for on a product demo!

You gather the team, you organize the efforts to create a meeting with the new vendor(s) of choice, you are exhausted and now the time has come for the vendor-client meeting.

What do you need to look for and how do you think they are going to perform after the initial signing on the dotted line?

Either the vendor is going to come in with amazing screens, laptops, high quality business cards (I have seen metal ones!) high end suits & goodies or you may have a casual wearing, paper business cards, small laptop vendor come in. Regardless of what they wear or what they come in as, what comes out of their mouth during the demonstration of the product is the most important part to pay attention too.

Key Terms to pay attention too:

WE PROMISE: Hearing this is like a broken record similar to a child promising to remember to do their chores on a daily basis, but you find yourself constantly reminding them daily to remember.  

WE GAURANTEE: This is very scary! How can you guarantee traffic, customers, increase and such? It’s impossible to throw that term out unless the vendor has full control of the actual online consumer. Demographics & general location play a major role in this.  Are they at the front door of each and every consumer “MAKING THEM” come to you? I highly doubt it. If your vendor is guaranteeing results it is a term loosely used and a headed direction for failure. (A way to get you to sign faster)

SPECIAL ACCOUNT: I have heard this several times.  “You will be one of our Special Accounts & will have lots of attention”… What about their other clients? Do they get the Special Accounts treatment & do you think the non special accounts would be a bit disturbed if they heard that they weren’t? The proof is in the pudding when you make those calls to clients that are not listed on their testimonials page. This brings me to my next point.  

CALL OUR TESTIMONIALS: Sure thing, this is nice giving the opportunity to do your homework but what about the non testimonials. If they claim they have several hundred accounts, ask for the list and you can have the opportunity to pick and choose who to call that are not on the Testimonials page of their website.  Remember you want to pay for a great product which then entails to great customer service.

WE WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN: If you hear this, have them include it in on the agreement. When this is mentioned in a demo, this is not going to help you one bit because once you sign and throw that request in either the developers or programmers are going to say “Can’t do it”… This will safe guard your request if it is in writing along with the other request you may have.

LOOK AT THIS GUY: They may pull out a few customers that are performing amazing with stellar numbers. Grabbing up clients that have demographics, location, products and such can help create a huge performance for those numbers month in and month out. What if you were the guy with a smaller demographic and location, don’t expect those numbers; this is just part of the Glam & Glitter of a product demo to show only the best of the best. What about the smaller guys?

IF YOU SIGN TODAY: Reminds me of the 4-squares & the Sharpie marker when I sold cars! Now what if I don’t sign today! Are you going to pull all these promises and guarantees away from me? You haven’t even done your homework yet, so why in the world would you sign today?

If it sounds too good to be true, then it’s not going to be. Just pay attention and be educated when meeting up with your next vendor.

I may not have covered all of the words to keep an eye & ear out during a product demo. Do you have any that you have heard but were never lived up to?

All views & opinions are solely based by the author Jennifer Schrader

jennifergene@hotmail.com (231) 360-0730

How much is too much? The facts of Information Overload on Social Media!

Just take a moment to kick back and think…… How much is too much? Do you really think that a consumer, an actual live consumer ready to purchase a car or just a loyal Fan wants to see the overloaded information you have posted and plastered all over social media?

COME ON… Do you really think it’s a good practice? NO IT IS NOT….. You are at their mercy and they have the power to “DISLIKE” you with one little click.

Take a moment to review the facts from the consumer’s point of view.

Fact 1: Information Overload. Have you posted more than 4 times a day? If so you are going to be on the chopping block of “DISLIKE”. Consumers don’t want to be overloaded with information that is not pertinent to them.  Why overload when you can be there but not be in their face the entire day while they are checking up on their newsfeed / friend activities.

Fact 2: All Cars? Let’s just say you post less than 4 times a day however is it all about cars, financing, buy today? Shoot why not grab out the 4 square & your oversized Sharpie marker and write out “TODAY ONLY”. Total turn off and trust me, if I am not a fan of it many more are behind me agreeing.

Fact 3: Personal Problems? I have enough of my own. I have noticed this especially with Friend Profile Pages being used for a business. You have some individual/ Internet Manager Etc. that is treating your Profile Page or Fan Page as an actual personal page. Adding updates similar to this one “Got hammered last night… Glad work is almost over”…. Me as a consumer would think “I just dropped $15k on a car there…. I will never go back now” or “DEFRIEND / DISLIKE”.

Fact 4: Bad Mood? Leave it home! Yes your mood on your status updates can be very effective in a good way and also a very, very bad way.  Leave it at home!  What you express online can be felt a long way to who is reading up on your updates / newsfeed. Very similar to talking on the phone, your voice is like an Opera Singer and emotions can be felt on the other end.  I have been very successful on the phone with clients as I know my voice can be effective to closing a deal or just perking them up.

Fact 5: Adding too much Sugar? What I mean by this are you constantly comparing your brand to another? Giving all pros about why they should buy from you and not the other guy? You better believe it that when you show other products / brands in comparison you are giving them the opportunity to check the other guy out. Surprised? Consumers are more apt to check out a product they have never heard of unless being told about it regardless of any negativity, comparisons etc.  Just hand them the fish while you are at it, no fishing pole needed.

I don’t want to keep rattling on about what consumers or how they approach things however if I get annoyed by some of the facts listed above you will expect them to get annoyed.  Take a moment and sit back (Take all the sales pitches, techniques, car dealer mumbo jumbo) out of your mind and think like a consumer.

When is too much…..too much?  

All opinions and views are based upon the author only. Jennifer Schrader

jennifergene@hotmail.com

What can be killing your business…. Buzzspeaking…! Say What Again?

Most of us have been there and still don’t remember what was said during the meeting.  As a vendor or even a salesman selling a car, speaking average terms can help boost your business.  Talking too intelligently can hurt you and turn a possible customer / client off in no time.  The only thing that Buzzspeak does for you is make you seem less intelligent than you truly are.

Buzzwords also are an excuse to talk around the bush for what we really mean to say which can be the words to close business & help our clients what they really want all along (tools to get things done).

When I listen to demos, presentations, products etc… I find myself looking for simple language. I don’t want to scratch my head wondering “What the heck was that word?” or “What does that mean?”… If I get lost, you better believe it your audience is getting lost.  Talking too much like your very educated using big words can be a burn in your business & or product.  TALK ENGLISH! I would say 1 out of 10 individuals in the conference room may get it, but what about the other 9….?

Take this for example.  If you were sitting around a large conference table with many of the big decision makers, end users and so forth and you asked “What do you need?”… The answer from them wouldn’t be, “A bunch of words that sound AWESOME!”…. The most commonly answer would be “What can you do to fix our problem.”

BUZZSPEAK WORDS TO AVOID!

PARADIGM SHIT… huh?
ENGAGE
OVERARCHING
OUT OF THE BOX
REVOLUTIONARY
GAME-CHANGING
SYNERGESTIC
BLEEDING EDGE
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
INTEGRATED
CORE COMPETENCIES
GURU
NINJA
AUTHENTIC / AUTHENTICITY
DRILL DOWN
MISSION CRTICAL
ONBOARDING

Here are a few tips to close your mouth & opening it in the pursuit of problem solving.

Simplicity: Don’t make your audience learn an entire new language. Being simple goes a long way. When you make your audience feel they are not smart enough, they don’t feel they are smart enough to do business with you. 

Time: The mother of all sins….! Amazing, super solutions don’t integrate or aggregate, they save time & money.  When you waste someone’s time is a big NO NO! Filling their ears with a bunch of crap vocabulary is not a significant way of saving time.

Usability: Offering your audience with easy-to-use solutions can prevent you from trying to teach an entire village of your solution.  By asking those to change their entire day-to-day routine won’t give you the results you expect.  Having an easy-to-use solution available to them (a 5^th grader can do attitude) helps make sense to them will take you a long way for you and your offerings.

Brilliance: Taking the moment to understand how your solutions make your client audience shine is huge.  You are not the brilliant one selling the product, your product is brilliant. Your client is the one who brought you to the table.  Having a brilliant product to solve their problems, save time and money is the best selling point.  Always study your product, know the ins and outs, research & compare. Remember your product is what is making the brilliant solution!

All views & opinions presented in this article are solely of those of the author only. Jennifer Schrader

Jennifer Schrader – jennifergene@hotmail.com (231) 360-0730

You have a Fan Page….. Now what?

You have your fan page…….. Now what?

Are you scratching your head yet on what to put on your fan page? Being in a car dealership your first instinct would be to start adding your inventory and posting specials you have for finance. Do you really think that your fans want to be bombarded with your inventory? Especially if they just purchased a car from you why do they need to see more?

Your dealership showed the best of customer service during the buying process now you need to show them you are having a fun time while on facebook.

Here are some ideas & tips to add to your fan page for your fans to be engaged.

Fun Facts: Us as humans enjoy seeing & learning about fun facts. For example “Did you know that a blue whales tongue weighs as much as an elephant”…? I didn’t know that until I start browsing fun facts the other day. I will never forget that either & yes I did tell a few people about it too from what I learned.

News: Checking out your local news stations online can provide a lot of upcoming events, intriguing news and local weather alerts.  You can also get great feedback on opinions of the consumer’s thoughts on certain news subjects. School closings are also very effective too!

Caption Photos: You can Google just about anything nowadays. Finding funny photos and offering the fan to add a creative caption to the photo can create engagement.

Local Charities: By offering the recognition of local charities can help increase visibility of your fan page. Showing them you care and spreading the word can help your fans see how involved you are.

Online Coupons: If you come across savings, coupons or offerings online; post them for the fans to see. Saving money is a big part of creating engagement and suggestion of your fan page.

Employment Opportunities: You would be surprised how this can get out with helping others, family members & friends of your fan. Posting positions on your fan page can show that you are looking at all resources to offer a position at your dealership.

School Sporting Events: Just about every school out there has a website and you can easily find any sporting events schedule to share or upcoming school event.

Just with these tidbits of ideas to post on your dealerships fan pages can help create engagement and get your dealership involved with spreading the word of news, facts, fun photos and much more. Once you keep them engaged they are considering your dealership for their next vehicle purchase.

*** All views & opinions presented in this article are solely of those of the author only. Jennifer Schrader

Merging your Friends to your “New” Fan Page

Merging your Friends to your “New” Fan Page

As you may now know that your dealership needs a business fan page & not a friend profile page. You now may be wondering why your friends aren’t merging over to your fan page. They accepted your friend request pretty fast! Why not your “Fan Page” request?

First of all you never initially earned their business in the first place to be an actual Fan.

Friend Profiles & Fan Pages are 2 different types of attractions to the branding image of your dealership. You can go “Click Crazy” on selecting friends to build them up however trying to get them to actually “Like” your business page is a lot different.

Let’s say you taken action by creating an entire new Dealership Fan Page and go over to your wall on your Friend Profile to request them to like your page. 10-15% of them will jump right on it to “Like” your page however the remaining amount of friends don’t actually do it.  

What’s in it for them?

Here are some tips & tricks to help you merge your friends to be an actual Fan of your page.

1. Requesting on your friend wall to “Like” your new dealership fan page. This is the first step you will want to take for the 10-15% to jump over to your page and “Like” it.
2. Requesting to “Share” the link to their friends to “Like” your page
3. Sending a notification to all of your friends about the new change & why. Providing a reason why can help better merge those friends to fans then having to beat around the bush.
4. Start notifying all new sales from your dealership of the correct fan page for them to “Like” after their purchase.
5. When sending out a message to all of your friends, offer them something from the dealership.
   Oil Changes for Free
   % off maintenance
   Key Chains (Small promotional items)
   $ off their next purchase or more for their trade in
   Discount on tires
   Gas Cards
   Gift Cards
   Remember “What’s in it for them”….!
   Send out letters to past customers about your new Fan page
   Include the Fan page name all direct mail, TV Ads, Newspaper ads & radio. Taking advantage of traditional media outlets can be beneficial to get the proper page name out there for your dealership

There is going to be some blood, sweat & tears trying to move that base of friends over to your fan page. Keep in mind if it was done properly the first time on creating a social media for your dealership you wouldn’t be in this position.

Building fans is another story however working with what you have right now can be a benefit to start building that fan base for your dealership.

*** All views & opinions presented in this article are solely of those of the author only. Jennifer Schrader

Jennifer Schrader jennifergene@hotmail.com (231) 360-0730

What to look for when hiring an internal Social Media Manager!

Taking your dealership social is one task however seeking an Internal Social Media Manager is another. With so many new things happening daily, weekly & monthly for your dealership is entirely more than a plateful of tasks for an individual. You may have considered your Internet Manager, In-The-Middle Salesman, Office Manager etc. Going social is a full time task to not be taken seriously & effectively.

Here are a few tips for you & your dealership to consider before hiring and looking for in an internal Social Media Manager

Common Sense: “Huh um what’s that?”
Having an individual with common sense can take your social media further than you think. There is no need to speak in hefty tech terms, just plain & simple common sense. They know enough to be dangerous technically but also have the ability to speak with you like a normal person. Remember they are going to be the one to talk about your product to your social consumer.

Community Connections: “Connect with us”
How involved are they within your community & what contacts might they have? This can be beneficial for them as they will be willing to reach out to them for their support and spreading the word of your dealerships promotions, events & contest. When you treat them good your social media manager will believe in your product which will then trickle down to promoting your product effectively & successfully.

Sold Cars Before: “We got a great deal for you”
Have they sold products to the public eye? This comes down to having that trait of common sense. Being in the eye of the public providing services and products to benefit the consumer’s needs can be a reassuring for your piece of mind when selling socially & communicating.

Loves to Interact: “Please engage with me!”
If they are not fun to interact with just think of how they may interact with your social consumer. Seeking an individual that is fun to interact with, gets involved with the conversation & enjoys seeking engagement can be a plus when posting to other walls, communities & fans.

Pays Attention to Detail: “You said what? My bad”
Paying attention to detail is what the social consumer is looking for. Being warped in the world of the internet searches, websites, guides, information and such. Having an individual that makes sure they are paying attention to detail can be considered an expert to the social consumer. Overlooking a complaint, request can backfire as the social consumer can spread negative reviews quickly via social networks.

Ideas & Suggestions: “Check this out”
Full of ideas and suggestions is a quality driven by social media managers. Listen to what they have to suggest. This can spark a creative bug within yourself in marketing efforts for your dealership. If they have ideas and they are excited about them, there is a confidence level that can make the ideas become a reality to your dealership.

Stick to your guns: “Hold it partner; I love yah but hold It”
Or I should say sense of humor but knows where to stand firm. Having a sense of humor can help with creating more engagement to the social consumer. Looking for fun things to create & stick a conversation is great by getting your brand in front of them however sticking to their guns on expert opinions, advice & information is another. Make sure your social media manager as all the information about your dealership and product. It’s no fun chasing a GM, GSM or sales manager around for a little bit of information.

No Drama: “You ain’t my baby’s daddy!
I had to throw that in. Drama can be a wrecking ball to your dealership. You don’t want a social media manager that is constantly steering up drama as this can be funneled down to your social media and branding of your dealership. If they are someone that is involved with helping resolve an issue & not stoking the fire, can be a great help with trying to resolve internal issues within the staff. If they spend more time gossiping then engaging socially, they are not a match for your dealership social efforts.

When you are on the prowl looking for that one person that sticks out, strikes a conversation with you and simply says hello with a big smile on their face, they may be just that right candidate you are looking for while searching for a Social Media Manager.

Social Media – “It’s not Rocket Science” its common sense!

*** All views & opinions presented in this article are solely of those of the author only. Jennifer Schrader

Jennifer Schrader
jennifergene@hotmail.com (231) 360-0730

Who’s behind the wheel in driving your social media?

Who’s behind the wheel in driving your social media?

The fun thing about driving I find is how much you can tell from the driver in front of you and sometimes coming toward you. Are they brake happy, swerve when on their cell phone, constantly looking down texting or staying way below the speed limit.

This brings me to the subject of “Who’s behind the wheel in driving your social media”

Brake Happy: always hitting the brakes, bad habit? Or just loves to put a halt to all things at any giving time.  This can be an issue within the dealership when trying to start up a promotion, event or contest.  Always hitting the brakes can hurt your strategy you have obtained within your dealership to properly promote your fan page.  Being brake happy can also cause an issue with non post throughout the day or just once a week.  Staying social means daily!

Swerve when on their cell phone: this relates to getting too many things thrown at you once if you are doing your social media dealership.  Start on a path then swerving around it once you get another task put in place in front of you.  Being in a dealership this can happen more than we like to admit too.  You then find yourself pushing your social media strategy to the side and not properly maintaining it. Again, Staying social means daily!

Constantly looking down while texting: texting while driving. All it takes it to pay attention and keep aware of what is going on with your dealership & social relations you have within the dealership and your surrounding area. If you are looking down and away you may just pass up that opportunity that is right in front of you.

Staying below the speed limit: 45 in a 55… I think you get my point.  Especially when you have an appointment you are trying to get too.  If you are the driver, not staying on track and up to speed can hurt your dealership promoting on facebook.  Next thing you know you have other dealers driving right past you. Keep on track and in pace with the speed of social media.  Now if you are the driver behind the one driving below the speed limit, this can factor in on being held back from getting to where you need to be at.  Having the management team be fully behind you in marketing your social media can and will be successful to your efforts & your dealership branding.

Being a good driver can help you be successful within your dealership social media.

*** All views & opinions presented in this article are solely those of the author only. Jennifer Schrader

Jennifer Schrader
jennifergene@hotmail.com

Why the Gen Y is in the Driver’s Seat & why we need to Pay Attention!

Why the Gen Y is in the driver’s seat & why we need to pay attention!

Are we still assuming the customer will come to you because of you? Or better yet said “They will come to you because of you?”  

Place your seat in an upright position and think again! You may end up kicking your own rear down the road.

A study was conducted earlier this year by Deloitte, which intrigued me about the Gen Y shopper & how important it is to “Simply Pay Attention” & conducting your Social Media Strategy the right way. They were able to determine:

• How the approach shopping for vehicles from start to finish
• Their experience with the service received from Automotive Customer Service
• The impact social media has made
• Their view of jobs that are held in the auto industry
• Their underlying perception of automotive brands

You or your dealership may be thinking that the Gen Y shopper is all about new vehicles, yes they do think newer is better but not with vehicles.  More than 69% of the Gen Y will purchase a used vehicle in the near future.

Value is an important factor for 2011. As 67% of the Gen Y shopper claimed that the product recalls over this past year were a concern however the good news is more than 67% would still consider the brand despite the recall.

This now comes down to Brand Loyalty. 48 % of the Gen Y expects to be driving the same brand of vehicle in 5 years.  But hold your horses on that one as I get further down into the statistical information all that is listed determinations can make an impact for the Gen Y to switch brands.

How does your Domestic vs. foreign brands stack up next to each other for the Gen Y? 46.9% of the Gen Y says it is important to buy a U.S. OEM brand! But 50.8% say it’s important to buy a vehicle manufactured in the USA regardless of the brand.

With that in mind, 73% of Gen Y says they prefer an import brand which is up from 48% in 2009.

Now we are starting to get to the goodies here with the Purchasing Power & Influence the Gen Y can have for the Gen X & Baby boomers!   70% of the Gen Y is more likely to influence & sway a friend’s vehicle purchase; 60% of Gen X & 50% of Baby boomers claim the same also on influence.

With the Gen Y being such a large impact of influence, 61% directly influence their parent’s final decision on purchasing the vehicle.

Looking at peers & their thinking, Gen Y cares! 88.7% reach out to their friends for opinions about a brand / model before purchasing a vehicle & 79.6% say their friends have a large influence on their purchasing decision too.

With the large influence that is coming from friends, family and so forth; Social Media is playing a large role in the influence. The Gen Y shopper, which accounted for more than 67%, has looked for information on a specific vehicle brand or model within the social networking sites. This is up 25% from the 2009 survey Deloitte had conducted.

While the Gen Y is still in the bowl of unsatisfied with the overall dealership experience, 56% of them avoid face-to-face interaction with the dealership all together.  They would rather work over the internet to fully purchase their vehicle.  Test Drives? 82% of them would like to test drive a vehicle for 24 hours…..! So be prepared when they are looking for a nice test drive and not wanting to buy right then and there.

Over 53% of the Gen Y says that working in the US Auto Industry was not appealing to them at all.

My question to you is how do you perceive this about the Gen Y shopper? Do you just let them do their own thing socially as again their influence is more of an impact than you as a salesperson or do you assume they are buying from you specifically?

Just take a moment to think to yourself of how many friends & family the Gen Y has at their fingertips. Their influence won’t just make an impact to the social grounds but also build your brand of higher recognition.

Pay Attention!

Jennifer Schrader

Visit us on Facebook!

jennifer@ignitexds.com or (231) 360-0730

### By creating a proper social media strategy for your dealership is the most important part of properly marketing to the Gen Y customer.  Not going in with a plan can come back and lose your influence to the public and the community.  If you don’t have a strategy for your social media please contact us so we can help you take the proper steps into making an impact to your community via social media and to the Gen Y customer. Why? It’s what we do best at Ignite XDS.