Should a Stop in Social Media-ville be on Your Travel Agenda?

You’re a dealer.  You’re driving along the car selling interstate, minding your own business, focusing on your own instrument panel of metrics when those dreaded lights flash in your rear view mirror.  Behind you, on a motorcycle no less, is the OEM telling you to pull over.  You do so, pull out your financial statements and composites they may ask for, and roll down the window.  As they approach, they tell you that you need to get off the car-selling interstate and take the information highway to Social Media-ville.

Many dealers are being asked (by the OEM or their industry peers) to slow down when driving through Social Media-ville.  “Get out of the car and spend some time there.  You’ll like it.”  So you have to ask them “For what purpose?  I’m making good time and I see no need to stop.”  If you don’t have the people in place to manage it or the goals set to invest time in it, why should you even let up on the accelerator?  Why on Earth would you want to have anyone in your dealership slow down their car-selling efforts to take a peek around Social Media-ville?  If it isn’t going to be a major boon to your sold unit or service RO volume, what all the fuss is about?

These are all great questions.  There is no reason to make Social Media-ville a stop on your travels unless you are prepared to set-up shop.  Sure, countless other dealerships have gone to Social Media-ville and love it there.  The weather is nice, they live at your own pace, they are active in the community and their business has thrived in the environment because of their participation.

However, others haven’t been so lucky.  They changed their travel plans on a whim and moved into town hoping their presence alone would be enough to get them invited to the car-selling party.  Sadly, this is not the case.  Before visiting Social Media-ville, a dealer must have a strategy on how to become acclimated when they arrive.  If a dealer is unwilling to be an eager, energetic participant in the community, they will see your online property value decline.  Why?  Because they don’t know why they should have a home there in the first place.

So if you are doing well on the road to the sale that you are on, and do not have the time, willingness, staff, or know-how to be a worthy citizen in Social Media-ville, I kindly ask you to keep driving.  Nothing to see here.  No need to clutter up our hamlet with tourists who contribute nothing to our conversations.  Follow the street signs out of town and don’t come back until you are ready to bring something new and interesting to the party.

Are you ready for a trip to Social Mediaville?