Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/394657
MTD October 2014 Social media 1. Deciding on your social media. Although most social media sites are laden with teens and Millennials (members of the Millennial Generation, or Generation Y) who share news and communicate about the latest trends, the fastest-growing demographic within Facebook and Twiter users span ages 55 to 70 and ages 45 to 54, respectively. Given the older age statistics of these social networks, social media moderators for retailers and retreaders can strategize how to communicate efectively to those age groups. When developing a social media strategy and deciding which mediums are most benefcial to your company, "Te dealer needs to think about his demographic, his core audiences," Taylor says. "Are they a lot of suburban moms? Do they make up a large amount of their audience? If so, they may want to look at Pinterest. If their audience is a lot of gearheads and of-road enthusiasts, I think Twiter and Instagram would be benefcial. Really think about who your core audiences are and go from there." 2. Finding a focus. Decide what you want the bulk of your content to be. Once you have a content outline or a defning idea of how you want to come across online, follow that plan. Take Best-One Tire & Service, based in South Bend, Ind., for example. Also a Top 10-ranked retreader and strong retailer, Best-One focuses on the retail deals on Facebook: oil change discounts, service specials, even the Best-One credit card that allows customers to charge now and pay in increments. Te chain runs numerous videos on YouTube, including "Best One Tires & Service installing new drive tires." 3. Defning your personality. Tis might take time to develop, but think about the personality of your store/plant and how to relay that into an online persona people will understand. Purcell Tire & Rubber Co., the eighth largest commercial dealership in the U.S., takes a non-traditional approach: It doesn't share basic company information with its 9,000-plus followers on Facebook. Te bulk of Purcell's Facebook content is news about bizarre concept vehicles, photos of elegant classics and occasional open-ended ques- tions for people to answer. Purcell's approach might seem odd to some, but all of the content is related to the auto industry in some form. Entertain- ment value keeps people coming back, and fun-yet-informative posts is one method of doing just that. 4. Staying Current. Once you've set up your company's social media page or account, upkeep is essential. Whether you're doing two posts a day or two posts a week depends on what kind of content you're sharing (news vs. photos, etc.). Regardless, an online presence in the form of new material is paramount to your success. Posting regularly and scheduling specifc posts for specifc days will give your online followers expectations, and will keep them coming back for more. If customers praise you, thank them. If they rant about a bad experience, fnd out as quickly as possible how to alleviate the problem. Users who see an outdated profle might be of-put and might choose a diferent provider for the tires or parts they need. It's important for the moderator to be logged in and check the profles multiple times per day to catch customer com- ments and news as it happens. And he or she should always have the last word in a series of comments, even if it's a simple, "Tanks again." ' We're fguring it out' Social media has been a work in progress for 10 years. "Now that tire dealers realize how important (social media) is, a lot of them have risen to the occasion," Taylor says. "Tey're strug- gling, but they're heading in the right direction. Tey're smart people. Tey're smart businesspeople. Tey'll fgure it out, and they'll continue to fgure it out. We're all fguring it out." ■ Justin Whaley is a social media professional based in St. Louis. As a feelance writer, his other works have appeared in GQ, Nylon Guys and city magazines throughout Missouri. In addition to its non-traditional approach on Face- book, Purcell Tire posted videos on YouTube explain- ing commercial vehicle servicing and auto repairs. Quik-Link: 800-687-1557 ext. 21125 44 44