car nation canada - social media guide

2016SOCIALMEDIAGUIDE

INTRODUCTION

Why Social Media?

Role of the Social Media Specialist

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

Facebook

Twitter

Youtube

Instagram

Google+

SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES

General Guidelines

Goo.gl

CONTENT SCHEDULE

Content Details

Schedule

Social Media Scoring System

Social Media Access Information

02

03

06

07

08

10

11

14

15

18

30

36

37

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Why Social Media?

Social media is a digital-based platform that allows users to interact and socialize with friends, family, co-workers, other users, and engage with brands. It provides us with the opportunity to engage with a large, accessible database of previous customers and potential future customers. Most social Media platforms have advanced marketing tools that allow us to access a specific audience through paid promotions.

Customers who do online research during the shopping process of purchasing a vehicle are very likely to visit your website, review sites, and social media pages to learn more about your dealership. Quality posts and audience engagement on your social media platforms sends a positive signal to your potential customer.

Social media possesses a unique set of characteristics that must be considered when preparing your message in order to reach the audience you intend to reach. Every communication should start with a clearly defined goal such as driving traffic to your store or a particular area of your website (e.g. sale promotions), or enhancing the brand of your dealership (e.g. “How-to” videos, Feature Vehicle videos).

SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE 2016

3

Role of the Social Media Specialist

The Social Media Specialist is our dedicated in-house social media champion for the dealership. Your dealership relies on you to ensure your social media pages are properly maintained and filled with quality content for your audience.

You are responsible for posting regular content on all social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Much of the content you produce for one of these platforms can be used across all other platforms.

The most effective approach to this role is to maintain daily communication with your General Manager to ensure you have the resources to get your job done. These resources include time allocated to produce social media content, regular participation from other staff members, and news on any upcoming special events or happenings at the dealership. Proper communication and working with other staff members with other staff is key to social media success.

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

6

2016 SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE

FACEBOOKFacebook is the most popular and widely used of all social

media platforms, and therefore has the largest database

of potential customers. Facebook allows you to share text,

images, and video content, and has advanced marketing tools

that allow us to share this content with an extended audience

within a targeted geographic area.

Example Post:

Text is straight to the point and provides enough enticing information for the customer to want to learn more.

Professional and timely response to a consumer inquiry.

High quality, relevant image that showcases the dealership’s product, and will catch the eye of the consumer.

Links generated using ‘goo.gl’ that link to relevant pages of the dealership’s website.

1

4

3

2


7

TWITTERTwitter enables its users to get up-to-date live information from

their favourite celebrities, athletes, and brands. Brands can use

Twitter to share text, picture, and video content, and to engage

in actual conversations with their customer. One unique charac-

teristic of Twitter over other social media platforms is that users

can discover and engage in conversations with other users

without many restrictions; in fact, this is almost expected on

Twitter. Twitter has recently added advanced marketing tools

that allow us to promote our content to an extended audience

with fine-tune targeting capabilities.

Example Post:

Text that entices the user to click a link to thearticle on the Car Nation Canada blog.

Link was generated using the ‘goo.gl’ service.

Image that provides further context about whatthe user can expect when they click on the link. This image also supports to the text in enticing the customer to click the link to our website.

1

2

8


YOUTUBEYouTube is the 4th most visited website in Canada, and is

owned by the company whose website holds the top 2 spots in

this ranking, Google. YouTube provides us the opportunity to

share video content, and to have that video content

discovered by potential consumers. Our dealerships take

two different approaches to creating content on YouTube.

1. OEM New Model Reviews

The strategy behind this approach is to create a

‘brochure-style’ video that is directed at consumers in the

research phase of the car-buying process. You are not

discussing price or anything related to promotions of the

vehicle, you are providing in-depth information about all

features of this vehicle. As a representative of your OEM

dealership, you are a professional on this brand and you are

sharing your expert knowledge with the consumer. By proving

yourself as a knowledgeable professional, your potential

customer sees you and your dealership as the place to

purchase the vehicle they’re interested in because they know

they can trust you and you’ve already passed the ‘first

impression’ stage.

2. Customer Videos

The purpose of these videos are to provide a customer who

has expressed interest in a particular vehicle with a customized

walk-around video of that particular vehicle. A product advisor

will shoot a short 2-3 minute video reviewing the exterior and

interior of the vehicle of interest. The Product Advisor should

provide information about the selling features of the vehicle,

as well as the imperfections of the vehicle so that there are no

surprises when the customer comes to the dealership to see

the vehicle.

9


Example Post:

Title includes Year, Make, Model and Trim Level of the vehicle. The title also includes the dearship name. Each of these terms is separated by the vertical slash ‘I’ for readability purposes.

Description includes clicable link to dealership website, a brief description of the video containing relevant search terms that consumers may use to find the video.

Links to related video from the Unique Chrysler channel for consumers who want to learn more about his model

Purchase info and contact details for Product Advisor who presents in the video.

Google Maps link to dealership location. Works on desktop and mobile.

1

2

3

4

5

10


INSTAGRAMInstagram enables its users to share image and video content, and

also provides the user with editing tools to produce aesthetically

pleasing images through the use of ‘filters’. Brands can use

Instagram to engage with their audience by sharing interesting,

brand-relevant content. Successful brands create a content

theme and post consistently.

Example Post:

Quality image of rare vehicle trim levels.

Brife description of the image that provides context as to what makes this image interesting.

Use of hashtags to provide context to the user, and enable this content to be discovered by other users.

1

2

2


11

Example Post:

Brief description that entices the reader to want to read more about a Chrysler product.

Google+ uses the ‘hashtag’ tool, as well as the ‘+’ tool to tag other pages and users.

Goo.gl URL links to the article on the Car Nation Canada blog.

Quality image that catches the viewer’s attention and entices them to want to learn more.

1

2

3

GOOGLE+Social media’s big up-and-comer has really arrived over the

past few years. By combining the best of Facebook and

Twitter into one site – and backing it by the power of the

world’s largest search engine, Google has given users a social

site that has a little something for everyone. You can add new

content, highlight topics with hashtags, and even separate

contacts into circles.

SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES

14


GENERAL GUIDELINES

Professionalism

As a representative of a Car Nation Canada

dealership, and of a manufacturer brand (e.g.

Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, Kia, etc.) you must

approach all social media communications in

a professional manner. This includes language,

grammar, and tone of voice. If you are uncertain

about how to approach a situation (e.g. an irate

customer), please contact the Marketing Manager

immediately, or consult with your General

Manager to find a solution.

Commitment to Quality

Think of your social media platform as a TV

Network (or channel); are you more likely to grow

and maintain an audience through quality

programming, or through a high-volume of

low-effort programs? Car Nation Canada

dealerships seek to provide our customer with

quality information and content. We stick to

what we know best – cars. We are automotive

professionals and we share our expertise with

our audience so that they are informed, and

they know we are credible experts on everything

related to our industry and our brands (e.g. Ford,

Chrysler, Nissan, Kia, etc.).

Measure Your Efforts

In order to know how our audience is responding

to our content (engagement), we must track and

measure our efforts. Many social media platforms

use ‘likes’, ‘shares’, ‘regrams, ‘retweets’, and

other engagement tools that allow customers to

express how they feel about your content - these

are easy to track. However, measuring how

many people have clicked your links to visit your

website must be done using Google’s ‘goo.gl’

link generating service. All posts must contain a

link to a relevant page on your website, and all

links must be generated using Google’s

‘goo.gl’ service.

15


Google provides a free service that can be used to generate

trackable links. Follow these steps to generate a link that you

will use for your social media posts.

1. Sign in to your dealership’s Google account.

2. Type the following into your browser: goo.gl

3. Double-check on the top right side of the page to ensure

you are signed in to the appropriate Google account. If

you are not signed in, you cannot track the number of

clicks on your link.

4. Copy the URL you wish to generate a goo.gl link for

5. Paste the link into the box that says “Paste your long

URL here:”

6. Click “Shorten URL”

7. A shortened URL will appear on the right side of the

page, beside the “Shorten URL” button.

8. Copy this shortened URL link (CTRL+C on your

keyboard, or Right-click > Copy)

9. Paste (CTRL+V, or Right-click > Paste)

To see how many people have clicked on a link, simply sign

into your Google account and visit “goo.gl”. A List of your

generated links will appear in a chronological order, starting

with the most recent link generated.

GOO.GL

CONTENT SCHEDULES

18


CONTENT DETAILS

Employee of the Month

Each dealership has an Employee of the Month,

as chosen by the General Manager of the

Dealership. Recognize this ‘Employee of the

Month’ by including them in a social media post

that feaures the Employee of the Month. Be sure

to include a quote from the GM as to why the

Employee was chosen as Employee of the Month.

One option is to do an interview with the individual.

Questions to include in the interview may include:

(1) What is your position at the dealership? (2)

How do you deliver a great experience for our

customers? (3) What is your favourite thing about

working at the dealership? For a better interview

experience, come up with your own ideas to

showcase the Employee of the Month.

Relevant links:

Employee profile on DealerRater.ca

See why our customers rate John Smith 4.5/5

stars: http://goo.gl/link

Link to Specials from Employee’s department

See current Service special offers here: http://

goo.gl /link

Media Formats:

Image

Take a photo of the staff member and summarize

the interview in text.

Video

Record a video of the interview. In text, include

a quote from your GM as to why this person was

selected for Employee of the Month.

19


VEHICLE HIGHLIGHT /FEATURE SERIES

This is set up to be a weekly video series that

features a specific vehicle and showcases all the

features of this vehicle. This idea is especially

geared toward our OEM stores (Chrysler, Ford,

Kia, Nissan, etc.) and requires the involvement of

a Product Advisor. Select a newly arrived 2016

vehicle, and do an in-depth review over multiple

video segments on that vehicle. This video series

can have as many segments as you’d like, but

should have at least 3 segments per week.

Here is what your video series should look like over one week:

1. Select a trim level of a particular 2016 model

2016 Ford Explorer Limited.

2. Select features to highlight (consult with

Product Advisors) and plan what will be

covered in each video segment.

Video 1 – Overview

Focus on new design upgrades – front

grille, sharper lines all over, revised

tail lamps, integrated exhaust outlets,

new rims.

Mention other new updates that will be

covered in upcoming videos segments

including new engines, technology

and media.

Video 2 – Focus on new Engines

Video 3 – Focus on new technology

and media center

3. Combine all videos into one video and post

on YouTube as completed review.

Relevant links to include in the post:

1. Current Manufacturer sales specials

2. Available Inventory (of model from video)

Media Formats:

Image

Ideally this should be a video series, but you can

use images. Create a collage, or use an image

of the specific topic or feature you’d like to

discuss in your post. Keep text brief as multiple

paragraphs may deter people from reading

your post.

Video

please refer to step-by-step instruction above

your post.

20


MAINTENANCE MONDAY“Maintenance Monday” gives you a chance to promote our

Service department and access their knowledge about proper

maintenance of a vehicle. These posts should focus on a

specific part of the vehicle such as tires, brakes, windshields,

or the battery. There are 52 weeks in a year, which means it is

possible that there could be 52 “Maintenance Monday” posts

throughout the year, so be sure not to cover everything in one

video. Refer to the Social Media Schedule below for

“Maintenance Monday” ideas for the winter months.

Relevant links:

1. Current Service Specials

2. Contact us page (to set up Service Appointment)

Media Formats:

Video

A video enables you to provide better detailed and depth of

explanation than an image. Involve your Service Advisor or

Mechanic in these videos and use an ‘interview-style’

approach is necessary.

21


“HOW-TO” VIDEOThe “How-to” video is an educational or informational piece

that focuses on a specific feature of a vehicle. You may

explain how to use a specific feature of a vehicle, or how to

identify when a vehicle needs to come in for maintenance.

Consider the following topics for your ‘how-to’ videos, as they

are the most commonly searched ‘how-to’ automotive search

terms on Google:

1. How to connect/sync your phone to Bluetooth

2. How to use voice command controls

3. How to navigate through the media center

4. How to use Safety technology, including Blind Spot

warning, Lane Departure warning, etc.

5. How to tell when you should change your oil

6. How to turn off check engine light

7. How to clean headlights

8. How to adjust headlights

9. How to repair car paint

10. How to fix rust on a car

11. How to stop car rust

12. How to protect car from rust

13. How to remove car scratches

14. How to remove deep scratches from car

15. How to change a flat tire

16. How to check tire pressure

17. How to change a wiper blade

18. How to replace tail light


1. Inventory page of vehicle featured in the video

2. Sales special if model has monthly incentive

3. Service Specials if topic is Service-related

Media Formats:

Video

A video enables you to provide better detailed and depth of

explanation than an image.

22


SALES AND SPECIALS

An overabundance of Sales and Specials promotional posts on

our social media platforms will create a poor experience for our

audience, which includes potential future customers and

current customers. However, one post per week that focuses

on current Sales and Specials at the dealership is a healthy

amount and will actually be valuable information to customers

who are interested or are considering purchasing a vehicle.

Provide your audience with a creative approach to these types

of posts and you’ll see a significant increase in engagement

from your potential customers.

Relevant links to include in your post:

1. Current Manufacturer incentives

2. Inventory that relates to the sale

3. Contact Us accompanied by a suggestion that the

customer should set up an appointment with one

of our staff at the dealership

Media Formats:

Picture

Use a delivery picture, or a picture of the employee who is

included in the review

Video

Use the video format to convey enthusiasm and a sense of

urgency for the customer to take advantage of the offer

available during your event.

23


Sharing recent customer reviews can have a positive impact

on both current customers, as well as future potential

customers. For current customers (people who have

purchased vehicles from us in the past), seeing positive

reviews on our social media platforms reaffirms their decision

in purchasing their vehicle from your dealership, and instills

confidence in them to ‘spread the word’ about your

dealership. For future customers, it provides them with an

unbiased third party opinion about the dealership and these

customer reviews mayeven address any concerns the

customer may have before deciding to purchase a vehicle

from your dealership.


1. Dealership Reviews page on dealership website

2. Specific inventory page related to the vehicle purchased

by the reviewer (e.g. if customer purchased 2015 Nissan

Maxima, link to your current 2015 Nissan Maxima

inventory search results)

Media Formats:

Image

Use a delivery picture, or a picture of the employee who is

included in the review.

REVIEWS

24


DELIVERY PICTURE

Take a picture with your happy customer upon delivery of their

vehicle, in front of your dealership. Be sure to obtain permission

from the customer before you take the picture and post on

social media. You may also ask them to look out for the picture

on a specific social media page and suggest they share the

post on their page (share, retweet, regram, etc.).


1. Dealership Reviews page on dealership website

2. Employee (Product Advisor) profile on DealerRater.ca

Available Inventory similar to customer’s vehicle (e.g. if

customer purchased 2015 Nissan Maxima, link to your

current 2015 Nissan Maxima inventory search results)

Media Formats:

Image

Include your customer, their vehicle, and their Product

Advisor. Be sure to block out their license plate number for

privacy purposes.

25


Come up with a theme or a regular format to showcase the

staff at your dealership so that current and future potential

customers can get familiar with the staff they can expect to

meet in store. Current (past) customers can benefit from this

as people who have purchased a vehicle may be looking to

bring their vehicle in to the Service Department and may not

have met the staff when they purchased their vehicle.


1. Employee profile on DealerRater.ca

Media Formats:

Image

include a relevant image in your post.

Video

if your post needs further explanation, use the video format.

STAFF INTERVIEW

26


USED VEHICLE OF THE WEEK

Select a vehicle that is available at a great price, or is unique

and feature this vehicle as the “Pre-owned Vehicle of the

Week”. Be sure to provide potential customers with some of

the more exciting details about the value in order to build value.

Invite the potential customers to book an appointment to view

this vehicle in store.


1. Inventory details page for this particular vehicle

2. Contact Us page from dealership website

Media Formats:

Image

create a collage and/or be sure to provide sufficient information

in the text portion of this post.

Video

be sure to highlight a few select key features of this vehicle.

27


WHY VISIT YOUR DEALERSHIP?

This post is targeted to consumers who are doing last minute

research before visiting dealerships on the weekend. Use this

post to highlight a wide variety of the dealership’s “selling

features” to the customer. Simply put, answer the question

“why should a potential customer visit your dealership this

weekend?”. Reasons may include an exclusive weekend-only

sale, newly arrived inventory, giveaway with purchase of

vehicle, time of year (e.g. get your snow tires on/off before the

rush), updates to showroom, etc.


1. Depending on the topic of your post, you may include

a link to your inventory, specials page, staff profile on

DealerRater.ca, etc.

Media Formats:

Image

include a relevant image in your post.

Video

if your post requires further explanition, use the video format.

SCHEDULE

Sales/Special

How-to Video

Delivery Pic

Sales/Special

How-to Video

Delivery Pic

Sales/Special

How-to Video

Delivery Pic

Sales/Special

How-to Video

Delivery Pic

Vehicle Highlight 1

Maintenance Monday –Winter Tires

Vehicle Highlight 1

Maintenance Monday – Wiper Blades

Vehicle Highlight 1

Maintenance Monday –Fluid Levels

Vehicle Highlight 1

Maintenance Monday –

Winter Safety KitsJAN

UA

RY

201

6

5

12

19

26

3

10

17

24

31

292827

4

11

18

25

Sunday Monday Tuesday

3130


New Years Resolution

Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 3

Reviews

Why visit your dealership?

Vehicle Highlight 3

Reviews


Vehicle Highlight 3

Reviews


Vehicle Highlight 3

Reviews


Used Vehicle of the Week

How-to Video

Delivery Pic


How-to Video

Delivery Pic


How-to Video

Delivery Pic


How-to Video

Delivery Pic

13

20

27

14

21

28

15

22

29

16

23

30

6 7

1

8

2

9

Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Sales/Special

How-to Video

Delivery Pic

Sales/Special

How-to Video

Delivery Pic

Sales/Special

How-to Video

Delivery Pic

Sales/Special

How-to Video

Delivery Pic

Vehicle Highlight 1

Maintenance Monday –Alignment

Vehicle Highlight 1

Maintenance Monday –Undercoating

FEB

RU

AR

Y 2

016

9

16

7

14

8

15


1 2

Family Day Valentine’s Day Post

Family Day Post

2624

31

25

2321

28

22

29

Vehicle Highlight 1

Maintenance Monday –Heating System Inspection


Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 3

Reviews

Valentine’s Day Post

Family Day Post

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day Post

Family Day Post

Vehicle Highlight 3

Reviews


Vehicle Highlight 3

Reviews


Vehicle Highlight 3

Reviews



How-to Video

Delivery Pic


How-to Video

Delivery Pic


How-to Video

Delivery Pic


How-to Video

Delivery Pic

17 18 19 20

10

3

11

4 5

12

6

13

27 28 29 30

24 25 26 27


Sales/Special

How-to Video

Delivery Pic

Sales/Special

How-to Video

Delivery Pic


How-to Video

Delivery Pic

Sales/Special

How-to Video

Delivery Pic

Sales/Special

How-to Video

Delivery Pic

Vehicle Highlight 1

Maintenance Monday –ABS Brakes

Vehicle Highlight 1

Maintenance Monday –Engine Belt(s) Inspection

Vehicle Highlight 1

Maintenance Monday –Battery

MA

RC

H 2

016

22

15

29

6

20

13

27

7

21

14

28

8

1

2321

28

22

29

Vehicle Highlight 1

Maintenance Monday –Brakes, Pads, and Rotors


Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 2

Reviews

Staff Interview

Vehicle Highlight 3

Reviews


Vehicle Highlight 3

Reviews


Vehicle Highlight 3

Reviews


Good Friday

Vehicle Highlight 3

Reviews



How-to Video

St. Patrick’s Day Post


How-to Video

Delivery Pic


How-to Video

Delivery Pic


How-to Video

Easter Weekend


How-to Video

Delivery Pic

23

16

30

24

17

31

25

18

26

19

9

2

10

3

11

4

12

5

24 25 26 27


36


SOCIAL MEDIA SCORING SYSTEMThe Social Media Scoring system attributes points to different elements of social media

activity, and is used to rank our dealerships on a weekly basis.

The scoring system not only tracks the activity, but also the results of that activity. Points are

awarded for content published, as well as the level of engagement from the audience (e.g.

Likes, Shares, etc.) The strategy behind the social media scoring system encourages proper

social media practices and will continue to evolve as social media practice changes.

Notes: Links must be using the Goo.gl format and must link to your dealership website, CarNationCanada.com, or your dealership’s (or staff) DealerRater.ca page.

Note: Engagement posts are only awarded to activity from non-staff, as the goal of social media is to reach our customers and potential future customers.

In addition, staff are expected to engage with their respective dealership’s social media pages on a regular basis.

Post Type Value

Activity: Posts

Facebook Post w /Picture

Facebook Post + Links

Facebook Video

Facebook Video + Links

Instagram

Twitter Post w /Picture

Twitter Post & Link

YouTube New Video

YouTube Customer Video

YouTube Vehicle Highlight Video

Activity: Engagement

Facebook Post “Like”

Facebook Post “Share”

Twitter “Favourite”

Twitter “Retweet”

Instagram “Like”

Positive Comment on Post

YouTube Video “Likes”

5

10

10

15

5

5

10

40

5

20

10

20

5

20

5

10

5

37


SOCIAL MEDIA ACCESS INFORMATION

Platform Username Password

YouTube/Google+/Goo.gl

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

WE TREAT YOU LIKE FAMILY

ContributorsAndrew Slomka, Marketing Manager

Carreras Lou, Graphic Designer

Car Nation Canada4315 North Service Road.

Burlington, Ontario

CarNationCanada.com

car nation canada - social media guide

Documents