There is no question that we are living in the digital age and social media consumption is growing. Having a strong, consistent, and cohesive brand on social media will help you stand out from competitors and provide your customers with information about who you are and what they can expect when arriving at your dealership. Continue reading to explore the significance of understanding your brand’s messaging and voice, as well as how to stay on top of a posting schedule to keep your brand on track.
Brand Messaging
Whether you are just starting to post on social media or you are rebranding, it is important to first decide on the type of content you intend to share with your clients. This can include customer testimonials, dealership photos, automotive tips, sales posts, employee highlights, and so much more. The posts can be a mix of photos, graphics, videos, and gifs. Any or all of these messaging types can be utilized on one social media page with a carefully thought-out strategy.
If your social media followers are familiar with your dealership posting photos of available inventory and current specials, they may be confused by an off-brand message such as a photo of the amazing meal you cooked for dinner last night. There is a time and a place for sharing delicious food pics; however, if keeping a professional brand is important to you, save the lifestyle photos for your personal page!
Brand Voice
Once the decision is made on what content will be shared, the next step is the style in which it is shared. Brand voice is the language you use in order to represent your dealership in a way that you would like to be perceived. Would you like to represent yourself as a serious and sophisticated dealership? Do you want to share that you are a family-friendly establishment? Brand voice is built by learning about your audience through interactions with customers in the dealership. You can take that knowledge and continue to the conversation online.
Examples of variations in brand voice could be the use of punctuation, capital letters, and emojis. Tonality changes drastically based on the voice used:
BIG NEWS!!! We are offering 0% APR financing ALL MONTH LONG 😀
This month, ABC Motors is offering 0% APR financing on all new vehicles.
Both captions provide the same message but are said in very different tones. The best part is, neither is right or wrong! Your brand voice is what resonates best with your customers and followers, so experiment to see what sticks.
Consistent Schedule
Have you ever struggled to find something to post? As an automotive digital marketing agency, we understand the importance of social media management. We have strategies in place to make sure posts are going out on a consistent schedule and we are happy to share them with you!
We prioritize our social media posts because we know how important it is for customers to receive regular reminders from your dealership. Content calendars are built to align each date with a specific message. Every post has time to be strategically thought out in terms of what message we will share and when. These posts are then scheduled through a variety of tools available to automatically post your social post to a designated platform on a given date and time. Planning ahead prevents rushing the morning of a posting day in order to just throw something online. Without planning, brand messaging and voice may not receive the attention they deserve.
Cohesive Across Platforms
After deciding the type of messaging you are going to share with your audience and how you present that information, it is time to make sure that this message is cohesive across all of your social media platforms. Yes, LinkedIn is a more formal platform than Instagram; however, your brand should not be unrecognizable between platforms. If you are a family-oriented business, your brand messaging should target parents and discuss relevant information to that audience. By keeping a uniform strategy, your brand will be recognized wherever it is seen across the internet.
Content can be reused as well. With the amount of effort and planning put into your social posts, you want to make sure it shows up on as many phones, tablets, and computers as possible. Everyone has a different preference of where they like to look for information or what they scroll through while they are eating breakfast. By repurposing content, you are saving yourself time and resources, while enhancing your reach.
Social media is a big part of a company’s online presence and at Digital to Dealer Direct, we have the skills to build a strategy into your current automotive dealership marketing plan. We ensure that all messaging and voice is cohesive across all your brand assets including your social media, website, emails, print ads, and any other advertising. We understand what it takes to build a strong brand that is recognized by your customers. To learn more about building your social strategy, contact us today!
After graduating from the University of Delaware with a major in Media Communications, Leigh began her career working in advertising. Two years of agency experience in account management and digital marketing as an intern and full-time employee, have given her the knowledge and experience to grow in this field. She enjoys creating campaigns that drive leads and traffic for clients, in addition to optimizing and strategizing for best results.
