Social Media Best Practices For Baierl Automotive
Social Media Discussed Facebook Instagram Google+ Twitter YouTube Moving Forward…
What is it? Facebook is the largest social network, and it is the form of social media our target audience (people of the age to buy a new car/be interested in a car) uses most. How we use it: We have a Facebook page and use Facebook Ads. One account for all of Baierl
What to Post Baierl in the community Local news Seasonal posts (wish happy holidays, etc) Vehicle news Local auto-related news. Be Sure to include…. PICTURES! Pictures increase visual interest and increase post interaction (which is what we want); also tag people or companies you’re talking about, and use appropriate hashtags Call to Action: “Post your...” “Comment if…” “Be sure to share…”
When to Post Post up to three times a day, if content is good Post often, especially on Thursdays and Fridays Our audience even engages on weekends, so schedule posts to be posted then if something exciting is happening over the weekend The time that we see most traffic is between 11:00 and 4:00, so post then!
What NOT to do Spam followers with unhelpful or uninteresting information Over-promote Promotions of upcoming events or sales is totally fine…on occasion Post straight inventory Post fun facts about our inventory, but not car listings themselves
What is it? Instagram is social media where all posts are pictures or short videos (15 seconds) that include captions. You can’t post links or anything like links, only pictures. Instagram is increasing in popularity in our target audiences, so having one lets us stay relevant. How we use it: We have a new Instagram account that posts mostly car beauty shots One account for all of Baierl
What to Post Post pictures that have been cropped and filtered Baierl events and promotions Baierl customers Beauty shots of the cars we sell and the features they have Video of a cool or unique feature of a vehicle Be Sure to include…. Always tag people or companies you are talking about and use relevant hashtags to be a part of a conversation. Call to Action: Don’t necessarily need a call to action, just interact if someone comments on your photo or tags you in a post
When to Post Post up to two times in a day, if content is good. Don’t need to post everyday, but multiple days in a week. Post interaction peaks later in the day, so post in the afternoon.
What NOT to do Use too many hashtags, a good rule is definitely no more than five Also, be sure to use a unique-to-your-company hashtag (I’ve been using #baierlautomotive) Spam news feeds
Google+
What is it? This is social media affiliated with Google that uses circles and groups to share content. How we use it: The way we use it is mostly for promotional purposes and as a SEO boost for Google. A page for each brand
What to Post Similar content to Facebook Be Sure to include….YouTube videos Call to Action: “Comment if…” “Share…”
When to Post Once in a day We don’t get as much traffic on this site, but we should keep photos and promotional videos relevant and updated Post in the morning, if possible
What is it? Twitter is a fast-paced social site with each post consisting of 140 characters. Those on Twitter are very dedicated Twitter and more males are active than females. How we use it: I’m not sure what our Twitter presence is like currently; I did not work with it One account for all of Baierl
What to Post Baierl news and events Baierl values Vehicle news or other vehicle information Local news Be Sure to include…. Links, if possible; and hashtags.
When to Post Multiple times in a day Multiple days a week Twitter is fast-paced and therefore needs more frequent posting/maintenance Late morning posts see more traffic (11:00-1:00)
What NOT to do Over-promote, just like on Facebook Use the 140 characters meaninglessly
YouTube
What is it? YouTube is a video-sharing form of social media. When you post a video, you can track how many views it gets and if it is ever shared to other social media, and you can respond to comments left by viewers. YouTube videos are easily shared to our other social media channels. How we use it: We post our commercials and other promotional content A channel for each brand
What to Post Videos specifically created for social media Videos for commercial and promotional purposes Videos showcasing unique features of vehicles in our inventory Be Sure to include…. Meaningful videos with catchy titles
When to Post Whenever we have content Make sure the videos and information on the page are updated Do not have to post every day or even every week
Other Ideas to use Social to Baierl’s Advantage Moving Forward… Other Ideas to use Social to Baierl’s Advantage
Ideas with what Baierl has Facebook Continue with Facebook Ads, they target specific audiences in specific areas Look into Live-Streaming as an option to increase audience participation Use this sparingly, of course, for events like grand-openings or anticipated vehicle release days. Use this as a behind-the-scenes look into the excitement Baierl has to offer, and be sure to capture no more than three minutes of the most exciting footage from the event.
Ideas for what Baierl has (cont.) Instagram Ask customers to tag BaierlAutomotive or use #baierlautomotive in a picture with their new car. Chances are, if the customer is younger and has a smartphone, they’ll already be sharing a picture of their new ride with their followers anyways, so asking them to tag us would give us an opportunity to interact with them after the sale (through commenting on their picture) and possibly increase our followers. Besides, then all their friends would see who they trusted with their car sale!
Ideas for what Baierl doesn’t have Snapchat: a picture-sharing social media used largely by the younger generation, but increasingly being used by people in their 20s, 30s and older. Geofilters: filters that are GPS-generated and appear at the bottom or top of a picture so that others can see where the picture was taken. The “Wexford” geofilter is pictured here:
Ideas for what Baierl doesn’t have (cont.) Snapchat (cont.) Geofilters can be created and purchased per location per hour (starting at $5) Geofilters could be a great way to increase brand recognition Ex. Baierl could create and purchase a geofilter for around PNC Park during a Baierl Block Party. Anyone using Snapchat during the block party could use that geofilter and know who is sponsoring it and show their followers all the fun they’re having at the Baierl-sponsored event. Also, Baierl would then be able to track all the fan photos which used the filter.
Recap Baierl’s Social Presence Facebook page and Facebook Ads Instagram (and Facebook Ads transfer to Instagram) Google+ for each brand Twitter for Baierl Automotive YouTube channel for each brand Check out Baierl’s Social Media Content Calendar for post ideas/schedule