You might have wondered how Twitter could be of value to your dealership. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to share with you any one silver bullet that will sell you on the value of Twitter for your business. However, I can certainly give you some very specific benefits that Twitter provides; you can determine what applies to you.
It’s Instant
First and foremost, as with all social media platforms, what you post is immediately accessible to your audience. There are two immediate points of communication you will want to consider for your clients. The first is engaging with clients or prospects on a more personal level to build a relationship. The second is managing your brand by addressing service and customer service issues. The more immediately you respond, the more effectively you can build relationships with clients and prospects.
Networker’s Paradise
Anyone that signs up for Twitter has an expectation to share, learn and make new connections. The best part of this is that it’s expected new people will reach out and start a conversation. Your only true requirement is that you don’t start the conversation with “we have a special on managed services today, want to buy?”
Access
Twitter allows you to communicate more directly with those who are engaged. Not only can you have access to celebrities and friends, but you also have access to clients and prospects. If your prospect is on Twitter, you can instantly bypass the gatekeepers in the front office and directly access the decision maker in other words, you’ll be able to follow and tweet with procurement managers, CFOs, CEOs and any other decision maker that typically gets inundated with sales.
Traffic to Your Website
One of the key benefits to Twitter is that you can generate traffic back to your Website through the links that you post. If you do it right, you’ll be able to attract a targeted audience that will engage with your blog content and request more information about your dealership’s offerings.
I would caution you not to have traffic generation as your primary goal because then you’ll look like a spammer. In fact, quality traffic generation is a by-product of your authentic engagement with an audience.
Listen and learn
Because Twitter is instant and you get access to everyone on your list, it means you are able to get news straight from the source in real time. If you listen to the right people in your industry and marketplace, you’ll be able to stay very well informed and probably ahead of everyone else.
You may not be aware of it but, many bloggers, public relations firms and even journalists use Twitter as their first location for news. If you monitor these same feeds, you can not only get ahead of your competition in understanding the current market conditions, but you’ll also understand better what people are looking for; to more effectively craft your message.
Thought leadership
Twitter allows you to showcase your skills of identifying and sharing great content, of interacting and engaging with others and generally helping to solve problems. If you actively engage with your audience, you’ll find that your audience will reciprocate by helping you grow.
While I can’t promise that Twitter will grow sales in your dealership, I can promise that Twitter will allow you to more effectively engage with people that share interests. You never know until you give a shot.
About the Author: Corey Smith is the author of Do It Right: A CEO’s Guide to Web Strategy and is facilitating the ITEX Social Media Bootcamp. You can sign up at http://itexsocialmedia.eventbrite.com. You can also find Corey online at http://www.coreysmith.ws.
