Social media is loaded with options, and automakers are coming along for the ride. The auto industry will spend about $1.2 billion in 2010 on social media, according to research from Ad Age Insights and Automotive News. And that number is projected to grow to $4.6 billion by 2015.
Is it appropriate for dealers to put information on Facebook? Are people actually tweeting about Jaguars, Beetles, Rams and Mustangs? And does it really help sell cars? Yes, yes and yes.
Leading up to the U.S. launch of the new Fiesta, Ford created the “Ford Fiesta Movement.” From thousands of submitted videos, the company selected 16 teams based on the entrants’ reach – looking at the number of their Twitter followers, Facebook friends and YouTube views. Each team had its own web page, displaying a stream of tweets, blog posts and an integrated video player. The program adopted an artsy, homemade feel by tying team missions to local artists and filmmakers.
To attract potential buyers, car manufacturers are enlisting bloggers to test-drive cars and document their experiences. Consider the North Texas father who started
www.traverseadventures.com, a blog devoted to family trips in return for the use of a Chevrolet Traverse. Even more, Ford launched the latest Explorer model on Facebook rather than just unveiling it at an auto show. Chevrolet showed off its much-anticipated electric car, the Volt, at the popular South by Southwest® Conference & Festival in Austin. The company even invited fans to the Chevy Volt Recharge Lounge, which provided “juice for both your body and for your electronic devices.”
For marketers and public relations professionals, the emergence of new communication channels offers exciting opportunities. We are keenly aligned with how to determine what will resonate with buyers. It is about listening and understanding what will impact consumers. Traditional media still is vital to the communications mix, but social media should be part of your “surround sound” integrated strategy. Social media expedites conversation as opposed to traditional media, which delivers information but doesn't allow readers, viewers or listeners to participate in the content creation. Everything is smarter, faster and cheaper, as opposed to dumber, slower and pricey.
Fueled largely by the growth and success of Twitter and Facebook, these are now common tools used by major brands. With an estimated 150 million active Facebook users in the United States and more than 500 million worldwide, social media is going places.
Here are six things your business could start today:
1) Create a LinkedIn company profile
2) Add your profile to Wikipedia
3) Establish a Facebook fan page
4) Start a Twitter account
5) Upload your videos to YouTube
6) Start a company blog
Whether it is Vroom-Vroom-Vroom or Clunk-Clank-Sputter, you can bet that among other things, social media is hitting the road and not looking back!