While compiling our list of car dealers on Twitter, we’ve came across a number of NUMEROUS examples showing why dealers are failing miserably on Twitter. If your dealership is currently on Twitter, see how many of the following examples apply to your Twitter account.

5. You Act but You Don’t Interact

Social media is called that for a reason – in order for it to work, your brand must be social.  Being socially acceptable on Twitter means engaging in conversations.  Furthermore by conversations, I mean BOTH speaking and listening. While the above may seem like common sense, the amount of accounts we found violating this basic rule pretty much made our heads explode.

Your plans for world domination in the social media world will not work if you are a wallflower. On the flip side, it will also not work if all you do is scream.

4. You Falsely Believe You Have Fans

You sign your dealership up for Twitter and before you know it you have a hundred or so followers. Heck, you have no idea where they are coming from but you are happy to get them.  Despite your lack of activity on there, this social networking thing must work because you have a small fan base by simply being on there right? WRONG.

Here’s the secret – your dealership is attracting followers because your Twitter name is popping up when people and bots are searching for car manufacturer names.  These automated scripts are looking for people with interest in cars to respond to their follow with a follow back so they can spam and shout their own agendas.  I’m sorry to say you don’t have any real fans.

3. You Hide Behind a Curtain

One of the fundamental elements of being social is human interaction yet many dealers do not reveal who the real people behind their websites or Twitter accounts are.

If the peoples’ desire is to interact with other humans, why do so many of you have Twitter accounts that hide the people behind the brand?  Am I supposed to believe I’m speaking to your building, your website, a logo or worse yet, your manufacturer’s mascot?

2. You Are Serving Old SPAM to an Empty Room

Ford, Honda, etc. have done a great job of putting real people behind their social initiatives and spending millions of dollars to promote their brands.  As a potential car buyer, many of us already know the various make and models that are available for purchase but what many of us don’t know is where to look locally to acquire the vehicle.

Many dealers have resorted to shouting out weekend specials (to nobody) and become echo chambers of their manufacturer’s tweets. Why is that? Just because you tweet about an award Scion or Ford wins, does it mean we’ll be rushing into your particular dealership to make that purchase? The answer is no.  If you’re not personalizing your tweets and speaking as an individual to other individuals, you are just adding noise to the room.

1. You Gave Up Before Understanding It

Most of the dealership accounts on Twitter suffer from lack of sincere interactions. However, it’s a lesson that most of you will never learn because you never gave Twitter a chance.  Most of the accounts we have seen have been started and neglected – some even as short as 2 DAYS!  Unless you are giving cars away for free, I don’t think there is a campaign out there that can help you move metal with a 2 day running time.

If what you have been doing on Twitter hasn’t worked, why not try something different instead of abandoning it? Do you even care that your potential customers are finding your failed attempts online?

What grade would you give your dealership’s current Twitter account?

If you guys want some help, let us know in the comments below. With enough demand we will do a follow up on how your dealership can actually use Twitter to bring people in the door and make money with it.

Is your dealership already taking advantage of social media? What are some of the things you are doing to connect with customers?

With all the buzz, it’s no surprise that a couple of classified services have also popped up on Twitter during this time. (e.g. ilist and tweba to name a couple) While Twitter is mostly used for conversations, many users on Twitter have also been selling items and asking friends to help them find good deals.

Because word-of-mouth sales and referrals is key on this particular platform, we have designed and completed our integration with Twitter so that it would be effective without being spammy. The 1-click submit is setup to work with a number of marketplaces currently on Twitter via #hashtags and our own tests have shown very positive responses from occasional postings.

As a seller, you can now test this feature in your EasyAutoSales and Twitter accounts.  Simply log in to your admin console and click on the Twitter icon next to the vehicle and submit your posting via Twitter’s web interface.

Once submitted, the classified services on Twitter will contact you within a couple of minutes with potential buyers that have expressed interest in similar vehicles in the past.

As more and more users turn to Twitter for these services, these small but quick interactions should help increase your dealership’s online presence and create more foot traffic in your stores.  Log in and check it out!  We would love to get your feedback on the new feature.

If there’s one thing that I know we do well, it’s that we can listen and adapt quickly to the ever changing web. Is there something you’d change about our website? If so, let us know in the comments!

So what has the new look brought us? Has anything changed since the upgrade? Below are some highlights and stats from this past week.

- User engagement has already gone up 25%! Our community forums are being used and buyers are asking questions.

- User attention has also gone up! Shoppers are staying on the site longer, browsing more pages (+14%) and leads using our new form has also gone up. (+33%)

- Dealers who have upgraded their packages are seeing an increase in their traffic and leads. We have included priority placement in this new release to showcase dealers and private sellers that are paying to use or to advertise on our service. As our network of sites expand, the priority placement will be continued on to the new partner sites.

So what else is in store for us? We plan on doing a number of minor upgrade over the next few weeks and months to make sure our dealer services are comprehensive. If you have any suggestions on how we can help you sell more cars, please let us know at our suggestions board.

Here are a two top 10 lists you will definitely want to pay attention to:

The Ten Most Traded-In Vehicles (vehicle’s EPA mileage)
1. 1998 Ford Explorer (14-17 mpg)
2. 1997 Ford Explorer (14-18 mpg)
3. 1996 Ford Explorer (14-18 mpg)
4. 1999 Ford Explorer (14-18 mpg)
5. Jeep Grand Cherokee
6. Jeep Cherokee
7. 1995 Ford Explorer (15-18 mpg)
8. 1994 Ford Explorer (15-18 mpg)
9. 1997 Ford Windstar (18 mpg)
10. 1999 Dodge Caravan (16-18 mpg)

The Ten Most Purchased Vehicles (vehicle’s EPA mileage)
1. Ford Focus (27-28 mpg)
2. Honda Civic (24-42 mpg)
3. Toyota Corolla (25-30 mpg)
4. Toyota Prius (46 mpg)
5. Ford Escape (20-32 mpg)
6. Toyota Camry (23-34 mpg)
7. Dodge Caliber (22-27 mpg)
8. Hyundai Elantra (26-28 mpg)
9. Honda Fit (29-31 mpg)
10. Chevy Cobalt (25-30 mpg)

(via Jalopnik)

If you’d like to be interviewed for our Car Dealer Interview Series tweet us @EasyAutoSales or shoot me an email at will(at)easyautosales.com.

1. Rhett, can you tell us a little bit about Blanchard Hyundai?

We opened the doors about 3 months ago, as North Carolina’s newest
Hyundai dealer.  Prior to this, we were Asheville Dodge, a Dodge dealership that we have owned and operated for the last 12 years. We are a member of Keffer Automotive Group out of Charlotte, NC who owns or operates over 25 stores in the Southeast.  We have since sold the Dodge point to the local Chrysler-Jeep dealer and are exclusively a Hyundai Dealership.  The transaction was virtually seamless.  The day that Chrysler announced bankruptcy plans was the very day that we received our first Hyundai vehicles.

2. Can you give us some background on your own automotive career?  Why did you get into the business and what do you like about selling cars?

I started selling cars during college at a Nissan dealership in the Charlotte Area and was immediately hooked. The daily interaction with people and trying to both meet the customer’s needs and still sell something was a huge draw.  If you don’t love people, you will fail in sales, period. After college I was recruited by Keith Hawthorne who at the time was the General Manager at Keffer Dodge to do finance there.  That was an amazing experience with a lot of high energy exceptional people who really have molded my career and helped me grow.  I was later promoted to Sales Manager and then General Manager at out new location in Asheville.  The thing that I enjoy most out of the automotive business is the daily interaction with the customer and our employees.

3. What has been the biggest challenge your dealership has faced in 2009?  How has your dealership adapted to meet this challenge?

The biggest challenge we have had to face in 2009 is the fact that we are switching from a domestic product that doesn’t have a high customer perception, to an import brand that is very highly thought of. We are still struggling with inventory stocking levels, what to stock and the most effective marketing strategies.  The staff was very lean as a Dodge Dealer, it seems that we went into this recession first.  We have actually had to hire additional staff and get them up to speed on the new product.  Of course with Hyundai, we are anticipating a huge sales lift with the government CARS program.

4. Do you do anything special to ensure your shopper’s dealership experience is a good one?

Our people are paid on customer satisfaction.  I believe that your pay plan IS your job description.  I think that is best reflected in our repeat and referral percentage of business every month.  I also try to make sure that we are priced competitively in the market, so they don’t have to pay extra to do business here.  We have several managers and sales people who have been here for a couple of years.  I also believe that customer satisfaction begins with employee retention.  When the customer comes back into the store for a second vehicle and sees a number of familiar faces, that is reassures them of their experience being a good one.

5. What are some unique marketing tactics Blanchard Hyundai is doing to get more people in the door?

We are not doing any print at all.  All of our marketing is electronic. We have several annual radio contracts, as well as local personalities driving our vehicles and doing our commercials.  Internet is becoming a bigger part of our budget now with the new product.  We are sticking our feet in the water in buying some leads as well as some Google Ad words. Because we are “new” we had another Grand Opening and did a weekend with remotes and a cash tube.  Hectic, but worth it.

6. What are your most effective online marketing channels and how do you measure their success?

Our most effective online channels are third party sites like Autotrader.com and Cars.com.  We update them daily and re-price new and used inventory weekly.  They both have very effective integrated reporting tools that we monitor. These sites are spending extraordinary amounts of money to bring visitors to them, so if your aren’t there, you really aren’t reaching the market.  Our organic leads have a much higher closing percentage, and a much smaller funnel.  Our own website continues to be our number 1 online medium as well as the Manufacturers’ site and leads.

7. How involved is your dealership with social media? What kind of success, if any, have you seen from this medium? Are there any obstacles preventing you from getting more out of online tools like Twitter and Facebook?

We have both a twitter account and a facebook fan page.  I think that the biggest misconception about both sites is the corporate media strategy employed by other dealers and vendors.  It seems that a high number of companies on twitter employ strategies to get the highest number of followers regardless of interest.  If these are people who are not in your market, or will not ever transact with you then what is the point?  Our goal is to cultivate a group of followers with common interests and a regional location, so that when we have a marketing message or service special, I can get some traction.  I end up blocking most companies feeds from my twitter account that continually spam, or try to get me to sign up for more followers.  Our strategy is quality over quantity.  Very much like our customer service strategy, we want loyalty throughout a buying cycle, not a good survey score 1 time.

Thanks for your time Rhett!  If you have any further questions for Rhett please leave them in the comments.  Hopefully we can keep the interview going.  You can also find Rhett on Twitter @Bhyundai.

Find us on twitter @EasyAutoSales if you’d be interested in doing our next interview.

1. Donna, Tell us a little bit about Courtesy Hyundai and your own career in the auto industry?

Our company is the Courtesy Automotive Group. We have three dealerships, Ford, Lincoln/Mercury and Hyundai located on a large campus in Conyers, Ga. My response to the following questions are reflection of the company-wide response and not just Courtesy Hyundai answers. I’m actually a new comer to the auto business (1 year), but have an extensive (over 10 years) background in marketing. I started in Sales and was promoted to run the Business Development Center 8 months ago.

2. As a result of the recession, what expenses have you cut from your daily operation? What new programs have you added to your daily operation?

Like all dealerships we have had to do some belt-tightening including laying off some employees. Operationally, we are pretty much the same. In fact our owners have invested in remodeling some aspects of the dealership. We have a new and improved quick lane, accessories store and refreshed the look of one of our main showrooms.

3. Has your attitude towards the marketing budget changed? Has it shifted more and more online?

Our marketing efforts have definitely included a stronger online presence, including improved websites, entry into social media, advertising on online car sites, like autotrader.com. In fact, the web is driving 60% of our leads right now. We still do traditional media, TV and Newspaper but its not driving business like it use to. One thing that is driving leads our way are the car specific magazines like, Car Smarts Magazine and Just Cars Magazine. We have had good success with those.

4. What are some of the biggest concerns you have when buying leads?

Whether there is going to be a return on the investment. So often, several dealerships in the same area are getting the same leads.

6. What are your thoughts on online reputation management?

Its important. We monitor what consumers are saying about us with Twitter and Google alerts. I find some company’s like Ford, are doing a great job of building both their Brand online and managing their online reputation. Some others are moving at a slow and easy pace. As far as our dealerships go, with all the bad news in the car business, its important to promote and build both our offline and online reputation. We must instill confidence in our customers and prospects that they can count on us to be here to service their automobile needs.

7. What can dealers do to adapt as many people start shifting their shopping patterns towards online research and browse?

Our experience is that the shift has already happened. Almost all of our customers, even those that walk-in to our showroom have researched their vehicle options online before they step thorough the door. This includes seniors. Sometimes a customer knows more about the vehicle than the salesman, because they have been researching their dream car for weeks and know every single detail about the vehicle. We have adapted by improving our website: www.courtesyatlanta.com to make the customer’s online shopping experience better, including providing better photos, and navigational ease, we have a dedicated internet staff, and we communicate with our customer base via email marketing on a more consistent basis.

Thanks for your time Donna!  If you have further questions for Donna please ask them in the comments.  Hopefully we can keep the interview going.  You can also find her behind the Courtesy Hyundai Twitter handle @HyundaiAtlanta.  If you’d like to be interviewed for our dealership interview series find us on Twitter @EasyAutoSales or shoot me an email at will(at)easyautosales.com.

The good news is that the new site will be a lot faster, more user friendly and come with a lot less bugs. In addition to some of the bigger changes we tackled, we also made tons of minor upgrades to make things run generally smoother.

The GREAT news is that we just finished a number of major sections on the website which only leaves a couple more to go. One of the sections we just completed is our new, Apple inspired Community Forums.

We are very excited about this new, upgraded section. The current forums while functional, has not been as used as much as we had originally believed it would be. Part of this reason is because it’s not apparent that it exists and we don’t do a great job of showcasing it on the website. In version 3, we are making the community Q&A discussions a bigger part of the overall EasyAutoSales shopping experience.

While car buyers and enthusiasts be able to ask questions and help each other out with car questions, car dealers are also encouraged to jump in on the discussions and help teach consumers how to buy cars. As a community, we’re hoping these personal interactions will help bury some of the negative stereotypes about dealers. Overtime, dealers that actively participate in the community will also be rewarded for their efforts.

So… thoughts on the new look?

Here’s another sneak preview of our upcoming site and what these car reviews will look like live. I am biased but I think these reviews are damn pretty… and USEFUL! As the designer/programmer working on making this thing work, I’ve already been tuned to check out a number of models that I’ve never even considered looking at before.

What do you think? We would love to get some feedback on this and of course, your car reviews.

We’re hoping that you’ll find quick peer car reviews at least somewhat helpful as you shop online for cars.   That’s why we’re adding them to our site when we launch the redesign very soon.  What will be even cooler is that  you’ll be able to connect with these peers on Facebook, Twitter and our own community section to continue the discussion as you decide if the car is right for you.  Before we can make this Car Shopping Utopia a reality we need to collect these quick car reviews from YOU.  If you have a second please submit your quick car review here.

Thanks a ton!  We really appreciate your time.  If you car to share your thoughts on professional vs peer car reviews we’d love to hear what you have to say in the comments…