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Consistency is the key to success in life. So why would success in social media be any different? It's fun to try new things, isn't it? Just this past weekend, I got an invite to Ello - the shiniest new social media platform. It's supposed to be s...

You're doing social media every day. Today, we share ideas to get the most from your efforts. If you work in the digital space, you undoubtedly struggle from time to time to keep the train rolling. Early on, it's pretty easy to gain traction. But the longer you do it, the harder and more complicated things seem to get. You're not alone. Many social media marketers (both in and outside the industry) face the difficult challenge of continually creating value through the platforms we inhabit each day. In Episode 4 of the Social Auto Podcast, we deliver a handful of ideas to ensure your efforts reach the widest audience and deliver the best results possible. Tip 1: Make It Personal Remember the days when people used platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect with other individuals? Oh wait - they still do! So why is it that so many brands (dealerships included) completely ignore their ability to connect with people on an individual basis? Why do they continue broadcasting their messages to the masses when the technology exists to scale a one-to-one approach? Tip 2: Make It Relevant The duration of a typical car owner's buying cycle hovers around three years. That means for 35 months at a time, that customer (or potential buyer) doesn't care about your current inventory because they don't have the need for another car. In the second section of this episode, we share a few ways to keep your social media content relevant enough so you don't train your fans and followers to ignore you over the long-term. Tip 3: Make It Emotional "Good is the enemy of great," or so says Jim Collins (management god and author of the book, Good to Great). We happen to agree, especially when it comes to social media. To prevent your fans and followers - the ones you've spent time and money acquiring - from tuning your dealership out, it's your job to interact with them AND make them feel some sort of emotion. Listen to the Audio Ideas, Questions, and Comments Are you walking the walk, or just talking the talk? Use the #SocialAutoPodcast hashtag to let us know how you're supercharging your dealership's social media presence. Tweet us to share know what you're doing, how long you've been doing it, and how it's impacting the interactions with your customers. As always, there are a number of ways to get in touch with us. We love hearing from dealerships around the country, so select the best method below and let us know how we're doing. Let us know you'

Most automotive industry experts are wrong about social media. Dead wrong. We don't say this to be combative or elitist. We have a lot of respect for many of the in-house employees, agencies, and incredibly smart consultants out there doing great work for dealerships across the country in the digital space. But every time we hear someone tell a dealership "You just need to post GREAT content every day" - we cringe. A lot. Content Used to Be King For a long time, doing social media "well" meant figuring out how to publish content on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on a consistent basis. And for a long time, this strategy worked. Post some great photos, get some Likes, gain some followers, show your boss the numbers, go to bed happy. Unfortunately, the landscape has changed. And it continues to change right before our eyes. Facebook is purposely throttling your dealership's content and preventing your posts - the ones you spent all that time and energy on - from being seen by the people who have elected to "like" your page. Twitter is tinkering with an algorithmic way to filter its feed so it can present users with more relevant content. How Things Are Changing I'll be honest, this isn't the first time we've talked about the fact that content isn't king on social. We originally presented the case for it at Jim Ziegler's Internet Battle Plan Conference in Atlanta earlier this year. In Episode 3 of the Social Auto Podcast, we'll break down in detail why the phrase "content is king" is completely false on social media, explain why dealerships should take the opposite approach on certain platforms, and reveal how you can implement this new approach today to help you start driving leads almost immediately. Listen to the Audio Ideas, Questions, and Comments This episode is likely going to ruffle some feathers. And we're OK with that. Do you agree with our view? Do you disagree? Do you see things differently? Let us know by sending us a tweet using the #SocialAutoPodcast hashtag. The more people we can include on this conversation, the more opinions we can include on future episodes. Let us know you're listening, and send us your ideas  » Subscribe on Stitcher to get future episodes automatically » Leave an honest rating and/or review on iTunes » Get out there and BE social, Matthew Russo Founder, Social Auto Leads

Welcome back for the second episode of the Social Auto Podcast. Before we dive headlong into the deep end of the social media pool, it helps to understand the big picture first: how did social media come to be, where does it fit in the current digital landscape, and where might it be heading? In this episode - "Social Media's Role in Your Dealership" - we will examine topics like: How social media fits into the bigger picture Why the digital landscape is so fragmented, and ways to better navigate it Common mistakes that most dealerships make on social, and how to prevent them Listen to the Audio Ideas, Questions, and Comments With two episodes down and many more to come, it's still early in the process. We would love to hear what challenges you're facing as well as any ideas you might have. We'd also love to know that you're listening along. Send us a tweet using the #SocialAutoPodcast hashtag, or leave us a comment below. Let us know you're listening, and send us your ideas  » Subscribe on Stitcher to get future episodes automatically » Leave an honest rating and/or review on iTunes » Thanks for tuning in. Until next time - get out there and BE social. Best, Matthew Russo Founder, Social Auto Leads

Greetings, and welcome to the first ever episode of the Social Auto Podcast. We are incredibly excited for the opportunity to share social media insights, straight-forward strategies, and actionable tactics to help you sell more cars and service more customers at your dealership. Since this is our first episode - and because we are fairly new to the industry - I'm going to spend a little time introducing myself and giving you a little background on where I come from, how I became involved in the online marketing and social media, some of the successes I've had in my career up to this point, and why I am shifting my focus almost exclusively to the automotive world. The title of this episode, "Greatness Starts Here," has two meanings: If you are looking to become a top-notch digital marketer that is able to produce leads and sales for your dealership using social media, your path to greatness starts here. This episode marks only the beginning for us. We have a long list of topics, guests, and industry experts lined up to make this podcast an indispensable resource for your entire Internet Sales Department. Stick with us, and we promise to deliver value to you and your organization. Listen to the Audio Ideas, Questions, and Comments Since this is just the beginning, we are looking for feedback from you fr new ideas that will improve the quality and format of the show. We would love to hear from you, so let us know by dropping us a note, sending us a tweet, or leaving us a rating and/or review on iTunes. Let us know you're listening, and send us your ideas  » Subscribe on Stitcher to get future episodes automatically » Leave an honest rating and/or review on iTunes » Thanks for listening, and I look forward to sharing many more episodes with you. Best, Matthew Russo Founder, Social Auto Leads