We were recently lucky enough to have the pleasure of hosting an enthusiastic and very talented lady called Hope at our offices for a few days.
Hope is studying A levels and was keen to get some real world experience of working in a busy London content marketing agency.
We like to get people involved and while a cup of tea is always welcome, we wanted to give Hope some real practical experience that she could add to her CV and potentially help with her University application.
WE LOVE BEING SOCIAL
One of the things we are deeply engrossed in is social media marketing for the automotive industry and we thought what better way to give Hope this practical experience then to help us with some of our own company social media campaigns.
This then led us to wonder exactly how the so called Millennials are really using social media and whether what we do and what we see being done by car retailers especially, was still going to be relevant in a couple of years when Hope will be a customer.
So, we asked Hope to write about her experiences. What we learned was incredibly valuable and a real eye opener to how social media is really viewed and utilised by Hope’s generation.
So, let’s pass over to Hope to explain how she utilises social media and her views on some current automotive social media campaigns…
DOES AUTOMOTIVE GET SOCIAL?
According to social marketer Jeff Bullas, 72% of all Internet users across the world are active on social media.
I’m not surprised, checking Twitter, Instagram and Facebook routinely has become part of my daily life and I’m not alone, Britons spend an estimated 62 million hours each day on social media according to a survey by OnePoll for online bank, First Direct.
Social media enables me to keep in touch with friends and share moments in our lives like never before.
Researching automotive social media for this article is really interesting because I’m currently taking driving lessons and will be buying a car soon, which means I’ll be getting online to find out what cars are available and more importantly, what I can afford!
I think social media is great for car retailers because they are able to reach out to their customers on a more personal, yet global platform.
Yes, automotive companies do a great job with TV adverts – but, I wonder if they are really utilising social media to their advantage effectively?
First off, here’s some of the ways I use social media day to day and my likes and dislikes…
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
A good social media campaign can be incredibly powerful and influential. I really like Tesco’s Twitter account because it makes me laugh and I really enjoy it. This alone would make me want to shop in Tesco.
I hate it when people I don’t know post too much information. I feel uncomfortable reading it and this is one of the main reasons that I often don’t follow celebrities.
I use social media to follow my friends and see what they’re up to. I feel like if I don’t look at social media I’ll miss out on the important things that are going on. I want stay up to date with the latest discussions.
I love Instagram, it’s almost like a blog platform because people write really long descriptions with their Pictures.
I really like Twitter for talking to friends and following interesting companies. I also look out for good offers I can use.
I don’t really use Facebook, I feel like it’s for older people, like my parents, who post all the time. I’m not really on there with my friends.
So, let’s Look at the automotive social media campaigns. I found some great examples on some of the bigger platforms. Here are my insights:
Facebook is the largest social media platform by far, with over 1.2 billion users. By using Facebook correctly, companies have the capability to broadcast their adverts to nearly one seventh of the world’s population which is incredible!
One automotive company which I would personally say utilise Facebook effectively is Toyota. I, like my friends, are drawn to things that will entertain us.
I really like their use of video. Personally, I would say that a short, interesting video that is fun from the start is one of the best ways to get attention on social media. Toyota do this well.
Twitter
Toyota also uses Twitter as an easy way of communicating with their followers. Twitter is quite casual due to the 140 character limit so people are able to tweet big companies and brands quickly and easily, while still saying what they need to say.
What I like is that Toyota reply with simple, friendly answers, which means more people are likely to interact.
Once one user tweets, and all of their followers see, it draws attention. When I see a company talking conversationally with someone over Twitter it definitely enhances my view of them as a brand.
Social media provides a great platform for customer interaction and I think Vauxhall does this very well.
Both on Twitter and Facebook Vauxhall re-tweets and share posts from customers or people that have simply mentioned Vauxhall.
Sharing these posts almost guarantees a few followers, likes or shares. People love a bit of exposure too and getting favourited or re-tweeted by big companies means a lot, it’s something I can talk to my friends about and show off a bit!
These posts can also work to help sell things. For example, I saw Vauxhall re-tweet ‘’I’m so cold going to work this morning – thanks for the heated seats Vauxhall”… This means more people see it and learn about the heated seats, which is something I’d love in my new car!
Instagram
Although I love it, I think Instagram is a lot more difficult for businesses to make successful.
While it’s amazing for sharing pictures with your friends and keeping updated with celebrities I would worry that unless you’re a huge fan of cars, you might not want to exclusively have cars on your feed. I really like some variety on my feed.
Also, instead of posting photographs of a car parked infront of a generic scenic backdrop, I’m more likely to respond to the picture if it’s placed somewhere I know that’s interesting, especially around where I live.
Saying that, I do really love the pictures on Aston Martin’s Instragram account because they have made a real effort to keep it updated and add good descriptions with relevant use of the hashtag.
Something I really appreciated that Vauxhall did on Facebook could easily be transferred onto Instagram. Their ‘P is for Photobomb’ album, where the new Corsa is edited into tourist photos to offer something a bit different. I thought that was really creative and it definitely stood out.
Finally, using language associated with a younger generation is more likely to attract a younger audience. Equally, using the #tbt to denote ‘Throwback Thursday’ is a fun way to involve that audience with a manufacturer’s older cars.
Personally, I think that on the whole, automotive companies impressively utilise their social media and many are effective in the way that they communicate with their customers and as a result social media should form an important part of the automotive industry’s approach to customer communication.
Want us to manage your social media?
Our team of social gurus are sending out tweets daily and grabbing new customers, so why not get in touch…
For more information simply email us at info@goldsanddigital.com or call the team on 0203 598 2782.
We look forward to hearing from you soon!