Auto Dealers dealing the right cards in Social Media

The auto industry has taken the forefront for success in the social media realm.

DrivingSales.com is showing record numbers Link. PRNewswire reports that they have shown massive growth over the past year. This idea of an entire community for just the auto industry has spurred the birth of many individual auto social media programs. Not just the big boys, Ford, Chevy, Toyota (though they do have wonderful programs, and I'd suggest checking them out), but smaller individual dealerships are using SM as a lead generation source.

If you really think about it, it makes perfect sense. Razorfish recently reported that Social Media has the highest sentiment/effectiveness when pertaining to car buying, Razorfish . Why wouldn't it? Car buying has always been a word-of-mouth industry. For several reasons:

1. Who doesn't like to brag about their new car and all the features they got with it.
2. Everyone is skeptical of trusting a salesman, so they ask their friends for advice.
3. Car dealers need to appear as real people and appeal to real people.

These three principles also dictate what Social Media is all about. Connecting with people. Recognizing authenticity. Finding the truth about people.

So the auto industry clued in on this. They know that word of mouth works. So why not have a network where your customers sell for you. Encourage people to post about their buys. Give them that outlet and audience to brag. Inform your audience of "friends" about your dealership and what you offer. The best part is, this is what people want. The internet is the car dealers main outlet anyway. Cars.com and Autotrader.com are a staple resource for any new car buyer. But what would make it better than when you are searching for those sites, you see a dealers Facebook or twitter site pop up in the results as well.

Businesses need to learn from the auto industry. Social Media is about appealing to your audience. Know what they want, tailor your message to it, and deliver it straight and accurate.