By now, almost everyone has heard of the social media dynamo called Twitter, but car dealers are still hesitant to throw their 140 cents in. An intensive tweeting regiment is uncommon in this industry, most likely because dealers are not convinced that simply squawking their thoughts can lead to a boost in sales. And, they’re right.  Using this platform effectively requires creative thinking along with a deep understand of both the twitter audience and how the social media tool is used.  

Last week, we offered a quick guide for dealers on how to use Facebook to effectively localize their news posts. Here are a few easy tips to use Twitter to your advantage.

• Establish yourself as a trustworthy and helpful expert.

If you’re just getting started on Twitter, the best way to boost your dealership’s brand is by giving back to the community. Get started by finding out what the community has to say about the cars you are selling. If you’re a Volkswagen dealer, make a habit of searching for #VW topics, and respond to questions or interesting news stories. Building a reputation as a credible expert will prompt shoppers to trust you – and when you have trust, sales are sure to follow.

• Monitor posts about your region.

In 2009, Twitter introduced a feature that annotates messages with the exact location of the sender. When combined with geographic information provided by each account holder, this function makes it possible to find local tweets by searching for “near: (desired location).” For example, searching near: Tampa will display all tweets coming from anyone within 25 miles of Tampa. Use this feature to segment your followers, and find users that are relevant to your dealership.

• Use some social media management tools to make things even easier.

We use a tool called HootSuite to review all of our Twitter activity. This dashboard allows for easy access to retweets, mentions, and direct messaging of multiple accounts - all on one page! This interface also allows for scheduling tweets and monitoring audience engagement. HootSuite’s analytics help determine how many users you reach and which tweets people are paying attention to.

You should also check out a tool called Twilert, which searches for keywords of your choosing and emails the results to you. Stay aware of tweets about you by setting up an automated search for your dealership, brand, or location. This will keep you informed of the buzz surrounding your brand!

After you’ve created your new Twitter account, we’d love to stay in contact with you - follow us at @activengage for news stories, blogs, opinions, and more!