Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/206418
FEATURE STORY Social media and your online reputation management First article in a series "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently."— Warren Buffet W ith more than 72 percent of adults on social media sites, whether or not you're actively marketing socially, your customers are already talking about you. If you're not active, you're missing a huge marketing opportunity. The time to develop and manage your online reputation is now. 20 Social marketing, with an emphasis on fresh, relevant content, is a large factor in successful social networking.You can drive traffic to your website with the help of your social networks and blog. Stop hoping your customers will go back to watching commercials and thumbing through the Yellow Pages and go where your customers are — online. Here are some helpful tips to make sure you get off to a good start in creating and maintaining your social presence. OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT Step #1: Creating your social presence If you're not sure how to tell the difference between being social and selling (a.k.a. spamming), a good rule of thumb is the 70-20-10 rule for posting content. Here's what it looks like: • 70 percent of your content should add value and brand building. Content in this category includes product or service information such as winterization tips, service awards, new product lines and more.You may also want to include community events. • 20 percent of your content should be sharing posts and ideas. You don't need to be the original author of everything on your social sites. By including relevant content from other sources, you'll add value to your channel. • 10 percent of your content should promote your dealership. Social media offers a small window for promotions of new products, in-store events and service specials, including end-of-season and pre-season maintenance. Here's a beginner's guide on the dos and don'ts of posting: • Do post content regularly. The key here is quality. Don't just post anything that pops into your head. Really think about who your customers are and what they want to see from you — not what you want them to see. Know your audience and who you are speaking to. • Do reveal behind-the-scenes. Don't you frequent places you feel more at home and comfortable with? Customers want to do business with companies they trust, can relate to, and have a connection with. People want to be part of something bigger. They want to be in the in-crowd. By sharing what's going on behind-thescenes at your dealership, you provide your customers with the chance to get to know you and your team. • Do share the good. There's nothing more uplifting than receiving a favorable review about your dealership. Share the good word and post your customer reviews and pictures when they're submitted. Don't forget to add a story behind the image and to thank your customer for sharing. www.outdoorpowerequipment.com Image ©istockphoto.com/ rafal_olechowski By Brad Smith