Service Providers

Selling without selling: Driving sales on social media

Colleen Malloy BlogWhen your shoppers use social media, chances are they’re looking for content they can connect with. They want to see what their friends and family are up to and share updates from their own lives. By following your dealership’s page, they probably anticipate some level of sales-oriented content, but being too sales-y on social media can actually cause your followers to tune you out.

Instead of directly asking for the sale in every post, share a mix of content that serves different purposes, like building you as an expert or fostering relationships with your customers, to drive sales without driving away your social media followers.

Here are three easy post types that can help you “sell without selling.” Keep reading to learn how you can use this technique on your own social media pages.

Build Relationships.

Build Relationships

Social media was first intended as a way to help people connect, and most of your shoppers probably use it almost exclusively for this purpose. They want to see personal-feeling content, and using your social media to foster customer relationships can help keep your shoppers loyal and coming back.

Build your customer relationships by creating posts that inspire an emotional connection with your dealership. A behind-the-scenes look at your service department can help potential customers match some real faces with your dealership. This simple post can make your store and staff seem more relatable.

Share a photo of a happy customer with their new motorcycle to help your other shoppers imagine themselves purchasing a new unit from you. It can also inspire some “keeping up with the Joneses” feelings and get a customer who may not have been thinking of buying a new unit interested in purchasing one.

Be The Expert.

Be The Expert

Your shoppers want to know that you’re an expert in the powersports business, so post content that helps build your reputation. Share content that shows how well you know the industry to help ensure you’re top-of-mind as the go-to dealer when your shoppers are ready to make a purchase.

There are a handful of easy ways you can build yourself as an expert on social media. Follow other leaders in the industry (consumer magazines, manufacturers, etc.) and share the content they post about the latest industry news or product innovations. Your customers will appreciate knowing they can turn to your page to see what great new products are coming down the line.

Advertisement

Share positive reviews customers leave on your Facebook, Google My Business or Yelp pages. Shoppers enjoy reading others’ opinions, and sharing the glowing reviews your existing customers leave can show your prospects that you’ll go the extra mile to make sure they’re happy.

Entertain Your Audience.

Entertain Your Audience

People love to use social media to pass the time. Whether they have a break at work or are waiting in line at the grocery store, many of your shoppers probably scroll through Facebook or Twitter to find entertaining videos or articles when they have a few minutes to spare.

A great way to reach these social media users is to share engaging and entertaining content. Videos in particular receive great engagement on social media, and with lots of professional-quality videos being posted by powersports manufacturers, leveraging this content is as easy as clicking “Share.”

At a glance, this entertaining content has nothing to do with selling, but you can make it work for you by adding a strong call to action. Pairing a video of someone doing stunts on a dirt bike with a call to action to stop in and check out your dirt bike inventory today can inspire shoppers to make that purchase.

You don’t have to hard-sell on social media to convert your followers into buyers. By subtly promoting your inventory and your dealership, you can plant the seeds that will get your social media fans into your dealership in no time.

Colleen Malloy is ARI’s director of marketing. Malloy has more than a decade of experience in the powersports industry and previously served as the editor of Motorcycle & Powersports News. ARI creates award-winning software solutions that help equipment manufacturers, distributors and dealers Sell More Stuff! — online and in-store. ARI removes the complexity of selling and servicing new and used inventory, parts, garments and accessories for customers in automotive tire and wheel, powersports, outdoor power equipment, marine, RV and white goods industries. More than 22,000 equipment dealers, 195 distributors and 140 manufacturers worldwide leverage ARI’s website and eCatalog platforms to Sell More Stuff!

Email: colleen.malloy@arinet.com

Phone: 414/973-4323

Website: arinet.com

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button