GOSO

By: Ryan Riley Marketing Strategy Manager for GOSO. Ryan provides analytical data and departmental support for GOSO. Ryan is an experienced writer and blogs for GOSO, BOALT and other sites.

Social media is all about connecting with your customers. The problem is we focus too much time on our own online world, (our blog, our Twitter account, our Facebook pages, etc.) and not enough time in everyone else’s world.

Confused?

Obviously you’re going to create social media accounts on site’s where your customers frequent. Everyone reading this blog has probably already done that. You’ve hopefully started your Facebook page, and I hope you’re posting on the account and interacting with your fans now. But you’re still expecting your customers will just find you. And they will, but you still have to be able to branch out beyond your comfort zone and interact with them in their world as well.

Where are your customers?

They’re on Twitter. They’re on automotive blogs. They’re on Mashable, YouTube, and Yelp. They’re all over the internet. Honestly, you probably have a better idea than I do of where to find your customers. If you don’t know where they are you have to search for them.

How to find your customers:

1. Read automotive industry blogs and post relevant comments.
2. Find consumer sites and again leave relevant comments to build your reputation and showcase your expertise.
3. Go to twitter.search.com and search for people in your area tweeting about your automotive brand and engage them. If they are complimenting the brand simply say, “thanks”. If they are talking bad about the brand then tell them you’re sorry to hear they’re not satisfied. How can we make it up to you?” It doesn’t matter if you’re not the one that sold them the car. Anything bad said about your brand affects you.

This does not mean go onto an automotive blog and post a comment that says, “Great blog. Come to GOSO Automotive to see our new models!”

That’s never going to make it onto the blog. The spam filters will catch you right away, but do engage the community, and through the course of the conversation allow information to come out about your business organically. Also a lot of comment sections on blogs and website allow you to submit a URL. So, if you’re comments are useful, people will click over to your pages and see what you’re about.

What are some practices you’ve implemented to bring people to your social media sites or website?