Social Media

In Google’s latest attempt to make Google+ the biggest social network, they’ve integrated it into your search results.

Of course, this hasn’t been done across all Google search results.  In order to see this integration, you must be logged into Google+ (though some have seen it simply logged into Google) and be using their secure search portal at https://www.google.com.  The company is calling this search update “Search Plus Your World” and allows users to “search across information that is private and only shared to you, not just the public web,” according to Jack Menzel, product management director of search.

Search results from non-“authoritative results” will be clearly marked, but relevant pictures, updates, and articles from those in your Circles will show directly on your search results page.

Here is an example from a search for “Ford Focus” when signed into Google+:

When searching for a person (and I would assume a brand name), Google assumes you are looking for someone in your Google+ Circles, if applicable.  So imagine a potential customer, connected to your dealership through Google+, uses Google search to find their next car.  Your dealership has another opportunity to connect with this car buyer (and your auto dealer website has another chance to rank on the search engine results page), but only if you have a presence on Google+ and use it to connect with buyers in your area.

Because Search Plus Your World will bring back results from “limited” shares on Google+ as well as privately shared photos from Picasa, there is the potential misconception that items appearing are public information, and the public sharing that could happen.  However, nothing will be shown that you wouldn’t be able to see otherwise.

What do you think?  Does this make you more or less likely to amp up the Google+ presence of your auto dealership?  Or do you think this move just removes a step from searching your Google+ Circles and using the search engine?

Now that Google+ is open to businesses, many are trying to figure out the best way to utilize this new social media portal (including DealerOn).  I’ve gathered some of the more common mistakes that businesses are making to shorten the learning curve for auto dealerships.

Like all other social media sites, not posting on a regular basis can hurt your marketing efforts.  Consistently providing visitors with quality, worthwhile content is the best way to attract (and keep) potential dealership customers engaged in your social sharing.

Google+ really lends itself to sharing photos, so make sure you take full advantage.  Switch up your text posts with photos of your vehicles, dealership, and staff.  Make sure your profile photo identifies your dealership to help ensure your visitors know they’ve found the right Google+ page.

To further help identify your profile, make sure your tagline is clear and descriptive.  Use it as a way to stand out from other dealerships and make it very clear to visitors that this is an official page for your dealership.

One of the great things about Google+ is the ease in which you can segment your viewers…so make sure that you do!  Consider separating potential customers from those that have previously bought from your dealership, or segment those that bought used cars from those that bought new.  Take advantage of the ability to tailor the information you are sharing with your visitors.

Those that are using Google+, what mistakes have you made and learned from so far?

The verdict on Google+ for personal use still seems to be out for many (myself included).  But according to Christian Oestlien, group product manager for social advertising at Google has said that they are “close to unveiling Google+ business profiles”.

Only Ford and GM have official profiles right now (interesting that they are both automotive brands).  Some businesses have created profiles, even though most sit blank; just so you know, there isn’t a limit to how many times a name can be used, so no need to claim your dealership’s name ahead of time.  I see this being a problem in the future.  Google+ will need a way to verify business accounts, much like Twitter and Google Places have, or I think they will lose out on some trust.

Will your dealership take another look at using Google+ once businesses are allowed?  What if Google+ ends up integrating with Google Places?

One of the difficult parts of maintaining a successful social media marketing campaign is attracting the “right” people and getting your customers and prospects to interact with your dealership online.  While this won’t solve all of these problems, being able to find your dealership contacts in social media accounts is a start.

There is a pretty simple way to find your dealership contacts in social media sites like Twitter that I found while reading SEOptimise, an SEO blog from England.

First, export your customer list into a CSV file.  Below is an example of how to do this from Constant Contact. Since you’ll only need names and email addresses, go ahead and delete all of the other fields.  Also, make sure you delete those with no email address.

Using a Gmail account, import this CSV file.  If you create a separate group for these contacts, they will be easier to manage.

Now, log into your social media accounts (like Twitter) and search for contacts using Gmail.

How does your dealership help ensure you connect with your customers and prospects through your social media accounts?