If I was a used car salesman

Now, at the best of times, a used car salesman carries a stigma of low credibility. Not because all used car salesmen are dodgy, but because society paints that type of picture.

So how can Social Media benefit your image, credibility and at the end of the day, sell some good quality used cars without the tyre-kickers?

Here’s some tools that would get you started:

Your own website: You NEED an identity... Purely existing on CarSales.com.au and Facebook will do nothing to boost your status.
A Blog: If not already built into your website (a much better option as you get ALL incoming traffic), get a blog at Wordpress.com, Blogger.com, Tumblr.com or Posterous.com
A Twitter account: The greatest leads generating Social Media tool out there, and it can double as a public Q&A/Feedback/Customer Service portal.
A Facebook Page: This will keep your interested customers interested, and works better than email subscriptions, any new cars you have for sale will be seen immediately by your previously happy customers.
A LinkedIn account: If you can connect with like-minded individuals, you’ll be able to grow much faster than doing it on your own
A CarSales.com.au account: While establishing itself as the online leader, Car Sales will allow new customers to trust your cars on sale much faster than those advertised on your own site.
Once you have these six main tools at your disposal, you’ll need to utilise them efficiently. Keep your website current, and up to date with your latest cars for sale, and do not remove the sold ones. Instead, just stick a big, fat, red, sold banner on it so that your sales flow is fluid. This will help you establish that 'good quality' aura. Update the site daily, and make sure you respond immediately to any enquiries.

Post to your blog several times per week and provide tangible, interesting advice – the trick here is not to “sell” yourself, but to give everyone reading some valuable insights into your personal passions, what type of cars suit different lifestyles, what to buy with various budgets, etc...

Tweet constantly. In all businesses, new clients are the lifeline. Tweeting several times per day and pointing your Tweets towards your blog (NOT your website) is the best, non-salesy method to driving people to you. Remember, the point here is to generate interest, not to sell.

Point all customers, whether they have purchased from you or made an enquiry, to your Facebook page. This will allow them to keep up to date with all of your activities. Ensure you are utilising your Facebook Page effectively to keep your recurring customers buying.

If you meet anyone along the way that could be beneficial to the growth of your business (affiliate salesmen, vehicle insurance broker, finance broker, etc), make sure you add them to your Linked In account. This will ensure they keep you in mind when they attempt to grow themselves.

Finally, utilise a your CarSales account. This will be your clincher for any transaction or lead you generate online. A consumer will likely trust a large, well-known site than an unknown one. Stick to what they know, and be as uncheesy as possible.

If you want to know more, contact us here at www.strongmandigital.com.au.

Until Next Time,

Tomer Garzberg

http://ping.fm/gNDIJ