End of the Year Holiday Steps to Success

So, we are that close…

Just 3 weeks till the end of 2020! The Holidays are here!  With all the change that our industry has been through this year, here are some helpful tips so you and your team don’t forget anything and set everyone up for success in 2021.

First, let’s talk Grassroots/Organic Social Media. With Applications and programs such as Hootsuite and Zoho Social, scheduling your future posts are vital to freeing you up this season. As a rule, you should always look at your page’s insights. Know when your audience is engaging, know when they are posting & make sure your message is clear. Use the appropriate Hashtags and Links in your posts. Customize your graphics. Utilize programs as the Adobe Creative Cloud and Suite. Many of those Applications have great YouTube tutorial videos that you can watch in your downtime and become experts this winter.  As far as types of posts, here are some examples that can work well for you and your team.

Sales Department Specials

• Current Lease Specials with Approved Graphics from your Advertising Agency and OEM Compliance Department ensuring your dealership is safe from strikes
• Why Buy Here message – Use Custom Videos that you and your team can create, or we can help you at Dealer Synergy with our in-house Video production team (Dealer Video Production)
• New Product Showcases – Has your OEM or manufacturer changed or launched any new models this year? Showcase some of the new features of those vehicles, show photos, interior, exterior, safety features, etc.  You are the expert.

THANK ESSENTIAL WORKERS! Thank your First Responders, your local Fire Departments, Police Departments, Thank Your Grocery Store Employees, Your Farmers, etc.

Dealership Community Involvement – Has your dealership made an impact in your community in 2020?  What were some of its accomplishments? What did your team do to make a difference?  Showcase the win! Post pictures, Video, TAG the Recipients of that event or promotion! TAG the Organizations that you & your team helped.

• Do you have anything else planned for the rest of the year? What is it? Post about that!

All these types of posts not only help your engagement on your pages, but also help and solidify your Dealership/Groups or your individual overall BRAND.  

Finally, do you or does someone on your team have a definitive list of items that need to be prepped for the Holidays?  Who is responsible on your team for this? Below, you will find a starter list that you can use to get a jump start on the Holiday’s this year and hopefully save you & your team sometime:

1. Google My Business

• Hours – Sales & Service – Utilize the Special Hours listings to enter dates and times to reflect when your Dealership and Departments are closed
• This is also a “GREAT” Time to really examine your Attributes sections as well and ensure that all that your dealership provides is represented – Look at your listed services, your ratings, your profile pictures, and customer submitted photos. Update where needed.
• Create a post for the listing. Much like Facebook, Twitter & other social media platforms, Google also allows you to create posts that consumers can see, whatever you post on your other pages, Post here also!

2. Website Hours and Sliders

• Do you have your Holiday hours posted on not only the hours section of your website, but did you create a separate slider for your homepage?  It should be in Position #1 for your sliders
• Call your Website Digital Advisor to have them enable the special hours. Most platforms can also set an expiration to the Special Hours so automatically they will return to normal after the holiday.