Social media can be a powerful tool if you’re equipped with the knowledge on how to use it! A social media strategy is just one piece of a dealer’s marketing plan. Social media has an enormous audience – Facebook alone has TWO billion monthly users. Having a solid approach to social media allows your business to reach new clients, create a following – staying top of mind – and will keep you ahead of your competitors.

1. What are your goals and objectives? Create a strategy by using the S.M.A.R.T. framework:
   

   S	Specific terms of what you want to achieve.
   M	Measurable goals that can be tracked and analyzed.
   A	Achievable and realistic, increasing chance of success.
   R	Relevant to the overall business and its customers.
   T	Time-frame is specific and gives a deadline.

2. Who is your ideal customer? Why are they coming to your social media page? Learn everything you can about your audience including demographics, psychographics, buying habits, interests and lifestyle characteristics.
3. Create content! Get creative and provide engaging content on the correct social channels. Post accordingly for each social networking site, to ensure you’re not wasting valuable resources. Types of Content: Links, videos, images, quotes, re-shares, or plain text updates
4. Track, Analyze, & Experiment – How well did your campaign perform? Did you hit your goals? Your first campaign may be a huge success; however, it is very unlikely it will go off without a hitch. As you start to try new ideas, track the results and tweak as you go.