Let’s face it, having a social media strategy in place that’s built to deliver ongoing results is essential for every business in the dealership industry. Buyers are looking to social media more now than ever for information that can help them decide on a vehicle to purchase.

Social media management can bring a lot of value to dealerships, but with so much to consider, how do you find the right management team to take it on for you? We’ve got you covered with the right questions to ask when hiring a social media manager for your dealership!

Do they have experience in the dealerships industry?

If a social media manager has experience within the dealerships industry, this can be a great way to get an understanding of how it has worked for them in the past. This will also be a good indication that they have knowledge of your business and the dealerships industry.

It will be important to remember that just because a social media manager has experience within the dealerships industry, doesn’t mean they will always be the best choice.

Understanding their experience as a whole is more important than them simply having worked with dealerships before. The best social media manager will be able to show you specific results on previous social media campaigns, regardless of the industry.

They will also have a willingness to learn about your business and determine a course of action in order to be the best representative of it.

What approach will they take to help you reach your goals?

Before meeting with a potential social media manager for your dealership, you should take some time to establish your goals in terms of your social media marketing efforts. As you present these goals, the candidate should be able to give a general answer on meeting them.

Look for an answer that forgoes numbers regarding vanity metrics, and rather one that speaks to developing a solid social media strategy. They should be most interested in completing research that will help them to develop a strategy built just for your dealership.

They should also be willing to work with you on making ongoing adjustments to that strategy in order to help you reach those goals. Social media marketing is never a one size fits all approach.

What recommendations would they make for your current social media channels?

It’s likely that if you’re seeking help with your automotive social media marketing, it’s because what you’re doing isn’t currently working. A great social media manager will be able to recognize that and give you recommendations for improvement.

Look for suggestions around what channels are going to be best to use for your business, changes to your current profiles, imagery, video and messaging recommendations, and call to action suggestions.

A red flag would be a candidate who is ready to make solidified recommendations off the top of their head. Valuable recommendations will require time for evaluation and research on your dealership and your competitors.

How will they handle visuals for your social media channels?

Dealership sales rely heavily on the customers’ ability to see what the product looks like and how it performs when in use. This makes images and video an essential part of the social media strategy for dealerships

The right social media manager will be able to provide some suggestions for creating and using visuals. They may also suggest developing a strategy just for visuals. This is a sure sign that they will be taking the time to develop an efficient and informed process.

How will they keep you updated on their progress?

A great dealership’s social media manager will have a plan to keep you updated on the progress they have made. Not only that, they should be looking to have some discussions around how involved you will be in the process and what communication will look like.

Rather than taking on the work without any communication, they should be interested in getting your input and giving you progress updates on an ongoing basis. They will want to provide you with data that shows their successes and adjust the strategy for improvement.

Ask Away!

Knowing the right questions to ask when hiring a social media manager for your dealership can make or break the worth of your investment. Taking the time to understand what makes a great social media manager can make all the difference in your ability to choose the right one.

If you’re looking for further guidance on social media marketing, Asset Digital Communications is here to help! Check out our social media service offerings, or contact us today!