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With the advent of social media posts from Twitter and Facebook being integrated into search engine result pages (SERP), car dealers can further leverage their social media involvement.  The ability to have Tweets and Facebook walls posts show in search engine results is not without its downside risks.

From what I can see, the integration in real-time data into Google has started a tweet and Facebook posting frenzy with subjects that are clearly designed for Automotive SEO positioning.  This is a big mistake for businesses thinking that their social media posts will catapult them to the top of search rankings.

Car dealers have to remember that social media platforms when used properly, should provide value and engagement to those that follow you.  They should be humanized and not sound like a sales pitch.  This has been repeated thousands of times but still the new “gold rush” with Google real time feeds seems to have gotten folks off track.

 Nissan Twitter Examples

I did a simple search in Google “Twitter Nissan Dealer”  and found  dealers on opposite coasts that were actively using Twitter.

• http://twitter.com/newjerseynissan 
• http://twitter.com/msage

In the first case, East Cast Nissan in New Jersey, my impression of these tweets is a 100% sales push and little customer interaction.  This pattern of tweets does not look like engagement at all.  This strategy will backfire.

In the second case, Universal Nissan in California, you can see Mike Sage engaging the followers and adding a human element to the conversation.   Yes, there are some product and sales posts but they are balanced. 

These are just two random examples from a quick search.  There are probably many good and bad examples that can be documented.  The key is to not let the Google integration of real-time search skew your writing to become and SEO tool.  You will lose followers faster than Tiger is losing sponsors.

Losing Steam Isn’t Good Either

If you have created a Twitter account, it is important that you keep up with it.  In that same search for “Twitter Nissan Dealer” there was a third company that showed in the SERP; Abeloff Nissan in Pennsylvania. 

http://twitter.com/pimpmycube

When you take a look at this Twitter account, you can see that they just ran out of gas.  The last post on this account was August 2, 2009.   To just cover all bases, I did a search for “Abeloff Nissan  Twitter ” and this was indeed the only account for the dealership.

In this case, a stale Twitter account is not a positive for the dealership.  If you are not going to maintain a blog or a Twitter account, it would be best just to take them down.

With Twitter and Facebook integration into search results, this makes these tools a powerful tool for IRM, SEO and customer engagement if done properly.  Dealers need to use these tools.  Dealers need to create value and  engage consumers with good content.  

If you have some examples of Dealers that are using Facebook and Twitter well, post some links. 

Google Search results

I have created a Twitter account at http://twitter.com/automotiveseo  to create a feed for Automotive SEO tips, articles and discussions that I find on the web.  The idea is that Internet Sales Managers and marketing professionals in the Automotive Industry could benefit from a consolidated stream of best practices.

As Twitter develops and becomes its own “search engine” of articles and best ideas, car dealers may want to rethink their Twitter strategies. I would image that car dealers who have very passionate staff who are subject matter experts on the brands that they sell, could leverage Twitter in Interesting ways.

So, I encourage anyone interested in Automotive SEO to follow me on Twitter and share.