With a home built in 1928, I am a weekend-warrior who has made more trips to Home Depot in the last 3 years than I've made to any other store. In the early days of my homeowner apprenticeship, many of those Saturday trips came after hours of frustration spent trying to accomplish a job with the wrong tool. The rationale is that the task should take no longer than 20-minutes and a trip to get the right tool simply isn't worth it. After all, "I just got a new tool last weekend, and I'm sure I can make it work".However, after spending 3 hours on that "20-minute" task, the pride is swallowed and the trip is inevitably made. The right tool is purchased and more points are added to the loyalty card. And despite the morning's frustration and inefficiency, or maybe because of it, the fulfillment that comes from using the right tool for the job is sweet. As an arsenal of tools were stockpiled, those trips became fewer and to find the right tool, all I had to do was select it from my neatly organized basement shop. It felt good. More importantly stuff got done faster and better.
I see the same thing happening with the use of social media by many retailers, including car washes. Many operators are awakening to the realization that coupons are not their only marketing tool. So they grab the social media, proud of their possession of a modern tool and put it to work.
The problem is that they assume social media is just another vehicle to offer a coupon or another promotion. They pat themselves on the back as they watch the number of "followers" and "friends" climb, assuming people are joining because they love the business, not just because of the free wash friending or following brings.
This is not how social media should be used. Of course this has been preached by smarter people than me, but allow me to echo their concerns. Social media MUST be built on a strong brand- a personality that stands for more than the service you offer or the products on your shelves. Social media is a tool for businesses that care about more than just profit and have a set of values that set them apart. When that personality is present, and more importantly communicated, the next step is to find people in the community that share those values and relate to that personality. When that happens loyalty is created and perceived value soars.
Social media is a tool to communicate your personality and find people in the community that share your values. It is NOT a tool to announce a promotion. You might be able to get a promotion in there every once in awhile, but it's not the main function of the tool. And, if you do it too often, you lose all authenticity.
Marketing is no longer a static process where businesses announce their promotion or message on the page of a newspaper and wait for the masses to respond. It is about real communication, engagement and reaction. It's about listening and learning. Social media is the perfect tool for that job. If you're ready to use it, great. Just make sure you've worked on the personality first.
