Why Having A Lot Of Facebook Fans Is A Waste Of Time

(Originally published on Dealer magazine)

It amazes me how many dealerships judge their Facebook marketing efforts success by the number of fans they have. People are in awe of that dealership that managed to get 15,000 fans to their Facebook page. Some vendors sell the fact that they will exponentially increase the quantity of fans you have. Dealers give away cars and iPads just to entice people to “like” them on Facebook.

I’m here to tell you that the number of Facebook fans you have is not only irrelevant, but it could be wasting your time and making your Facebook marketing essentially useless.

What do I mean by that? A Facebook fan that is not in your market and will never do any business with you is NOT doing you any good.

If you’re a dealership in California, would you take out a print ad in a Florida newspaper? No.

Why? Because those people aren’t in your market and that would be a waste of money.

Now, some people would argue it’s a numbers game. Get more fans and the chances that your message is heard increases. I’d argue that the only way this is true is if these fans are in your market. If nobody you’re marketing to would ever spend a penny at your dealership, you’re wasting your time.

So what do I think you should do?

In my opinion, building a healthy Facebook presence takes time. It starts at the dealership level where your fans are acquired from actual customers doing business with you and/or coming into your store.

· You make tent cards and spread them out at your dealership.

· You tell service customers about your Facebook page.

· You integrate your Facebook presence into your existing marketing – traditional, in-store and online.

· You hold your contests in your store where actual customers of yours win.

· You get them to share your message with their social networks.

Focus all of your Facebook marketing on acquiring fans that actually CARE about what you have to say and will do business with you.

I’d rather have 100 fans that would do business with me than 15,000 fans that wouldn’t.

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Comment by Tracey Dortch on July 7, 2011 at 3:40pm: Thanks for clarifying, I agree with your overall idea that strictly focusing on quantity is a mistake. Neglecting the opportunity to build your local fan base disregards the main goal, which is getting leads. By combining both broad and local fans, a dynamic created. Instead of focusing on the number of fans, dealers should be more concerned with the number of interactions.

Comment by Arnold Tijerina on July 7, 2011 at 3:17pm: Thanks for the comments, Tracey. I didn't mean to give the impression I was comparing social media to traditional advertising. I was only using that as an illustration but I can see how you made the connection. Sorry for the bad analogy. Also, I'm not saying you can't have success with a broad audience, my position would be to build organically FIRST (versus broadly). Ultimately, you don't "need" 15,000 fans to have a successful Facebook presence. It seems too many dealers focus on "how many" rather than quality and relevancy, that was my ultimate point.

Comment by Tracey Dortch on July 7, 2011 at 3:05pm: While I agree with you that growing your Facebook fan base takes time and starts at the dealership level, your argument simply leaves out some key points about Facebook fans. First and foremost, you have to realize that Facebook is not about advertising. It is about socializing. You compare having fans in other states to traditional newspaper advertising in other states. Facebook was not intended for traditional advertising. It is a global, social platform, designed to connect people with similar interests all over the world. Dealers are finding success with a broad fan base because of the increased interaction on the page. This interaction creates a comfort level for your local fans. Have you ever been to a cocktail party where nobody was talking? It is very uncomfortable and you want to leave as soon as possible. The same goes for your Facebook page, if you don’t get people talking, they will leave. Your Facebook page is the place where you get to engage with your audience. Your goal is to keep them coming back to your page and when the time is right, do business with you. For example, I recently got a lead for a Chicago dealership by posting, “Hey it’s Friday! What is everyone up to this weekend?” The first comment from California said, “Dancing”. I replied, “What kind of dancing?” He commented back, “Salsa”. The next comment from Michigan said, “Wow, I love salsa dancing. Have fun!” The next comment from Chicago said, “Do you have any specials on Altima’s?” As you can see, it really was not important what state the first two comments came from. They provided the interaction that was necessary for the local fan to comment on the page.

In my experience, you should grow your Facebook fan base in two ways. First, on a broad level, offering giveaways to create some excitement and interest on your page. The value of these fans comes from the interactions they will be creating on your page. Next, on a local level, offer Facebook deals and service specials just for Facebook fans. Get involved with the community and sponsor events on your Facebook page that will increase your local fans. Word of mouth is the best advertising out there. While Facebook was not intended for traditional advertising, it can be used to market your brand in a fun, social way.

Comment by Arnold Tijerina on July 7, 2011 at 9:44am: Thanks for the comment, Marsh!

Comment by Marsh Buice on July 5, 2011 at 4:40pm: Arnold, couldn't agree more. Today everybody is a Jockey, jockeying for more, more, more, and giving less, less, less of who and what they are about. I believe in building a page like you would a home, not manufactureing one like a pre-fab one.