Love it or loathe it, social media is here to stay, and all the top companies are getting in on the act and making the most of the free publicity and thus driving more traffic to their websites, stores etc. These are tough times for everybody, and the chance of any free publicity should not be sneered at. One of the biggest international companies to embrace social media and take all the free benefits that come with it is the motor company Ford, and you can find Ford UK on Facebook, Twitter and every other social site you can imagine.
Since Facebook decided to include businesses in its social scene, Ford have created fan pages to connect with those who love Ford cars, and well as keep them up to date with the latest models, news and deals from Ford dealers. This is a hugely effective marketing strategy, and if you go to the main Ford UK fan page on Facebook you will see they have over 114,000 likes and the number is growing all the time. This is a mighty figure for something that costs nothing except some time to create the page and then update it.
Add to this their presence on Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and numerous other social bookmarking sites like Blogger and Google bookmarks and you can see how this strategy will reap rewards for little or no outlay. It isn’t only those who are fans of new Ford models that follow them on the social media sites either, as classic enthusiasts and owners have also found a way to find out the latest news on their particular passion, such as upcoming auctions, rallies etc.
If you have ever wondered how some businesses manage successful campaigns on social networks and other don’t, you only have to look at the way Ford do it to grasp how the most successful are run. For a start they run a lot of polls, asking questions and for input or images. Everyone loves to see their name or an image they have taken on a top fan page, and this is a great way of engaging those 114,000+ who have liked the page and keep them coming back.
Logging onto your Facebook account and seeing a stunning picture of a brand new shiny model that hasn’t been released anywhere else is guaranteed to get a car lovers pulse racing. It’s a fact that pictures sell, you click on the picture and are taken to a page with more pictures, then you find out the details of the model, when it will be on sale, what it will cost etc. From that split second when you first saw that photo you are totally entranced by this new car and may well decide to get one, kerr-ching!
Ford have a long lasting, far reaching reputation that they are rightly proud of having built it up over the years. What they do not have is snobbery; they know the power of social media and are playing the game as it should be played. Any companies whose social media campaigns are failing would do well to take a leaf out of Ford’s book.
