Your Social Media RIO May Be Better Than You Think

This week, because of a social media campaign, I bought a car that
wasn’t on my consideration list from a dealership I never would have bought
from. And I’m pretty sure my purchase was never factored into their social
media ROI.

Why wouldn’t my purchase of a brand new car be a factor in
their ROI? Because the campaign ended last summer and my participation in it
was 15 months ago. Surely, any ROI calculations have been long put to bed by
now. But, that’s the problem with how we look at ROI, especially from a retailer
perspective. If a sale doesn’t happen
within the immediate sales cycle, does it happen at all? Probably not in the
date you’re collecting.

Social media can have somewhat immediate effects, but it’s a
long term game. Scott Monty, who heads up Ford’s social media has said they
keep enough data that they can consistently see bumps in sales due to social
media activity – but it’s always 30 or 60 days later (Sorry, Scott, I don’t remember
which it was).

In my case, the social media campaign was a blogger outreach
program by the Suburban Collection called #socialtestdrive. As a local blogger
with some cache in the local social media scene, I was given a car to drive for
a weekend, with the expectation that I tweet, Instagram, Facebook, Foursquare
and blog about it. You can read about my experience in my original blog from
January, 2012.

I had never heard of a Honda Insight before my social test
drive, so it definitely wasn't in my consideration list. But I liked it and was impressed with the low sticker compared to other
hybrid cars. So, fast forward to now, when I was suddenly in the market for a
car. I remembered how much I liked the car and how well they treated me. So, I
contacted their social media manager about getting the car from them.

The dealership is on the other side of the Detroit metro
area from where I live and nowhere near my office either. But I was willing to
drive 45 minutes across town because I assumed they’d treat me well and give me
a good deal, based on my previous experience with them. I didn’t really shop around or haggle – but I
felt I got a really good deal. All because of the connection I made during their social media campaign.

So, as you struggle with your social media campaign and whether
it’s hitting the sales numbers you hoped to get – remember that, if you’re
doing it right, some of the gains you get from it will come after the sales
period you’re measuring. This is just one example from one person. And there
are thousands of people out there that will be touched directly or indirectly
by your campaign. Be patient, keep doing the right things and they will come.
It might be tomorrow, it might be in 30 days, it might be in 15 months – but they
will come.

How about you, have you had a similar experience, either
from the brand side or as a consumer? I’d love to hear your story.

Mike McClure, better late than never.