In today’s episode of Inside Automotive, we’re joined by Doug Horner, general sales manager of Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted, to discuss the power of creating a social media presence and how salespeople can harness it to sell more vehicles.
Horner, also known as BenzsandBowties across various social media platforms, provides his followers with a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life inside a Mercedes-Benz dealership. His posts are insightful and educational, and the content is quite broad, including displaying the newest arrivals at the dealership, conversations with his sellers before penciling in a deal, vehicle appraisals, and educational content around credit and loan history.
Horner’s content gives potential customers a look into the daily operations that they’re typically not privy to and, as a result, establishes trust with the audience. In addition, it serves as an excellent recruiting tool, connecting with individuals who are interested in joining the industry.
In this digital age, the way we spend our downtime has shifted, and most people spend that time on social media. If that’s where consumers spend a lot of their time, then why aren’t dealers putting themselves into that space to capitalize on it?
Horner has simple advice for those wanting to start: just start filming. Don’t obsess over the content when you’re just starting out, as the initial goal is to create consistency and build comfort in front of the camera.
He also recommends avoiding making the content perfectly polished. Overly edited and manipulated content often loses its authenticity, can come across as commercialized, and, in turn, fails to capture viewers’ long-term attention.
When beginning a new venture into social media content creation, Horner recommends starting with a single platform before expanding. He highly recommends Instagram or TikTok because it’s easy to create short-form video content, the user base has a broader age demographic, and it’s often more personal.
However, when embarking on the journey, it’s important to remember that each platform has completely distinct algorithms that respond differently. Don’t get discouraged, and be willing to try new things until you better understand what works for you.
Horner’s future plans include compiling what he’s learned through content creation into training content so that he can help other salespeople develop their skills and create their own unique social media presence.
"Just start filming... The consistency of doing it every day is much more important than the content." – Doug Horner
