Brand Monitor: Goals and Recommendations

   From this month’s brand monitor, I got a better look of Chevrolet’s social media marketing. There are things we can learn from them and there are things they need to improve. For a company has been in the market for a century, Chevrolet has done a wonderful job on social media marketing. It abandoned the traditional methods and adopted new methods and technology. There is still space for improvement.

    There are three goals for Chevrolet in order to improve itself. First, Chevrolet should maintain the American market by energizing and embracing the groundswell. Even though the book “Groundswell” mentioned that companies should let go of groundswell, Chevrolet should not completely let go. Letting go does not mean no any care or responds. Chevrolet did a great job on tapping into customers’ enthusiasm with ratings and reviews and creating a community to energize its customers. However, it does not participate in and energize online communities of its brand. Chevy should get more involved with its groundswell, and make the groundswell feel that they are not alone and their voice could be heard. Chevrolet should check the social technographics profile of its customers and find out what its customers’ problems are. Free information is provided online, and Chevrolet can make the best of it. After finding out what the problems are, they should do some adjustments on their products or services.

    Second, Chevrolet should be more competitive and enthusiastic. No matter for its customers or its competitors, Chevy did not show its enthusiasm enough. Like it is said in the book “Groundswell”: “A community is like a marriage; it requires constant adjustment to grow and become more rewarding.” If Chevrolet does not show its support and care to its customers, the customers will complain about that Chevy ignores them. Sooner or later, they will leave Chevy. Chevrolet has to be more competitive than before. Being better than other competitors is another way to gain customers. Chevy has to be more active on the Internet activities than other companies in order to appeal public’s attention. People can only see the best, so Chevy should do the best to be seen.

    Chevy should connect the groundswell with the company itself and make the groundswell spread to other countries. It would have strong impact if Chevrolet involves their executives in their social media marketing plan. Having executives involved in the marketing plan is more persuasive and it can drive innovative marketing to another level. It would be better to take small steps that have big impact at first in case the big projects cost more money and have risks that it might not work.  It will be necessary to build websites and Facebook pages in other target countries in their languages. It has to tap, energize and embrace the groundswell all over again to gain customers in other countries. Then the expanded groundswell will bring benefit back to the company. They will raise the sales and make Chevrolet well known.