The Volkswagen customer case is interesting to understand the importance of local social media marketing, and how to successfully implement this from an operational point of view.
Sommaire
Context: Volkswagen and the interest in local social media marketing
The Volkswagen Group is a world leader in the automotive industry with almost 13 brands to its credit, including Skoda, Audi and Volkswagen to name but a few. Aware of the potential of local marketing, they wanted to develop and structure social networks for their local dealerships.
The collaboration began in July 2021. They asked Hyperspread to manage the social networks of 330 car dealerships. The solution was to give dealers and agents an easy way to post online whilst providing a framework that set out the company’s brand guidelines
Hyperpread’s response: a platform to manage local social media marketing in a simple and efficient way
Hyperspread has built an intuitive platform, capable of managing multi-brand communication and providing real-time performance indicators.
The ready-made solution was ideal for ensuring brand compliance and providing resources for local dealerships that were deployable in a few clicks.
Insight into customer needs with Athénaïs from Volkswagen
Our network is growing thanks to our complementary strengths. Dealerships are directly linked to the growth of our business, they are the ones who sell the cars. It’s up to us to support them as best we can by facilitating their regional presence.
Athénaïs BERCHE-DOUCHET, Local Marketing and Network Events Manager
Can you introduce yourself and your role in the company?
My name is Athénaïs Berche-Douchet and I work at Volkswagen as a local marketing and network events manager. I am involved in all the marketing and communication media around the dealership, so posters, bus shelters, radio, advertising and social networks.
Why is local marketing important for car dealerships?
National marketing targets a wide variety of audiences, whereas local marketing really gets to the heart of the matter. These dealerships sell vehicles, so investing in their visibility is strategic. A car is an important purchase with a complex decision-making process. The human touch is essential, which is why we want to help dealerships develop their visibility.
How is Hyperspread helping dealerships develop their social networks?
At the head office we provide ready-to-use resources that can be deployed in a few clicks. In addition to Hyperspread, Volkswagen organises interdepartmental training sessions several times a year to help dealers. The next one will focus on Hyperspread and showcase the platform’s potential.
How well have the dealers taken to the platform?
Quickly and efficiently. I did a mini training session at the beginning of the summer. I logged on to the platform shortly before the training and in just two minutes, I got it. The network adopted the system very quickly and uses it daily.
What are the benefits for Volkswagen?
It’s so easy for dealerships to post online or for head office to publish materials online. For me, the indicators that tell me the network’s real- time trends such as the top 3 publications and the top 3 local pages are very useful.
Insight into the collaboration with Mikaël from Hyperspread
It’s a pleasure working with Volkswagen. All our current projects are geared towards using the platform to its full potential. It’s a challenging company with valuable insight into local social media.
Mikael Chiavetta, Head of C.S Hyperspread
When the project was initiated, my team and I were responsible for implementing the tool within the network. This consisted of setting up the brands on the platform and arranging network webinars to maximise their engagement.
We knew that it would be a challenge for those dealers that didn’t have the technical skills to manage their local social networks. Digital maturity varies from one dealership to another.
On the whole, the dealerships have adopted the tool very well. In concrete terms and following satisfaction surveys, we have discovered that 86% of dealers use the platform almost every day and that the average satisfaction score is 7/10!
Of course, we are always focused on providing Volkswagen with the best experience. I check in regularly with Athénaïs, the Local Marketing and Network Events Manager, to debrief on the network experience and invest in ways to improve.
Collaborating with Athénaïs is pleasant, simple and above all effective. Their feedback has enabled us to greatly optimise the platform, such as multi-brand management, where a dealer can manage Skoda, Audi and Volkswagen accounts all in the same online area.
Profit
Volkswagen head office regularly produces ready-made publications for its 330 dealerships, which are then used to liven up the local pages of local points of sale. These publications stimulate initiative-taking and boost the appeal of local points of sale in customer catchment areas.
The platform is really smooth. For me, I really appreciate having a global view network’s statistics.
Athénaïs BERCHE-DOUCHET, Local Marketing and Network Events Manager