Cavender Auto Group's Perez works smarter not harder to win

SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Social media is as important to businesses as it is to the average person on the lookout for the latest round of friends' baby photos and cat gifs. The more savvy a business is at concocting and implementing a social media strategy, the greater chance they have at targeting the exact people that would benefit from utilizing that business' services. Cavender Buick GMC West has not only embraced this idea, but under the supervision of Cavender Auto Group eCommerce Director Roland Perez, has managed to ruffle some feathers along the way. It is this kind of thinking that has led Perez to be nominated as Texas Automobile Dealers Association two years in a row; with a win in 2013.

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As a Buick GMC dealer, Cavender Buick GMC West was placed in a contest with other such branded dealers in Texas for a social media contest to see which dealership could increase its number of "likes" on Facebook the most. The contest was proposed as managed by an entity of General Motors and the dealerships were encouraged to use the online tools provided by GM. This is where Perez and the original equipment manufacturer parted ways.

Perez has chosen to blaze a unique trail in the world of social media marketing with his choice to contract with various third party vendors. His social media presence on Facebook is managed by a company called Social Innovations and much of the rest of his digital marketing needs are carried out by DealerFire, that provides a nearly endless list of digital marketing solutions for the automotive industry. Perez and his team from Social Innovations implemented a very simple and cost effective system that provided a tiered set of prizes for each "share" and "like" that an actual person provided for the Cavender Buick GMC West Facebook page. Using a very modest online budget, Cavender Buick GMC West was able to increase their Facebook "likes" from 469 on July 11, the first day of the contest to 5,127 on Aug. 1; the last day of the contest.

This "Rapid Fire" strategy, as Perez calls it, has a few distinct advantages over the purchasing of "likes" directly from Facebook. The most important part of the organic strategy that Perez and Social Innovations devised was that it provided actual potential leads for almost every aspect of the business. In addition to adding more than 4,000 "likes" to the dealership's Facebook page, every single one of those "likes" came from a radius of between 50 and 75 miles of the dealership. The simple purchasing of "likes" does not carry nearly the impact of the organic strategy.

Cavender Buick GMC West hosts their entire inventory online at www.cavenderbuickgmcwest.com. Their showroom is located at 7400 West, 1604 North, San Antonio, TX 78254. Anyone with questions about inventory or service should call 210-819-4444.

Media Contact: Roland Perez, Cavender Buick GMC West, 210-819-4444, [email protected]

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SOURCE Cavender Buick GMC West