Ford breaks the marketing mold and goes social for new car debut

If you are a car enthusiast, you might have noticed something missing from this year’s auto show: the unveiling of the 2011 Ford Explorer. Instead, on July 26, 2010 Ford opted to use Facebook to showcase the new vehicle. In addition, it featured a sweepstakes where one lucky Facebook fan will win a 2011 Ford Explorer. This is the first time a major car company used social media for a new product launch.

While Ford has always enjoyed high visibility on the web, its use of social media, such as the Explorer Facebook sweepstakes, is also leading to print and TV coverage. This is a great example of building a communication strategy around the goals of a campaign (e.g., increase brand awareness, engage with customers, be creative, etc.) versus simply using every social media tool out there just for the sake of using them.

Our team at OnMark Solutions prides itself on thoroughly and comprehensively evaluating your e-strategy. We recommend using social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, if it makes sense to your business and is aligned with your company’s communication goals. There are many other online ways to communicate with your customers and prospects. They all should work together to achieve the maximum ROI on your marketing dollars.

So whether you’re in the driver’s seat or you’re a passenger, ask yourself the following 5 questions when you’re deciding if social media is right for your company:

What are your customers talking about and how are they talking about it?

Do you have the staff to support ongoing updates and monitor messages about your company?

Do you have a clear understanding of your objectives and how you want your company’s brand to be positioned?

How will you measure the performance of the social media tools?

How will social media be integrated with your other communication vehicles, both online and print?

If you need help determining the answers to the above questions and evaluating what e-strategies fit your business goals, give us a call. We’ve been told we add high value at a reasonable cost, simplify seemingly complicated online tools and get things done. How can we help you drive your online presence? To read more about  the Ford Explorer Facebook campaign, click here.