Hutchings Motor Group

Hutchings’ Facebook when I joined the company was lacklustre. The first challenge was to ensure Hutchings had stable and organic growth on the well-known platform. The main Hutchings Motor Group Facebook page has more than doubled in exposure, where likes have increased from 580 likes to 1223, as of 28th October 2017. Overall reach has gone from an average of 128 per post, before I was managing Facebook, to an average of 2699 per post. Engagement has also followed the growth trend, where engagement has increased from 3 per post to now more than 25 per post.

The cause of the growth has been down to the creation of consistent content and posted once a day. I created a schedule which used staple content – photos of customers being handed their keys with a caption which was drawn from their experience. A lot of the customers engaged with these pieces and shared the photo of themselves and their new pride and joy.

Brand campaigns were also instrumental to the growth of the Hutchings Facebook page. As part of the Vauxhall franchise network, Hutchings has had many opportunities to create sponsorship activations with the Welsh FA. This included giving tickets away for Wales’ home games, as well as access to the Welsh squad at open training days. An example of the ongoing Brand campaign and story I created is available below.

Further, the Directors of the company believed we needed to create more sales content for our Facebook page. I disagreed with this notion, noting that social media platforms are primarily engagement and branding channels, not direct sales channels. I presented and later produced “Deal of the Week” videos, with a £10 budget per video. The entire budget went on amplifying the video on Facebook. A Sales Executive from each of the Hutchings dealerships presented the video, where they walked the viewer around the car, as well as noting the benefits of purchasing from Hutchings. Two examples of these videos are below.

Twitter is best used as a one-to-one marketing channel. I have primarily used the Twitter Search function as a tool to join conversations around “new cars”, “driving test”, and other key phrases which would suggest the Twitter user was in the market to purchase a car. The geolocation function was used so that I targeted users on the M4 corridor, which were most likely to buy from the Motor Group. This one-to-one approach to marketing has worked particularly well with several Sales and Aftersales directly linked to the activity, and I am certain it has improved Hutchings’ brand image as a result too.

I recognise online reviews are a vital part to the automotive buying process, and it was one of the first improvements at Hutchings that I set out to achieve. Their online reviews have increased steadily, specifically on Facebook where the star rating has improved organically from 3.4 to 4.5 as of 29th October 2017. This has been driven by encouraging customers to complete a review, as well as ensuring that customers receive a “wow” experience. The “wow” experience has been aided with a “Thank You” initiative that I lead and manage. The initiative utilises a photograph from the handover and a note from the Sales Executive, which is used in a “Thank You” card which is sent and received within 1 working day of the handover. This has had a positive impact on Hutchings’ Customer Satisfaction Index scores.

Further, I challenge the external marketing agency with ideas, tests and briefs to encourage an improved Return On Investment, while keeping the marketing budget to a minimum. I have built a great working relationship with our Account Manager and Executives, and together we work to deadlines in a timely and efficient manner. I have also created and delivered internal marketing campaigns; from brand campaigns aided with assets provided by the manufacturer, to customer retention campaigns targeted at both Sales and Aftersales, as well as Fleet and Business customers. I have planned and executed the quarterly marketing planners and this has allowed me to hone my skills at Email, Mailshot and Paid Media Marketing.

The Hutchings website is managed primarily by myself, where I ensure that relevant and current lead offers are displayed on the website. This has meant liaising with line Managers to ensure the website remains up to date. A competitor analysis is also conducted fortnightly where I take the details of competitors offers and form a spreadsheet, which line Managers can use to their advantage when creating new lead offers.

I also review and report on the used car stock displayed on the website, where I have formed a feedback loop to encourage improved management at site level of stock. This includes ensuring used car stock is photographed in a timely and efficient manner.

My Skills