Going Viral: Proven Tips from Social Media Guru Kaylin Holbrook

In this episode of Word on the Street, Dealer OMG’s Ashley Kilbarger sits down with Kaylin Holbrook, social media manager at Sam Pack Five Star Chevrolet, to explore the ins and outs of social media for car dealerships. Kaylin shares how she turned a college internship into a full-time career in social media and explains her approach to getting team buy-in, building authentic engagement, and using trends to increase visibility. She offers practical advice on crafting content that resonates with audiences, staying consistent, and handling the challenges of online feedback. Whether you're an industry pro or just starting out, Kaylin’s journey and insights are a must-listen for anyone looking to make an impact through social media in the automotive world. Don't miss this episode!

Our Website: https://www.dealeromg.com/

Find us on social:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dealer-omg/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DealerOMG

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dealeromg/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dealeromg

Contact us:

info@dealeromg.com

512-436-9677

Transcript

[Ashley]

Welcome to word on the street I am Ashley Kilbarger a dealer consultant here with Dealer OMG Andrew is out of the country, so I am holding down the fort on the podcast today. And I am joined by Kaylin Holbrook, the social media manager at Sam Pack Five Star Chevrolet. Did I get that right? 

[Kaylin]

Yes, that's long. 

[Ashley]

And we're here to just talk about social media and your dealership and best practices and tips and advice. So Kaylin, just kind of for everyone that doesn't know you, kind of give a little introduction and how you got started in the auto business and how that led to social media. 

[Kaylin]

Yeah, absolutely. So I'm Kaylin, as Ashley said. So, and I was in college and I was going in for human resources. That's what I got my major in. And the last couple of weeks, my business college reached out to me and was like, Hey, there's an internship opportunity at a dealership. And of course, you know, and it was a paid internship. And so of course, you know, coming out of college, you're trying to make as much money as you can. So I was like, yeah, I'll interview for it. Like not thinking like in my head, I'm like, I don't want to work at a dealership. That wasn't in my path. And interviewed, got the job, the internship, and it was part-time Monday through Friday type of thing. And I was supposed to go through every department at the dealership to learn the business side. and the last two weeks the people that were doing an internship through Sam Pack they had to present um their experience and then one of the questions that were asked was what's something that we miss that we didn't do and so i was like social media like that's that's part of the business too you know especially in today's world so um the last two weeks of my internship My GM, Allen Brown, he had me do videos and stuff like that. And with the first three videos I sent him, he pulled me in a couple days before my last day for my internship. And he was like, hey, you want a full-time job? And I was like, absolutely. I would love a full-time job. Even though it had nothing to do with what I graduated with. But hey, sometimes that's less life. You just go with the flow. So that's how I got started. in the dealership with social media is through this internship and um a lot of people always ask like oh you know did you go to school for it like did you go to classes afterwards to learn about social media no i didn't i just i honestly feel i mean that's my generation i grew up with social media growing up too so it's kind of self-taught um but Yeah. You know, it's social media in the dealership world is hard to if you don't have your general managers, your managers buy into it. And I was very blessed with Alan because he off the bat, you know, was very involved in doing the videos. which trickles down to the managers wanting to do videos, which then trickle down to our other employees. I'm not saying that every employee wants to do a video or be a part of that, but there's a lot, our culture, you know, a lot of them do say yes. So upper management. 

[Ashley]

Yeah, that's amazing. You know, it's so funny to me. I feel like most of us that landed in auto, that wasn't our path. Yeah. Yeah. My degree was in fashion merchandising, so it's way, you know, off the beaten path. Yeah. It was kind of the same with me. Like, I was working part time for Germain Motor Company and they were like, hey, there's this thing called Facebook and we don't really want to learn it, can you like, it's like right up your alley, can you like take over it for us? Right? So yeah, one of the questions, since you were blessed with buy-in, do you have any tips or advice for someone who is kind of beating that drum of trying to get social media started in their dealership and they're having a hard time getting buy-in? 

[Kaylin]

That's hard to do. And I know that I'm blessed with my team. But I would say, try and get someone that does always say yes, and already is bought in, you know, you always have to, you always have to ask that everyone's gonna say no to you at some point. But try to get like that manager that actually sees like the potential and the value in social media. And hopefully your gm um maybe after a while you know like do a video for me do a video for me the the amount of no's i've had at this dealership even though a lot of people you know are involved in it i mean that's just come it comes with a job like they're like oh i'm working you tell them back well i'm working too you know you just you have to stay consistent and you can't be discouraged you you always have to you know keep doing what you're supposed to be doing and sometimes you know maybe you have to prove yourself which is sad but sometimes you do and so you just keep doing those videos you keep posting them even if they're not getting the views that you want them to or you know the potential that you know you have just keep posting and then hopefully, your team sees the value in that eventually. And there'll be more buy in, because I know in the beginning, there, there was a set few that always said yes, of course, I'm always going back to them. And then after we started actually doing well, and our, you know, getting seen having some viral videos, then a lot more other people wanted to be in that as well, especially sales guys, because they're like, oh, well, you know, if I'm in a video, like they see my face all the time, you know, those customers are going to want to come to you because you built the trust on the platform. Yes. Yeah. I don't know if that answered it well, but 

[Ashley]

No, that was perfect. And you kind of hit on a, on a couple of points too, of being consistent. That was always, you know, my best advice to people is just get on the camera and do it. You're going to figure it out one way or another what's working and what isn't. 

[Kaylin]

Yeah. Everyone has their own niches on how they like doing social media. For me, I'm barely in any videos just because everyone's like, you're social media. You should be in the videos. And I was like, I do better editing. I see the picture better. So, like, Nathan, or we call him Nate Dog on the camera, I was talking to him yesterday in this past week. I was like, Nathan, like, I need some videos from you. Like, can I get you in so we can, you know, shoot some videos? And he's like, well, why don't you, like, why don't you go do it? Like, myself being it. I'm like, see, our audience doesn't want that right now. They want Nate Dog. Yeah. Yeah. 

[Ashley]

Yeah. And that was another question of mine was how did you find him or did he, was he like one of the first people that volunteered or was that kind of part of the trickle down effect? 

[Kaylin]

So he came in about, probably a year and a half, two years after I started doing social media. So he wasn't the first one to, you know, pop in the videos. Um, but he was the first consistent one to be in all the videos and want to do that. Um, he started or he, yeah, he started as a sales guy and he just had, he had that big bubbly personality, you know, and he likes to be on the camera and he had actually recorded a video himself, um, Or he had another sales guy record a video for him. And then he sent it to me. And I was like, oh, that's actually pretty good content. Like, I'm going to go ahead and post it. And posted it. Ended up, you know, at that point going viral. It was like a mini viral for us. And then I was like, I actually did pretty good. Like, let's do more videos. You know? So it was kind of just like placed in, you know, in my hands. But there's... they're always, especially with the younger sales guys, um, there's always should be someone that wants to be on the camera like that. Sometimes you just have to show them, you know, the value in it and, you know, break them out of their shell. Cause I mean, I mean at first, like you go on camera, even like with me, with some of the things I do with Nathan, like we had a, um, a break check video. Like it was just like a funny, thing and i had to be on the camera because someone had a brick check while he was for test driving and so it might it was like a one-liner and but of course i'm never on the camera and so we had to retake it probably like three times before i actually got my words right so i mean it's if people who aren't used to it they're gonna stumble but that's the great thing about editing is you can always edit around that or make it bloopers which people love seeing bloopers 

[Ashley]

yes i love watching those when you guys post the bloopers and they're just so funny 

[Kaylin]

yeah well it also you know it shows that you know it kind of humanizes the dealership world and breaks that barrier of you know dealerships are bad like if you just let them laugh like that's your social media is really for entertainment So just entertain while also staying on brand with, you know, your core values. 

[Ashley]

Yes. Yeah. And that was another question of mine was how you kind of stay on brand and kind of incorporate those like trendy things that are happening. Cause not all trends fit. So how do you like pick and choose what is good for your social media? 

[Kaylin]

Yeah. So that's a good question. Um, most trends, you can put a spin on it to fit, you know, your, your business, your car dealership. Um, some businesses are more free on like what you can post. Like some, some businesses don't mind, you know, if there's cuss words in there or if, you know, there's, like different sayings of the trends out there but then other businesses are like stay professional you know watch what you're saying so you just you kind of have to know which way your business goes and so for me and knowing mr pack he you know be more professional about it like that's his image that like you know we're trying to keep with all of his dealerships um so you just kind of have to have that filter on you know, with the trends, but there was a trend where you would spin the bottle and just like i think it was like shoes like you'd pick your shoes for and you spin the bottle and you pick the shoes i was like oh i can do that with the keys and then you know show the card and then that that video was actually the first one that hit million views for us on tick tock and consistently hit the the millions for a while of course then it you know the algorithm changes yeah to find something else but you can always circle back to it later on yes 

[Ashley]

Yeah, that's amazing. You know, that's always my advice to you when people ask about how do I get started? And I'm like, just scroll through and find something you like, or that you think is funny, make it rebrand it and make it yours. 

[Kaylin]

Exactly. And you do have to spend some time on social media. It feels weird being at work and just scrolling through TikTok. But it's like, I'm looking for trends to get our name out there. And actually, that's just part of the job. I mean, don't spend all day scrolling. Find something that you think that you can tweak and make it your own. That's what social media is. Everyone's copying everyone. Staying up with the trends. Absolutely.

[Ashley]

How, so do you have like a specific amount of videos you have to hit each month or what kind of, um, like goals are, um, set in place for you? 

[Kaylin]

So when I first started and we were, um, really when I first started doing social media is when the dealership started actively posting. So I had a goal of three to five posts for Instagram and Facebook a day. And then for we do TikTok and YouTube as well. And I would just try to post one to two a day. And it's again, it's about consistency. So in the beginning of the day, I'll post a customer like a customer buying a car. i'll have the sales guys take a picture send it to me send me their name post like congrats so that that's always what i do in the morning and that counts as one post on you know instagram and facebook and then it could be another post about what we're doing in the community um what event we had just done or what's coming up or then it could be a video like a how-to video like One of ours that we had just posted and actually was the first video to hit millions of views on all four platforms that we do is a how-to video on how to take out the back glass on our EV Silverado and how to do that. And I'm not saying that it was all good comments, but you'll get hate comments on every platform. You just kind of have to filter those out. Even though there's a hate comment, it's still for you. 

[Ashley]

Yeah. Well, and the more comments, the more it pushes the video out on the algorithm. So you're like, keep hating on it. 

[Kaylin]

Yeah. Honestly, honestly, you just had to let that roll off your back. I just recently we posted a service video. And there's a lot of hate comments on like the process, you know, everyone's different. There's a lot of hate comments on the process. And so I asked my service manager, I was like, are we doing the correct process? Because sometimes you do question yourself. And he's like, yeah, that's the right process. And he started reading the comments. And he was like, just take it down. I'm like, no. If it's the correct process, everyone's going to have their own opinion on things. And you just got to, you know, you're right. We'll keep it up. It's doing good. 

[Ashley]

Yeah. yeah for sure and sometimes you can kind of not clap back but you can just respond and be like what would you change to make it better like 

[Kayin]

yeah yeah you can definitely interact with them which you shouldn't be interacting a lot with people who are commenting but yeah you can let them know like if they're they're saying something out of pocket like it's not true like typically it's i post a video or a picture of like a more like a Tahoe or suburban and they're like, oh, that's two hundred thousand dollars. I'm like, no, you know, this one's actually sixty. I just like you have to be kind and like nice and polite. You know, you are a business. You're trying to represent yourself and the business, the company. But sometimes you do comment back and typically they won't respond back. Or I had one that I responded back to and he was like, oh, thanks for explaining. Like, I didn't know. Absolutely. You're welcome. 

[Ashley]

Yeah, that's great. I know. I always like, it would irritate me. And then I would type out a reply. And I'm like, No, I had to leave that. 

[Kaylin]

Yeah. I know my my very first month here. I got my first hate comment. It was on Facebook. And I freaked out. I was like, oh my gosh. I ran to my GM. I was like, Alan, we got a hate comment. What do we do? Blah, blah, blah. And he's just like, oh, just respond to them saying this and this and that. I was like, I was like, what? Like, we're still on track. I was like, and it wasn't like, oh, sorry. It wasn't like, I'm used to like, you know, there's hate comments. Like, just apologize. He was like, no, just set them straight. Like, be nice about it and let them know what it actually is. I'm just, I was so nervous. And then now I'm just like, okay yeah either let it roll let it roll off your back or respond kindly yeah 

[Ashley]

oh the world of internet trolls yeah yeah keyboard warriors over here 

So have you noticed a difference in engagement between platforms since they're kind of all different and they have different demographics? Do you adjust like what you post or do you post across all three or four at the same time? 

[Kaylin]

um if it's videos more than likely i'm posting on all four platforms um and uh tick tock does for us at least it had more of a interaction and we got seen quicker through tick tock that's why it's good to have more than just one platform um and then plus the the younger generations that are starting to buy cars they're they're going on tick tock to as their new google like they want to see you know So TikTok had more of a response back to us. And then also YouTube, which, whenever I first started, I was like, who's actually still using YouTube? A lot of people, a lot of people are and you know, though, I feel like TikTok and Instagram, there's more kind people commenting. yeah i don't know and then facebook it's more like the the rude ones okay yeah i feel that i feel that i feel like if i could delete facebook i would but again it's important because there's a there's a lot of people on facebook yes yeah you can't exactly do that when it's when social media is your job yeah yeah yeah lot. 

[Ashley]

So when you do get feedback from customers, does that kind of spark ideas for content? Like, hey, we should do something on this because someone asked a question. What kind of role does the feedback play into it? 

[Kaylin]

Yeah. Well, if it's good feedback. Stuff that you can work with. you just, especially on TikTok and Instagram, they make it so easy to reply back to a comment with a video. So sometimes we'll post, you know, like a Silverado RST, and then they're like, Oh, what about a, you know, is he? Can you show us one with that? Or like a high country? And then so you make the video and you apply back to them. And Typically, they like it when they get replied back to like that. But I totally lost what I was about to say. It'll come back. Yeah, I love that the option where you can respond back with a video. I think that's genius. Yeah, really knows how to keep the engagement going, which is great. Yeah. So we also had on TikTok, I did a, I call it Chevy versus Chevy, which it could be like, you know, a twenty twenty three compared to twenty twenty four model and like the differences and similarities. And he was the guy that commented was like, oh, you should make a playlist like on TikTok where it automatically you know, showed all the videos like that. And I was like, yeah, why am I not doing that? So I went ahead and did it, replied back with another Chevy versus Chevy, and then put it on a playlist. And he replied by like, thanks. So like, good, like good interaction like that is, you know, something that you should look for in social media, too. 

[Ashley]

Yes, yes. I love playlists. Like, that's how I learned how to make bread. Like I started making sourdough bread, because I watched someone's playlist, like from beginning to end. And I was like, Oh, It's really not that hard. Yeah. Yeah. It's so easy because they're like broken down into smaller videos. You can just go back and watch, you know, whatever you're trying to learn or like your most popular videos. 

[Kaylin]

We have a playlist just for Nathan. Yeah, I know. I know when someone is clicks on our videos for Nathan because they'll start liking all of the videos like that. Like, Nathan, you got another, you know, another fan. I love it. I love it. Yeah, you guys really hit the jackpot. Yeah, very good. Because he's just so funny and personable. Like, he doesn't, you know. Yeah, he doesn't let people get to him. And he's always, you know, authentically himself. yeah run off camera i feel like you know being authentic that's also something that's you know want to be seen 

[Ashley]

yes well i love that because i like the statistics are women are like ninety percent of the design factor in buying a car so having him on there and obviously a lot of women love him is just genius because know they're gonna follow him and uh be like i'm gonna go buy a car from yeah 

[Kaylin]

yeah he's actually had a few people come and uh buy a car from him through seeing his videos on tick tock so which is that's pretty cool and i was like we need to ask all the other you know customers how they how do they hear of us 

[Ashley]

yeah yeah that's amazing do you kind of just roll with content that you think of that week or do you already have like preplanned stuff that you're going to shoot for the week or the month? What kind of planning do you do? 

[Kaylin]

So. typically it's just like a video see i'm like oh i'm gonna you know make it my own but whenever i am scrolling getting ideas i'll send it to either like my personal one or you know nathan and i'm like hey these are the videos we got to do next and i don't i don't really i don't sit down and make like a month calendar of what I'm gonna post, when I'm gonna post it. That's just for social media. Like it's so quick and like fast paced. You just have to see a trend, do it and then go to the next. So for me, it doesn't work. I wouldn't be able to do that for me, but everyone's different. If I see it, I like it. And I know that, you know, it fits within our parameters. Put a little spin on it. Yeah. Well, and that's kind of like how it sparks ideas faster. You're watching it and you're like, oh, we could do it like with the bottles. We could do it with keys. Right. So yeah, that's awesome. You just kind of have to stay on your toes with social media because the algorithm is always changing. Yes. 

[Ashley]

Yeah. And have you found any, like, do you have any tips for keeping up with that other than just, you know, continuously on there and looking for new trends? 

[Kaylin]

Um, no, I, I do. I will have some of my coworkers like send me trends that they think is fun. Um, so it's basically either me seeing it, my coworkers seeing it. I do know that some have used, uh, chat GPT for some ideas. Like what are some, you know, trends going on in the dealership world? And it'll give you a little list, but. I actually haven't tried that. I should, though. Sometimes you're not creative. Sometimes you have that block. Yes. Using those type of tools. But other than that, it's just you got to do your homework on social media. 

[Ashley]

Yes, I agree. Whenever I had a block and was like, I don't know what's posed today, I was on there scrolling trying to find something. 

[Kaylin]

Right. I mean, yeah, I also feel like those days, sometimes me, at least I post the best content. Cause I'm like, Oh, like, I don't know what to post. Like, I'm gonna just post this like short seven second clip of like, you know, an oil change or, you know, something, a blooper, whatever. And it ends up just blowing up. Right. When I like take at least an hour to edit some videos, depending on what it is, it's like not as, as good. I'm like, what is going on? 

[Ashley]

Yeah. It's always like that. You're like, I'm just going to throw something up and, you know, see what happens. And those are the ones that go crazy. And then, ones you spend the most time on you're like okay is any is this thing on? 

[Kaylin]

right yeah is anyone seeing it right no most of my my co-workers know that i always have uh my phone on me of course and so if i see something or like they say something i'm like oh say that again like let me record it and they're like why i'm like everything is content everything is content yeah you know there's picture a video short clip longer clip explaining you know the how to's or whatever i'm like everything's content 

[Ashley]

yes yeah i love that everything is content yeah absolutely um well there are there any other tips or tricks you can think of that we haven't touched?

[Kaylin]

 Just don't be discouraged if you know you're posting and you're not getting the views that you want. Be consistent, you know, find if there is a video you post and it does well, do it again. Do differently, just like the spin the bottle with the keys. I've probably done. Thirty, sixty, however many just because that's that's what's, you know. like, so you just gotta be consistent on posting, make sure you are posting each day that you're at work, at least, you know, depending on the platform, three to five times, one to two times, just be consistent. 

[Ashley]

I love that. Yeah, consistency is the name of the game. 

[Kaylin]

Absolutely. Yeah, social media can be tough if you know, you know, you're not staying up to date. But If you're in it every day, you'll see something that inspires you to make it your own. Yes. Yeah. Inspiration is always a good thing. Absolutely. Yeah. You can also, you know, I started following other dealerships when I first started. My GM told me that he was like, oh, go follow, you know, your competition. I'm like, why? But, you know, some of them are actually posting, you know, content as well. And you can take it. and make it your own or you can be like, oh, they're doing that, we should do that too. Just follow the other dealerships. Another tip is going to social media conferences because they really do have a lot of good information and you can meet people there, follow their accounts, follow each other, and you can go back and forth on ideas. That's why every time I meet someone, I'm like, yeah, if you see anything I'm posting, you post it too. I'm going to do the same to you. Text me if you, like, have any, you know, you don't know what to do. I mean, it's a little community. You just have to, you know, keep pushing through and staying consistent. 

[Ashley]

Yeah. Yes. I love that. Social media conferences really are the best because especially when you're kind of in that grind and you're like, ugh. I don't know what to do next. You go to one of those and you're like, okay, I have all these ideas now. 

[Kaylin]

Yeah. You really do come back with a lot of ideas and, you know, equipment sometimes just like the last of being social conference. I've been to both of them the past two years. Love them each time. You learn so much. Even if you went the year before, you should always, you know, continue going, continue your education on it. yes yeah because social media changes so much like you're not learning the same same thing each year at the conference so 

[Ashley]

yes absolutely it's a great great tip 

well thank you for joining me today and all of your wonderful words of wisdom if you need help with social media go follow Sam Pack five star chevrolet in Give Kaylin a little wave. 

[Kaylin]

Yes, I would love that. I'll call you back. Well, thank you. Absolutely. Thank you for having me. Yeah,