\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n
Local businesses treated social media<\/a> exactly the same for the past decade. An auto dealership, a local health clinic and even a cafe would post a perfectly created photograph, attach a graphic and then add the caption \u201cCall us today!\u201d<\/p>\n Shoppers skipped past it then. Now, they are skipping past it even quicker.\u00a0<\/p>\n Data<\/a> from the automotive marketing technology platform, Get My Auto, illustrates how consumer behavior has changed in a big way.\u00a0 Automated posts aren\u2019t getting the job done. Although platforms are being used in record numbers, the ability to establish trust is closing quickly. Today\u2019s car buyers, for example, spend almost two hours less searching\u00a0websites before buying compared to a few years ago.<\/p>\n With time limited and more options than ever, generic stock images and hollow marketing speak simply aren\u2019t enough. The businesses thriving on social media have stopped \u201cbranding\u201d and have become real media.<\/p>\n Based on information available,\u00a0the use of platforms by U.S.\u00a0adults is divided into the following categories:<\/p>\n For decades, local companies ran on a passive social media strategy that included scheduling some posts, putting up some high-gloss stock photography and hoping for walk-in customers. Times have changed, and now algorithms and consumer behavior have changed with them. Gone are the days of social media being nothing more than a virtual billboard.\u00a0<\/p>\n It is now time to change your branding to a video-centric media engine.<\/p>\n Posting videos that are compelling and genuine is not enough. Modern-day algorithms have a preference for content that creates comments and direct messages.<\/p>\n If a potential client leaves a comment on your page saying something like, \u201cAre you still selling this car?\u201d or \u201cDo you have urgent dental appointments?\u201d and it takes you six hours to reply, you\u2019ve lost that lead.<\/p>\n Stop treating social media as an advertising expense or a task for an automated scheduling tool. Grab a smartphone, put your team on camera, answer your customers\u2019 real questions, and treat every comment as the start of a new transaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Local businesses treated social media<\/a> exactly the same for the past decade. An auto dealership, a local health clinic and even a cafe would post a perfectly created photograph, attach a graphic and then add the caption \u201cCall us today!\u201d<\/p>\n Shoppers skipped past it then. Now, they are skipping past it even quicker.\u00a0<\/p>\nPlatform reach: Where your customers are<\/h2>\n
\n
The fundamental shift: Old playbook vs. modern playbook<\/h2>\n
1. Content: From polished stock photos to raw, smartphone video<\/h3>\n
\n
2. Distribution: From passive page posts to hyper-local discovery<\/h3>\n
\n
3. Call to Action (CTA): From broadcast commands to low-friction questions<\/h3>\n
\n
4. Next step: From passive hope to 1-on-1 DM conversations<\/h3>\n
\n
5. Scoreboard: From <\/strong>vanity metrics to revenue drivers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
Conversion as a conversation management issue<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
\n