Ep. 654 - What the Top 1% of Dealers Are Doing Differently on Social Media, With Miranda Pyette
In this episode, my guest is Miranda Pyette, founder of Purpose Automotive and one of the sharpest minds in the game when it comes to dealership social strategy.
She’s been in the trenches. From hustling newspaper ads to helping dealers make the massive leap from print to digital. Now, she’s leading a powerhouse team of women helping dealerships across Canada crush it on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and more.
In this episode, we unpack:
How dealers can stop getting crushed by “vanity metrics” and start crafting a social presence that actually drives results.
Why every platform isn’t created equal (and how to tailor your strategy without burning out your team).
What big brands are doing right—and how you can localize it to win in your own market.
The exact moment when social becomes more than “clicking post” and turns into real brand-building.
If you're a dealership leader wondering, “Where do we even start with social?” or “How do I get my team on board without overwhelming them?”—this episode is your blueprint.
So whether you’re deep into your content game or still stuck in 2012 with a drone video and a dusty Facebook page—hit play.
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Episode Transcript
MC: 0:00
(Episode Sponsor)This episode is brought to you by FlexDealer.
What's up, auto industry? Welcome to this episode of the Dealer Playbook Podcast. Sitting down with my pal Miranda Pyette, she is the founder of Purpose Automotive. Miranda, thanks so much for joining me on the podcast.
Miranda: 0:27
Thanks for having me.
MC: 0:28
Okay, I gotta know, just for those listening, what was your journey into the auto industry.
Miranda: 0:34
Wow, I feel like it's been forever 25 years. Wow, started out, you know, pretty, pretty young. Yeah, started out in the newspaper industry selling. They gave me two categories actually car dealers and call girls so think about that. And I sold newspaper ads to them. So I would pick up the phone, make 100 phone calls a day and hustle the phones and sell ads to them.
Miranda: 1:02
And finally I I realized that you know the automotive space in the newspaper. They were driving nice cars, they were dressing well and they were having a lot of fun. So I needed to figure out a way to get up there and work there. So worked there and started, got the worst territory possible. But the one thing I realized is if I worked hard with the dealers and understood their business, then I think I could have a fruitful career, and relationship was obviously a big part of our industry, as it still is today. So spent six great years in the newspaper, got recruited to auto traders, spent 11 great years there, ran a dealer group marketing team after that and then started my business when I had my first child.
MC: 1:44
How many people do you think got into the auto industry from print I think, I mean two of them are right here, yeah.
MC: 1:53
Yeah, people are shocked when they find out I started in publishing phone books. Yeah, like back in the day when it was like you had a big book of clip art and you would photocopy that page and run it through a wax machine and you know, little car silhouettes and these sorts of things Isn't that interesting. Then you get. I mean, tell me one thing, 11 years at the big, the big name in Canada. What's one of the most valuable things you took away from that experience?
Miranda: 2:22
When you know, our team was pretty special there and actually through that time we were transitioning dealers from traditional media to digital. So we would walk into the dealerships and say, for $99 a month you can roll your cars over to this thing called the internet. But I think, working for a large corporation when I was there we were bought and sold three times so worked with a number of different owners and the media is was strong and still is strong today. So I firmly believed and believe in the media today. Autotraderca and for me it was being exposed to all types of dealers, whether it was a single rooftop an a big dealer group. But everyone gave you the time because you worked for auto trader and we had a special team because we were educating these dealers and changing their business from traditional media to digital media. So we were along for the ride with them and we've taken them into this digital age when I was working there. So it was pretty special to be able to do that and change a dealer's business.
MC: 3:26
I've got to pick your brain on this, because you're one of the few in the industry today that experienced the transition from, call it traditional to digital. In your opinion, have things actually moved as fast as we say they have, or are you still finding that there are things that existed in that transition phase that are still as valuable today?
Miranda: 3:49
Yeah, that's a really good question. I mean, I say to dealers all the time we're not reinventing the wheel, we're doing the same thing we did in print 25 years ago.
Miranda: 3:59
We're just changing it to digital. So it's the same message. It's the same, like you know, culture of that store. Dealers are trying to really bring out the culture of their store and what sets them apart, and I think the biggest thing is we're not. We're in the same business and I think it's taken a long time to get dealers there, but there's a lot of dealers that are super educated on digital and really progressive and willing to try new things, and that's pretty special with our industry, because these entrepreneurs and dealers are creative. They made through tough times in the industry. They made it through good times, they made it through global financial crises and pandemics. So the one thing that you probably noticed, too, is we have creative people that we work with and they always find a way.
MC: 4:42
Yeah, isn't that interesting. I hadn't thought of it this deeply until listening to you speak about this. You know it's not like just a mom and pop shop that went through a digital transformation. It's the mom and pop shop who went through a transformation while also navigating political legislation that's pushing from this angle, and market condition changes that are pushing it, not like a walmart coming in and taking over a small town's main street. It is that, plus all of the political and economic pressures that go along with it, on a global stage. I want to. I want to speak globally because I mean, you are. You are a foremost expert when it comes to social and social strategy and I know you're a big proponent for that. 2025 is the year we can finally not ignore social media. You have to look at it from a global perspective. What's your take on the auto industry as a whole in having to look at the playing field from a global perspective?
Miranda: 5:41
Yeah, I mean there's. On average, a dealer uses 14 vendors a month and that's a lot.
MC: 5:48
Yeah.
Miranda: 5:49
So, and they have all these profit centers in the dealerships. And I always say to dealers you get one plate spinning and this one slows down and you move over there, and then that one that you had spinning you know has to go again, right yeah, and you move over there and then that one that you had spinning you know has to go again.
MC: 6:04
Right yeah.
Miranda: 6:05
So, when it comes to social media and 2025, I believe we're at this tipping point. Dealers can no longer ignore it. Yeah, they need to be there and it's it's begging the question of how do I be great at it? Because there's still dealers that aren't active on social. They have a social account, but they're not doing anything, they're not creating content. They don't know what to do. There's other dealers that are super progressive and know exactly what's coming for social and make it part of their team. There's dealers that are actually writing it into their employment agreements that their team must take part of social and it's part of their job responsibility. So I feel like dealers are all at different levels when it comes to social media, but I find this is the year that we're going to see strategy as it continues to be refined performance. I think we're going to see it come to a place where dealers are all going to be there. It's just a matter of how good are they going to be at it?
MC: 7:08
Do you think we're moving into a phase? See, I'm going to ask a selfish, my vain ambition question. I mean, we were chatting pre-show about the importance of I mean, there's vanity metrics, and boy do they make you feel good when you see them, metrics, and boy do they make you feel good when you see them. But from your vantage point, as you look across your portfolio of clients and the industry at large, what should a dealer be focused on if maybe they're just doing a reset or they're beginning again? What mistakes should they avoid and what should they really be focused on to make their social presence great?
Miranda: 7:44
Yeah, I mean, I think dealers get focused on those vanity metrics and followers and I think that's an important piece of it. But I think, taking your dealership social and really understanding what is our strategy, sure, we ask dealers all the time what are your three goals with social? And they don't know the answer to that Sell more cars.
MC: 8:05
Sell more cars, get more traffic.
Miranda: 8:07
And we're in this place with social that you can't just take that audience and really understand what's going to set them apart instead of just doing content to do content. And it's important that the strategy changes every month. It's important we see and break down the analytics and the data but also really understand what that story is for that dealership, social. What is their story? And you know, I think the other big thing is followers matter, but are those people actually going to buy cars from you? If they're located in another country, you're never going to see them as a customer. And you're laughing because it's one of those things like we're getting 100,000 views, but 85,000 of those views are never going to buy a car from you. So we need the right audience, we need the right people.
MC: 9:09
Yes, it's like a mix of signals to me.
Miranda: 9:11
Yeah.
MC: 9:12
It's like okay, well, we see the social media influencers who are selling against the views that they get. Then and I think that's maybe I'm wrong here, but I'd love your thoughts that's where the signal gets mixed, because they're now measuring against a different definition of success and trying to make that square peg fit into the round hole, or however the saying goes in the context of a dealership. And then, when it doesn't work or they only got 300 views on a video or whatever they, oh well, it's too heavy of a lift, we're just not going to do it.
Miranda: 9:45
I think one of the biggest challenges and where our team fits in really well with a store is we need to teach the dealership staff how to do social, and you know this from being in the industry. We always add another, add another thing to the staff or the dealership without really having a plan for it. Right? So teaching you know. We're at this crossroads where the older generation, the salespeople that know how to sell a lot of cars, don't want to touch social, right? Younger people, the 20 year olds coming in that have never sold a car or don't know how to, but are really good at social. So we need to bring all of the staff together and figure out what the cast of characters story is for that store, because we all know there's these wonderful personalities in our dealerships and it's getting to know them. But it's also teaching them how to do social. And that's where you know we got to.
Miranda: 10:44
We got to take these trends but break it down for the staff to say this is how you shoot it, this is, this is how, these are the images we need, or the video that we need, and we'll make it look good, right? So I think that's part of the education and I always compare it to Google reviews five years ago, when dealers used to say you know, we'll give you gas cards and we'll give you $100 if you get Google reviews to the dealership staff. And the dealership staff would do it for 30 days and then it would fall off. We want to make social part of their every day, teach them how to do it and get them to evolve. And what we see with some of the stores it's amazing the team camaraderie that comes together when they start to shoot social together and tell their story. It's actually amazing, and I can think of so many stores where the older guy on the team never thought he would do social and now he's like the cast of characters.
MC: 11:35
How come I'm dressed up like an elf on the shelf.
Miranda: 11:37
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we had a guy. He was on vacation last weekend. He was on the beach, older gentleman, he was on the beach shooting social, saying to the team hey, I'm still selling cars while I'm down here, so it's one of those, because he understood it.
MC: 11:54
It made sense to him.
Miranda: 11:55
It was a connection for him yeah no-transcript.
MC: 12:14
First of all, DPB gang, you know I love you, Okay. First of all, DPB gang, you know I love you, Okay. But with the amount of time, Miranda, that we spend on visual identity, thinking it's brand, how come we still end up with the car silhouette logo After all that time? Could we just end up with something else and can we just put to bed once and for all that brand isn't just visual identity, Right, and what I'm hearing you say is here we have a sales professional, older, who we typically write off and say they never want to do it, who now understood the depth of the brand and how he contributed to it and its message. And I think isn't that such a powerful activator and how we can use social media to your point? This visual I have as I'm listening to you speak is social media, is the equivalent of taking a power cord and dropping it on the floor in front of the outlet, but what you're talking about is no. I need to teach you that the power happens when you connect it into the wall.
Miranda: 13:20
Definitely.
MC: 13:21
Right, it's connected to a bigger thing than just clicking post, right.
Miranda: 13:26
For sure, and I think I think that's where we saw a lot of dealerships, you know, having the receptionist or whatever just post to just post, to post Right, and I always say to my team don't just post to post. The content needs to be meaningful on a daily basis. We're scrolling through a Statue of Liberty worth of content on a daily basis. So what's going to make someone stop and watch a car dealership? And that hook in the first couple seconds is the. It's the part where we need to get people to stop, and there's big brands creating some really great content out there. So we're also competing against that, and if every dealership is doing the same content, how do you stand out? You can't.
MC: 14:15
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Is there something to learn from those big brands Like how do we? What would you say to the dealer who hears a statement like that and goes well, see that, that's what I was looking. You know our human nature. It's like oh, I found the thing that validates why we shouldn't put effort into it. That's not what you're saying, though. You're saying there's much to learn in how you localize this and make it relevant in your local market.
Miranda: 15:09
Yeah, I mean we take a lot of inspiration from big brands, for sure, because they do it right and they invest in the right dollars and the right time and the strategy and the money. But also it needs to make sense for that dealer and their primary market area. So if they're in a small town, we want to be dialed in for the local events and what's happening, so those people that see the content resonate with it. It's not going to make sense. You know, one of the dealers said to me I don't want mountains in Ontario in my background of a car driving down the street with mountains in the background, because it doesn't make sense. And he's right. So we need to make sure the content resonates in that area where that dealership's located, but also with the people consuming the content and what they want to see more of.
Miranda: 15:53
And that's where the data and analytics I mean I know we talk about data all the time when it comes to automotive, but the data will show you what's working and what isn't. And, on top of that, I'm a big proponent of AI and utilizing that for social and getting different ideas. I mean it does the thinking for us. So I think there's a combination of a number of things through inspiration, whether it's on TikTok, linkedin, youtube, instagram, facebook, using AI as a part of things through inspiration whether it's on TikTok, linkedin, youtube, instagram, facebook, using AI as a part of it and then seeing what's working out there for your audience and what's working for that dealer audience.
MC: 16:28
Okay, you need to talk to me about TikTok. Maybe you need to talk me off a ledge here a little bit with TikTok First of all, does it work? Work? That's the first ledge we need to tackle, sorella are you a tiktoker?
MC: 16:44
well, no, are you a scroller? No, I'm more of a youtube shorts guy. Okay, um, but I did post a video to tiktok, uh, of me and my son where I kind of played a little prank on him in a doctor's office and that thing shot to the moon, which is why I talk about the vanity metrics early on. Right, oh, this is fantastic. And then the back end of it. I was like how does this serve my business at all? Um, but I know that our industry can latch on to a buzz andck certainly has come through with a craze, but you are the. You are the person that I would trust the response from on this. When it comes to brand and positioning, do I need to be everywhere? Can I just pick a platform and go deep on it? What's your take?
Miranda: 17:34
So every platform is going to have a different audience for sure so every platform is going to have a different audience, for sure. I want the dealer to get great at content and strategy before they go on to any of the platforms. They need to have goals, they need to have a plan, they need to buy in in order to get their staff to buy in Stocky images and video doesn't perform.
MC: 17:57
I love this one where it's like they're pointing at the clouds and it's like a digital landscape and you're like what does this picture represent?
Miranda: 18:04
People perform, people perform and personalities perform Interesting, and that's what we want to see. But as far as the different platforms, I love TikTok. Right, I'm a big, tell me more why? What different platforms I love TikTok.
MC: 18:20
Right, I'm a big like. Tell me more, why, why, what is it I love?
Miranda: 18:22
the content.
MC: 18:23
Okay.
Miranda: 18:23
And I think part of it too is on Instagram and Facebook. A lot of the content that I get served is people that I know Got it Friends, family, neighborhood people when TikTok. It's nobody that I know, it's celebrities. It's celebrities, it's cars, it's dealerships, it's OEMs. So when I scroll that it's news, when I scroll that content, it's pure satisfaction of the content that I'm consuming compared to that other piece of friends and family type of thing.
MC: 18:54
Sure.
Miranda: 18:56
So I believe TikTok is like meta in 2016 oh, okay, okay I think the dealers and we see this with dealerships the dealers that have kind of said I need to dip my toe in, and that's all you have to do to start is dip your toe in right and they're going deeper and deeper month by month and making it part of their marketing mix and it's working. It's working. They're creating funnels, they're creating lookalike audiences, they're creating custom audiences and the great thing about it is it's a very unsaturated market, so not every dealer is on it yet, and not only that, but when you get good at it, you'll see the content getting better and better every month and it'll perform differently each month. So I'm a big believer in dealers and their opportunity with TikTok. I think you have to have a different strategy with TikTok than you do with Instagram and Facebook or LinkedIn or.
Miranda: 19:50
YouTube. So I think you have to look at every platform and say what's our goal, where are we going to go, where are we going to start and where are we going to put content that makes sense and performs?
MC: 20:01
And I love this because you know what I'm hearing and tell me if I'm picking up what you're putting down here. It's like get pick your spot with the strategy, get it working and then we can worry about these other plat like. It's a very tiered kind of phase lined approach, which I think is is powerful, but it answers the question I was going to ask you Is it, can it be as simple as taking what I post there and posting it there, and posting it there and posting it, or are they all going to give me something different? Do I need to tailor my response?
Miranda: 20:34
I mean, ideally you would tailor for sure, but I think one of the challenges dealers face is getting the content done first off. So we always start with baby steps with dealers. We want them to get into a routine of content. But I think the biggest thing is is we don't just want to put content on TikTok. To put content on TikTok it needs to make sense. And it goes back to that whole thing around strategy right? So I'd rather have a dealer post twice a week than post seven days a week if it's not the right content. So that's the same with any platform. It needs to be thoughtful, it needs to make sense. It needs to make sense, it needs to have. It can't just be posting to posting, type of thing this.
MC: 21:12
This settles for me an almost decade-long internal debate about.
MC: 21:20
You know when the gary v's of the world came out and it was like no, you, you gotta post 17 times a day. And it's like who has the bandwidth to post 17 times a day? For starters? Oh cool, you have 50 people on your team to then experimenting for myself and realizing for me it's LinkedIn. Yeah, one thoughtful post with a good hook, a good meat and potato will travel for weeks sometimes, versus some of the people that are like no, I got to post five, six, seven, eight times a day. I don't want to make that sound whether that's right or wrong. What I'm hearing you say is you got to pick the strategy that works for you and what outcome you're looking for and you don't want your staff to get exhausted when it comes to social media.
Miranda: 22:06
Their bread and butter is selling cars and that's where they make their money. And let's not forget this. I always say to dealers at the end of the day, we're in the inventory game and we're here to sell cars. So I think the biggest thing is is how do we get dealership staff involved, but not take away from what they do on a daily basis? And that's the key. It's finding that cadence of what that right, that right cadence is for dealership style.
MC: 22:32
It's going to look different for every dealership.
Miranda: 22:33
Yeah.
MC: 22:34
That's the beautiful thing about this. Yes, it's the inventory game, but the nuance is in the the context of an individual dealership. Who do you have? What's the story that, like you, you said earlier the unique proposition of your, of your brand? What are you trying to accomplish? Who can you employ and deploy to do this strategy? Every dealership is going to have a different thing, and that's why, if I'm picking it up here, that's why it can't be cookie cutter.
Miranda: 23:07
Yeah.
MC: 23:12
We need someone such as yourself, who can come in and say, ah, let's put something that's much more personalized and it's one piece of content.
Miranda: 23:16
I think that's what's sometimes forgotten is, once that piece of content's out, it's gone and we're on to the next one, right? Remember, five years ago, dealers were all into these drone videos of getting, because everyone was getting a drone right and they were you know they were spending because everyone was getting a drone right, and they were. You know they were spending all this money on a drone video that got. It was one piece of content.
MC: 23:36
And it was like great. Now I know you have 13 air conditioners on your roof.
Miranda: 23:40
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, or yeah, I mean it's so I think it's taking that content and going back to the conversation mindful content, but it's no different. I mean you and I started in newspaper. It was like being mindful about the ad that you were putting in the newspaper because you were spending a lot of money.
MC: 23:57
One shot, one kill. And it's the same thing 25 years later, as we wind down, tell me a little bit more about your company, purpose Automotive.
Miranda: 24:10
How can those listening or watching get in touch with you and learn more about your company. Yeah, thank you for having us. I have 22 women on the team. We're an all-female team and we run social media, so Instagram, facebook, linkedin, youtube, tiktok across the country. We create content for dealers and work closely with dealers. We are an extension of their team. Our team really understands the dealer's business, what they're selling, but also gets to know each and every member of the staff really really well and we become an extension of their team. So we love what we do.
Miranda: 24:42
I feel so fortunate to work in the industry that we have, and have had, such a long run, but people can contact me on LinkedIn had such a long run, but people can contact me on LinkedIn, Miranda Pyette or purposeautomotive.ca. And, of course, we're on all the social platforms. But, yeah, it's been a great ride and we look forward to continuing to grow and work really closely with dealers. You know one of our powerful. We just changed our name a year ago and one of the things around Purpose Automotive is we always put purpose before product and it's important for us to understand that dealership because each individual dealership is different, even if they're the same brand. The people that work there. The culture of the store where they're located is super important to us, so it's important that we really understand the dealer's business and change it.
MC: 25:33
I'm breaking my own fundamental rule here, which is usually this is where I go. Thanks for joining me, but I have to give more oxygen to something you just said. Obviously, you know, the dealer playbook is part of the more than cars media network which is automotive state of the union. We're huge advocates and supporters of the Women in Color Automotive Network. Of course the Women in Automotive Network. You brought up that you are an all women organization. I know why I think that's cool and what that contrasts against the auto industry. But I want to give you some time here to just tell me your purpose in that and what that means to you.
Miranda: 26:12
Yeah, I mean we always hire the best person for the job. So we, you know, that's always when we post a job, that's always what we're looking for. It doesn't mean that we just say we're going to hire a female, sure, but I've wanted to walk the walk, because I came into the industry when there was not a lot of females working in the industry. Because I came into the industry when there was not a lot of females working in the industry, I proved myself and I felt that there should be more women employed in this industry because it's such a great industry. I'm part of the board at the Automotive Business School at Georgian College and I know one of the challenges they face is women going to the automotive program.
Miranda: 26:47
So social media is a great job, whether it's for a male or female, but we tend to get a lot of women applying for our roles, and the fact that we're 100% virtual always is a great thing for young people too, because they all want a lot of them want to work virtually. But I believe that more women should be exposed to this industry because it's a great industry and when you work hard and you're good at what you do, you'll just launch into success. So that's what the culture of our team is. We have a great culture as far as collaboration, being the best in the industry, being experts in social media, and that's what we want to continue, and we want to expose as many women as we can to it.
MC: 27:26
I love it. Miranda Pyette. Thanks so much for joining me on the Dealer Playbook Podcast.
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