Yep, you read that headline correctly. Although there’s much more to the story. If you ask her, Kristin Buckley will make it sound like it was easy but frankly, she kinda performed a miracle with $20 bucks in Facebook ads. And that’s why I have to share her story with you.
Kristin works at RC Lacy Ford Lincoln Subaru in Catskill, New York. Dan Lacy is one of the greatest bosses ever. My opinion is not based solely on the fact he’s been my client for 5 years and I know him well. It’s also evident in the store’s culture and in how his team succeeds.
If you don’t believe me, just look how happy all Dan’s employees are on their Facebook page–> here.
Dan and his brother Jim bought the dealership from their Dad (who had purchased it from his Dad–their GrandDad) which makes them 3rd generation Ford dealers. Tragically, Jim passed away suddenly in March 2014 and as a tribute to his brother, Dan started the James C. Lacy Athletic Scholarship Fund to help underprivileged kids.
About 3 years ago, Dan promoted Kristin to Internet Sales Manager and they created a department (with 5 additional staff) to make calls and set appointments for customers interested in buying vehicles. Kristin and her team also handle all the marketing for the dealership and have grown their online presence very successfully.
They are so successful that not only do they often sell cars from leads via Facebook, but local residents stop them on the street, at restaurants, and even at the local gas station to ask, “Hey, don’t you work at Lacy’s? I saw you on Facebook!”
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Election
Kristin’s father-in-law, Gerry Buckley, had been toying with the idea of running for Fire Commissioner of Cairo, NY. Friends and family had been saying to him for months how great it would be. At first, he wasn’t completely convinced but eventually realized, “Yeah, I’d like to try to improve things for my community.”
There was only one minor problem: Gerry made this final decision to run on the day before the election so he was going to have to get elected by a write-in vote.
The thing they had going for them was that the incumbent was running unopposed. Why is this a positive thing? Because he never saw the punch coming at him. That poor guy had no chance once Kristin went work getting the word out about Gerry’s run.
The incumbent didn’t have Kristin as a daughter-in-law who had a feeling she could leverage her Facebook marketing expertise and her family’s network in the Catskill/Cairo community, where she’s lived all her life.
“The day before the election, Gerry decided that he was definitely going to run. He mentioned it to me a couple of days before that he might run, and I told him to make sure to let me know so that I could blast it on Facebook.” says Kristin.
“On Monday, December 7th, (the election was Tuesday, December 8th) he told me that he decided to run, so that night I went home and made the Facebook page.”
“I went through and invited all of my friends from the town of Cairo to get the page started and then began posting helpful, informative content on the page.” Kristin continues, “Then I promoted some of the posts with Facebook ads. I thought I could make a difference with $25. It was going to be a miracle if I pulled it off, but I had to try.”
The next day Kristin was on “Facebook watch.” She kept tabs on the questions and comments, listening and responding to everyone. A few hours later, Election Day was coming to an end and the ballot boxes would soon be closed. She had given it her best shot.
Kristin: “About 9:30 that night, after all the votes had been counted, we got the call. Gerry won! He was the new Fire Commissioner for Cairo, NY.”
Gerry won 56% of the vote. The incumbent only got 34%.
Here’s their announcement on the Facebook Page:
Can you just imagine how much fun it was to hear that news?!
A few days later, I asked Kristin how much she actually spent on Facebook ads. She said, “I’ll check how much money was spent, but it was something like $20. Oh, just calculated it: $19 bucks and change.” I about fell off my chair.
So listen up, those of you who spend time showing disdain for Facebook. There’s a moral to this story:
Never give up and never underestimate the power of Facebook.
With some savvy moves and keen expertise, you too can win an election with $20 in Facebook ads.
She simply posted awesome content and then boosted it.