Social Media Profile Critical To Success In Digital Age

Dealers need to put as much effort into making sure their social media profile is the best possible, as they do in advertising cars at the right price if they want to succeed in the digital age.

Backing up an earlier report by AA Cars which highlighted the importance increasing numbers of younger buyers put on social media comments – good or bad – fast-growing used car sales platform CarGurus has issued its own study saying that a dealer’s web profile is critical to engaging a potential buyer and generating the trust for them to even continue past the reviews as they search for a vehicle or service.

Many say it is the single most important factor in selecting a dealer to buy from and this is especially true with younger customers.

Amy Mueller, VP of Communications at CarGurus, said:

“The growth of the internet and social media has made it easy for people to share their buying experiences – good and bad – with fellow consumers. As a result, it’s more important than ever to pay attention to your online reputation.”

Dealers should have a four-point plan to follow – encouragement, monitoring, responding and using reviews.

Encouragement is asking a customer to write a review and while dealers may fear what they may contain, the vast majority are positive. Monitoring is keeping a watch on what appears about the business online, either by googling the company to see what has been written or detailing a member of staff to do it as part of their job.

Once something has been put online, a dealer should take the time to respond, which shows that it takes comments seriously and cares enough about customers’ experiences to reply to the writer.

The fourth step is about using those reviews to build trust. People believe real-life stories more than claims made in the company’s advertising or home page so using positive comments with the name of the customer will have a strong effect on the image of the dealership.

Amy added:

“Customer reviews set the tone for how your dealership is perceived by future customers. They’re crucial drivers of new sales, and your dealership can’t overlook their importance. Every review is an opportunity to engage with your customers and build your reputation, so make sure you’re taking advantage.”

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