How Social Media and Online Reviews Can Drive Your Car Dealership’s Sales [VIDEO]

By Viktor Nagornyy

Not many car dealerships realize how powerful social media and online reviews can be to drive sales. These car dealerships spend anywhere from $25,000 to $400,000 on advertising every month – this includes TV and radio commercials, newspaper ads, billboards and direct mail campaigns.

Yet, when it comes to their reputation and establishing long lasting relationships with their prospects and clients they don’t spend a dime on it, they leave it be as if its going to go away or manage itself.

This is why so many struggle. Focusing on online reputation helps establish trust and credibility in the eyes of the prospect. People search for reviews all the time before making a purchase. It has become second nature to Google something before buying.

Taking control of your car dealership’s reputation online in local listings and social media will put you ahead of your competition, because you don’t want to be part of the noise – you want to stand out above everyone else. When you’re part of the noise, it’s harder to get any attention.

Online Reputation

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand how important online reputation is to any business, especially car dealerships of all sizes. There’s really 2 basic things you need to do to begin taking active control of your online reputation and get an edge on your competition:

1. Claim your local listings and optimize profiles

You don’t want to appear to be out of business with an empty Google+ page or Yelp listing. It’s free and only takes a bit of your time to claim your local listings. If you already claimed your listings, right on! Now you need to optimize them and make sure you use every single feature they offer you. This ensures your prospects receive CORRECT information that you’ve provided.

2. Claim your social media profiles and give them life

You don’t have to claim a profile on every social media website, just focus on the main ones that your prospects will be using:

  • Google+ (this is related to #1)
  • Twitter profile
  • Facebook business page
  • LinkedIn company page
  • Youtube channel

Bonus: If you really want to set yourself apart from your competition, claim Instagram, Flickr and Tumblr blog to increase your marketing and online reputation reach.

In the next post, we’ll talk about your social media presence and how to give it life without much work. Being out there, active and pro-active, will make a huge difference for your car dealership.

What has been the hardest thing for your car dealership (or any business really) to deal with when it comes to online reputation and social media? Share your challenges in the comment section, we’re sure to reply and help you.