One of the biggest social media trends affecting marketing departments today is the increasing fragmentation of users. In other words, thanks to the rise of platforms like Google +, Pinterest, Snapchat, Instagram — the list goes on — social media users are spending their time in multiple places.
As you can imagine, this can have a profound impact on elements of your auto marketing strategy. Take your dealership reputation, for example. There was a time, say, five years ago, when dealers had to simply keep an eye on their Yelp profile, as that's where most of the users went to express their opinions or vent their frustrations. Now, however, more and more users express their thoughts on other platforms, like Google+ and Facebook, and as a result, auto dealers need to adjust their approach.
Conduct a Dealer Reputation Audit
The first thing auto dealers need to do is engage in something akin to a dealer reputation audit. After all, you can't focus your finite social media and reputation management resources if you don't know what platforms generate the most brand-related chatter.
So first do a thorough run-through of Yelp. Are people talking about your brand here? What are they saying? And if the commentary is less than positive, how should you react? Your response here is more of an art than a science, as you shouldn't respond to all comments. (We encourage you to check our advice on this topic here.)
The most important suggestion we can make is this: generally always respond to positive comments as it creates a conversation and helps strengthen your brand.
In the meantime, the takeaway from this step is a basic one: understand your Yelp-related activity, and then engage in a similar exercise on other platforms where your brand has a presence: Facebook, Google +, LinkedIn, etc.
The Benefits of Broader Social Media Exposure
Now that you have a good idea of where your online brand-related chatter is concentrated, the next step is to cultivate more chatter and user engagement. The benefits here are two-fold. One, by getting more satisfied customers to post positive reviews on your brand, you inevitably strengthen your dealership reputation. And two, greater social media chatter can help optimize your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts: search algorithms see that real, live humans are generating content around your brand and, in turn, can boost your site's ranking in search engine results, generating even greater exposure for your brand.
Tips for Generating Reputation-Building Engagement
We imagine at this point there isn't much argument around the benefits of improved social media chatter; the challenge, rather, is how to actually make it happen. Our suggestion is somewhat obvious: first focus on satisfied customers. That said, this strategy that can be a bit more difficult than it seems. After all, you can post a blanket comment on Facebook saying, "Let us know what you thought about your car-buying experience at Stockton Honda!" only to be met with, unfortunately, a slew of negative comments. Dealerships, therefore, need to control the message, and a great way to do that is through the testimonial. Your salesteam can identify happy customers and reach out to them and see if they'd lend their face and a message attesting to their positive experience. The end result can be placed on your web site and linked to social media. You can even create a photo album on Facebook of happy customers and post standalone photos in your timeline, a technique that generates more traffic than simply posting text. (For other tips on boosting social media engagement click here.)
Now we'd like to ask you to join the conversation. What is your dealership doing to boost your reputation across non-Yelp social media channels? What approaches have proved successful? What is particularly difficult about this activity?
Need more help in strengthening your brand? Download our Brand Audit eBook.
