The automotive business will rely heavily on favourable customer feedback in 2024. Vehicle dealerships, auto repair shops, and even mobile detailers rapidly discover how effectively customer ratings attract new customers to their establishments. Nevertheless, delighted clients may find it difficult and time-consuming to post good online evaluations. Numerous dealerships use automotive reputation management technologies to help automate this crucial process.
Vehicle owners usually check online for local suppliers when they are looking to buy a new or used car, truck, or SUV or need their present vehicle fixed. After identifying a handful of nearby auto dealerships or repair shops, they will investigate which ones have the best ratings or reviews from past clients. Over 90% of car buyers will select the company with the best user star ratings or reviews.
This is where implementing a reputation management programme can help dealerships and other auto repair companies. The following details will offer a comprehensive overview of contemporary internet reputation management for auto dealerships, including what it is, why it’s essential, and current industry leaders’ best practices.
What is Automotive Reputation Management, and Why Does Your Dealership Need It?
So, what is reputation management, and why is it crucial in the automobile industry? In summary, an online reputation management programme assists automotive companies in gathering, seeking, and responding to public comments online. This includes but is not limited to responding to comments on social media pages, online reviews and ratings left by prior customers, and dealing with objections or negative comments in public forums.
There are numerous reasons why every automotive-specific business requires a reputation management programme.
Reason #1 – Improves Your Company’s Reputation
One bad stereotype of car dealerships is that they are out to take advantage of customers. However, as with many other misunderstandings, the acts of a few often generate a poor picture of an entire sector or segment.
You may swiftly improve your company’s reputation by implementing a reputation management programme that includes boosting the number of positive evaluations from delighted consumers and promptly dealing with negative issues.
Reason #2: Generates Sales Leads
Today’s car buyers rely on the internet to study new models, read professional evaluations, and decide which trim level suits them. They also utilize the internet to examine consumer reviews, particularly those from dealerships, mechanics, and other services. Maintaining a positive online reputation, including several favourable evaluations, and reducing negative comments will attract future clients, resulting in qualified sales leads.
Reason #3: Helps Resolve Potential Flaws in Your Operations
Every car dealership aims to service its consumers. When clients provide unfavourable feedback, it can indicate a few aspects of your organization that should be improved. With a robust reputation management programme, you’ll be able to swiftly identify negative reviews, uncover the core cause of the customer’s problem, and make changes to your processes as needed.
3 Benefits of Online Reputation Management for Auto Dealerships
When a potential car buyer reads a negative online review from a prior client, they will likely avoid calling the dealership or auto service firm 97% of the time. Positive evaluations, significantly when they outnumber negative remarks, can help you win the war.
In light of these reasons, many vehicle companies are beginning to adopt software solutions to help them increase the number of positive reviews from their satisfied consumers. Here are some significant benefits of using software in your online reputation management plan.
Benefit #1: Builds trust among potential customers.
Several steps involve online reputation management techniques, such as collecting positive comments from satisfied clients or consumers. This comprises car buyers and service customers who have had a good experience at your dealership. It contributes to a higher degree of trust by increasing the number of favourable evaluations from satisfied customers and devoting time to responding to them.
Benefit #2: Improves SEO for local dealerships.
Most car purchasers prefer to acquire a vehicle from a dealership within 20 miles of their area. As a result, they rely on local SEO results to find the top dealerships for the brands they prefer. While several factors influence search engine optimization and results, participation in written reviews is a key growth component. Google sees this as excellent consumer involvement and rewards businesses that take the time to connect with reviewers.
Benefit #3: Increases Website Conversions.
As you generate favourable online reviews, you may start sharing thrilling and motivating customer remarks on your sales funnels, such as your website and social network pages. You can boost your reputation by displaying good reviews online and inspiring prospective clients to visit your website.
Reputation management programmes are critical for increasing consumer trust in your organization. Consumers frequently use positive reviews to choose a vehicle dealership, so having a solid internet reputation is vital.
4 Best Practices for Online Car Dealership Reputation Management
A company’s online reputation is built on the media it publishes online. This can include direct consumer feedback, news coverage, and user involvement on social media platforms. When automobile businesses can control some of these factors, they can establish a positive internet reputation. Often, this leads to increased consumer satisfaction.
Let’s look at four best practices that every automobile company should implement to ensure the success of their reputation management programs.
- Take Ownership of Online Review Platforms
The first step in increasing online consumer evaluations is establishing oneself across several platforms. For people in the automotive sales and service industries, a few are more applicable, such as:
Automotive Review Platforms – Dealership sales channels include TrueCar.com, Cars.com,
Kelly Blue Book, and others. If such sites have client reviews, as most do, ensure that your organization is listed on them. You can respond directly to any consumer comments.
Facebook – Facebook is an excellent social media network for automobile companies. Once the business page is set up, your customers can submit ratings and written reviews. Not only does this help you improve your online credibility, but it also allows you to rapidly respond to ‘worse than acceptable’ evaluations written by angry customers.
Google Business Profile – If you still need to, set up a Google My Business profile. This will allow users to rate and write reviews on Google Maps. Then, you may use your online marketing strategy to increase client interaction and boost your SEO results. Consider creating official listings on these pages and verifying the account so that you may accept user feedback.
- Develop a Strategy
An online reputation management plan involves noticing, responding to, resolving, and sharing consumer reviews online. If you follow the procedures outlined below, you can reduce negative feedback and rectify issues before they affect potential consumers.
Here are a few essential actions you should take to manage your internet reviews effectively.
Create a Schedule: The first step is to develop a management schedule. This includes the frequency with which you will respond to evaluations and who will be in charge and how.
Create a Negative Review Strategy – How you respond to unfavourable reviews can make or break your reputation management strategy. The main goal is to diffuse the issue by publicly responding to their remarks. Always apologize for any inconvenience and urge them to contact your team via private message to help resolve their issue. The goal is not to engage in aggressive or defensive behaviour publicly.
Catalog Positive Reviews – The final stage in this process is to document and save direct links to any positive reviews you find while managing your web presence. After that, you may automatically or manually post these to your website and Facebook page. Further down, we will discuss various automated solutions.
- Increase Positive Reviews
When you’ve done a fantastic job providing your customers, soliciting positive feedback should be a snap. However, this may take some time, especially if you need to send tailored emails. Follow a few essential criteria, however, and it will be simple to transition customers from one platform to another. It will take a little work to get them onto other platforms.
At your dealerships, make a QR code for your Google Business Profile. This will simplify for previous or current customers to scan the code and provide a written review or user rating. You can display the QR code with marketing or sales content at critical dealership points, such as the finance department, service, parts, or front desk.
Make a page on customer reviews for your website. Letting customers submit reviews for your company can help you boost conversions. It is easier for potential clients to access and learn more about your business when you connect directly to your listings on those dealership forums or sales channels.
Additionally, you may automatically send your clients emails or SMS asking for reviews. With those direct links to your review profiles and an adjustable software application such as CheckTheReview, you may automate the process of requesting consumer feedback.
- Showcase Positive Reviews on Your Platforms
A new car, truck, or SUV is a substantial investment, and shoppers will visit several dealerships selling the same model when researching. They will choose the merchant with the best internet reputation. And customer reviews usually form the foundation of their perception.
Put any favourable customer reviews you receive on your website so prospective buyers can also see them. To improve your online reputation, CheckTheReviews offers a configurable widget that you may place on any website to display reviews. These might be Facebook, Google, and numerous other review sites.
Conclusion
Any auto dealership or repair facility is aware of the influence that positive word-of-mouth recommendations from contented clients may have. What if you could combine this marketing strategy with automated technology to obtain favourable automobile buyer reviews quickly and inexpensively?
To aid in the automation of numerous stages involved in creating and preserving a stellar internet reputation, think about utilizing a review management system like CheckTheReview. Based on the essential elements of your company, you can seek and publish positive reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp, and other platforms.
Take advantage of CheckTheReview’s free trial offer to learn how to manage your dealership’s online reputation more effectively.
