Online Reputation Management tips for your Car Dealership

Almost 9 out of 10 customers who search the internet for businesses do focus on the brand’s online reputation.  Let’s look at a few common issues that are best avoided to maintain a good online reputation for your car dealership.

1. Posting fake reviews

This is undoubtedly a big risk to the reputation of any car dealership.

Posting fake reviews about your own dealership is a bad idea, even if it may sound tempting.

When you write reviews on your own, it is unlikely to blend in with impressions that local prospects gather from social conversations. If the difference is jarring, then your prospects will understand and your reputation will take a big hit.

2. Forgetting to engage with customers on social media

These days, most customers take to social media with their concerns or complaints rather than posting them online.

It is quite essential to engage with your customers and respond to each of these concerns as soon as they are published on social platforms.  A caring attitude and offering quick solutions can win the day for you on social media, even if the initial post or tweet was negative.

3. Not asking customers for reviews

Requesting customer reviews is an important step in managing your online reputation. Most happy customers are more likely to leave a review if they are asked for it. Again, most will not, if you do not request them.

The best time to ask for a review is before a happy customer leaves the showroom, and apps like Buyerater can make the whole process seamless and easy for both the dealership and its customers.

4. Responding to negative feedback in a defensive tone

How you handle negative feedback can make a big difference.

The first thing to do is to assure customers that you do understand the their issues. There is no better way of doing this than apologizing for their inconvenience. Remember, you are not apologizing for any deficiency of service on your part, but for the inconvenience that the customer is facing.

Once this is done, outline a quick solution in a calm and reassuring manner, and make the conversation private.

5. Not keeping track of your competitors

If you aren’t looking around and analyzing how well your competitors are doing, then probably you’re doing it wrong. Keeping a track of your competitors in the local market is very much important. This will range from tracking their customer reviews, search ranking, targeted keywords, social conversations, and more.

Remember, competitive benchmarking is essential to best others always be one step ahead of the competition.

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