Word of Mouth Marketing: 7 effective strategies to drive new customers & reviews

A whopping 92% of consumers believe in recommendations from their friends and family. This simple statistic highlights one fact: Your existing customers are one of the greatest assets of your dealership.

But, how do you leverage your relationship with your existing customers? Here is where Word-of-mouth Marketing steps in.

What is Word-of-Mouth Marketing?

Word-of-Mouth is a marketing tactic that involves spreading information around a product or business based on recommendations. The goal is to provide customers with seamless and outstanding experiences so that they end up sharing their experiences with friends and family.

Here are seven ways to leverage Word-of-Mouth marketing for your auto dealership:

1. Offer excellent Service

If you want to create a positive customer experience, you must deliver quality services. Besides offering a great vehicle inventory, make sure that your customer service staff is equally good.

Remember, a great offering combined with amazing customer service is what makes word-of-mouth marketing successful.

2. Improve customer experience

Research shows that 86% of customers are ready to pay more for a better experience. Conversely, if you take customers for granted,  they are likely to speak negatively about the auto dealership.

By offering a seamless customer experience, you can not only outperform your competitors but also stimulate customer driven word-of-mouth marketing.

3. Be unique

For your dealership to become truly note-worthy, you must offer something different from the competition. 

Here are a few ways by which you can do it:

• Create a distinct customer culture
• Adopt a customer-first work mode
• Brainstorm unique marketing ideas

4. Share customer reviews

Ask your customers to provide feedback on your vehicles and services. Promote these reviews across your car dealer website and social media channels. Identify problem areas and focus on improving them.

5. Partner with local influencers

Partnering with influencers to promote your dealer brand is probably one of the best word-of-mouth marketing tactics. This works, since you are targeting audiences through people who already have a say in their purchase decisions.

When looking for local influencers, choose the ones with a good social media following and engagement rate.

6. Keep an eye on your competitors

To stay ahead of your competitors you must keep track of them. Find out what they are doing and what issues they are struggling with. Then position your dealership as a credible alternative.

7. Reward your customers

Offer incentives to your loyal customers to turn them into brand advocates. Try special offers and exclusive recognition to make them feel privileged and appreciated.

For more word-of-mouth marketing tips, Contact Us.