Your reputation is how people view you and your brand. This is prompted by your online presence and your online reviews. This is how the internet interprets you and your dealership. A lot of different components go into what makes up your reputation. 

Reputation management is the effort to influence how people view you.

DEFINE: REPUTATION MANAGEMENT:

REPUTATION MANAGEMENT IS THE PRACTICE OF INFLUENCING STAKEHOLDER PERCEPTIONS AND PUBLIC CONVERSATIONS ABOUT AN ORGANIZATION AND ITS BRANDS. IT INCLUDES MONITORING PERCEPTIONS AND CONVERSATIONS, RESPONDING TO REPUTATION THREATS, AND PROACTIVELY SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES TO BOOST REPUTATION.

Reputation Management includes protecting your online image by overseeing review websites, social media, and Google. It is a daily process of building a relationship with your customers through different platforms. 

WHY IS YOUR REPUTATION IMPORTANT FOR BUSINESS?

• • A dealership’s success needs to have good customer feedback and an online presence. A large part of your reputation will focus on your online presence. With the digital world, we live in today – it is key to have good reviews, a user-friendly website, social media, and contact information with easy access. Many people will jump over to reviews to get an idea of who they will be doing business with. In the automotive industry, another way to build up your reputation is by word of mouth. Referrals go a long way and accumulate more sales. 

  • According to Brightlocal’s Local Consumer Review Survery at least 81% of customers have used google reviews to evaluate local businesses in the past 12 months with almost a 20% increase from the year prior. Having positive Google reviews will bring in more customers. 43% of customers within automotive services say online reviews are very important, and 38% say it’s important. A total of 86% agree on how important reviews are when customers are deciding to use your dealership and services.

  • Your reputation can affect sales and marketing – it influences everything about your brand. If you don’t have support from your customers, it is going to be much more difficult to sell. When it comes to dealership reputation, what your clients say about your dealership can drastically impact what others think. There is large competition for dealerships, but a dealer with a solid support system will sell more cars. Loyalty goes a very long way in this industry. You can sell to generations of the family if you build a strong relationship. 

HOW TO OVERSEE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT?

There are many different platforms for managing your online reputation. You have to learn what strategy is effective for your dealership. It is vital to have social media accounts, as well as a Google business page. Some review sites that benefit dealerships are CarGurus, DealerRater, CarFax, and more. 
 

HOW TO START?

You have control. When reviews start circling in, make sure to address them from a more personal standpoint and respond accurately. When a negative review comes through, you can make it right. Answering these publicly to fix the issue show a lot to reviewers. The actions you make while maintaining your reputation management can shape your online presence. 

• • Analyze your online presence. Go through all your Google reviews, social media platforms reviews, automotive review sites, and any additional websites you are receiving reviews on. Make sure all current reviews are responded to, especially any that are negative. 

  • Continue to oversee your reviews. Monitor these websites at least 3-5x a week. It is more beneficial to answer the reviews as they come in so none are sitting without a response. 

  • Personalize your responses. It builds a deeper connection with your customers if you personalize your reviews. Highlight things they said in their review if they provide information and address their names when responding. 

  • Be transparent. This is your brand and making sure that you are being truthful and open to customers helps build your credibility. Customers are going to address things they liked as well as disliked during their experience. Your brand is the backbone of everything, so making sure to respond accordingly is very important. 

Reputation Management and Reputation Revival are two services offered at Digital 2 Dealer Direct that will change your entire online presence for the better. If your reputation needs some help, Reputation Revival will benefit you the most. It is a program designed to increase positive reviews and promote an improved reputation online. Our Reputation Management service will actively overlook all reviews and respond accordingly. For more information contact us today!