Google has announced its new streamlined approach for businesses to easily manage their digital presence within Google’s search engine, Google+ and Google Maps . This new update offers businesses one logical dashboard where they can easily manage and update information such as their address, phone numbers, store hours, etc., as well as share content and photos, and read and respond directly to reviews.

Google My Business also includes the ability to access Google+ Insights reports, which have been recently added to the popular social network, as well as the option to easily create and manage AdWords Express ads.

So, what does this mean for your automotive dealership?

Simply put, it’s now becoming much easier to truly understand your current and prospective customers and how they’re engaging with you, while increasing the efficiency and precision in which you manage your dealership’s digital presence and social interactions.

Let’s begin with business listings. Whether your automotive dealership has multiple locations or just one, chances are you or your marketing team has spent time consolidating and verifying your listings to ensure accuracy across the web. With Google My Business, automotive dealerships are not only able to quickly identify issues or inconsistencies in a listing, but they also have the option to change and update a listing directly within the dashboard. Now, you can ensure you’re providing potential car buyers with accurate information, no matter how they’re searching or from what device.

Gone are the days when you miss out on a sale because a customer couldn’t find your dealership, called an old phone number, or arrived during off-hours due to an inaccurate listing.

Improved engagement, more insight, and greater opportunity.

Along with managing your listings, automotive dealerships now have the capability to engage with their Google+ followers directly from the dashboard, with the option of sharing content, images, or video. Within the same view, automotive dealerships can also read any recent customer reviews and respond directly. And yes, that’s reviews from across the web, not just Google reviews. Reputation management, simplified.

Last, with Google’s addition of Insights reports for Google+, as well as the option to manage your AdWords Express account, automotive dealerships can now get ad performance data and make ad changes, as well as obtain more useful information about their Google+ followers: what type of content they’re engaging with the most, user demographics, geographic location, etc.

With Google My Business, automotive dealerships have an unmatched opportunity to ensure customers are always provided with the most up to date business information; in addition to gaining the data and insight to improve their social engagement, Google+ content strategy, and uncover potential opportunities to more effectively serve and market to prospective car buyers.

Sarah D'Andrea is the Inbound And Content Marketing Manager for Stream Companies, a full service integrated advertising agency. Her article was featured recently on an automotive marketing website.