There are those who may be too busy, don't believe in the use of 'social media' or think it's going away, but just as it is with any business, the automotive industry can only benefit from its use. Social Media can be defined as "media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques"1. There are many free outlets to get your business out there and connect with your customers, no matter how big or small it is. It's not just about 'tweeting' or getting 'likes'. All you need is the time and effort!

My contribution to the DE website is to give tips on ways to do such - coming from the perspective of a car enthusiast and consumer, as well as having my own connections in the auto industry. Since most of you are probably already aware of the Facebook Business Page or creating your own Twitter account, I am offering other avenues of social media and networking not commonly mentioned.

Review website #1 - yelp

Review websites such as yelp will let you claim your business and respond to customer reviews. Similar to how TripAdvisor is for travelers, yelp is for everyday consumers of anything from Restaurants, Spas and yes, even Dealerships. Users can review via the website or an app on their smartphone with a click of a button. They can 'check-in' to your facility, add quicktips and business photos and one reason why it connects closer to the customer, it's not controlled by the auto industry, such as DealerRater, AutoTrader, Edmunds, Cars, etc.

When users write reviews - businesses can claim their page and respond to reviews. As a consumer, this is important to have a business make me feel like they care what is being said about their business. Yes, there will always be the complainers, who can find something wrong with a sunny day. But, for the most part, those that take the time to write a review, whether good or bad, want to be heard and usually want a response. In addition, businesses that claim their page can also get business stats, add announcements and also create 'offers'. 

To claim your business, go to https://biz.yelp.com/ and start by finding your business. Once you do, you can unlock the business by creating a login account and verifying your business by having yelp's automated system call your business phone number. From there you will have access to the many features mentioned above. Below is more information regarding those particular sections of interest.

Recent Activity

The Recent Activity section will give you stats on your business page views. This would be how many times people have been to your page to check out what is being said or perhaps they have written a review themselves. This section can offer you some great information on what months to kick in the advertising for your business. Where I am located, our summer population triples in size, so for businesses looking outside the local customer demographics, this information may be more obvious, but judge for yourself when you claim your own business.

Offers

Perhaps you want to show off your oil change special - a great way to do this is thru the offer page - whether it be because the customer checked in or just because, this section is featured when 'Yelpers' are searching the nearby area for checking in or for places to go on smart phones.

On the Yelp Business page, with a click of a button you pick your offer type, create the headline with optional details and set a deadline for it to expire. A quick and simple, no fuss way to get consumers to see your business advertised for free!

Integration with your FB Business Page

In addition to having your Yelp Business page, you can have the it linked on your Facebook Business page with an additional tab. When logged into Facebook, if you search the Facebook application search box for 'MyYelp', it will bring you to a page that allows you to add the tab with a few clicks of the mouse.

Wrapping Up

 In reality, larger automotive dealerships will have their IT team, their BDC manager, their advertising department or their SEO guru that may know it all. But maybe even these people may not be aware of all there is out there. Sometimes it takes an outsider to show you avenues that could benefit your business.

Thanks for opening your mind and reading my first installment of ways to reach out to your customers :-) If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to contact me on here.