One of the key metrics to look at when gauging the health of your Facebook page is the “People Engaged” metric. This tells you how many of your pages’ fans are interacting with you, as well as those that are interacting but are not fans of your page. The higher that percentage, the more organic reach your posts will achieve. You obviously want people talking about your business, that’s a given. But equally important is that you pay attention to people who are directly interacting with your page. Consumers increasingly use social media to ask questions about products, to get assistance, or to share experiences – both positive and negative. In today’s connected world, these consumers expect you to interact and quickly respond to them.  In their eyes, social media is simply an extension of your customer service.

However, a recent study by Locowise revealed some surprising results. After reviewing over 900 Facebook pages, it was found that 87 percent of all consumer posts to a businesses’ Facebook page went unanswered. These were customers, or potential customers, who were reaching out to a business.

When a consumer visits a Facebook page they can view all of the other messages and comments posted by others -- even interact with them. Similar to review sites, these posts can illustrate to these consumers whether your business is paying attention -- and, just as importantly, whether you care. By ignoring these posts, you can alienate consumers and fuel an unnecessary fire.

Depending on the size of a Facebook page’s audience, answering all of the page posts may seem unwieldy.  It could even necessitate a dedicated staff to accomplish. Most auto dealerships, however, won’t see this type of volume. It could easily be monitored through either a connected smartphone, or by regularly checking the Page. There is also a setting within Facebook that will trigger an e-mail whenever there is activity on your page.

If you choose to have a social media presence, it makes sense to have an employee that is charged with paying attention, just as you should for any review sites. Consumers also have the ability to leave reviews on Facebook pages. Unlike page posts, these reviews cannot be deleted or hidden. They can, however, be responded to in an official capacity by your dealership. Just as reviews – both negative and positive – should be responded to on all review sites, it would be unwise to neglect any reviews left on your Facebook page.

It’s not uncommon for consumers to reach out to car dealerships with questions on vehicles that lead to conversations and, ultimately, sales. By neglecting to pay attention and respond, you are sending a message that the consumer isn’t important – and that’s completely opposite to the intent of social media. If you don’t want to respond, you can always turn off the functionality that allows consumers to post to your page. However, this detracts from your ability to engage your consumers. It also provides them with just the one outlet that would then be left to vent on Facebook – the review section. I’m sure you’d much rather have upset consumers post to your page. Then you can interact and make efforts to take the grievance offline and, at the same time, show future visitors that you’re paying attention and care about customer satisfaction. In most cases, if their problem is resolved, the consumer will typically acknowledge it in a response showing your audience that you care. If, however, you force the consumer to turn to the review section, you decrease your ability to moderate and ultimately affect the star rating for your business.

The bottom line is that you should want people talking about – and to – your business. First impressions can speak volumes and, for many consumers, your Facebook page may be their first impression of your business. Take the time to pay attention to what’s happening on your Facebook page and could find that you encounter less negativity and that your interaction encourages your audience to engage with you more. And that’s a good thing.