Car buyers test-drive dealers on social media, from USA Today.
“What’s it gonna take for me to get you on this Facebook page today?”
Auto dealers ask that question with increasing frequency these days, now that buyers use social media to help in the search for a new ride.
Forty-three percent of car buyers said they would use Facebook to search for a local dealership, while 59 percent would “trust” a review from a Facebook friend more than reviews found at other sites, according to the 2013 Automotive Social Media and Reputation Trend Study.
That word – trust – isn’t necessarily the first one you’d conjure up when it comes to shopping for a car. But dealers are instilling a renewed sense of it by working to ensure that a good experience in the showroom translates to a strong presence online. Their goal? Supercharged engagement in the form of thousands of new Facebook fans and “likes,” a steady flow of Twitter followers and millions of good impressions, a metric for the visibility of ads and posts.