How your past customers perceive you is extremely important to bringing in new leads to your dealership and reputation management is critical (see what we did there?) to keeping them satisfied with your service. In this edition of DealerOn University, we take a closer look at reputation management and what it means to your dealership.
What is reputation management?
Marketing is often considered to be little more than a vehicle to raise simple awareness, with sales doing the heavy lifting of keeping the store afloat. In fact, marketing is a lot more versatile than that, designed to safeguard your brand through the often dangerous waters of the digital marketplace.
You need to be aware of how people are talking about your store, whether good or bad.
Your goal is to, as the old song says, accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. Reputation management is a marketing effort dedicated to preserving and protecting your reputation. Keeping your reputation in top notch shape will help you overall as it contributes directly to your longevity and your bottom line.
8 Ways Reputation Management Benefits Your Dealership
- Builds trust: Reputation management helps your dealership establish trust with your customers, as it shows that you value customer satisfaction and are committed to providing excellent service.
- Increases customer loyalty: When your dealership has a positive reputation, customers are more likely to return for future purchases, and refer you to their friends and family.
- Attracts new customers: Positive online reviews and a good reputation will attract new customers who are looking for a reliable dealership to do business with.
- Improves online visibility: Reputation management can increase your dealership’s online visibility, making it easier for potential customers to find you in search results and online directories.
- Mitigates negative feedback: Reputation management allow your dealership to address negative feedback quickly and professionally, reducing the impact it can have on your reputation.
- Demonstrates commitment to customer satisfaction: Your dealership’s reputation management efforts demonstrate a commitment to customer satisfaction, which can increase customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth referrals.
- Enhances brand image: A positive reputation can enhance your dealership’s brand image, making you more recognizable and trusted in the industry.
- Helps to differentiate from competitors: Reputation management can help your dealership stand out from competitors by demonstrating your commitment to customer satisfaction and providing an excellent customer experience.
Monitor your customer reviews
As the internet has taken over some of our shared spaces, reviews have taken the place of word of mouth. Customers will share their experiences, especially if they are memorably good or bad, and you need to manage these places. You must collect, monitor, and respond to reviews. These reviews will often be the first impression you make on prospective customers.
Responding to reviews takes practice, but rest assured, you’ll get a lot of them. Responding to positive reviews is easy. You want to show the customer that you appreciate what they had to say, and you want to ensure the response sounds like it comes from a human being.
Be sure to share your glowing reviews on your website as social proof of your stellar reputation.
Taking the time to respond to reviews, both positive and negative, shows your customers that you value and respect their feedback.
Negative reviews are harder to respond to, but even more important. The key is to respond to these reviews in a constructive and positive way.
Validate the customer’s experience; be contrite and promise to follow up on the matter as soon as possible. While you might not retain that customer, others will appreciate your willingness to improve. Merely staying on top of negative reviews can do huge favors for your brand management.
A side bonus: those same reviews can give you a roadmap on how you can improve your customer experience, which will lead to more sales in the long run.
Reputation Management is a marketing effort dedicated to preserving and protecting your reputation. Keeping your reputation in top notch shape will help you overall as it contributes directly to your longevity and your bottom line.
Reviews give you an SEO boost
Because details on the services you offer will often be present in reviews, these reviews will help SEO (Search Engine Optimization), especially regarding long-tail keywords.
A customer looking for those services might put them into a search engine, and because they appear in a satisfied customer’s review, your SEO reaps the benefits. Additionally, Google’s rankings are based in part on ratings, so higher ratings mean your SEO gets a boost.
In short, good reviews are a shot in the arm for your overall SEO.
Listings Manager
Listings Manager, the business listings app designed specifically for car dealerships, has a ton of valuable features, including comprehensive reputation management. The Reputation section features review monitoring, response, and analytics tools, allowing you to consistently see your reviews as they come in and respond to them promptly.
Listings Manager features a wide variety of reputation management tools, built specifically for automotive dealerships, that allow you to monitor and respond to your dealership reviews at scale.
The Reputation Summary view gives you a bird’s eye view of your reputation, with review totals, averages, response stats and rates, and details on review providers. Under the Reviews section you’ll find your most recent reviews, and you can respond to reviews individually or in batches, or you can add tasks or notes for later reference.
Images have become extremely important to your online reputation, as customers can instantly share any photos they take on review sites. With Listings Manager you can monitor images your customers post with a dedication section for customer images. With a commanding view of how your customers see your store, you can quickly identify areas that demand attention and act accordingly.
With Listings Manager, available exclusively from DealerOn, you’ll gain access to a number of reputation management features:
- Monitor customer reviews on major channels such as Google, Facebook, Yelp, and Apple
- Directly respond to reviews on Google, Facebook, and ReviewBuilder
- Showcase specific testimonials and channels anywhere on your website
Head over to the Listings Manager product page to learn more about this invaluable tool for your dealership.
DealerOn has the keys to reputation management
Managing your brand reputation can be done in-house, but it takes time and experience. The best thing you can do is partner with the experts, who have the tools and experience to keep your dealership’s reputation where it needs to be.
Schedule your DealerOn demo today and see what our digital marketing experts can do for your brand. With over a decade of experience, we know how to drive results for your dealership. Our clients get award-winning service along with a powerful platform filled with exclusive native apps that make your dealership shine.
