Auto Dealer Monthly Magazine is the daily operations publication serving the retail automotive industry. This automotive publication serves dealer principals, officers and general managers with the latest best practices.
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By Steve Hurn S OCI A L ME DI A COMMENTS ARE KING E-commerce expert explains why asking every customer to submit an online review is the best way to encourage positive reviews, head off negative reviews and get car buyers talking about your brand. You may already have testimonials on your site from happy customers. Consider taking it a step further by utilizing a platform that enables you to get honest, detailed feedback from every customer. LOOK WHO'S TALKING Comments and reviews are fast becoming an indispensable tool in your social media toolkit, along with a vibrant Facebook page and Twitter presence. Comments need not be static. Tey should allow your customers to interact with each other, enabling them to have a conversation about your brand. A Fly Research study from 2011 indicated that 63 percent of consumers prefer their questions to be answered by owners rather than salespeople. By enabling comments on your site, you haven't just provided present and future customers with a place to talk about their purchase. You have created a community of interested and engaged followers. Across the Atlantic, Kia Motors UK has seen tremendous results by utilizing a social engagement platform that allows its customers to respond, interact and engage with the dealership Steve Hurn is the CEO of Reevoo, a multinational provider of cloud-based social commerce and review solutions. SHurn@AutoDealerMonthly.com 26 ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/MA_RISH Customer Customers once wandered from t m dealership e h dealership to dealership when osing w n choosing which car they wanted o to buy. Tose days are over. Dealhip i ership visits are on the wane, with y 2v only 1.2 vi visits per car purchase. Now, when w h Now, wh people want to learn b more about a make or model, they don't head to the sales foor; they go online and read the reviews. According to data from the 2011 Google Gearshif Conference, 94 percent of consumers do research online before buying a vehicle. Te reason is simple: Savvy consumers are less likely to trust a salesman or an advertorial produced by a dealer. Tey want to learn about a vehicle's pros and cons from people with no vested interest in the company; in other words, their fellow car buyers. Tey want to read honest comments and reviews before they decide which vehicle to buy. A 2011–'12 study by Online Cars indicated that 73 percent of customers expect to see reviews written by owners on dealer sites. Tat number can only increase. According to the Online Cars study, nearly three-quarters of the car buyers surveyed said they chose their dealership based on positive peer recommendations they found online. AUTO DE ALE R MONTHLY • AUGUST 2013 and other customers. At the beginning of this year, Kia launched a marketing campaign around customer reviews. From TV and online ads to instore review displays, the campaign resulted in more than three million visits to Kia.co.uk in the frst quarter of 2013 and a 72 percent increase in trafc to Kia dealers' sites comparing to the frst quarter of 2012. Since tying its marketing activity to customer reviews, Kia Motors UK saw a 300 percent increase in the number of test drives, more than twice as many page views, a 29 percent increase in return web visits, and a more than sevenfold increase in clicks to the dealership locator. Kia discovered that, when customers and potential customers come to the site to read reviews, they're more likely to be looking to purchase. People who read reviews (both positive and negative) are much more enthused about the product as a result — and willing to share their experiences. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE You may be worried about negative comments and criticism. You're right to be concerned. Research shows that if you allow "passive collection" of reviews — enabling reviews and then waiting to see what customers coming to your site have to say — an estimated 26 percent of the comments and reviews will be negative. Te customers motivated enough to spontaneously return to your website to write a review will likely be driven by anger or disappointment. No one wants to see these negative voices drown out the happy ones. Tis is why the right social engagement platform will proactively reach out and invite all customers to com-