Posts Tagged car dealer
Importance of Social Media Management For Automotive Dealers
Posted by in Uncategorized on January 31, 2010
The need to monitor automotive dealers’ brand image online is increasingly imperative, as 75% of new vehicle buyers in 2008 used the Internet during their buying process. According to J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Internet Roundtable report, investment in high-quality digital and social media content is essential to change customer perceptions of a brand, as well to raise brand awareness and consideration levels. Social media is the latest and the fast growing marketing and communication tool online.
Social media marketing improves automotive dealers’ online reputation through building close rapport with the existing as well as potential customers. The points below discuss why social media management is important for an automobile dealer’s online marketing strategy.
Happening marketing toolIt is evident that social networking online has brought a drastic change in how we communicate online. Many of us have at least one user account in a social media website such as Twitter or Facebook. For this reason, many of the perceptive marketing companies are using social media to reach the customers in a ‘friendly’ tone and set an impression. As car buyers are more online savvy, automotive dealers have a great opportunity to spread out the word more easily.
Builds reputationAuto dealers can improve their brand’s reputation by establishing their presence on social networking sites particularly by targeting the vehicle buyers. Creating profiles and fan pages often increases opportunities to interact with prospective buyers among the social media users. Car dealers can share promotional information such as photos, offers and service details with the existing consumers. Social media helps to spread this information among the people connected to those customers and increases the visibility and response.
Two-way communicationSocial media is the communication platform that has interaction and information sharing as the fundamental theme. It lets consumers directly give their reviews and dealers in turn can communicate with the customers by responding on social networking sites. Feedback received helps in improving the service and performance. It is a win-win situation for both the consumers and car dealers. Dealers benefit from the existing customers spreading positive information with other prospective buyers voluntarily while consumers gain valuable information that may not be available otherwise.
Pinpoint Target marketBusinesses can accurately target their potential customers with the help of their profiles on the social networking sites. This makes easier to sieve through the large masses and save the marketing and advertising expenses that they usually spend on the much wider segments in traditional advertising.
Provides competitive edgeCar dealers can have a competitive advantage by maintaining a loyal customer base with the help of social networking media. There is a good marketing opportunity to car dealers with social media, which allows them to promote their services, cars and other related content on social networking platforms. Social media makes the dealer more accessible to its customers, which differentiates it from the competitors.
Social media marketing strategies are becoming popular among many businesses and auto dealers are no exception. It has become an essential marketing tool to amplify your online presence and to improve business.
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Role of Mobile Websites in Car Dealership Businesses
Posted by in Uncategorized on January 22, 2010
Majority of customers are turning to the automobile websites rather than phone calls or showroom visits to get information when they are planning to buy a vehicle. According to the J.D. Power and Associates, 75 percent of new-vehicle buyers in 2008 used Internet during their shopping process, compared with 70 percent in 2007. Besides, the number of people browsing Internet from mobile devices is rising rapidly.
To grab this opportunity marketers are using mobile websites to reach the customers. Mobile websites are different, as they are designed to fit the small screens of mobile devices such as cell phones that can access Internet. It makes a good business sense to launch mobile websites for car dealerships, which provide many advantages when compared to traditional mobile marketing.
Instant connectivity to customersMobile websites provide instant connectivity to customers, as anyone can access from hand held mobile devices. This feature will allow dealer’s instant connectivity to customers as they can be utilized anywhere and any time to view inventory, locate dealership, or to contact dealer’s sales or service team. A dealer can update the inventory, pricing and photographs of a car desired by the customer in real time, so that the customer can view that immediately on the move.
Customer feedback and surveysAccording to the study, nearly 70 percent of automotive Internet users use consumer-generated content while shopping for a new vehicle. Dealerships can get customers’ feedback on their products and services using mobile websites in a simple and hassle free way. They can know the customer’s requirements as the mobile websites help in conducting simple on-line surveys that reach customers’ mobile phones. They reduce cost, improve the speed of the survey and provide added customer convenience. Dealers can get immediate alerts on customer dissatisfaction.
Service remindersMobile websites help in notifying the service updates directly to the customer’s mobile phones. Dealers can reduce costs by replacing the call centers with mobile websites. They can alert the customers in real time when their vehicles are ready to for delivery.
Marketing on personal mediaAuto dealers can market their vehicles or products directly and effectively to their target customers through the mobile phone. They can send information such as special offers, best deals, new arrivals etc along with graphics directly to the customer’s mobile phone. Marketing through mobile websites ensures maximum reach and penetration of the dealer’s car promotions and sales proposals increasing the overall conversion rates.
Today, many potential buyers and existing customers like to be well informed about the product before visiting the auto showroom. Providing this information through a multimedia mobile website on their personal mobile devices is far more effective rather than a mere text message or a phone call from the call center. The car dealers with a mobile website definitely have an edge to stay ahead in the present competitive market when compared to dealers without it.
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The US Automotive Industry Lags Behind
Posted by in Uncategorized on January 21, 2010
The affect of the Big Three is not only lessening in the domestic industry, but also declining as a force in the international economic landscape. The fall in sales and fruitfulness may seem similar a conclusion of the US automotive industry lagging behind as businesses, but the difficulty has numerous complicated factors. The industry itself is of course partially to blame, but there are some influences that acquire led to the latest status of American car companies in comparison with external car companies.
First, the difference in car designs demonstrates the intricacy of the problems tackling American car companies. In years ago when the economy was thriving, pattern matched the needs of the consumer in the present, and sometimes the ago. Domestic trends in preferences were equally near-sighted, and car companies had no necessity to promote any other variety of car besides one Americans would spend more to buy. Foreign markets, however, created a many progressive demand, and the most observable strength was, and still is, the consumption of gasoline. In European and Asian markets where gas is many pricy due to higher taxes, saving money began not at the car dealership but at the gas station. So, when deconstructed, the easy difficulty of decoration differences becomes a multi-faceted issue where car companies, consumers, and government are all responsible. The remaining and influence of all Three on one another in this state is especially useful when the car companies were once large, dominant players in the domestic and international economies. So, the another factors that acquire led to the suffer of the Big Three are actually all component of the same problem. But, the progress of the Asian automobile industry highlight the major problems slowing the advancement of the American auto industry.
From a business standpoint, the difference in production between Asian and American companies demonstrates one area where the US industry lags behind. Basic, work costs are one major issue that Japanese car companies have been competent to hold through union relations. American auto workers’ unions have held influence over company executives, and as a outcome, union demands minify profit margins starting proper on the plant floor.
Car companies are also plagued by their corporate structure. Ford initially resolved a difficulty of miscommunication and uncoordinated suppliers, but they created many problems low the route. Toyota avoided problems of inefficiency and bureaucracy by creating small, competent entities for provide and manufacturing. The unadaptability of American car companies started from the suppliers ascending, and higher costs were felt at every interval in the manufacturing process. The belief of centralised hold not only drove up costs but drove down innovation, leading to designs and ideas that were too slow to react to industry changes.
Eventually, authorities policies acquire slowed American conception. Asian governments acquire used taxes and incentives to encourage their citizens, and the deficient of these kinds of programs has led to a standing automobile business. In China, taxes on small, fuel-efficient cars acquire been cut in half, creating enhanced demand for little cars. As a result, manufacturers acquire been competent to charge much for their product at a period when American car companies are slashing prices to encourage income.
The American auto business is lagging in the world market, and it is a product of its complicated ago. However, since the blame is not exclusive with the companies themselves, coming back the US automotive industry to its worldwide prominence will require an knowing of all of its influences, and a concerted effort by the business, consumers, and the authorities alike.
