Let’s go back in time for a moment. 16 years ago, in 2003, there was a brand-new highline dealership. This dealership was getting very little walk-in traffic. Despite having 10 salespeople on the floor, they were lucky if even one customer came in on any given day. With no existing CRM database, they also had zero prospects to follow up with. Salespeople simply hoped to get a customer. This was at a time that Internet leads were not plentiful, and, believe it or not, some leads even arrived by fax!

So, one brave salesperson I know decided to take matters into his own hands. He went on the Internet and started investigating brand enthusiast website. By identifying active forums and inserting himself into the conversations in a non-sales way, he became a valuable resource for the community without alienating them by being too “salesy.” This salesperson, with some effort, was able to win the trust of these forum members and generated sales to the point that he was selling a little under half of the dealership’s 100 monthly vehicles.

And why was that? Because, he listened and helped. No strings attached.

Jump up to the present. Consumers now have a plethora of information sources and dealers “potentially” receive leads from several of these. However, these leads are frequently sent to multiple dealerships; and salespeople (or Internet Managers and BDC reps) compete with other stores in what many dealers refer to as the “race to the bottom.”

While leads are great, you have a much better chance of earning a consumer’s business if you first make a connection. Today salespeople can connect with, engage and assist consumers online in many more ways than that salesperson could 16 years ago. Whether that connection is made via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social platform, consumers that connect with an informed person and get their questions answered are much more likely to trust them and then choose that dealership over any competition.

Social selling is the exact same strategy. Today many salespeople connect with, engage and influence buying decisions through personal efforts in the social media realm. Some dealers discourage this practice. But how is it any different than that new salesperson who sells cars to their family, friends and acquaintances? These sales are simply based on referrals and building trust in the customer experience.

As Facebook’s organic reach declines, your dealership would be wise to leverage its most valuable resource – your employees. Allow them to differentiate themselves from the fierce competition out there and increase the odds that in-market consumers will come to your dealership; simply because they have built a relationship with an employee or were referred by a trusted source.

Handcuffing employees so they cannot use social media only hurts sales. Not only does it hurt sales, you waste a valuable opportunity for additional exposure to those employees’ networks without any added expense at all. It is a highly viable promotional opportunity.

Let your employees tell everyone they know about your dealership, specials and vehicles you sell via any social media platform they desire. If you’ve been in retail car sales for any amount of time, I’m sure you’ve experienced the moment when a friend or acquaintance bought a car elsewhere because they didn’t know that you sold cars.

And, have taught your younger salespeople that they should tell everyone that they know that they sell cars to avoid encountering the same mistake.

With today’s technology, dealerships and salespeople can not only tell their immediate network that they sell cars, but an exponentially larger number of people through their immediate network’s connections.

Don’t be afraid of social media. Embrace it. Let your employees use it. The bottom line is that they want to sell more cars and you want them to do the same thing.

So, let them be successful at it!

Newport Beach, CA –April 15, 2019– Vboost (www.vboost.com), a viral marketing company for auto dealers, today announced it has expanded its footprint in the Midwest and the East Coast by signing more dealer groups. While the company's primary focus has been on the West Coast, in the first quarter of 2019 Vboost signed the Feldman Auto Group in Michigan/OH, the Lindsay Auto Group in VA, and several in dealerships in New York. Vboost is highly scalable for both large and small groups alike, and these dealers are seeing an increase in referral business and converting more leads.

“We are especially excited to work with Feldman since they partnered with Mark Wahlberg in Columbus, OH, forming Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet which has been getting much buzz recently,” said Paul Moran, Vboost President, and CEO. “After a pilot program with two of the Feldman dealerships, they added Vboost throughout the entire group,” Moran added.

Vboost has perfected a quick and easy process to capture photos at the time of vehicle delivery and quickly gets those "branded" photos out to the customer. Now the customer becomes the dealer's advocate by posting/sharing the images. The captured photos are stitched into a slideshow set to music and sent to the customer. The salesperson can input the customer’s music and song preference from classic rock, to Latin, country, oldies and more. Vboost pays the publishing rights so dealers can use nearly any song they choose. Customers share these videos via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other social platforms, and email them to their friends and family.

“You can't buy exposure like this. Our customers love us, and now they can share their buying experience with their family and friends. Dealers all know we should be sharing more photos, Vboost gives us a turnkey way to make that happen with a real WOW factor,” stated Al Gillespie, CMO of the Feldman Auto Group.

The Vboost Viral Marketing Platform delivers and tracks thousands of viral messages monthly – all designed to create referral business for dealers and their salespeople. With just a few clicks on a mobile app, hundreds of Vboost auto dealer clients send thousands of viral messages every month, reaching new customers through the customers' friends and family. These viral marketing messages promote the dealership and the sales rep, creating referrals. The customer receives the content in a format that compels them to share on their own terms. The shares and views are then tracked and optimized.

“Photos at delivery have become a way of life. Capturing the buying experience is valuable and getting the customer to share their excitement has great value to the dealership and the sales rep. Our turnkey process is essential to creating volume as viral marketing is the new Word-of-Mouth,” Moran said.

 For more information click on this Vboost overview video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJixDzVhYVE. Alternatively,for additional information and to schedule a demonstration call: 800 799-3130, or visit www.vboost.com.

About Vboost:

Based in Newport Beach, CA, Vboost, Inc. is the first proactive process to create positive viral marketing in the retail automotive space. It involves a streamlined process via a mobile application and three unique technologies which collect customer photos at the time of vehicle delivery, convert them to custom music videos and then send them directly to the customer via email or text. By delivering these branded messages to customers during their emotional highpoint, most customers are compelled to upload and share these videos with family and friends via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, email and other social media platforms. Best of all, results from each viral marketing campaign are being monitored, quantified and reported back to the dealers.

In the race to make a sale, dealerships often rely on templates in CRMs. These templates – including autoresponders – can hurt a dealership’s chances of communicating effectively -- or at all.

The response rate for leads is very low in the automotive industry. How much time do your salespeople or BDC agents spend calling a new lead, or sending an email, fail to reach the customer and get zero response? And how frustrated do they get as a result?

Well, perhaps that is because the customer can tell the messages from your staff are in no way personal, but are simply scripted, lacking any emotion or enthusiasm. The same goes for email templates. Customers can tell the difference between a template and a personal response directed to the individual. Which do you think a customer would be more interested in responding to? Think about those calls you get on your phone that begin with a recorded message followed by a “stay on the line” type message. Do you actually stay on the line? My guess is no.

What, then, can a dealership do to improve the effectiveness of their communications and increase the likelihood that a customer will actually answer the phone or respond to an email?

Be different!

Depending on where the lead came from, there is a high probability that you are not the only dealership who received that lead. And it is also likely that other dealerships have similar response templates. Any customer bombarded with these templated responses, which are essentially the same, will quickly realize that nobody is actually doing much to engage with them, or answer their questions.

Even those dealerships who do send out personalized responses have a problem. Far too often the time between the lead coming in and the dealership responding is abysmally long, causing the customer to get frustrated, lose interest and perhaps go elsewhere. Frequently customers are looking to buy a vehicle that same day. Any dealership which fails to respond promptly with personalized information could easily miss out on a sale.

So, what can your dealership to do engage customers and win the sale? Here are a few tips:

1.   Personalize your messages – Today’s consumers want to feel valued and special. Email templates and 20 phone calls just won’t cut it anymore. They’ll simply ignore you or get annoyed and go elsewhere for their sales and service business. Be sure to respond quickly and ensure your responses are relevant to whatever questions the customer asks.

2.   Rich Communication – In today’s age of Facetime and live streaming video, many customers prefer to interact with someone face-to-face. If your dealership can’t currently live stream, there is an option that’s easy and inexpensive… video. Don’t you think a customer would be more interested in interacting with a salesperson who takes the time to send them a personal video response, rather than a templated email from the CRM?

3.   Avoid Spam Filters – You could be sending good quality emails which the customer never sees as they end up in their spam folder. Talk to your email provider and make sure your emails conform with their policies and best practices. Certain keywords, too many links and/or too many images can trigger email providers to send your communications to spam folders. Do it enough – as in non-conforming email templates -- and you could end up blacklisted. Then nobody will get any emails from your dealership.

The bottom line is that you cannot sell a car to someone if they don’t get a fast response from you, or somehow get no response at all. Nor can you sell a vehicle if the person believes that you’re not bothering to respond to them personally but are just sending an automated response. They will just choose someone else.

Personalize your communications, make them relevant and incorporate multimedia. Your lead response rate will increase, and customers will not only respond, they do so because they’ve chosen your dealership.

The car business is a people business. Because of that, dealerships see customers from a variety of backgrounds, income levels and credit histories. And, for a salesperson or manager, there’s nothing more disheartening than to spend a lot of time with a customer just to discover that they are credit challenged. Despite that, many dealerships will do their best to land the customer on the right vehicle, structure a deal for a subprime lender of theirs or, at the very least, try to see if the customer has a co-signer.

The problem is that in some dealerships, the minute it’s discovered that a customer has poor credit, they are all of a sudden treated like a second-class citizen. However, the fact is that in this customer lies not just a problem, but also an opportunity.

Salespeople – whether they are Internet or floor sales – are taught to “just get them in.” If you have a BDC, that’s also their job. Many dealerships broadcast advertising messages dangling hope to people with challenged credit and welcome them in. Why? Because oftentimes customers with challenged credit will let you slap them into any car you have and tend to be more agreeable to terms.

But, while this is absolutely true, it is sad to see what actually happens far too many times in this process. When presented with a customer with challenged credit, all of a sudden the customer experience changes from being welcomed with open arms and “Of course we can help you!” to a rather demeaning inquisition. Closers are taught to “beat up” these customers. To point out and question every derogatory item on the customer’s credit reports. Many times, if it’s determined that there is a possibility that the customer could get financed, managers direct the salespeople to show a specific car. Typically, one that the dealership wants to get rid of, regardless of the needs of the customer.

And this is where the problem lies.

Credit challenged customers come from all walks of life. Some have poor credit because of circumstances that were beyond their control. Some earned that poor credit. Regardless of what the case may be, these customers are the easiest customers to convert into brand advocates and oftentimes the most profitable. Typically, these credit challenged customers are highly appreciative. They honestly feel as if you helped them – and you did. These customers will tell everyone they know that you helped them. The next thing you know all of their friends and relatives are calling you asking for your help. They will climb mountain peaks and scream out praises about your dealership. And, with social media and the power of online reviews, this can have a huge impact on your dealership. In fact, studies show that as many as 70% of car buyers are influenced by dealership reviews.

Remember – EVERY customer experience is important. As consumers now learn most things about your dealership online before stepping a foot on your lot, these online reviews again come into play – make sure every customer is happy enough to sing your praises! Your reputation and reviews can be hugely impacted by pre-judging customers and treating them poorly.

 Not all customers with bad credit stay customers with bad credit. Many turn their credit around and they very well may have begun that turnaround with you. These customers remember that when they were down, you helped them. In return, they will remain loyal to you for life.

So, if you’re going to welcome and invite credit challenged people to your dealership, make sure they get an incredible buying experience -- just as you would give someone with perfect credit. That perfect credit customer knows that they can buy a car anyplace, anytime. Customers with bad credit are simply looking for someone who can help them.

Be that someone and you’ll discover that simply treating all customers with a great customer experience, regardless of credit score, can lead you to increased customer retention, referrals and loyalty. After all, today it is all about the customer experience – one that can quickly get broadcast all over social media – so make sure it’s a good one, each and every time!

How many times have you been driving to someplace new in your vehicle – say to a concert – and, as you get closer, you end up following the large group of cars, as you assume they are going to the concert too, and that they know where they’re going?

This phenomenon is called the “herd mentality” and is very common in the animal world. Think of the behavior of the lemming, which will follow a group blindly off a cliff during migratory patterns, even if it means certain death.

Herd mentality also exists in humans. In fact, a study by researchers at Leeds University reported an experiment in which researchers asked a large group to randomly walk around a large hall without speaking to each other. As part of the study, a few volunteers were given specific instructions on where to walk. After a short while, many of the other volunteers followed the ones who appeared to know where they were going. Based on this study, Leeds researchers concluded that it only takes 5 percent of “informed individuals” to influence a group as large as 200 people. The other 95 percent will follow blindly.

Ok, so this may be a little out there but I found it rather amusing and started to think about how this could be applied to business, especially in marketing. The most obvious thing is that, if you can convince enough people within a group to perform a certain behavior, you are bound to have others who follow. Ironically, this practice is one of the hottest trends going right now in marketing. Influencer marketing is when you identify key influencers in your market, audience or industry and then pay them to spread your message through their channels; such as blogs, tweets, Facebook content, or more. Some celebrities make millions with just one Tweet. Think of it as word-of-mouth on steroids. It’s really not anything new. After all, celebrity endorsements were the original influencer in advertising.

However, here is where it gets more interesting: Since the explosion of social media, plenty of everyday people on the street have built large, relevant audiences on social media. They have become influencers in their town, city, industry or social circle.

The trick is to find who these influencers are. You might even have some working in your dealership. Pay close attention to who refers customers to you on a regular basis. If you have regular interactions from individuals on Facebook or Twitter, some of these might qualify. How much weight do you think a prospective customer would give to a blog articles they came across – on someone else’s blog – that told the story of their great experience at your store?

And, how about video testimonials – on other people’s YouTube channels – in the same manner? All of this type of content provides some excellent ways to begin rounding up your magical 5 percent in order to get the other 95 percent to follow their lead and buy a car from you. I mean, they must know what they’re doing, right?

People are an asset that all dealerships have, but seldom leverage. Consider finding ways to identify brand advocates and soliciting them to spread their story of your experience and you may find that others follow their lead.

How many times have you been driving to someplace new in your vehicle – say to a concert – and, as you get closer, you end up following the large group of cars, as you assume they are going to the concert too, and that they know where they’re going?

This phenomenon is called the “herd mentality” and is very common in the animal world. Think of the behavior of the lemming, which will follow a group blindly off a cliff during migratory patterns, even if it means certain death.

Herd mentality also exists in humans. In fact, a study by researchers at Leeds University reported an experiment in which researchers asked a large group to randomly walk around a large hall without speaking to each other. As part of the study, a few volunteers were given specific instructions on where to walk. After a short while, many of the other volunteers followed the ones who appeared to know where they were going. Based on this study, Leeds researchers concluded that it only takes 5 percent of “informed individuals” to influence a group as large as 200 people. The other 95 percent will follow blindly.

Ok, so this may be a little out there but I found it rather amusing and started to think about how this could be applied to business, especially in marketing. The most obvious thing is that, if you can convince enough people within a group to perform a certain behavior, you are bound to have others who follow. Ironically, this practice is one of the hottest trends going right now in marketing. Influencer marketing is when you identify key influencers in your market, audience or industry and then pay them to spread your message through their channels; such as blogs, tweets, Facebook content, or more. Some celebrities make millions with just one Tweet. Think of it as word-of-mouth on steroids. It’s really not anything new. After all, celebrity endorsements were the original influencer in advertising.

However, here is where it gets more interesting: Since the explosion of social media, plenty of everyday people on the street have built large, relevant audiences on social media. They have become influencers in their town, city, industry or social circle.

The trick is to find who these influencers are. You might even have some working in your dealership. Pay close attention to who refers customers to you on a regular basis. If you have regular interactions from individuals on Facebook or Twitter, some of these might qualify. How much weight do you think a prospective customer would give to a blog articles they came across – on someone else’s blog – that told the story of their great experience at your store?

And, how about video testimonials – on other people’s YouTube channels – in the same manner? All of this type of content provides some excellent ways to begin rounding up your magical 5 percent in order to get the other 95 percent to follow their lead and buy a car from you. I mean, they must know what they’re doing, right?

People are an asset that all dealerships have, but seldom leverage. Consider finding ways to identify brand advocates and soliciting them to spread their story of your experience and you may find that others follow their lead.

Our industry does a lot with gimmicks. You’d be hard pressed to drive through an auto mall or other area dense with dealerships and not see balloons, giant inflatable gorillas or wavy tube men. On nice days, we attempt to lure shoppers in with hot dogs and sodas. We incentivize test drives. We offer televisions, iPads and Playstations with purchase. There’s always a gimmick just waiting to be unleashed on our customers. But do any of these really attract (and keep) business? Sure, they might get someone’s attention. However, I highly doubt someone has ever decided to buy a car simply because they saw a gorilla on your roof.

We’re faced today with increasing competition. No longer are you simply competing with the dealerships in your PMA. Shoppers are able to buy cars online, through vending machines and, soon, straight from a GM pool of 30,000 cars. The ability to REALLY attract business lies not in the gimmicks you can throw in front of your dealership, hoping to attract customers, but in creating a place that people want to buy -- and leveraging that in your marketing.

In-market consumers conduct a lot of research before you may even be aware they are in-market. Not only are they researching vehicles, but they are also researching where they want to buy them. Before you know that customer actually exists, they may have already written you off. How many dealership websites are they visiting? And, what, if anything, is yours telling them? Is it the same old stuff that’s on every dealers’ website? Are your ads filled with promises of loss leaders that consumers know aren’t attainable? What makes you any different from any other dealership?

Who YOU are as a dealership is the only thing that truly differentiates you from other dealerships. Grab your employees, managers and staff and ask them what THEY think is unique about your dealership. Then do the same thing with your customers – whether they are new or long-time customers. By doing this, you may be able to identify some unique selling propositions that your dealership offers. At the very least, you’ll discover whether you truly have any or not. If your staff as a whole cannot tell you why your dealership is different, then how can you expect your customers to feel that you are?

Once you have surveyed your customers and employees, take these unique items and ask yourself if there is anyway that you can add to it. Be careful though. Don’t add anything that you cannot deliver on, or you’ll find out very quickly that you are putting out more fires than you had to begin with. Also, stay away from generic value propositions. “Low prices,” “Huge Selection,” and “Bad Credit is OK,” are NOT unique. Not to say you can’t use these as part of your overall campaigns. But, work to find things that truly differentiate you. Do you have a high employee retention rate? That’s great! Telling a customer that their salesperson, service advisor or your management team will be there for them in the future is absolutely a valuable trait. Do you offer free car washes? Oil changes? What about loaners or concierge services?

Once you have a concrete list of unique value propositions that are reasonable, and that you are able to deliver on consistently, call an all hands on deck meeting with your staff. Review these items with them and explain why it’s important that these value propositions be delivered 100 percent of the time. Make sure that you have buy in from everyone. Don’t be afraid to field questions and listen to challenges that your staff may have for you.

Once this process is complete, it does absolutely no good to keep it to yourself. These value propositions should be integrated into all of your marketing, communications and forward-facing assets including your website, social media profiles and any advertising that you do. You may only get one chance to convince a customer why they should choose you. So, make sure that anyone that inspects your dealerships and considers doing business with you sees your pledge to them.

Steer clear of gimmicks that are not going to sell any additional cars, and switch focus to who you are as an organization. Then, leverage that to attract new customers. You could well find that people will choose you more often. And that you build trust with your customers. And that, my friends, is the beginning of a true customer relationship.

Our industry does a lot with gimmicks. You’d be hard pressed to drive through an auto mall or other area dense with dealerships and not see balloons, giant inflatable gorillas or wavy tube men. On nice days, we attempt to lure shoppers in with hot dogs and sodas. We incentivize test drives. We offer televisions, iPads and Playstations with purchase. There’s always a gimmick just waiting to be unleashed on our customers. But do any of these really attract (and keep) business? Sure, they might get someone’s attention. However, I highly doubt someone has ever decided to buy a car simply because they saw a gorilla on your roof.

We’re faced today with increasing competition. No longer are you simply competing with the dealerships in your PMA. Shoppers are able to buy cars online, through vending machines and, soon, straight from a GM pool of 30,000 cars. The ability to REALLY attract business lies not in the gimmicks you can throw in front of your dealership, hoping to attract customers, but in creating a place that people want to buy -- and leveraging that in your marketing.

In-market consumers conduct a lot of research before you may even be aware they are in-market. Not only are they researching vehicles, but they are also researching where they want to buy them. Before you know that customer actually exists, they may have already written you off. How many dealership websites are they visiting? And, what, if anything, is yours telling them? Is it the same old stuff that’s on every dealers’ website? Are your ads filled with promises of loss leaders that consumers know aren’t attainable? What makes you any different from any other dealership?

Who YOU are as a dealership is the only thing that truly differentiates you from other dealerships. Grab your employees, managers and staff and ask them what THEY think is unique about your dealership. Then do the same thing with your customers – whether they are new or long-time customers. By doing this, you may be able to identify some unique selling propositions that your dealership offers. At the very least, you’ll discover whether you truly have any or not. If your staff as a whole cannot tell you why your dealership is different, then how can you expect your customers to feel that you are?

Once you have surveyed your customers and employees, take these unique items and ask yourself if there is anyway that you can add to it. Be careful though. Don’t add anything that you cannot deliver on, or you’ll find out very quickly that you are putting out more fires than you had to begin with. Also, stay away from generic value propositions. “Low prices,” “Huge Selection,” and “Bad Credit is OK,” are NOT unique. Not to say you can’t use these as part of your overall campaigns. But, work to find things that truly differentiate you. Do you have a high employee retention rate? That’s great! Telling a customer that their salesperson, service advisor or your management team will be there for them in the future is absolutely a valuable trait. Do you offer free car washes? Oil changes? What about loaners or concierge services?

Once you have a concrete list of unique value propositions that are reasonable, and that you are able to deliver on consistently, call an all hands on deck meeting with your staff. Review these items with them and explain why it’s important that these value propositions be delivered 100 percent of the time. Make sure that you have buy in from everyone. Don’t be afraid to field questions and listen to challenges that your staff may have for you.

Once this process is complete, it does absolutely no good to keep it to yourself. These value propositions should be integrated into all of your marketing, communications and forward-facing assets including your website, social media profiles and any advertising that you do. You may only get one chance to convince a customer why they should choose you. So, make sure that anyone that inspects your dealerships and considers doing business with you sees your pledge to them.

Steer clear of gimmicks that are not going to sell any additional cars, and switch focus to who you are as an organization. Then, leverage that to attract new customers. You could well find that people will choose you more often. And that you build trust with your customers. And that, my friends, is the beginning of a true customer relationship.

Social media has many advantages in today’s digital world. And, leveraging these social media accounts and platforms through employees enables your dealership to reach local customers through the networks of these employees.

Many salespeople use social media to promote themselves and increase awareness of their dealership, so as to attract customers and business. Those that use it effectively find that it can be very profitable for them and their dealerships. However, some dealers have expressed concerns about these personal branding efforts.

An article in Fast Company details the challenges that have arisen with the rise of this phenomenon. Employees that use these networks may be versed in using them for personal use. However, not many are trained in the proper use of these networks in a business setting. William Ward, a professor at Syracuse University who specializes in social media, stated that, “Because somebody grows up being a social media native, it doesn’t make them an expert in using social media at work. That’s like saying ‘I grew up with a fax machine, so that makes me an expert in business.’”

In the automotive industry, it’s pretty much an established fact that salespeople will naturally bring business and sales into the dealership, organically, from their friends and family. Their network of family, friends and associates tend to trust them to be fair in assisting them to get a good deal. Nothing has changed. If anything, the salesperson’s ability to bring this type of business into the dealership has expanded from simply word-of-mouth recommendations, to the huge potential of digital relationships.

Of course, this extended voice necessitates at least a minimal amount of training to ensure that the employee is not simply wasting time at work, and that both the dealership and the employee are portrayed in the best possible light. There are many free options available from social media companies, as well as platforms that can assist your employees in gaining a basic understanding of how to correctly use social media in a business setting. In addition, there are industry-specific tools available that allow your salespeople to maximize exposure in a way that presents the dealership in a good light and encourages engagement.

It would certainly be beneficial to explore some of these free on-line social media training programs with your employees. Customers increasingly use digital means to connect with dealerships and their employees. Social media training ensures that, at the very least, your employees know how to effectively leverage social media platforms to benefit both the dealership and themselves.

Social media can be a great and efficient way to reach potential customers in the local vicinity, as well as to engage with existing customers on a more personal level -- similar to the standard practices of phone calls and snail mail messages in the past. Your employees will use social media regardless of whether you train them or not. If they are educated in its proper use in a business setting, this can help to bring even more business and boost the dealership’s visibility in your community.

Social media has many advantages in today’s digital world. And, leveraging these social media accounts and platforms through employees enables your dealership to reach local customers through the networks of these employees.

Many salespeople use social media to promote themselves and increase awareness of their dealership, so as to attract customers and business. Those that use it effectively find that it can be very profitable for them and their dealerships. However, some dealers have expressed concerns about these personal branding efforts.

An article in Fast Company details the challenges that have arisen with the rise of this phenomenon. Employees that use these networks may be versed in using them for personal use. However, not many are trained in the proper use of these networks in a business setting. William Ward, a professor at Syracuse University who specializes in social media, stated that, “Because somebody grows up being a social media native, it doesn’t make them an expert in using social media at work. That’s like saying ‘I grew up with a fax machine, so that makes me an expert in business.’”

In the automotive industry, it’s pretty much an established fact that salespeople will naturally bring business and sales into the dealership, organically, from their friends and family. Their network of family, friends and associates tend to trust them to be fair in assisting them to get a good deal. Nothing has changed. If anything, the salesperson’s ability to bring this type of business into the dealership has expanded from simply word-of-mouth recommendations, to the huge potential of digital relationships.

Of course, this extended voice necessitates at least a minimal amount of training to ensure that the employee is not simply wasting time at work, and that both the dealership and the employee are portrayed in the best possible light. There are many free options available from social media companies, as well as platforms that can assist your employees in gaining a basic understanding of how to correctly use social media in a business setting. In addition, there are industry-specific tools available that allow your salespeople to maximize exposure in a way that presents the dealership in a good light and encourages engagement.

It would certainly be beneficial to explore some of these free on-line social media training programs with your employees. Customers increasingly use digital means to connect with dealerships and their employees. Social media training ensures that, at the very least, your employees know how to effectively leverage social media platforms to benefit both the dealership and themselves.

Social media can be a great and efficient way to reach potential customers in the local vicinity, as well as to engage with existing customers on a more personal level -- similar to the standard practices of phone calls and snail mail messages in the past. Your employees will use social media regardless of whether you train them or not. If they are educated in its proper use in a business setting, this can help to bring even more business and boost the dealership’s visibility in your community.