Reputation Matters…Online!
As a business, you have always known that your reputation is important. Word of mouth and talk around town about your dealership has a big influence on the success of your business. Making local customers happy and recommending your store to others has likely always been your objective.
Now that we live in an Internet-first world, it’s a whole new ballgame when it comes to business reputation. If your dealership is receiving great reviews on social media, Google, and review platforms like Yelp, you are in good shape. If your reviews are not so great, you may be in trouble - not only do you have to worry about unhappy customers talking about your dealership in the local market, but you also risk losing the business of any prospect who so much as Googles your dealership.
Aside from the obvious (selling high-quality trailers and providing exceptional customer service), what can you do to build and protect your reputation online?
Start by Googling your dealership and checking out the results. By conducting a single search on Google, online users will receive immediate access to your dealership’s online reviews and ratings on not only Google+/Google My Business but various other social media and review sites as well that show up in search results. If what you find does not shine a positive light on your dealership, then it’s time to get to work.
Make sure that your dealership’s information is accurate and consistent on all sites that list it (Google, YellowPages.com, social media platforms, etc.). This includes things like phone number, hours of operation, directions, and more. Inaccuracies can result in a lower search ranking for your business, making it harder for customers to find you and leave you a review in the first place.
Respond to all reviews, good or bad, and address the issues associated with the bad ones. Encourage customers to leave feedback for your dealership on Google, as well as other popular review platforms.* The higher volume of positive reviews you receive, the higher and more stable your overall ratings will become. Aim to earn a balanced amount of reviews on all different platforms, not just Google.
User-generated reviews are considered highly valuable by search engine algorithms. When customers write about their experience with your dealership (positive or negative), that content contributes to SEO for your business website. In addition to leaving a review or star rating, you should encourage happy customers to write about your dealership and their experience.*
If you do receive negative reviews, take that feedback as constructive criticism. There is most likely something to learn from it that will help you improve your business. This leads to better overall customer experience, which will likely result in more positive reviews – it all comes full circle.
The worst thing that you can do with your online reputation is ignore it. Monitoring reviews on a regular basis is necessary for earning new customers as well as customer retention. People will pay attention to your ratings and reviews – the information is hard to miss, especially on sites like Google – and they will not be encouraged to buy from you if your reputation is less than favorable. It has always been important to work toward customer satisfaction, but with the ease and accessibility of online reviews at play it is crucial.
*It is against the terms and services of Yelp to solicit customer reviews.