Manage Customer Relationships on Social Media

Whether your dealership has thousands of followers on social media or only a handful, the way you interact with those followers is important. These people have chosen to attach themselves to your business online, and that is not something to take lightly. While it is central to deliver high-quality content and useful information to your followers, it is also crucial that you are handling relationships with followers in a positive way.

Hopefully your dealership’s social media pages receive high engagement, meaning that followers are “liking,” sharing, and commenting on your posts. It is best practice to monitor your social media engagement regularly and respond to comments or questions in a timely manner. Interacting with followers shows that you value their thoughts and opinions and that your dealership is committed to excellent customer service - even digitally.

Depending on the size of your dealership’s social media presence, it may be wise to have at least one dealership employee assigned to managing your social media accounts. Think of a social media manager as a customer service representative and encourage them to interact with customers this way through social media channels. This behavior will come especially in handy if your dealership receives negative feedback. When your social media manager responds with a swift and helpful response, you may even be able to resolve the customer’s issue and salvage that relationship.

While it is necessary to handle the negativity that may come your way, you also have a valuable opportunity to develop and foster positive relationships with customers on social media. You will likely find that you have followers who leave raving reviews, good-natured comments, and who share their own posts about purchases they’ve made or experiences they’ve had at your dealership. This type of engagement is gold – and you certainly don’t want to ignore it or let it slip by. This type of follower should be acknowledged and celebrated, and if you form a great relationship they could even become an ambassador for your business. This would mean that they actively promote your dealership on their own, and it’s the most valuable kind of engagement you could hope to receive through social media.

Social media is a highly effective tool for advertising your dealership, promoting sales, and generating leads, but what it really comes down to is relationships. Communication and relationship building are the core purposes behind social media and seeing it as a customer relations tool is key. Focus on being helpful, informative, and easily accessible on social media to engage your customers, grow your following, and utilize the tool successfully.