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Dealers who get their social media strategy wrong run the risk of alienating customers and prospects.
That’s the view of Andrew McLelland, director of operations and regulatory affairs at Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG).
McLelland urged dealers to look at their websites and social media channels from the perspective of their customers and objectively judge how the brand rated.
He also advised dealers to respond quickly to blogs and Tweets and make sure they have the resources to do so before engaging in social media. He said quick responses were a good way to show that problems had been addressed. He also suggested dealers provide exclusive video content as well as manufacturer streamed footage.
“You Tube works well – it peaks at lunch time and 9pm when people are making purchases; as a brand you can no longer think in terms of 9 to 5.”
As the industry association for e-business, the IMRG represents more than 1,000 retailers, including Amazon, Sainsbury’s, Google, ASOS and House of Fraser. McLelland provided some best practice ideas for car dealers that have worked for retailers in other sectors.
McLelland said BPS/IMRG research showed the majority of British adults now shop online (51 per cent), 82.5 per cent of Britons have internet access and 15 per cent of internet users access via mobile devices.