In a recent study done by Sociable Labs it was revealed that a very significant number of Automotive shoppers are making purchasing decisions based on social sharing. Apparently 1 in 4 shoppers who are active on Facebook have made a vehicle or service department purchase based on recommendations they saw in their news feed. This has confirmed what we’ve always known about the value of social media marketing and its direct impact on sales and service.
In the March 2012 report 62% of those surveyed said that they had ever read a comment by a friend on Facebook relating to a vehicle or automotive service. 75% of those had actually clicked the product link in their friend’s comment. Once at the dealer’s site more than half of them actually submitted a lead with either sales or service based on what they learned from their friend’s comment. Most importantly these customers who have found your dealer through social media are happy to pass on the favor with 81% of them saying that they would in turn post about their experience.
Clearly Social media can have a huge impact on your dealership, and as you reach more and more people the sharing, and therefore, the business you get from social media can grow exponentially. Other studies have shown that consumers who are at least occasionally using social networks during their vehicle or service shopping process, view recommendations from social networks as more trustworthy (58%) than shopping sites (57%) and deal sites (53%).
Are you struggling to implement an effective social media strategy? Do you wish that you could grow your social reach and drive more sales through social networking? Contact Wikimotive for a free evaluation of your social media strategy and more.